Redskins Roundtable: Homecoming Vs. Seattle

This week's game in Seattle will be a homecoming of sorts for the Washington Redskins. Several members of the teams played in Seattle and head coach Jim Zorn not only quarterbacked the Seahawks back in the day, he was also on the coaching staff in Seattle for a period of time.

This will be a game Zorn will undoubtedly want to win. He might say otherwise, but nothing could please him more than a win against mentor Mike Holmgren.

The Redskins also want to win this game as it would certainly put some demons behind them. The Seahawks have bounced the Skins out of the postseason two out of the last three seasons in Qwest Field. Beating Seattle on their home turf would certainly give the Skins some good vibes.

This game is a must win for the Skins as they have the Giants to play next week. Hosting New York with a three-game losing streak would not be very helpful to playoff hopes so this game can't be lost.

So some of our best writers have taken it upon themselves to break down the game and a couple other points concerning the stretch run. Have at it boys (and Jennifer)!

Jim Zorn is returning to Seattle this week in need of a win. Will a familiar defense help jump start his floundering offense? (Jennifer Johnson)

Jim Zorn's familiarity with Seattle's defensive schemes will have little effect on the Redskins' offensive performance if they can't make some plays on their own.  

Like an actor who improvises his lines instead of following a script, what the Redskins need to do is create scoring opportunities when a play has broken down.  

I watched the Cowboys game intently, and yes Jason Campbell was under attack much like he was against Pittsburgh.  However, he was designed to roll to his right on several offensive possessions to where he was met with a hulking defensive lineman, and he either took the sack or rushed his throw.  

At some point he's going to have to elevate his game, as much as I hate to say this, similar to what Tony Romo did. 

The Cowboys tried to give us the game with their untimely penalties and poor execution.  (See it does happen to everyone else)  

Yet Romo fought through his bad pinkie and kept his composure.  Of course he had more time to throw, because we didn't bring the pressure from our linebackers or from our defensive backs.  

Anyone seen Landry lately?  The guy plays so far in left field he should be on the Nationals roster.  

I am not asking Greg Blache or Zorn to abandon their systems, especially at this stage of the season.  

At 6-4 the Redskins are by no means out of playoff contention.  But they are running out of excuses for their inability to score points and make plays that playoff-bound teams are supposed to make.

My opinion is that Jason Campbell has to adjust to what he sees on the field much more quickly.  He's got such a slow delivery, it's as if he isn't in aware of the speed in which the game is played at.   

I am challenging every healthy Redskin to start putting up some numbers to match their weight or they will be watching the postseason from the comfort of their couches.

Jason Taylor was signed on to add a pass rush. Evaluate his time spent in DC. What can the Skins do to get some pressure on opposing QBs? (Shaun Ahmad)

At the end of the season, one of the many questions both Redskins executives and fans will ask is, “Was Jason Taylor worth it?” 

We will all scramble to ESPN.com or NFL.com, the site of our choice, looking up the stat line for Taylor and see how many sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions he tallied.  Barring a stunning turnaround in the final six games of the season, everyone will be disappointed.  Through the seven games that he has played (out of 10 games so far), Taylor has started only five.  In his seven games, he has tallied eight solo tackles and one sack.  That’s it.  Currently, the Redskins are tied for fourth worst in total sacks with a mere 15.  They are ranked 20th in the league in interceptions, another indicator of a successful—or in this case, unsuccessful—pass rush. 

To think that adding Taylor would at least guarantee the Redskins quarterback pressure to not get any worse, consider this: Last season, Washington finished 16th in the league with 33 sacks.  They have dropped to near the bottom of the league in that category. 

To say Jason Taylor has been a bust for Washington would be an understatement.  In fact, Taylor’s been more of a liability in the run defense due to the opponents being aware of his tender calf.  Giving up the 2009 second round draft pick will surely prove to be costly as Washington is in dire need of shoring up both its offensive and defensive lines.  In essence, bringing Taylor in has caused the defense to regress, cost the team money against the cap, and will take away a potential quality player from next year’s draft. 

The answer on getting pressure on the quarterback is simple, especially with the addition of DeAngelo Hall to the secondary.  Play more man coverage with the quartet of corners (Rogers, Springs, Hall and Smoot) and use the linebackers along with Laron Landry more on blitzing schemes, similar to Jim Johnson’s approach in Philadelphia.

Sure, from time to time, the secondary will get burned for a big play.  However, at this point, teams are getting big plays against the secondary anyway so you might as well roll the dice with more aggressive blitz schemes.  Playing with the four-man fronts didn’t serve well against Dallas and Pittsburgh the past two weeks as each made big plays against the passing game when needed.

Despite all the star players one may have at the positions of wide receiver, quarterback or safety, games are won and lost at the line.  It has always been that way in the NFL and it will always remain as such.  Both the Redskins’ offensive and defensive lines are average at best.  To succeed in the playoffs, each will have to reach into the fountain of youth and pull out their best stretch of games if they want to have any chance of success.

Deangelo Hall made a quick impact last week against Dallas. What can we expect from him here on out? (Mark Steven)

I tried real hard to work up strong feelings, one way or the other, about the DeAngelo Hall signing. I couldn’t—not as far it relates to 2008.

To me, the move speaks far more to the Redskins level of concern over Shawn Springs’ perpetual injury status than it does any immediate expectations for the mercurial Hall.

Unable to count on Springs, with Fred Smoot perpetually nicked, and not enamored of the game-but-limited Leigh Torrence, the team saw Hall as a physical upgrade over Torrence, with far more upside, available on the cheap.

Add to that the fact he’s an option at punt returner—an area that has to be driving the team as crazy as its fans—and it added up to a no-brainer in the short term.

The more I think about it, though, the more I’m convinced this signing is about the future. I think we’re watching the team put Hall through an extended audition, both on and off the field, for the role of Springs’ replacement in ’09 and beyond.

Can't see any way they bring Springs back—at least not as a top three corner under his current contract—so they’re going to have to find his replacement somewhere. And since even a first round rookie draft pick would be just that—a rookie—they'd probably be thinking free agency and hoping to land a proven young veteran. Which raises the inevitable downside of a limited pool and grossly inflated contract numbers.

Way I see it, If Hall can find a niche in Greg Blache's rotation, contribute on the field for the rest of this season and convince teammates and coaches his alleged Knucklehead Factor doesn’t exceed their Tolerance Meter, the Redskins may have pulled off a serious heist.

24-year-old Pro Bowl talent cornerbacks don’t show up at your door making puppy dog eyes at you very often. If one does, you let him in. Then you give him a biscuit and the chance to prove he's housebroken.

No one doubts Hall’s physical gifts and big-play potential. He wasn't on the field a dozen plays for the Redskins before the ball found its way into his hands. Around here, that's news. But the character albatross hanging around his neck, fairly or not, makes him a calculated risk.

So for the rest of the season, watch closely how he handles and incorporates himself as a teammate off the field. In my book, that will be far more telling than what he does on it.

We can expect mistakes on the field given he’s learning a new defense on the fly. Be wary, though, of anything that even smells of character issue. If any D. Hall headlines between now and January are about anything other than his play on the field or props for his emerging work ethic, make a note of the date and time; it will likely be his Redskins epitaph.

DeAngelo Hall has been given a great opportunity. He's come to his home town team to work for a free-spending owner in a city starved for a winner and willing to lavish instant hero status on anyone who helps build one. He has a chance to break in as a complementary player without the immediate pressure of being “the man.”

If he can face down whatever demons have delivered him to this crossroads, and do it quickly enough to convince the Redskins he’s ready to be a professional football player, the sky could be the limit.

And if he can’t, well, having taken him out for an extended test drive won’t have cost the Redskins anything they’ll regret down the road.