Skins.Fan
11-23-2005, 12:36 PM
Beaten in ‘All Three Phases’
By: Trevor Walters
November 23, 2005
Washington Redskins fans awoke Sunday morning not knowing that while they slept, their football clocks had been turned back a year, and the game they would soon witness would serve as proof of the chronological anomaly. Even though the Redskins had dropped four games on the season coming into Sunday’s match-up with Oakland, they had clearly turned a corner and become a team that was a threat to win every week. However Sunday’s trip back in time to 2004 brought back vivid memories of a season that existed to be forgotten. Maybe the Redskins exercise in time travel was unintended, or perhaps it was a problem with the flux capacitor, but either way, the flashback to 2004 was as unwelcomed as a ride home from Leonard Little.
More accurately, Sunday’s game was nearly a mirror image to the giant egg Washington laid in Week 4 of last season when it lost to a horrible Cleveland team. Think about it for a second. The final score of that game, 17-13, was almost exactly the same as the 16-13 final tally in the Raider game. Clinton Portis inexplicably lost two fumbles to the Browns, just as he did Sunday. And just like last season, the Redskins dropped what should have been a sure win to an AFC team whose coach is most likely in his last days with the team. Each team had former Redskin head coaches on staff, Norville in Oakland and worthless ole Terry Robiskie in Cleveland. It would be spooky if it weren’t so depressingly true.
The game started much differently than it would end, as if to tease the Redskins faithful into falling harder and faster into a state of despair once the final horn sounded. Middle linebacker Lemar Marshall intercepted a pass that he subsequently returned for what would be Washington’s only touchdown of the day, and the defense’s first touchdown of the season. Perhaps even more astounding than the big play itself was the fact that the play was born of actual pressure on the quarterback, with Raider quarterback Kerry Collins forced to throw the ill-advised pass with Redskins linebacker Chris Clemons bearing down. The resulting 7-0 lead that this afforded the Redskins and their monstrous home crowd was eventually expanded to a 13-3 halftime margin on two John Hall field goals. But unfortunately the Redskins would leave all their heart, and most of their running plays, in the locker room when they re-emerged in the second half.
For 27 games, 16 last season and 11 this year, the Redskins’ complex, aggressive defense has been the apple of the collective eye of the organization, and rightfully so. It has disguised the mediocrity of the defensive line, at least when it comes to collapsing the pocket, and has thrown opposing offenses for a loop. In doing so, defensive mastermind Gregg Williams has ascended to an almost Gibbs-like status wherein his genius is never to be brought into question. You’ll certainly not find this phenomenon challenged readily in this space, but there is one clear criticism of the defense that simply cannot go unspoken any longer.
Blitzes and pressure from all angles are wonderful, but the Redskins get virtually zero pressure on the quarterback from their down linemen. Granted, their best defensive lineman, Cornelius Griffin, has missed nearly all of the last four contests, and his absence causes a ripple effect down the line. But even when Griffin was healthy, the line was still average at best at getting after the passer. Even with Griffin, a defensive line that relies on a tackle, no matter how good he may be, to get after the quarterback is not one that is going to dirty the quarterback’s jersey very often.
How much longer can the Redskins continue to compete when the opposing quarterback has upwards of seven seconds to decide where to go with the ball? How many more big plays can the team withstand because the secondary must provide a pass rush and still maintain flawless coverage? The breakdowns in the secondary aren’t due simply to blown coverage or a deficit of talent. It is almost impossible to continuously and effectively cover NFL receivers for seven to 10 seconds at a time over the course of four quarters of football.
On one end, Renaldo Wynn is going to give you solid run support, invaluable leadership, and will be in the lineup every Sunday. His counterpart, Phillip Daniels, provides much of the same, save for the durability. But in pass rushing situations, when most teams send out their pass rushing specialists, Washington either stands pat, or brings in a fresher, younger version of Wynn and Daniels. When they do utilize the “pass rushing specialist”, it is undrafted linebacker Chris Clemons, who admittedly does do a serviceable job given the circumstances, but hardly strikes fear in the hearts of opposing offenses.
The reason why the Redskins don’t utilize a pass rushing threat on obvious passing downs is abundantly clear; they don’t have one. Of the ridiculously low 10 draft picks that Joe Gibbs and his staff have made since the coach’s triumphant return to D.C., none have been spent on defensive linemen. The closest they’ve come would be undrafted free agents Ryan Boschetti and Aki Jones, who made the team by a mix of their own will and determination, coupled with a disturbing lack of depth. This is not meant to be a criticism of the pair, nor of fellow no-names Demetric Evans, Nic Clemons, or Cedric Killings. These players can and do provide solid depth, but the trouble starts when these unproven players are relied upon to make the big plays that the defense so desperately needs.
Cont.
By: Trevor Walters
November 23, 2005
Washington Redskins fans awoke Sunday morning not knowing that while they slept, their football clocks had been turned back a year, and the game they would soon witness would serve as proof of the chronological anomaly. Even though the Redskins had dropped four games on the season coming into Sunday’s match-up with Oakland, they had clearly turned a corner and become a team that was a threat to win every week. However Sunday’s trip back in time to 2004 brought back vivid memories of a season that existed to be forgotten. Maybe the Redskins exercise in time travel was unintended, or perhaps it was a problem with the flux capacitor, but either way, the flashback to 2004 was as unwelcomed as a ride home from Leonard Little.
More accurately, Sunday’s game was nearly a mirror image to the giant egg Washington laid in Week 4 of last season when it lost to a horrible Cleveland team. Think about it for a second. The final score of that game, 17-13, was almost exactly the same as the 16-13 final tally in the Raider game. Clinton Portis inexplicably lost two fumbles to the Browns, just as he did Sunday. And just like last season, the Redskins dropped what should have been a sure win to an AFC team whose coach is most likely in his last days with the team. Each team had former Redskin head coaches on staff, Norville in Oakland and worthless ole Terry Robiskie in Cleveland. It would be spooky if it weren’t so depressingly true.
The game started much differently than it would end, as if to tease the Redskins faithful into falling harder and faster into a state of despair once the final horn sounded. Middle linebacker Lemar Marshall intercepted a pass that he subsequently returned for what would be Washington’s only touchdown of the day, and the defense’s first touchdown of the season. Perhaps even more astounding than the big play itself was the fact that the play was born of actual pressure on the quarterback, with Raider quarterback Kerry Collins forced to throw the ill-advised pass with Redskins linebacker Chris Clemons bearing down. The resulting 7-0 lead that this afforded the Redskins and their monstrous home crowd was eventually expanded to a 13-3 halftime margin on two John Hall field goals. But unfortunately the Redskins would leave all their heart, and most of their running plays, in the locker room when they re-emerged in the second half.
For 27 games, 16 last season and 11 this year, the Redskins’ complex, aggressive defense has been the apple of the collective eye of the organization, and rightfully so. It has disguised the mediocrity of the defensive line, at least when it comes to collapsing the pocket, and has thrown opposing offenses for a loop. In doing so, defensive mastermind Gregg Williams has ascended to an almost Gibbs-like status wherein his genius is never to be brought into question. You’ll certainly not find this phenomenon challenged readily in this space, but there is one clear criticism of the defense that simply cannot go unspoken any longer.
Blitzes and pressure from all angles are wonderful, but the Redskins get virtually zero pressure on the quarterback from their down linemen. Granted, their best defensive lineman, Cornelius Griffin, has missed nearly all of the last four contests, and his absence causes a ripple effect down the line. But even when Griffin was healthy, the line was still average at best at getting after the passer. Even with Griffin, a defensive line that relies on a tackle, no matter how good he may be, to get after the quarterback is not one that is going to dirty the quarterback’s jersey very often.
How much longer can the Redskins continue to compete when the opposing quarterback has upwards of seven seconds to decide where to go with the ball? How many more big plays can the team withstand because the secondary must provide a pass rush and still maintain flawless coverage? The breakdowns in the secondary aren’t due simply to blown coverage or a deficit of talent. It is almost impossible to continuously and effectively cover NFL receivers for seven to 10 seconds at a time over the course of four quarters of football.
On one end, Renaldo Wynn is going to give you solid run support, invaluable leadership, and will be in the lineup every Sunday. His counterpart, Phillip Daniels, provides much of the same, save for the durability. But in pass rushing situations, when most teams send out their pass rushing specialists, Washington either stands pat, or brings in a fresher, younger version of Wynn and Daniels. When they do utilize the “pass rushing specialist”, it is undrafted linebacker Chris Clemons, who admittedly does do a serviceable job given the circumstances, but hardly strikes fear in the hearts of opposing offenses.
The reason why the Redskins don’t utilize a pass rushing threat on obvious passing downs is abundantly clear; they don’t have one. Of the ridiculously low 10 draft picks that Joe Gibbs and his staff have made since the coach’s triumphant return to D.C., none have been spent on defensive linemen. The closest they’ve come would be undrafted free agents Ryan Boschetti and Aki Jones, who made the team by a mix of their own will and determination, coupled with a disturbing lack of depth. This is not meant to be a criticism of the pair, nor of fellow no-names Demetric Evans, Nic Clemons, or Cedric Killings. These players can and do provide solid depth, but the trouble starts when these unproven players are relied upon to make the big plays that the defense so desperately needs.
Cont.