Redskins’ Mid-Season Report: The Foundation is Laid, But Remodeling Is Still Needed

The Washington Redskins concluded the first half of their season losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-12. At the mid-way mark, Washington is ranked last in the NFC East with a record of 3-5. But with the Philadelphia Eagles’ organization unraveling at the seams and the Dallas Cowboys being inconsistent, the Redskins still have an opportunity to improve their basement position in the NFC East.

• The Redskins’ offense is unstoppable - Opposing defenses will not simply be able to stop the Redskins’ offense – they can contain it, but the Washington Redskins are the only team that can stop their offense by self-inflicted mental mistakes. Two things I have noticed is when the Redskins run a traditional style offense, they aren’t as explosive as they are when running their “East Coast offense.”  The foundation has been laid, however, with the early success of rookie QB Robert Griffin III and RB Alfred Morris. Washington’s 1,330 rushing yards is the Redskins’ second-highest rushing total since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger in the first eight games of the season (1,338 in 1984). The Redskins have now scored 213 points this season, the fifth-highest total in team history through eight games since the merger, trailing the 1983 (267), 1999 (259), 1991 (248) and 1984 (217) seasons. Washington will always have a chance to win now that they have a franchise QB in Robert Griffin III.

• The Redskins’ defense needs some remodeling - The Redskins’ 2,514 pass yards allowed are the 2nd most in NFL History through first 8 games of a season. Yes, in NFL history. The Redskins are on pace to have one of the absolute worst passing defenses the league has ever seen. In their week 8 match-up against the Steelers, the defense was exposed in the running game. The Steelers’ running back Jonathan Dwyer rushed for 107 yards and became the first player to rush for 100 yards in a game against the Redskins since Week 16 last season when Minnesota’s Toby Gerhart rushed for 109 yards on Dec. 24, 2011. This is a defense that seems to be predictable, they have not been able to generate a consistent pass rush, and the secondary couldn’t cover a bed if they tried.  They obviously need to upgrade the personnel on defense, but the question is worth posing – is defensive coordinator Jim Hasslet really capable of orchestrating a dominant 3-4 defense?

• London Fletcher is beginning to play at the level his age would suggest - The Redskins have been spoiled for the past five seasons with the high-level play from ILB London Fletcher. He’s been a consistent leader and a dominant presence on the defense, but through 8 games in 2012, London Fletcher is not looking like the player Redskins’ fans are accustomed to seeing. London has missed a lot of tackles, he’s been slow in coverage, and his presence has simply not been felt on the defensive side of the football. He will be 38 years old next season and for the first time in a Washington Redskins’ uniform, London is beginning to look his age on the football field. It’s uncertain if the Redskins believe London’s successor is currently on the team or if they need to seek other options heading into 2013, but unfortunately, it’s time for the Redskins to find another player to man the middle along side of Perry Riley.

• Looking back at the 2010 and 2011 draft class - The Redskins drafted 18 players between the 2010 and 2011 NFL Draft. The two first round picks – Trent Williams and Ryan Kerrigan have both had success so far in their NFL careers. No one expects the Redskins to knock every draft selection out the park, but while there’s been some positive pickups – some have been highly disappointing. The Redskins only had 6 draft picks in the 2010 draft, and only 2 players remain on the current 2012 roster. But the positive news is, both players are current starters – Trent Williams and 4th round selection Perry Riley. In 2011, the Redskins had 12 draft picks and so far this season, there’s been some flashes from several players but only one has established himself as a solid draft pick. Ryan Kerrigan has been consistent, although he’s working without his counterpart – Brian Orakpo. As far as the other selections, Leonard Hankerson has been an extreme disappointment. He’s a guy that’s able to get open – his route running has improved, but he is a lazy ball catcher. Hankerson sort of plays the way his demeanor is off the field – low key. He doesn’t have that aggression you’d like to see from a receiver. Niles Paul is essentially having a 2nd rookie season, because he’s learning a new position. It’s still not certain if he’ll ever become a great tight end, but 8 games is a small serving size. Aldrick Robinson has flashed at the receiver position at times, but his playing time has decreased since week 1. Evan Royster and DeJon Gomes haven’t looked nearly as decent as they did in their rookie season. Not to mention, Jarvis Jenkins – a guy that had a lot of hype surrounded around him in ’11′s training camp, has not been the pass rusher Washington thought they had before his season ending injury last season. Jarvis has an opportunity to start with Adam Carriker out for the season, but he hasn’t generated the same pass rush Carriker did prior to his injury.  Then there’s Roy Helu Jr., even before being placed on IR, there was some doubt about how he would have been used. With Alfred Morris as the main ball carrier, Helu Jr. was likely going to be the change of pace back. It will be interesting to see if that remains the same in 2013.

• The offensive line is not what some thought it would be - The Redskins offensive line has allowed 17 sacks which ranks 15th in the NFL. Some of those sacks were not even allowed by Washington’s o-line, as a few tight ends and running backs have missed blitz pickups. Washington has allowed the 6th most QB hits in the league, but of course a lot of that is because of the option read, play action, etc. The Redskins offense allowed a 10 sack game in 2011, so through 8 games you can’t help but to be pleased with their production so far this season.

• The Redskins have finally found a quality kicker – Kai Forbath has yet to miss a field goal since signing with the Washington Redskins. He’s 4-4 between 40 and 49 yards, with a long of 50 yards. Forbath hasn’t looked spectacular on kickoffs, but the Redskins seem to finally have a kicker that can consistently make field goals.

• Brian Orakpo is highly important to the Redskins’ defense - This looks like an obvious statement, but there was a point that some called Brian Orakpo an overrated player. If there’s one player the Redskins need to build their defense around, it’s Orakpo. The defense has suffered without him this season. He was becoming a spirited vocal leader and with Ryan Kerrigan, they form a duo that’s hard to stop.