Washington Redskins:
2011 Record and Recap:
2011 Record- 5-11, 4th place in the NFC East
Recap-
The Redskins started off the year with a victory over the eventual Super Bowl Champs, the New York Giants, and then went on to win two of their remaining three games before their bye. Unfortunately they won just two of their remaining 10 games, including a six game losing streak after the bye week. Washington was able to upset the Giants again late in the year, but even sweeping the Super Bowl winners is a bit hollow, when that represents 40% of your win total. The Redskins other three victories came against the weak NFC West (Cardinals, Rams, and Seahawks), which shows just how weak the Redskins were. Washington did finish well in both yards (16th) and yards allowed (13th), but didn't fare as well when it came to scoring (26th and 21st respectively). The Redskins really struggled in the turnover department, as their offense committed the third highest number of turnovers, and their defense was in the bottom third in the league (23rd) in forcing them.
Offseason Recap:
NFL Draft: QB Robert Griffin, G Josh LeRibeus, QB Kirk Cousins, ILB Keenan Robinson, G Adam Gettis, RB Alfred Morris, T Tom Compton, CB Richard Crawford, S Jordan Bernstein
Key Losses: WR Jabar Gaffney, WR Donte' Stallworth, DE/DT Kedric Golston, OLB Rocky McIntosh, SS LaRon Landry, FS O.J. Atogwe.
Key Additions: WR Pierre Garcon, WR Josh Morgan, ILB Jonathan Goff, CB Cedric Griffin, S Tanard Jackson, S Brandon Meriweather, K Neil Rackers
2012 Outlook:
Offense-
The Redskins went out and made the bold move to trade up to the 2nd spot with the Rams to draft QB Robert Griffin III out of Baylor. Griffin gives the Redskins a quarterback with elite potential. He has a unique skill set that blends his incredible athletic ability, with a strong accurate arm and very high marks in the mental aspect of the position as well.
Though the potential for greatness is there, expectations should be tempered in Washington, given that Griffin will need to make quite a few adjustments at the next level. He's coming from an uptempo spread system, that mainly featured one or two reads on a play in the passing attack. Though on many plays in the NFL there are just two reads, there is a level of difficulty jump in the NFL. Griffin will also have to utilize his two greatest skills (running and deep throwing) differently at the next level. Griffin, given his sheer speed and athletic ability was able to run basically at will in the Big 12. At the NFL level Griffin will need to learn that sometimes it is better to just throw the ball away than try to make a play with your feet. Griffin was a lethal deep thrower in college, taking advantage of the excellent speed of Baylor's receiving corps. In the NFL though his receivers won't gain as much separation, making it a tougher throw. Consequently that increases the risk of the throws and lowers the success rate. The biggest thing that will hold back Griffin though is something that he doesn't have any control over, and that is the talent of the other 10 men on the field with him.
The Redskins went out and added receivers Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan in free agency this offseason, to go along with incumbents Santana Moss and Leonard Hankerson. That gives the Redskins four capable receivers, to say nothing of breakout tight end Fred Davis. On paper it looks as though the Redskins are good in the weapons department for Griffin, but looks may be a bit deceiving here. Garcon while a good receiver, has had drops and consistency issues in Indianapolis (even with Peyton Manning). He may be the Redskins best receiver, but it is still unclear whether he's worth the contract the Redskins gave him. Josh Morgan is another interesting receiver addition this year, but he's gotten off to a slow start in camp, and appears buried on the depth chart. Moss is looking to be in good shape, but after last season the Redskins shouldn't count on too much production out of him. Hankerson has good potential, but there are questions about his drops and consistency as well. While Fred Davis had a big year (or 12 games since he was suspended last season), he hasn't always been consistent in his career. His poor run and pass blocking is also cause for concern, and will negate at least part of his effectiveness as a receiver.
In the backfield the Redskins return veteran Tim Hightower to go along with 2nd year guys Evan Royster and Roy Helu. Hightower started the year last season before being injured, and though he showed some nice things overall he was fairly mediocre. Roy Helu had a nice rookie year, running for a 4.2 yard per carry average and being an effective weapon out of the backfield. He had a number of nice runs for the Skins, but it is unclear if he can handle a starters workload. Royster didn't even make the team out of camp last year, but was called up to the team late in the season. He responded with back-to-back 100 yard games to close out the year and a 5.9 ypc (in limited carries). Royster lacks top end speed, which makes it tough for him to be considered for more than spot duty long term. While there are some positive qualities in those backs, none are considered number 1 back material. All three have also dealt with injury concerns this preseason, which has opened the door for 6th rounder Alfred Morris. Morris has had a strong preseason and will even get some consideration as a top 2 back for the Skins..
Typically when you hear that an offensive line is returning four starters and their top two reserves you think that is a good think, but with the Redskins that really isn't the case. The only starter not returning is Jammal Brown who will likely be placed on the PUP list to start the season. Trent Williams is the top returning starter, and the former top 5 pick has shown flashes of greatness. Unfortunately he's also struggled at times his first two years, and has been a little too penalty prone. Williams has also dealt with nagging injuries each of his two years which has cost him 5 total starts. Williams missed another 4 starts last year due to a drug suspension. Next to Williams at LG is Kory Lichtensteiger, who is hopefully healthy for the start of the season after tearing his ACL and MCL early last year. Lichtensteiger had a good start to the year in 2011, but overall is still considered more of a journeyman offensive linemen. Returning at center is Will Montgomery. Montgomery also has a bit of a journeyman reputation, though he's been an average starter each of the last two seasons. At RG Chris Chester returns after a fairly disappointing first year in Washington. He can be an average starter, but he gave up far too much ground in the run game last year. The Redskins did draft three offensive linemen this year in 3rd round G Josh LeRibeus, 5th round G Adam Gettis and 6th round T Tom Compton, but it is unlikely that any will see significant time this season. Overall the line is pretty poor and figures to once again allow quite a bit of pressure on passing downs and penetration on running plays.
Offensive player to watch: WR Pierre Garcon
-Garcon has a big responsibility to live up to after signing a big contract from the Colts. He does look like he'll be given the chance to earn his money, as the featured receiver in this offense. With a rookie quarterback, the Redskins figure to run more simple one or two read type of passes, and it's like Garcon is the featured guy on most of those sets. Griffin has also shown a preference to Garcon in camp and the preseason, so their seems to be trust there as well.
Defense-
The Redskins defense made a dramatic turn around last season, but this year they saw little influx of talent as the offense was the focal point. The Skins will once again have to rely on their pass rush to keep them in games this season. Washington finished with a very respectable 41 sacks last season with rush linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan leading the way. Though sacks are the most recognized standard for pass rush ability, both Orakpo and kerrigan excelled beyond their raw sack numbers. Both generated high pressure and hit numbers, which while not as good as a sack do cause many of the defense's most positive plays. Hopefully with another year in the system and a full offseason both Orakpo and Kerrigan will develop even further as pass rushers, and take their game to elite status.
On the inside the Redskins have the heart and sole of their defense, London Fletcher, who led the NFL in tackles last year. Fletcher still is one of the best inside backers in the game, as he continues to hunt down ball carriers. Joining Fletcher in the middle is third year linebacker Perry Riley. Riley took over a starting role midway through last season and showed a lot of promise. He struggles some in pass coverage, but seems to do well at run defense. The Redskins added 4th rounder Keenan Robinson to the mix, to apprentice behind Fletcher. He's a little raw right now, but could earn playing time if he proves to be a better pass defender than Riley.
On the line the Skins return all three starters in Stephen Bowen, Barry Cofield and Adam Carriker. 2011 2nd round pick Jarvis Jenkins also joins the mix as he returns from a knee injury that kept him out all last year. Though their line was an improvement over their horrific 2010 line, there are consistency and depth issues that plagued the Redskins. Bowen and Cofield each played a very high percentage of snaps, something that may have led to them wearing down late in games and late in the season. Hopefully the return of Jenkins can help the depth issues, but it is unclear if that will be enough to fix the consistency problem. Typically a 3-4 DL has at least one high quality starter. A guy who on every snap is a serious threat and needs to be game planned around. The Redskins don't really have that focal point on their line, which makes it harder to control the line of scrimmage. This led to the Skins giving up more rushing yards than they would have liked last season.
In the backend of their defense the Redskins have their most pressing concerns. Josh Wilson was a good free agent signing last year and looks to be a good starting corner. He's not great or elite, but he's solid with good coverage ability. Starting opposite him is DeAngelo Hall. Hall is without a doubt one of the most overpaid players on the Redskins, but when he's on can be a decent starter. He's a ball hawk, who has a knack for causing turnovers, but on the down side he gives up far too many completions and big plays. The Redskins plan to play him more inside this year to try to take a better advantage of his strengths, but it remains to be seen how it will take. Beyond Hall and Wilson the Redskins corner situation is a mess. Kevin Barnes and Cedric Griffin are the only two options with any experience, but neither look like a viable option as a number 3 corner.
The Redskins safety situation is even a greater concern as the likely starters Brandon Merriweather and Tanard Jackson were both unwanted by their 2011 teams. Both players have serious defiencies in their games, as well as various off the field and locker room concerns. Merriweather is considered the better of the two, but he's a guy who has been benched and unwanted by two of the better defensive minds in the NFL, in Bill Belicheck and Lovie Smith.
Defensive player to watch- NT Barry Cofield
-Cofield was a bit of a mixed bag his first year at nose tackle in the 3-4, but overall the Redskins were pleased with his progress. Now there were no doubt times that he got pushed back, but he got a good bit of penetration and showed good awareness. Cofield was pretty good at finding the ball carrier or getting his hands up to knock down a pass. These are two areas where he should continue to develop this year. .
Overall:
The Redskins are a better team than they were in 2011, but they face a really tough schedule. Combine that with the growing pains of a rookie quarterback and they are probably looking at another double-digit loss season. The offensive line and the secondary figure to be their biggest downfall, and what needs to be fixed as soon as possible. .
2012 Record Prediction: 5-11
