I was listening to Mike&Mike this morning talking to Adam Shefter and then Trent Dilfer about potential landing spots for Peyton, which got me thinking along those lines. The Redskin’s were one of four teams they focused on (Miami, Arizona, Was, and TN) as the strongest destinations.

I am not advocating the signing of Peyton Manning, nor am I necessarily against it. I do see some pros to that direction though, based on what Shefter/Dilfer said and below is my off-season plan to that end.

Assumptions:

Adam Shefter

• Indicated Peyton has been working out and fully expects to play
• He could potentially get released next week, which means he can sign immediately with another team.
• Shefter indicated Manning won’t wait until the start of the next NFL season (middle of March I believe)
• Said teams would look at a package deal to entice Manning

Trent Dilfer

• Said Manning will want to go where he is comfortable with the O coordinator
• Go somewhere we he can have freedom to change plays and run a no huddle to dictate the tempo of the game.
• Wants to run multiple TE sets which helps him keep a defense off balance
• Doesn’t want to play many 2 back sets (FB) unless short yardage

General assumptions

• No trade ups or downs
• I only have 1 underclassman drafted (#6 overall) as I read on a couple occasions Shanahan/Allen’s lack of drafting underclassman since arriving in Washington.

Draft valuations use this list (not saying I agree with all those values): http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/prospectrankings

Redskin’s Sign Peyton Manning (I’m not focused on money for this scenario)

One HH discussion yesterday focused on who/what would attract free agents on offense and Manning fits that bill. Folks mentioned that receivers like the route trees the Redskin’s use but Grossman/Beck detract from that value.

Manning’s accuracy, ability to dissect defenses, and ability to run an up tempo offense will also help both our offense and defense. The speed he gets through reads and makes throws will make our offensive line look much better.

Free Agency

1. 1. Sign WR Reggie Wayne (Package deal): Still a Pro Bowler and Manning’s favorite target. It would also give us a trio of Hurricanes at WR (not as flashy as signing VJax, or Dwayne Bowe mind you).
   2. Sign C Jeff Saturday (Package deal): Immediate (not necessarily long term) upgrade to Montgomery pushing Montgomery back to oline depth.
   3. Sign G Russ Hochstein: Nicks and Grubbs are the premier guards on the market. Under this scenario I just don’t think we will have the money for either one of them. Hochstein I believe was drafted by Shanahan and therefore understands the ZBS and would come in at a moderate price tag.
   4. Sign CB Tracy Porter: As Football futures indicates, “Porter's biggest problem is the inability to complete a 16 game season. When healthy, he's a consistent starter for the Saints and another good number two cornerback. I like Brent Grimes better but think Atlanta isn’t going to make it easy for him to leave (they will show him the $$).
   5. Sign S Tyvon Branch: I am advocating bringing back Landry but Branch could play into a starting role should we deem Atogwe a failure or Landry’s injuries continue to plague him.

Re-sign: Fletcher, Landry (unless he is talking crazy talk $$), Fred Davis, Lichtensteiger, Montgomery, Carriker, Hightower, and Westbrook (for his ST play)

Keep: Cooley and DeAngelo Hall (only mentioned because I have heard folks say they cost too much.

2012 Draft (remember no trade downs)

1st round: OT Reilly Ratliff (Jr)

2nd round: CB Chase Minnifield (Sr)

3rd round: OT Nate Potter (Sr)

4th round: DT Alameda Ta'amu (Sr)

4th round: ILB Audie Cole (Sr)

5th round: WR Jairus Wright (Sr)

6th round: QB Russell Wilson (Sr)

7th round: C William Vlachos (Sr)

What are folks thoughts? I know this isn’t the first “Manning” post J but I tried to game plan for the entire off-season based around that premise just for fun.

I feel like this plan will give us some front line starters, some guys to compete for time, and some guys to provide depth/backfill for the future.

I guess I am just getting a little too anxious for the off-season and draft to begin.

I apologize up front for the length of this reply.

 

The signing or trading for one veteran signal caller may make me believe a team (Cleveland) is looking for a young QB to groom.

 

Two? I don’t think so. Trade Peyton Hillis, soon after trading for him….again I’d say doubtful. Get a higher volume of draft picks (2 additional thirds) to have more bodies on hand for next year, not sure the logic is as solid as it first sounds personally.

 

Here’s Shanahan’s 3rd round draft pick history from 1995 through 2008. The columns read as round/pick in round/overall pick in draft.

 

 

3	6	70	Ryan Harris	T	Notre Dame
3	12	76	Karl Paymah	DB	Washington State
3	33	97	Domonique Foxworth	DB	Maryland
3	37	101	Maurice Clarett	RB	Ohio State
3	22	85	Jeremy LeSueur	DB	Michigan
3	31	96	Dorsett Davis	DT	Mississippi State
3	25	87	Reggie Hayward	DE	Iowa State
3	8	70	Chris Cole	WR	Texas A&M
3	6	67	Chris Watson	DB	Eastern Illinois
3	32	93	Travis McGriff	WR	Florida
3	30	91	Brian Griese	QB	Michigan
3	7	67	Dan Neil	G	Texas
3	4	65	Detron Smith	RB	Texas A&M
3	17	78	Mark Campbell	DT	Florida

 

I’d say Harris, Foxworth, Hayward, Griese, and Neil are the best pro prospects from those drafts. None are still with the team. That’s 14 3rd round picks with 5 good players or a 35% success rate.

 

Now let’s look instead at Shahahan’s 1st and 2nd round history over that same span.

 

2008	1	12	12	Ryan Clady	T	Boise State
	2	11	42	Eddie Royal	WR	Virginia Tech
2007	1	17	17	Jarvis Moss	DE	Florida
	2	24	56	Tim Crowder	DE	Texas
2006	1	11	11	Jay Cutler	QB	Vanderbilt
	2	29	61	Tony Scheffler	TE	Western Michigan
2005	2	24	56	Darrent Williams	DB	Oklahoma State
	3	12	76	Karl Paymah	DB	Washington State
2004	1	17	17	D.J. Williams	LB	Miami (FL)
	2	9	41	Tatum Bell	RB	Oklahoma State
2003	1	20	20	George Foster	T	Georgia
	2	19	51	Terry Pierce	LB	Kansas State
2002	1	19	19	Ashley Lelie	WR	Hawaii
	2	19	51	Clinton Portis	RB	Miami (FL)
2001	1	24	24	Willie Middlebrooks	DB	Minnesota
	2	20	51	Paul Toviessi	DE	Marshall
2000	1	15	15	Deltha O'Neal	DB	California
	2	9	40	Ian Gold	DB	Michigan
	2	14	45	Kenoy Kennedy	DB	Arkansas
1999	1	31	31	Al Wilson	LB	Tennessee
	2	27	58	Montae Reagor	LB	Texas Tech
	2	30	61	Lennie Friedman	C	Duke
1998	1	30	30	Marcus Nash	WR	Tennessee
	2	31	61	Eric Brown	DB	Mississippi State
1997	1	28	28	Trevor Pryce	DE	Clemson
1996	1	15	15	John Mobley	LB	Kutztown (PA)
	2	14	44	Tory James	DB	Louisiana State

 

Out of 27 picks I would rate 15 as solid picks or a 55% success rate. I would also note that none of those 1st rounders were in the top 10 and only two second rounders were in the top 10 of the 2nd round. This bodes well for the Redskin’s as Shanahan seems to have an eye for talent at top end of the talent pool.

 

Where am I going with this????? I don’t understand the argument of drafting a less talented player at the top of the draft by trading down from #4 only to gain additional picks in the 3rd round that appear to be marginal contributors roughly 35% of the time. Can’t we sign marginal contributors in free agency, especially this year?

 

Talking heads are speaking about this draft being as deep as the 2004 draft. I just think I’d have wanted to hitch my wagon to one of the top five picks from that draft rather trade down and get a player from picks 6-10:

1	Eli Manning	QB	Mississippi	San Diego Chargers
2	Robert Gallery	T	Iowa	Oakland Raiders
3	Larry Fitzgerald	WR	Pittsburgh	Arizona Cardinals
4	Philip Rivers	QB	North Carolina State	New York Giants
5	Sean Taylor	FS	Miami (Fla.)	Washington Redskins
6	Kellen Winslow	TE	Miami (Fla.)	Cleveland Browns
7	Roy Williams	WR	Texas	Detroit Lions
8	DeAngelo Hall	CB	Virginia Tech	Atlanta Falcons
9	Reggie Williams	WR	Washington	Jacksonville Jaguars
10	Dunta Robinson	CB	South Carolina	Houston Texans

 

Then, based on this argument, let’s say we did get one of the players from 6-10 and then 2 additional 3rd round draft picks from that very same 2004 draft. Below are the results and I’d say there are 8 solid players amongst them (Darnell Dockett and Cooley being the 2 brightest stars) which makes for a 25% success rate:

 

Sel #	Player	Position	School	Team
64	Darnell Dockett	DT	Florida State	Arizona Cardinals
65	Nate Kaeding	K	Iowa	San Diego Chargers
66	Nick Hardwick	C	Purdue	San Diego Chargers
67	Stuart Schweigert	SAF	Purdue	Oakland Raiders
68	Ben Hartsock	TE	Ohio State	Indianapolis Colts
69	Gilbert Gardner	LB	Purdue	Indianapolis Colts
70	Joey Thomas	CB	Montana State	Green Bay Packers
71	Randy Starks	DT	Maryland	Tennessee Titans
72	Donnell Washington	DT	Clemson	Green Bay Packers
73	Keith Smith	CB	McNeese State	Detroit Lions
74	Tim Anderson	DT	Ohio State	Buffalo Bills
75	Max Starks	T	Florida	Pittsburgh Steelers
76	Derrick Strait	CB	Oklahoma	New York Jets
77	Derrick Hamilton	WR	Clemson	San Francisco 49ers
78	Bernard Berrian	WR	Fresno State	Chicago Bears
79	Marquis Cooper	LB	Washington	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
80	Caleb Miller	LB	Arkansas	Cincinnati Bengals
81	Chris Cooley	TE	Utah State	Washington Redskins
82	Devard Darling	WR	Washington State	Baltimore Ravens
83	Stephen Peterman	G	Louisiana State	Dallas Cowboys
84	Sean Locklear	G	North Carolina State	Seattle Seahawks
85	Jeremy LeSueur	CB	Michigan	Denver Broncos
86	Jorge Cordova	LB	Nevada-Reno	Jacksonville Jaguars
87	B.J. Sander	P	Ohio State	Green Bay Packers
88	Darrion Scott	DE	Ohio State	Minnesota Vikings
89	Matt Ware	DB	UCLA	Philadelphia Eagles
90	Matt Schaub	QB	Virginia	Atlanta Falcons
91	Anthony Hargrove	DE	Georgia Tech	St. Louis Rams
92	Rich Gardner	CB	Penn State	Tennessee Titans
93	Keyaron Fox	LB	Georgia Tech	Kansas City Chiefs
94	Travelle Wharton	G	South Carolina	Carolina Panthers
95	Guss Scott	SAF	Florida	New England Patriots
96	Landon Johnson	MLB	Purdue	Cincinnati Bengals

 

Volume, only for the sake of volume is not necessarily the way I’d like to go. We have the #4 pick and I think we need to trust that the current regime can make that pick at #4 a cornerstone of the franchise. This franchise has been drifting in the wind for so long.

 

I don’t care if we are 6-10 next year as long as we show progress. Progress to me, is using the top end picks wisely and methodically leading to a long term contender.

 

Your top picks are the ones you are in most control of because there are less variables involved. Trading down allows other teams to pick players you covet, eroding your draft board, only to be forced to roll the dice on a lesser player (not even necessarily the one you originally traded down to be in position for). Yes you gain picks in the later rounds but, as I present, they have a worse success rate. This just seems illogical to me more and more.

 

To follow up my 2 part series on offense and defense, yesterday’s game forced me to look at the root of all evils (AKA Dan Snyder). I will call this 2 part series Chaos vs. Order!

 

Part 1; The Grassy Knoll Conspiracy (AKA chaos)

 

I believe that Sherman Lewis is in fact here to eventually call plays after the impending dismissal of Jim Zorn. This firing will take place on the night of 10/26/2009 after the Eagles game and going into our bye week. Talking to CJHutch this morning has me in full conspiracy mode. Here’s what I think Snyratto’s plan was (emphasis on was)……..Please note that Mike Florio has covered much of this so this really isn't any musings from Nostradamus or anything. My attempt is more in filling in the blanks  of those rumors to make them look more "real."

 

Zorn is the Head Coach, Offensive Coordinator, and QB coach. That’s way too many hats to for Snyratto to fire at once without a succession plan….so Sherm Lewis is being brought in to handle play calling duties on offense after he is up to speed. Chris Meidt will become an “actual QB coach.”  

That leaves one spot to fill and here’s where I think the plan is derailed. Snyratto wanted to promote Blache to interim head coach when Zorn is dismissed, and my suspicion is that they played their cards too early and mentioned as much to Blache at the time that Shern Lewis was brought in.

 

Blache balked and essentially said, no way Jose since, as everyone knows he has publically declared he doesn’t want to be a head coach numerous times before. However now because he is privy to their “secret” plans to dump Zorn in a few weeks and the fact we know he is the most candid and forthright individual we have encountered in a long time, he goes on a self imposed media blackout. My theory is that I think Blache knows he can’t talk to the media without spoiling the “secret” because he’s just not the guy to BS people and feels a certain sense of loyalty to Zorn.

 

I say the plan has been derailed because I believe that Snyratto planned on giving Blache the interim tag in order to yet again make a farce out of the Rooney rule in the offseason (can we say Terri Robiskie) by interviewing Blache as their minority candidate to fulfill that obligation and then bring in whomever it was Snyratto has already picked as the successor.

 

What’s next: Snyratto will have some scrambling to do but here’s how it will fall out; Zorn gets fired, Sherm Lewis to Offensive Coordinator, Meidt to QB coach, Blache remains defensive coordinator and Jerry Gray becomes interim head coach (see my trend). Snyratto gets their sacrificial lamb in Gray, who is hoping against all odds, that he is actually being given a fair shot, when in fact he is being used. An alternative is that Blache will be let go at the same time as Zorn and Kirk Olividotti will become defensive coordinator for the remainder of the season.

 

Part 2 of my 2 part series will focus on what Snyder should do in the coming months.

Ok everyone,

It took me a little longer to get this 2nd piece up, as work got in the way. This second part will look at the Redskin’s offense and admittedly is a little more rambling than the first.

 

Starters

WR: I am going to start off with a doozy here and please, hear me out before you light your torches. Bench Moss……….yep I said it, but it’s not what you think. The team needs to have a “heart to heart” with Moss, and “tell him he has a hamstring issue” and he will play a game or two in spot duty and as the primary punt returner (yes most would say faking an injury and then returning punts is sure a silly thing to say).

 

However it’s done, I don’t care. Now why, mind you, would I suggest such a thing? Campbell uses Moss as his security blanket, to a fault mind you. Last game was the most production we have seen from Thomas, Kelly, and Davis, with 1 catch a piece.

 

I think we need to force Campbell into situations where he has no choice but to trust those guys. As it stands, because Campbell doesn’t distribute his passes diversely, we limit ourselves. Our opponents just don’t spend any time worrying about those players because Campbell rarely seeks them out. This isn’t long term, only a game or two, and in fact can be spun to Moss from the angle that forcing these guys to be involved in the game plan can only make his life easier later in the year when coverage isn’t always shifted towards him.

 

QB: I would really like it if I had the football acumen and game tapes to review and diagnose how many times passes are completed to Campbell’s 2nd or 3rd progression rather than seeing his primary receiver is covered and immediately going to his check down (ARE we are calling your name).

 

Last year Randle El started at the Split End position and tallied 53 catches. While the season is still extremely young, he is on pace for 70 catches this year. My argument is that the slot receiver is more often the check down receiver that Campbell goes to when his primary is covered, as opposed to ARE playing better. I mean look at the fact that the slot receiver is only on the field in 3 and 4 WR sets, yet in those more limited opportunities Randle El is seeing more balls come his way. Essentially, I think playing the slot increases the likelihood Campbell will look in his direction.

 

I cannot argue with Campbell’s statistical numbers, or his pretty uncanny ability to know when to scramble. When Campbell scrambles, it’s not his blazing speed that make him successful, it more appears to be his ability to see holes/broad swaths of field developing in front of him. I can argue however that there are plenty of times when Campbell throws an incompletion and we see the replay, there are guys open, often calling for the ball, that he inexplicably doesn’t see. I would imagine that if the backs and receivers have picked up on this (that he isn’t seeing past his initial progression) that it would be hard to run routes with any enthusiasm/fervor when you don’t have the expectation that your QB will find you, even if you are open.

 

Campbell has the tools to make the throws, but in my opinion, lacks the vision to see the entire football field. I think of it as an intercontinental ballistic missile that doesn’t have a guidance system, or at least we only bought the maps for the guidance system for 2 of the 7 continents of the world.

 

If this trend continues, I think you put in Collins at QB. Collins may not be able to make the difficult throws that Campbell can make but I think there are two sides of the coin. Campbell can force some throws and get away with them even when there is tight coverage, but because he is forcing them into tight spots the receiver has much less room to maneuver and get YAC (yards after catch). I think Collins will be able to get through more of his progressions and find the “open” guy that has room to move after the catch, thereby stretching the amount of field the defense has to cover as the game goes on (thereby helping our running game).

 

Offensive Line: In season there is really no grand fix. Again, my ideas may rub others severely the wrong way. In the offseason I think first, we need a new offensive line coach. In his prime I think Joe Bugel had both an eye for the diamond in the rough and the energy/ability to coach them up to be very good players. Now, giving him the benefit of the doubt, I think he has the eye for the diamond in the rough, but lacks the energy/intensity to adequately develop the guys in the manner he used to (think of the brain surgeon who now has arthritis in his hands).

 

We just have a distinct lack of talent (I know this isn’t exactly a revelation) and Bugel can’t coach up the guys like he used to. I did a little research, comparing the Redskin’s drafts to the Raven’s drafts from 2004 through current. Since battles are won in both trenches I looked at both offensive and defensive line and the truth is in the pudding:

 

Since 2004 below is the offensive and defensive lineman drafted by the Redskins and Ravens:

 

Round	Player	Year		Round	Player	Year
1	Michael Oher	2009		3	Jeremy Jarmon	2010*
2	Paul Kruger	2009		1	Brian Orakpo	2009
3	Oniel Cousins	2008		7	Rob Jackson	2008
4	David Hale	2008		3	Chad Rinehart	2008
1	OL Ben Grubbs	2007			None	2007
3	OL Marshall Yanda	2007		5	Anthony Montgomery	2006
1	NT Haloti Ngata	2006		6	Kendric Golston	2006
2	C Chris Chester	2006		7	Kili Lefotu	2006
2	OL Adam Terry	2005			None	2005
4	OL Jason Brown	2005		5	Mark Wilson	2004
2	DT Dwan Edwards	2004		6	Jim Molinaro	2004
7	OL Brian Rimpf	2004

 

As you can see the Ravens have spent seven 1st or 2nd round draft picks on offensive and defensive lineman in that period, while the redskins have spent 1 (Brian Orakpo whom is technically playing SLB as of right now). During this same period the Redskins have drafted 3 Fullbacks and 3 Tight Ends.

 

Formation use: Use Shotgun and 4 WR sets more often and let Campbell call more of his own plays. When Campbell runs plays out of the shotgun he seems to have a better view of the entire football field (or at least more of it). It also seems to me that when he starts in the shotgun, the ball is hiked and he is already making his reads. When under center, the ball is hiked, he is backpedalling looking at his first progression, and by the time he sets his feet he is looking for his check down guy. Four WR sets generally spread more targets onto the field and I see this helping him find an open guy. I am aware that with our offensive line, this could expose Campbell, so it has to be used strategically (not every down like Spurrier).

 

CJHutch and I both think Campbell should call more plays on his own but for different reasons. While some would argue the ball is moved more effectively when Campbell calls plays because he knows which plays to call (essentially inferring he is a better play caller than Zorn) I think it is something else.

 

I think when Campbell calls plays he is limiting his choices to those he is most comfortable with, or in other words he calls plays where he knows all the pass patterns which in turn opens up more of the field for him to attack which is why he is successful. So, on the other side of my equation, I think that Zorn is definitely the better play caller, however, it doesn’t matter is Zorn’s play is designed masterfully if Campbell isn’t capable of pulling it off.

 

Play calling: I like the design of many of the individual plays Zorn calls, minus the trick plays (get rid of all of them until we can master basic fundamentals). I do think that Zorn has trouble stringing individual plays into a masterful game plan. It is just a string of individual plays, nothing more, nothing less.

 

In the red zone Zorn is a different play caller altogether, doing his best to hinder himself and he becomes way too predictable, making the defenses job that much easier. I think this is where Campbell needs to be given full authority on the play calling. He is statistically, one of the safest quarterbacks in the league when it comes to turning the ball over so let him select plays he is most comfortable with when we are in the red zone.

 

Sorry for the rant and I know I am sure to have missed some things.

 

Hey everyone,

First time poster so please be kind. Sorry for the long rant. Ken has seen some of my lengthier emails. The debacle yesterday has moved me to action. This team is in disarray and with the current cast I am not sure if it is fixable. I will post my 2 part series, first delving into the defense, or so called strength of our team.

 

Pressure: I don’t care what Greg Blache says about pressuring the QB being overrated. I have been saying it forever. We could have Deion Sanders, Champ Bailey, Rod Woodson, and Ronnie Lott in their prime playing in our secondary and it wouldn’t matter. If you give Quarterbacks 5-7 seconds on every play to go through their progressions, someone will be open. You especially don’t sit back and let a rookie QB get comfortable in the pocket. Blitz them, reduce the amount of time they have to go through their progressions, make them, make quicker decisions (less downfield throws), and hurry their throws (make them make mistakes). Then your secondary has to cover less time and on a shorter field.

 

Cushion on coverage: 3rd and 4 yards to go, 3rd and 1 yard to go, 3rd and whatever…..our secondary plays 10 yards back…..every time. We give cushions to receivers that are almost always beyond the first down markers. So, not only are we not pressuring the QB, we aren’t pressuring the WR either…….huh. We give the receivers a running start to get into their routes and breaks. Of course this makes it harder on our secondary, especially when the QB is taking their sweet old time deciding which open guy to throw the ball to.

 

Orakpo: Ok, so why does he get a category unto himself?????? He’s a Defensive End and yet we have this notion he will be more important as a Strong side LB. The one time they seemingly played him at Defensive End, he gets a sack, imagine that. I think our defense, especially given our non-propensity to blitz, is better if you play Orakpo at Defensive End and Chris Wilson at SLB. There is a reason that D-ends have such a high Franchise tag value in relation to the LB position. It’s because the NFL and 31 other teams have recognized that for a LB you can get away with a marginal talent who possesses certain skills (i.e. you can game plan around their deficiencies). It is much harder to game plan sacks if your players don’t have pass rushing skills. Orakpo seems to have those rare skills yet we seem hell bent on not using them and instead making him a marginal player.

 

I have discussed this with CJ Hutch and reiterate this here. The defensive scheme we run, seems to me, to be designed for marginally skilled players. Or in other words this defense would benefit a team that lacks talent on the defensive side of the ball and just needs to mitigate the damage the other team makes on offense. It is not a shut down defensive philosophy geared towards the bunch of War Horses we currently possess. Yes I say War Horses. We have a lot of talent on defense, albeit right now they have been hog tied by the coordinator’s defensive philosophy. With the talent we have we should be blitzing, blowing up gaps, hitting WR inside the 5 yard cushion to disrupt their routes, and in general sowing massive chaos.

 

Offenses rely on carefully coordinated movements of 11 players. In many instances disrupting 1-2 of those 11 players will cause a massive disruption in that choreography (think a well executed play-action pass where the Offensive tackle and RB miss their block or get beat by the Defensive End resulting in a sack or incompletion). Basically where an offense is playing a chess game, the defense should be playing smash up derby.

 

How to Fix the defense:

1. Orapko at DE, Daniels to the bench. CJ Hutch would argue Andre Carter to the bench, but I think, hey, teams have been running on us with Daniels in there, so it’s not like we are giving away a position of strength. Get Carter and Orakpo rushing off of the edges.

2. Haynesworth should be used as a grenade. Every play, his role should be disrupting the pocket, period. No gap assignments, only carnage and body parts. Think of him as the grenade the soldier throws in the room before everyone else runs in with weapons ready. The grenade acts to destroy, disorient, and confuse the enemy. There is nothing precision about it. Now say it with me “Haynesworth=grenade.” Let the other players handle the people the grenade missed.

3. Eliminate the coverage cushions. Play our corners up against the line and have them disrupt the receivers. Yes we would be more vulnerable to the long ball but I try to think about it this way; if the defense gets beat on a long pass play for a TD, they gave up 7 points. If they give up a 12-15 play drive for a TD, they give up 7 points, are demoralized, and are now exhausted for the next time they have to get on the field.

4. Blitz, blitz, blitz. Again, I would rather live by the sword, die by the sword. I would argue that we could manufacture as many big defensive plays as we will give up, by attacking an offense rather than letting them dictate what is going to happen after the snap of the ball. We have some hard hitters on this team, so let’s say the QB avoids the blitz and makes the throw. Let Landry, Horton, and Rogers make the receiver pay for making the catch. As noted above, if we effectively apply pressure the QB is more likely to make a hasty throw putting their receiver in a less ideal situation (hard catch, open to a big hit, eyes not up field etc. etc.).

 

So……..that’s my thought on the Redskin’s defense in a nutshell. Feel free to comment. Be easy on my as I’m a newbie.