Washington Redskins: 10 Things That Went Wrong in 2010, and How To Fix Them
The Washington Redskins were an enigma entering this season with so many changes occurring in the offseason. They got a new head coach, new GM, new quarterback and a new locker room culture. Even with all the change and apparent experience coming with 24 new players and a two-time Super Bowl winning head coach, the Redskins have failed to capture anything near what made their sum parts successful in the past.
2010 was supposed to be the dawning of a new era in Washington, but has turned out to be the same bleak picture of mediocrity and mismanagement. If this season is anything, it is a condensed version of the last decade for the Redskins under Daniel Snyder.
With all the changes going on, there were bound to be things that didn't go as planned. Even so, Washington's season has gone wrong in more ways than anyone could have imagined. Despite the pessimism this season has no doubt bred in the fans' minds, none of it is beyond repair, though it may require a new level of patience from fans.
The Offensive Line Issues Persist Despite Efforts To Improve
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For at least the last four years, the Washington Redskins have been ailing along the offensive line. A combination of the lack of depth and unwillingness to draft linemen early led to the current shamble of a line we see today. This season has been no different than the last except that the Redskins drafted left tackle Trent Williams with the fourth overall pick in the draft.
They proceeded to line four mediocre veterans up next to him and hope for the best.
In his first season with Washington, McNabb has already been sacked 35 times. Jammal Brown has been dealing with injuries, Casey Rabach has stepped on McNabb more times than I can count, and the weird early season rotation at left guard did nothing but confuse the rest of the offense. Trent Williams has been solid, but is still just a rookie and can't be expected to also block for everyone else.
The Redskins offensive line allowed 43 sacks last season, which no one can possibly believe was all Jason Campbell's fault.
The last time Washington drafted a linemen in the first round prior to this season was Chris Samuels 10 years ago. The next highest lineman drafted was Derrick Dockery in the third round in 2003 draft. Since then, a mix of veterans and no-name players have flooded in and out of various spots along the offensive line.
With the past constantly coming back to bite them, the Redskins need to take actions to rectify the awful maintenance on their offensive line.
Williams is great start at left tackle, but every other position needs to be re-evaluated. Brown is proving more injury prone in Washington than he was with the Saints, and no one else on the regular roster has done much to stand out from the pack as anything other than bad. Stephon Heyer needs to be cut and banned from the NFL for his terrible play, and the players stashed on the practice squad need to be thrown into the mix over the last four games.
The draft is the best option for Washington at this point. Not necessarily the first round, but the middle rounds. Unfortunately, they gave up their third and fourth-round picks.
Free agency is always a crap shoot, especially for offensive linemen. Anyone signed after the season should be seen as a place-holder and not a solution to the problem. The Redskins shouldn't settle on anyone with a major injury or one-year wonder. There is only so much that can be done in-season, but it comes down to getting some of the young practice squad players into the game and seeing what they have to offer for the future, if anything.
Defensive Personnel Unprepared For Switch From 4-3 To 3-4
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When defensive coordinator Jim Haslett brought up switching the defense from a standard 4-3 to a 3-4, most informed football fans scratched their heads. The Redskins lacked much of the necessary personnel to make the scheme successful, and lost key players to injury and stubbornness. Without the right players, and an offense that couldn't sustain anything, the defense was destined to fail.
Perhaps fail is a harsh term, but being ranked last in the NFL in total defense is about the closest thing to failure they can achieve.
The defense has been a bright spot in comparison to the dim performance of the offense, but is still far from where it needs to be to succeed like its 3-4 brethren in Baltimore and Pittsburgh. The Redskins don't have a dominant nose tackle like Kelly Gregg of the Ravens or Casey Hampton of the Steelers. The type of player who is on the field to eat up space and blockers on every down.
Albert Haynesworth would have been that guy if he hadn't been such a prima donna in the offseason, citing a lack of individual playmaking as his chief reason against the swap.
The Redskins do have the makings of an elite pass rusher from the outside linebacker spot in Brian Orakpo. Imagine, if you will, that he is faster then James Harrison and stronger than Terrell Suggs. LaRon Landry is a physical safety who is best suited playing in the box and either stuffing the run or blitzing. Beyond those two players, there are a slew of players who do not belong in the 3-4 scheme.
Washington has a long road ahead of them to properly staff the defense with players tailored to the 3-4 scheme.
I doubt Haslett will scrap the 3-4, but he may be forced to soften his stance on the purity of his scheme. It may require rotating players in and utilizing hybrid 3-4/4-3 packages, and putting an emphasis on either pressure or coverage.ย The Redskins are not outfitted with the proper players to create consistent pressure and cover opponents, and the early round draft needs are too desperate elsewhere.
Lack Of Proven Playmakers In The Receiving Corps
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The immediate worry heading into the season was the complete lack of improvement at the wide receiver position. The joke of the offseason was the fact that Joey Galloway, the oldest receiver in the NFL, was slated to be the Redskins second starter across from Santana Moss. Behind the veterans was a lot of unproven youth, and a lack of depth.
Galloway was cut and none of the youth beyond Anthony Armstrong has done much of anything.
Moss has been reliable this season though he has missed on plenty of plays to go along with the ones he has made. The story of the passing game has been about the lack of chemistry between Donovan McNabb and his receivers, as well as the receivers inability to make plays when they count the most. On a team who that has struggled mightily since the bye week, the Redskins can't afford any more dropped passes or fumbles after the catch.
There aren't enough drafts or draft picks to solve all of the Redskins problems in one offseason, and free agency doesn't look very deep for 2011.
Depending on how the front office approaches the offseason, we may very well see the Redskins take a receiver with their first round pick. If they fail to win another game this season, which is not likely but cannot be ruled out, Washington would still fall outside of the top 10 because of the number of bad teams this season. Not that the Redskins should aim to lose their remaining games, but it couldn't hurt their draft hopes.
This year's draft class may be watered down because of juniors fearing a lockout next season, but assuming it isn't, there are wide receivers aplenty for Washington.
Many mock drafts, as premature as they may be, have the Redskins picking Jonathan Baldwin from Pittsburgh. He is expected to be a first round pick, but Washington may have too high of a pick to consider reaching for a still developing talent such as Baldwin. Consider the aforementioned issue with the offensive line, and it becomes less likely that Washington spends their pick on a skill player. Even one as needed as a receiver.
That leaves a lot of room for Brandon Banks and Terrence Austin to get touches on offense, and provides Armstrong with another year to improve upon his up and down first season with the Redskins.
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Abandoning The Ground Game In Favor Of a Pass Heavy Gameplan
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Kyle Shanahan got a lot of credit for his work as offensive coordinator with the Houston Texans. He led the Texans to the top ranked pass attack last season, though it is hard to overlook the presence of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson doing all the work. This season, he has tried to implement a similar approach to the offense with the pass opening up the run to poor results.
He has failed to adjust his playcalling to the players available to him in Washington.
It is easy to point to the offensive line for the lopsided playcalling, but typically when teams can't block, they change to a conservative attack instead of trying to call a wide open game. Shanahan hasn't learned that, and it has led the Redskins to some terrible results. As a team, the Redskins do not have 1,000 yards rushing.
Granted, losing Clinton Portis for the season and having Ryan Torain out of the last few games has hurt, but not this bad.
The Redskins have rushed the ball 20 or more times in six games. Of those six games, they have won five. Regardless of personnel, Washington should run the ball if only for appearance sake. If teams know the Redskins are going to throw the ball 35-40 times per game, there is no reason to stack the box.
The Giants DID stack the box and Washington still averaged 4.6 yards per carry between James Davis and Keiland Williams, but they only had 15 carries for the game.
It isn't always about the instant success but the ultimate payoff that counts for a run game to work. Shanahan needs to work on calling a more balanced game instead of giving up at the first sign of adversity. So what if the Giants were up 21-0 at halftime? Donovan McNabb still threw two interceptions to his one touchdown because the offense did not run the ball in the second half.
It will require an offseason of work on top of the remaining games to figure out what works for this team and the available players. Injuries have limited Washington's capabilities, but there is enough left to call a gameplan that doesn't rely so heavily on the passing game. Even supplementing the run game with some screens would be better than simply not getting running backs involved.
Shanahan may need playmakers to succeed as he did in Houston, but that shouldn't stop him from evaluating what he has at his disposal. That is, unless he isn't quite the offensive genius he has been made out to be.
Defensive Secondary Failing To Cover Much of Anything
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The Redskins are the worst defense in the NFL for a number of reason, but near the top of the list has to be the coverage. DeAngelo Hall has been up and down in recent weeks, Carlos Rogers has been injured and no one else seems capable of covering anyone. Part of an effective 3-4 defense is having a secondary that can keep receivers in check and make plays on the ball when necessary.
Hall has more interceptions by himself than the rest of the Redskins secondary combined.
Rogers has been a decent corner for most of his career, and he has let at least a dozen interceptions bounce off his hands in those six years. LaRon Landry is a safety who has never been good at coverage, and hasn't been asked to do much of it this season. Kareem Moore is supposed to be the free safety with coverage skills, but has failed to maintain his responsibilities. Phillip Buchanon is a dime corner at best who has been thrust into a starting role due to injuries to others better suited for it.
Opposing offenses have 18 passing touchdowns against the Redskins to eight rushing touchdowns.
The opening play against the Eagles a few weeks ago is a perfect example of what is wrong with the defense. After thoroughly shutting him down in their first meeting, the Redskins allowed DeSean Jackson to get running and beat every defender on the field en route to an 88-yard touchdown bomb from Michael Vick. The coverage bit on the playaction, Vick went on a short bootleg to his left and found the wide open Jackson with only Landry within reach.
Landry should have been over the top with Hall on his hip, but miscommunication and sloppy execution allowed the play to develop and go for the touchdown.
Yet another issue that requires attention the draft, or at least a scheme adjustment. The Redskins have failed to apply adequate pressure on opposing quarterbacks, and the coverage has failed to maintain coverage for those extra seconds. Corners need to be more physical with receivers at the line of scrimmage and the pass rush has to get to the quarterback. With Moore having more pass responsibilities, he should work on identifying the play before reacting.
His instincts have led him astray a number of times and left Hall and Rogers without safety help over the top, leading to too many big plays.
Complete Lack of Depth at Any Position
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Once again, the Redskins fall victim to their own poor planning. The team brought in 24 or so new players to fill in the gaps left by the number of familiar faces let go in the offseason. In the process, they neglected to provide key positions with any depth to make it through the rigors of a typical season.
If injuries can fell the mighty Indianapolis Colts, imagine the effect on the mediocre Washington Redskins.
The offensive line was doomed from the start when projected right guard Mike Williams was lost for the season, Jammal Brown missed some time with hip and leg problems, and rookie Trent Williams missed time with foot and shoulder injuries. The secondary has been without LaRon Landry, Carlos Rogers and Kareem Moore for various stretches of time.
Then there is the running back meat grinder the Redskins have going on in the offensive backfield.
A wise man once said that he felt he gave the Redskins the best chance to win with the offensive line he had assembled. That man was Vinny Cerrato and he "resigned" before the end of last season because of his pearls of wisdom and uncanny ability to ruin everything. Perhaps this is a case of hangover from that reign, but injuries of any variety should not leave an entire unit scrambling for players.
Consider it a failure of every year before to address the situation, but when the cast is constantly rotating and the most experienced players have injury problems, there is no chance for solid production when injuries crop up.
The number of older players on the roster is troubling because age only lends itself to frailty in the NFL, and the Redskins cannot afford to lose anyone at this juncture. Moving forward, the Redskins will have to properly account for the inevitable injuries and keep some level of talent available to step in when the situation calls.
It takes a bit of foresight to account for injuries, but when they don't come all at once it should be easy to make up for the loss. Washington has never been able to comfortably substitute for an injured player because of the incredible drop-off in talent between the starter and the back-up, as well as the relative unavailability of a full-time back-up at one position. Versatility is great, but being average at two positions is less desirable than being good at one position.
League-Worst Third Down Conversion Percentage
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This is a bit of an accumulation of problems for Washington's offense, but it is one of the biggest problems week to week. The offense go three-and-out or fail to sustain a drive more with first downs. As a result, the defense is constantly on the field.
With the defense being on the field so much, it is no wonder they are worst in the NFL.
The offense has converted a league worst 27.5-percent of their third downs. Whether it be an untimely sack on Donovan McNabb, a dropped pass, a pass short of the marker or an ill-timed draw play, the Redskins simply have not found ways to get first downs when they need them the most. The dysfunction along the line affects the ability to open up the playbook and spread the field as Kyle Shanahan would no doubt love to do.
But there comes a time for execution and blaming it on the play called is just another excuse.
Execution has been lacking in most of the Redskins games this season. Whether it be a stupid penalty, missed blocking assignment, missed throw, dropped pass or poor running, it doesn't matter. The Redskins have shot themselves in the foot with penalties, and it seems to be most prevalent on third downs.
Discipline is the easiest answer to this problem, but it doesn't stop there.
Playmakers need to make plays, and to make plays they need to be in position to make plays. It is up to Kyle Shanahan to draw up a play that will give the players the best chance to get open and make a play on third down. There is a good reason why third down conversion are one of the most over-publicized statistics in the NFL.
Teams who convert third downs usually win, and Washington isn't doing either.
Solving the personnel problems along the line will fix a lot of what is wrong on third downs, but McNabb needs to work on making better throws and receivers need to extend routes to the first down marker. Even if it means straying from what is written up.ย
Unwillingness to Adjust and Adapt In The Face of Adversity
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It was apparent from day one, or the first day of the Albert Haynesworth saga, that Mike Shanahan is a "my way or the highway" kind of coach. He has been that way since his days in Denver, but it doesn't always fly. It is especially dangerous when that approach begins to impede upon the success of the team.
Both Mike and Kyle Shanahan have shown themselves to be stubborn when faced with obstacles.
It is difficult to blame Mike Shanahan for the Haynesworth situation, but he should be held accountable for the way he handled it. The conditioning test was a way to exert his power over Haynesworth, and it backfired. Rather than build Haynesworth character and respect for Shanahan, it created a rift which most believe is irreparable.
Kyle Shanahan simply refuses to adjust on the fly, and would just as soon throw on every down than think the run game might help.
The Redskins have played from behind in games this season, but it doesn't mean they should immediately rely on the pass to bring them back. Especially since the passing game has been out of sync for most of the season.ย
Brian Mitchell talked about the Haynesworth issue after the game when it was said that Haynesworth didn't play because he didn't practice well. Shanahan's excuse for benching Donovan McNabb against the Lions was because of conditioning and grasp of the playbook, which essentially means he was practicing up to par.
But McNabb didn't butt heads with Shanahan, and thus wasn't in the doghouse for the quality of his practices.
There is no concrete solution to the issue of having stubborn coaches, but it is going to have to change if the Shanahans intend to do anything other than lose over the next few years. Kyle needs to embrace the run rather than toss it aside. Mike needs to put his ego in check and realize that he is not in Denver anymore, he does not have Terrell Davis or John Elway to lead him anywhere.
Failing To Get Playmakers Involved On Offense
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Fred Davis may be a bonehead, but he is a great football player. It says a lot for a guy to be able to step in for an injured starter and score six touchdowns in 10 starts. This season, he has been limited in terms of his time on the field for whatever reason. Perhaps it is an issue in practice or that he simply isn't picking up the offense fully, or maybe it is just the coaches not seeing much need to give him a shot.
Davis does have an 18.2 yards per catch average on the season off of just 16 catches.
Even Chris Cooley has been limited in the offense, which is shocking considering Donovan McNabb's former reliance on tight ends. He still has 54 catches, but he isn't running the same routes he did in the past. He excelled at the drag route across the formation, but has been asked to run more shallow routes over the middle where he finds a spot and settles. Routes such as that have put him and other at risk for turnovers.
The biggest issue with the offense has been the inability to score, which is easily solved by adding wrinkles with playmakers on the field.
Everyone knows Cooley is great in the red zone, so naturally teams will look to blanket him in coverage. Why not fake a quick out to the receiver lined up outside of him to get the linebacker to bite enough to open a throwing lane on a quick dump off? Davis excels at extending plays after the catch. Why not set him up for short screens and let him create after the catch?
In the game against New York, James Davis was running all over the Giants front four and their eight in the box. It shouldn't matter how badly the team is losing, any coach knows to ride a hot player no matter the circumstance. Shanahan abandoned the run and put too much pressure on McNabb.
Even Santana Moss seems to have lost his status as playmaker on this team.
Moss is having a good year despite two nothing games, but he is getting a lot of garbage routes where he has a defender on his hip, ready to wrap him up. He isn't being allowed to create and it has left defenders with an easier task of covering him. Anthony Armstrong has seen his role increase with each week, but isn't being given throws to capitalize on his speed.
It comes down to the coaches putting the right players in position to make plays, but that doesn't seem to be the priority right now. The Redskins have playmakers, but the offense hasn't been tailored to include them all. It will require a shift in approach to the offense to fix the problem, but the Shanahans seem more stubborn that the usual coaches.
Pinning The Season Hopes On Donovan McNabb
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No one knew the Redskins were going to get Donovan McNabb before it happened, but were quick to say the team would be worlds better than they were last season. The team has won exactly one more game than last season, and after losing four of their last five, may not win another game. McNabb is at the center of the terrible offense and has had a hand in nearly every loss.
McNabb is still making the Redskins look terrible, only now he is on the team instead of playing against them.
For the first time in his career, McNabb is on pace to finish with more interceptions than touchdowns. Some have highlighted the lack of playmakers around him, but that never stopped him from finding success with the likes of Freddie Mitchell, Todd Pinkston and James Thrash for much of his career. Andy Reid's offense did rely heavily on running back screens, which is not the case with the Shanahan offense in Washington.
It is as if fans weren't expecting any type of adjustment period for McNabb and thus it must be the fault of everyone else on the team, though I am not rehashing that argument.
Before they faced the Giants the Redskins were 10th in the NFL in passing, but only by virtue of passing the ball an average of 35 times per game. There have been a fair few dropped passes, but dropped passes don't account for all of his 57.5 completion percentage and 13 interceptions.
Could it be that McNabb is in the twilight of his career and no one but the Eagles knew?
Before we jump on that theory, it is possible for McNabb to be successful. First and foremost, don't put so much responsibility on his shoulders. Yes, he is the quarterback, but this is also his first year in a new offense with new receivers and expecting him to adjust in an offseason is outlandish. The blocking has to improve, but McNabb can't keep trying to thread the needle.
He still has a mean fastball, but his accuracy has only gotten worse with age.
It may be too much to change the quarterback he is, but rather than force him to adjust to the offense, tailor the offense to his strengths. He isn't accurate, so don't put him in the position to have to hit every receiver. Incorporate screens, mix up the run a little more. The less McNabb has to do outside of his skill set, the better.
Worst case scenario, the Redskins have to spend a pick on a quarterback or take a flier on a free agent.
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