Ryan Wilson takes the Redskins (minus one) to task
In this week's "Coach Killers" blog, Ryan Wilson talks in some extensive detail why one player, even a quarterback, even a quarterback with the skill and talent of RG3 -- cannot carry a team. I hate to say it, but he's got pretty much everything spot on.
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Everybody but RG3 - Redskins
Not even Robert Griffin III could save the Redskins from themselves last Sunday. The Steelers dominated both sides of the ball thanks in no small part to 10 dropped passes by would-be Washington receivers, and the 11 cardboard cutouts posing as Washington defenders. It was enough to make the usually unflappable RG3 appear frustrated.
(Also not helping: the hare-brained decision to send Griffin, easily the 'Skins' best player -- and the franchise's only hope at something more than mediocrity -- out on a pass route, where he was promptly a) called for pass interference and b) blasted by Steelers safety Ryan Clark. Not to worry; coach Mike Shanahan feels awful about it.)
In general, the RG3 story has been one of the highlights of the first two months of the season. He has exceeded everyone's expectations, and it's only Halloween. Assuming Shanahan doesn't have grand designs on having Griffin play more wide receiver or maybe even return punts, he's only going to get better. After the Giants eked out a Week 7 win over the 'Skins, Osi Umenyiora said RG3 was "the best quarterback we've played this year." He was serious.
But here's the problem, one that was painfully obvious in Pittsburgh: Griffin has absolutely no help. Yes, there's rookie running back Alfred Morris, who's having a swell season, but beyond that who is there?
The Redskins have been victimized by injuries -- Pierre Garcon and Fred Davis on offense, and Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker on defense are huge losses -- but this is the NFL, every team is dealing with these issues. The difference: Washington doesn't have any depth. This has been a hallmark of the Dan Snyder 'Skins -- plenty of big names (historically, they've also been on the downside of good careers) but not much beyond that.
Under Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen things have been different, but the roster, as currently constituted, will be hard-pressed to win consistently. Unlike previous seasons with Jason Campbell or Donovan McNabb or the tag-team duo of Rex Grossman and John Beck, Griffin is legit. This team could be 5-3, maybe 6-2. But as Bill Parcells reminds us: "You are what your record says you are."
And for Washington, that means they'll need to get hot in the second half of the season to have a chance to sniff the playoffs. It also means Garcon needs to get healthy, tight end Logan Paulsen needs to magically morph into Fred Davis, and the other non-catching pass-catchers need to hold onto the ball with some regularity. But that's only half the problem. There's also that defense.
Usually, a defense is better in one phase of the game than another. The Redskins are so bad it's impossible to distinguish where they're worse. They were steamrolled by the Steelers' third-string back, Jonathan Dwyer, and went coverage-optional against one of the league's best young receiver corps in passing situations. The results were predictable: Pittsburgh dominated the time of possession, had scoring drives of 10, 11 and 12 plays, and the eminently sackable Ben Roethlisberger went untouched.
From the perspective of late October, RG3 is the rookie of the year. But if Washington wants be a playoff team, they're going to need to surround their franchise quarterback with … well, a lot.
Link to full article
Everybody but RG3 - Redskins
Not even Robert Griffin III could save the Redskins from themselves last Sunday. The Steelers dominated both sides of the ball thanks in no small part to 10 dropped passes by would-be Washington receivers, and the 11 cardboard cutouts posing as Washington defenders. It was enough to make the usually unflappable RG3 appear frustrated.
(Also not helping: the hare-brained decision to send Griffin, easily the 'Skins' best player -- and the franchise's only hope at something more than mediocrity -- out on a pass route, where he was promptly a) called for pass interference and b) blasted by Steelers safety Ryan Clark. Not to worry; coach Mike Shanahan feels awful about it.)
In general, the RG3 story has been one of the highlights of the first two months of the season. He has exceeded everyone's expectations, and it's only Halloween. Assuming Shanahan doesn't have grand designs on having Griffin play more wide receiver or maybe even return punts, he's only going to get better. After the Giants eked out a Week 7 win over the 'Skins, Osi Umenyiora said RG3 was "the best quarterback we've played this year." He was serious.
But here's the problem, one that was painfully obvious in Pittsburgh: Griffin has absolutely no help. Yes, there's rookie running back Alfred Morris, who's having a swell season, but beyond that who is there?
The Redskins have been victimized by injuries -- Pierre Garcon and Fred Davis on offense, and Brian Orakpo and Adam Carriker on defense are huge losses -- but this is the NFL, every team is dealing with these issues. The difference: Washington doesn't have any depth. This has been a hallmark of the Dan Snyder 'Skins -- plenty of big names (historically, they've also been on the downside of good careers) but not much beyond that.
Under Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen things have been different, but the roster, as currently constituted, will be hard-pressed to win consistently. Unlike previous seasons with Jason Campbell or Donovan McNabb or the tag-team duo of Rex Grossman and John Beck, Griffin is legit. This team could be 5-3, maybe 6-2. But as Bill Parcells reminds us: "You are what your record says you are."
And for Washington, that means they'll need to get hot in the second half of the season to have a chance to sniff the playoffs. It also means Garcon needs to get healthy, tight end Logan Paulsen needs to magically morph into Fred Davis, and the other non-catching pass-catchers need to hold onto the ball with some regularity. But that's only half the problem. There's also that defense.
Usually, a defense is better in one phase of the game than another. The Redskins are so bad it's impossible to distinguish where they're worse. They were steamrolled by the Steelers' third-string back, Jonathan Dwyer, and went coverage-optional against one of the league's best young receiver corps in passing situations. The results were predictable: Pittsburgh dominated the time of possession, had scoring drives of 10, 11 and 12 plays, and the eminently sackable Ben Roethlisberger went untouched.
From the perspective of late October, RG3 is the rookie of the year. But if Washington wants be a playoff team, they're going to need to surround their franchise quarterback with … well, a lot.