Washington Redskins: 10 Biggest Surprises of the 1st Half

After the first eight weeks of the season, the Washington Redskins appear to be sliding towards another season of mediocrity.

The 2011 campaign started brightly, but injuries and questionable play calling have combined to derail the efforts of a team who seemed primed for postseason consideration.

There have been some surprising star performers, who contributed to the fast start.  There have also been some surprise culprits, whose shaky performances have become a frequent detriment to the team.

Here is a list of the 10 biggest surprises from the first half of the 2011 season for the Redskins.

10. The Instant Impact of Ryan Kerrigan

When the Redskins traded back in the draft and opted to take Purdue defensive end Ryan Kerrigan, the pick received little fanfare.

But the former Boilermakers standout has made a quick transition to 3-4 outside linebacker and has been a playmaker for the Redskins defense from day one.

Kerrigan got his NFL career off to a great start in the season opener against the New York Giants.  Intercepting his own pass deflection, Kerrigan rumbled into the end zone for the decisive score in Washington's thrilling victory.

So far Kerrigan has made 20 solo stops, defensed three passes, notched two sacks and forced two fumbles, to go with his spectacular opening day theft.

9. The Complete Absence of Leonard Hankerson

Former Miami Hurricanes star Leonard Hankerson was viewed by many as a steal when the Redskins selected him in the third round of this year's draft.

The common consensus was that Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen had pulled off a draft day coup and provided the offense with a legitimate playmaker at wideout.

But Hankerson has been missing in action so far this season.  The 6'2" flanker has appeared in only two games and has just a single reception for 23-yards to his name.

Hankerson needs to step up fast and prove that he was not badly judged coming out of college by the Redskins front office.

8. The Lack of an Impact from Stephen Bowen

When career-long 3-4 practitioner Stephen Bowen arrived from the Dallas Cowboys, it felt as though the Redskins had a landed a real asset for their defense.

2010's porous defensive line would surely be boosted by the presence of a young defensive end, seemingly on the rise in the NFL.

But Bowen has failed to make a significant impact so far in Washington.  The 6'5" 306 pounder has been unable to adequately hold up at the point of attack and be a force against the run.

But the former Cowboy has recently shown signs that he can be a force operating on the same side as premier pass rusher Brian Orakpo.

Bowen has logged three sacks and although his early-season form has not been as impressive as anticipated, expect the 27-year-old to improve as the season goes on. 

7. The Strong Performances from Jabar Gaffney

It's difficult to imagine anyone thinking that 30-year-old, journeyman pass catcher Jabar Gaffney would make a significant impact when the Redskins signed him late in the offseason.

But Gaffney has been one of the team's most consistent performers.  The ex-Texan, Patriot and Bronco leads all Redskins wideouts with 27 receptions for 401 yards, at an impressive 14.9 yards per reception average.

Gaffney has run intricate routes and demonstrated a good knack for both the big play and the underneath, possession work.

6. The Fast, 3-1 Start

Even though the early schedule appeared soft, it was still hard not to be a little surprised by a positive 3-1 start from a franchise that you can never quite trust.

But the 2011 Washington Redskins exploded out of the blocks and staked an early claim for the lead in the NFC East.

They began by besting traditional division nemesis the New York Giants in fine style.  Then they toppled the criminally underachieving Arizona Cardinals in a close one and went on to maul a beleaguered Rams team in St. Louis.

Had it not been for some reckless play calling against the arch rival Dallas Cowboys on Monday night football, the Redskins would have strolled to a 4-0 start.

Sadly, this fast start has since been made to look like a cruel false dawn.

5. Jim Haslett's All-out Blitz Approach to Defense

It's not really a major surprise that Jim Haslett likes to blitz.  But let's face it, next to the way the man has called the Redskins defense this season, Rex and Rob Ryan are beginning to look like proud advocates of the prevent defense.

Pressure is an essential requirement for any defense.  But the Redskins seem to have sacrificed every other aspect of defensive football for the sake of an all-out rush.

Haslett's eight man, zero coverage pressures are exciting when they succeed.  The problem is what happens when the rush doesn't get there.

Usually if there is a breakdown in a safely constructed zone, the damage is manageable.  But if one of the Redskins 46-style man pressures breaks down, the offense is guaranteed a huge gain.

With an offense that is unable to chase anybody on the scoreboard, Haslett should really think about a more measured approach to bringing the heat.

4. The Improvement of Graham Gano

This is really a two-fold surprise.  The first part being that Graham Gano managed to remain with the team at all, following 2010's horror show.

But in fairness, Gano has made a significant contribution to the overall solid play of the Redskins kicking game in 2011.

He booted the game winner against the Cardinals in Week 2 and demonstrated some efficient, clutch kicking against both the Cowboys and Rams.

Gano is a respectable 11 out of 15 on field goals and seems to be better from distance this season.  He has also been quite effective on kickoffs, booming 20 touchbacks.

3. Seventh Round Rookie Chris Neild

It was a stretch to imagine seventh round draft choice Chris Neild surviving the cuts and making the final roster.

But the former West Virginia defensive anchor beat out 2010 part-time starter Anthony Bryant and has shown decent potential at times this season.

Neild has demonstrated good power and aggression at the point of attack and has offered glimpses of the ability to pressure the pocket and stuff the run.

He has not made a contribution in the last two games, but the fact that the coaching staff were comfortable rotating Neild with big free agent Barry Cofield earlier in the season, spoke volumes for his quick development.

It will be interesting to see if he can continue to progress during the remainder of the year.

2. Mike Shanahan's Failure to Develop an Effective Offensive Line in Year 2

Given Mike Shanahan's pedigree for constructing dominant offensive lines from his time with the Denver Broncos and the reputation of his famed zone blocking philosophy, it is surprising to see the Redskins offensive line continuing to struggle.

If anything, this year's front five might be even worse than 2010.  Injuries have not helped but several players have consistently failed to produce.

Second-year left tackle Trent Williams and veteran right tackle Jammal Brown have been the biggest culprits and the line has consistently been overwhelmed on the edges.

The nadir came in yesterday's shutout loss to the Buffalo Bills.  Playing without their two top pass rushers Shawne Merriman and Kyle Williams, the Bills defense still managed to stroll through Washington's blocking schemes for an alarming nine sacks.

It seems that the biggest mistake the Redskins made was to think that only adding Chris Chester would be a sufficient enough solution to this long-standing problem.

1. The Standout Performances of Fred Davis

He always had the talent, but questionable temperament prevented Fred Davis from being a force earlier in his Redskins career.

The 6'4" 258-pound former USC star is certainly making up for lost time.  Fred Davis has been perhaps the most dynamic tight end in the game during the first eight weeks of the 2011 season.

Outside of maybe Jermichael Finley of the Green Bay Packers, no other tight end can stretch the field as effectively as Davis.

His speed down the seams and on deep crossing patters has been breathtaking and his hands have been excellent.

Davis currently has 36 receptions for 517-yards and has the ability to replicate the legendary Ben Coates as one of the few tight ends to exceed 1,000 yards in a single season.

Kyle Shanahan has succeeded in taking advantage of the skill set of a player who has become the Redskins most potent offensive weapon.

On this form, if Davis does not represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl, then a full scale investigation needs to be launched into the voting process.

After very poor displays against the Carolina Panthers and the Bills, the Redskins season appears on the verge of collapse.

But it is the opinion of this author that with a few well thought out tweaks to the style of play on both sides of the ball, this Redskins team has the talent to return to winning ways.