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(Sigh) Our punter injures himself during pregame warm-ups. Is that a bad omen, or what?

Everyone circled the St. Louis Rams as the beatable team of the early schedule. I did. So did you, brother. And why not, for a team whose rookie quarterback suffered six sacks and five interceptions on the way to a 68.1 Quarterback Rating? The Rams generated 136 fewer yards of offense than the Washington Redskins. They did that against weaker teams than the Redskins faced.

In the euphoria of beating Dallas and the good fight against Houston, it was easy to overlook that the Skins were one holding call away from an 0-2 record going into Sunday's game.

No more.

Credit where it's due. The Rams did not resemble the team of the first two weeks. Sam Bradford was impressive in a game plan that suited him. The St. Louis offensive line was not the sieve we expected. Were the Rams supposed to control the ball that much when Steven Jackson was hurt?

Kudos to the Rams. They deserved the win. Two of their four wins since 2008 have been at Washington's expense. Ironically, Jim Haslett was coaching in each of those wins, as the Rams' interim head coach then and as the Redskins defensive coordinator now.

If you buy the cliché that more games are lost than won, you have plenty of evidence in Washington's 30-16 loss.

Kicker Graham Gano may have been disconcerted by news that he would fill in for injured punter Josh Bidwell. Gano's opening kick-off went out of bounds. The resulting penalty gave the Rams possession on their 40-yard line. Eight plays later, Steven Jackson gashed the Skins defense with a 42-yard touchdown run.

On Washington's first possession, an illegal blocking call on Santana Moss negated a first down, six-yard gain by Clinton Portis. The 15-yard penalty set the Skins to first and long with ground to make up. Donovan McNabb successfully completed a 10-yard pass to Moss who unsuccessfully tried for more yards. His fumble was recovered by the Rams Na'il Diggs who rumbled to Washington's three-yard line before McNabb bumped him down.

Bradford's touchdown toss to TE Daniel Fell sealed the Redskins fate, though it was only the first quarter. Those two early touchdowns were the margin of victory for the Rams.

What did we learn?

Maybe Donovan McNabb alone isn't good enough to lift this team. That says more about the offense than McNabb who was the most effective Redskin on the field (19/32, 236 YDs, 1 TD, 1 INT).

Mike Shanahan said last week that quarterbacks are paid to convert third downs. The Redskins' one successful third down conversion came as the result of a penalty. The Skins attempted one attempt on the ground, a third quarter, third and two attempt by Clinton Portis to the left. He was thrown for a loss.

Four of McNabb's eight third-down attempts went to TE Chris Cooley. Three were completions but short of first down. Two attempts were to Moss. One was complete but also short of first down. Attempts to Roydell Williams (third and 11) and to Keiland Williams (third and 10) fell incomplete.

The Skins did gain 12 first downs, eight by the pass, and rolled up 349 yards on offense. The defense allowed the Rams 24 first downs, including seven of sixteen third-down conversions.

McNabb  targeted Joey Galloway and Roydell Williams five times. Williams had one catch for 10 yards. Galloway can beat coverage on a deep route and McNabb looks for him, but he has twice missed on touchdown catches.

The Redskins found a running game. Portis and Ryan Torain averaged over six yards per carry. The Skins virtually abandoned the ground game in the second half. They had little choice. But, tell me again, why were Larry Johnson and Willie Parker were in training camp last summer?

Mike Sellers is a big part of the Redskins offense. I hesitate to compare him to Brian Westbrook, but it is clear now why the Redskins were so anxious to sign Westbrook. Running backs are receiving targets as much as tight ends. By now, Westbrook might wish he were here rather than in San Francisco. I know I do.

Santana Moss is so essential to the Redskins offense that it is a killer when he messes up.

Most of this loss can be laid on Jim Hasletts' defense for their inability to stop big plays or pressure Sam Bradford. Though the defense was last in the league going into this game, they were more disruptive in the first two games. They should have matched up well against the St. Louis. The Rams rolled up 365 yards, and worse, controlled the ball for nearly 35 minutes. Either the Rams saw something on film to exploit, or the Skins looked past them as Albert Haynesworth implied in his post-game comments.

The pessimism that will follow this game will surely balance out the optimism that rose for the first two games. Balance is needed here. The loss to the lowly Rams didn't expose any weaknesses that we didn't already know about. There is talent on the Redskins. It is just not championship talent, not good enough that a single quarterback or coach can fix what's needed in one season.

The Redskins, being Redskins, may upset one of their next four opponents, whose combined record going into Monday night is 8-2.

The Redskins, being Redskins, might find that the most dangerous team on the schedule is the 0-3 Detroit Lions.

 

So here's something that can be considered as interesting: the Redskins don't have a lot of great players on their roster.  They have a bunch of pretty good players, a couple of starters that just aren't good enough, and very spotty depth at a lot of positions.  Perhaps, though, among the very best players on the roster are their most recent first round picks: SS LaRon Landry (2007), OLB Brian Orakpo (2009), and LT Trent Williams (2010).

For LaRon Landry, development has been a four letter word.  He was a impact player as a rookie in 2007, and just as valuable in 2008, though his role as the free safety rarely made him a visable player for television cameras.  In 2009, he regressed.  Badly.  Landry was protected for much of 2008 by the fact that teams thought it a bad idea to try and attack deep against the Redskins most physically imposing defender, so they never tried.  By 2009, teams had figured out that the secret to beating LaRon Landry was to go right at him.  He just couldn't defense the pass if he wasn't getting there at full speed.

This year, with a new coordinator, the Redskins are finally trying something new with Landry, and he fits perfectly in the Pittsburgh-styled pressure schemes the Redskins now run.  Landry is just as tough to block on the pass rush as Brian Orakpo is, and that skill allows him to get up in the box to help shut down the run without being a liability against the pass.  This, of course, makes the Redskins ILBs much more important in pass coverage and between them and the other safety, the Redskins have plenty to work out over the next few weeks, but being good at something is the first tenet of a dominant defense.  It's what the Redskins were missing on defense last year.

Brian Orakpo himself, of course, is very much unblockable.  The question with Orakpo wasn't his awesomeness in the draft relative to other players available, it's whether or not the Redskins passed up far bigger needs to take Orakpo in 2009.  The answer: probably, but who cares?  The Redskins might have cost themselves more than a couple wins by not taking Michael Oher or Alex Mack with the 13th pick in the draft, and struggling through the entire year on offense.

Oh well.  Teams that draft just to find players for the upcoming season are going to get outdrafted by other teams over the long run, and it's hard to argue that Orakpo wasn't THE value pick of the top 15 just a year ago.  For their investment, the Redskins have a second year player who shows up on tape a lot more often than he did last year, is a moveable piece in the defense, and is as rare a weapon in a pressure scheme as LaRon Landry is.  Orakpo has also shown much improved coverage skills this season.  Still, he's at his best when he's rushing the passer.

However, neither player is having the singular effect on the offense as is Trent Williams is in stabilizing a left tackle to a level unseen since Chris Samuels in his prime.  Having two unique defensive weapons is awesome, but if you don't have a left tackle, you don't have a productive offense.  The Redskins not only have a left tackle now, they appear to have one of the very best.  Fans, we may get a taste of what this offense can do without Trent Williams this weekend, and I'm going to predict that all it will do is prove how important to the team Trent Williams is.

There were a lot of acquistions this past offseason, but none more important than Williams, who has made the entire offensive line look good.  Consider: they've been rotating their left guards and right tackles, their center remains a liability, and their right guard is a guy who was thought to be a utility lineman by the rest of the league.  And against the pass: the OL has been a strength.  That's the effect of Trent Williams on the 2010 Washington Redskins.

Others are playing a significant part in this season, particularly on the offensive end where the Redskins are improved in the passing game.  Santana Moss is back towards his usual level after a down year in 2009.  Chris Cooley is healthy.  Adam Carriker has been a sound pickup, and the cornerback duo of Carlos Rogers and DeAngelo Hall are playing better as a tandem than I thought would be possible.  London Fletcher is having perhaps his best month as a Redskin in coverage.  If, however, the Redskins really make some noise in an NFC East division that lacks a clear favorite, it will be because their last three first round picks have yielded three franchise cornerstones.

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The Washington Redskins are the highest ranked NFC East team on Bloguin.com's weekly NFL Power Poll. The Redskins gained by precipitous falls of the 1-1 New York Giants and the 0-2 Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys fell nine places from the week one poll to the 20th ranked team in Week Two. The Giants fell from 10th to 17th place.

The Redskins dropped dropped one spot to 15th place after their overtime loss to the Houston Texans. The Philadelphia Eagles jumped a notch from 17th to 16th place after a close win over the Detroit Lions.

After two weeks of play, the Cowboys Jerry Jones found it necessary to publicly support head coach Wade Phillips. Eagles fans are in turmoil over whether or not to start Michael Vick over Kevin Kolb. The Giants are a mystery to their fans. Things are relatively quiet in Washington, even Albert Haynesworth escaped much notice from the press.

Redskins-Rams Injury Report

The Redskins list DT Anthony Bryant OUT. DT Albert Haynesworth, DB LaRon Landry, DB Kareem Moore, RB Clinton Porti, WR Anthony Armstrong, DB Chris Horton and OL Trent Williams are listed as Questionable.

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The rehabilitation of Danny Snyder's reputation takes another turn for the better in an upcoming (Oct. 11, 2010) Forbes Magazine profile. The Passion of Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder article was released online today on Forbes.com.

While noting Snyder's desperation to win a Super Bowl and his habit of plowing his fortune back into the team, Forbes author Monte Burke calls Snyder "the most reviled owner in professional sports."

"Naysayers point to the Redskins' failure on the field during his 11-year tenure (only three winning seasons and an overall record of 75--96); his imperious personality (he's been accused of demanding that employees address him as 'Mr. Snyder'); his 'meddling' ways (seven different coaches); his profligate spending on overhyped coaches and over-the-hill players ($5 million a year for college coach Steve Spurrier, who went 12--20 in two seasons; a five-year, $23 million contract for 37-year-old defensive lineman Bruce Smith). 'I have made some mistakes,' Snyder admits."

Would fans prefer a cheapskate, asks Burke?

No, but there is little to choose between no spending and stupid spending. The name Albert Haynesworth appears nowhere in the story.

The Forbes story is a positive one, highlighting Snyder's entrepreneurial ventures that built the fortune that enabled him to buy the Washington Redskins. It's the third such public placement of Snyder since the Redskins hired Tony Wyllie as communications guru.

Wyllie may or may not have had anything to do with the Forbes article, but he was present when Snyder made himself available to the Hogs Haven bloggers last August. ("Call me Dan.") Snyder barely makes himself available to the media, but Wyllie opened the door to a pair of citizen journalists from the fan community. Kudos to him and Snyder for that.

The second unusual Snyder sighting came in the form of a pizza commercial where a smiling, jocular Snyder was shown with friend and rival owner Jerry Jones.

 

The third placement is this Forbes story. Forbes is an investment magazine. If they were a sports journal, they would not have been so sanguine about The Danny's moves.

Snyder's fall and rise

Firing coaches, missing on talent, even a prickly personality are not the roots of fan ire. Shortcuts to winning while eschewing sound management leading to a 10-year losing record does that. To err on player talent is human. To forgive dum-bass player contracts that hamstring the team is...too much to ask.

It is, or maybe was, player contracts that trips Snyder. He wanted to be the deal-making high-roller of this outfit. No one could restrain him. The notorious Haynesworth contract would have been better used for a B-list wide receiver who contributes and a pair of better-selected offensive linemen.

Yet, we're not so quick to attribute Snyder's football failures to character. We've never met the man. Instead we suspect Snyder's entrepreneurial spirit lead him astray. He's not be the first entrepreneur whose sense that his personal vision brought value to his venture kept him from hiring and keeping quality management.

Few have taken the fall that Snyder has. His reputation was at an all-time peak in 2007 when he showered the Redskins with support following Sean Taylor's death. That helped us all fell better.

Then the Redskins rationalized suing fans over tickets when no other NFL club pursued the practice. Worse, it emerged that the Redskins used choice season tickets as enticements to sell high priced club seats.

Snyder was not out front on the issue. When fans wanted answers from Dan the Man, we were introduced to David Donavan, then general council, now team COO.

Snyder's executive leadership failures and its effect on the football product were on display throughout 2009. None worse than how he mismanaged Jim Zorn's exit. Zorn is still on the Redskins payroll, so why not dismiss him outright and with dignity rather than try to shame him into quitting. No fan wanted Zorn to stay, but Snyder made us feel sorry for him just as he once made us feel sorry for Norv Turner. Is this a class outfit, or ain't it?

Nothing succeeds like success and nothing will help Snyder more than a few titles. Meanwhile, here is my test of whether or not Snyder has changed. When I next go to a game and buy a GAMEDAY program, I want to see profiles of the people we value, coaches and players, on the opening spread, not a two-page bio of The Danny. Show me that, and I will start to believe that Snyder gets it. The team is not about him.

Listening, Mr. Wyllie?

Related Story, Feinstein On The Brink: "...gloom again in Snyder-ville"

 

This experience on Sunday was no different than the Redskins' 2008 season, if condensed into just one game.

The early results were astounding.  At the half, the Redskins led 20-7.  McNabb would throw for 426 yards on this day, and was in the shadow of 300 by halftime.  Everything the Redskins threw at the defense was working exactly like it was designed.  It was a beautiful sight.  In the first half, even the Texans' most successful stunts and most highly disciplined defenses could not stop Donovan McNabb.  Pressure in his face was just that element that made the defense think they were close to a stop before he exposed a terrible mismatch in their secondary with athletic ease.

McNabb played a majority of this game at a superior mental level to his opponents, but even though he nearly doubled his passing yardage totals in the second half, the bottom line of this game from an offensive perspective is that:

1. The Redskins squandered a 17 point lead with playcalling (and execution) that was both gimmicky and a bit pass-happy
2. On the play where Trent Williams got injured (Mario Williams second sack), the Texans ultimately forced Kyle Shanahan into a shell comprised entirely of three step drops

With McNabb at the controls, that passing game was still quite efficient: the Redskins had spent the whole game running the Texans deep and chucking the ball downfield, so there wasn't an instantaneous adjustment for the Texans.  The Redskins' strategy without Williams was plain as day.  Here's the playcalling after the Heyer hold for the rest of the game:

• 3rd and 30: Screen to Moss
• 1st and 10: 5 step drop, sack, (Fred Davis on Mario Williams) [unnecessary roughness on A. Smith, who leveled McNabb after sack]
• 1st and 10: Quick slant to Moss
• 1st and 10: Short option route to Cooley
• 2nd and 3: Short in to Moss
• 1st and 10: Ball deflected at line by Mario Williams
• 2nd and 10: Quick hitch to Keiland Williams (split right)
• 3rd and 7: 3-step fade to Moss

Keep this sequence in mind for next week if the team is without Trent Williams.  With the game in the balance: zero rushing attempts.  One play action pass.  Quick timing throws.  Limited pre-snap motion.  The ghost of Jim Zorn lives on!

It was a far departure from the beautiful part of this game, offensively, because the play design used in the first half was tremendous.  All of the Redskins big plays to their tight ends (there were three of them) happened on the same basic play, and it was the perfect play for the Texans defense.  It's almost as if someone on our coaching staff was inside their defensive meeting room recently. Odd.

This awesome MS Paint diagram is of the first quarter toss to Cooley:

The blocking scheme is pure, 100% old school Mike Shanahan.  The three interior linemen in this solid front are trying so hard to catch their gaps as they run away from them that they can't do anything to deter McNabb.  The Redskins don't worry about Mario Williams on the front side, as it's up to Mike Sellers to put him on the ground, if momentarily.  He needs to do this or they will not have time to run the play.

Speaking of time, Cooley is going to do a double move on the backside, with a fairly standard conservative route combo on the front side.  Moss is just in a standard pivot route to the outside.  Notice how the Texans have both their corners to the defensive strength: that's why this play works.

Cooley's initial move is to the middle of the field: remember, Mario Williams isn't accounted for in the protection.  In this tampa-two varient, Adibi (52) has the flat responsibility, Pollard (31) has deep half, and Ryans (59) has the middle of the field.  No one is pressuring Adibi's zone except Portis, so he stays shallow.  Pollard breaks on Cooley when he goes over the middle, figuring the ball has to come out soon.  He's wrong.

Normally, I'd recommend to McNabb that he should take Sellers or Moss and live to fight another down.  But McNabb anticipates Cooley being open on the post-corner and gives him time to make his break, then makes the touch throw over the top.  It's a 35 yard play setting up a short field goal.

The Redskins would run this play again many times, but would do it with Fred Davis as a second TE instead of with a fullback.  The concept then was similar: backside post corner from the tight end, and on the front side, instead of being a chipping fullback, the second TE would come accross the formation as if to be part of the stretch blocking scheme.  Once he's lost in the shuffle, the Redskins ran the second TE on a wheel route.  This his how Fred Davis got uncovered on his 62 yard catch and run at the end of the first half.  The play design was fantastic, and really, when the Redskins had confidence in both their tackles, the entire offensive scheme was brilliant.  The key was to use Donovan McNabb's unique physical gifts to do something that no other passing offense in the NFL or at any level could accomplish.  This is just a sample of how they can succeed at that goal.

However, the running game can be summed up in a word: a waste.  Kyle Shanahan's 2009 Texans team struggled to run the ball all season, and to date, the 2010 Redskins are not at all an exception to that expectation.  I mentioned above that I thought the playcalling at the end of the game lacked any semblence of logic.  That might seem like a criticism of the man calling the plays, but it's really just an observation based on the fact that our running game actually has taken a step back from last year.  I am calculating lineman yard average again this season, however, we've run so little in the first two games that I'm not going to bother with a preliminary average until after week three.

No back besides Portis has enjoyed even a single moment of rushing effectiveness.  Anecdotally, I can say that this team seems to be more efficient at running between the tackles than last years team, at least pre-Portis injury.  Artis Hicks has proven to be at least an adequate run blocker on the interior, and he's capable of making the difficult blocks that allow Rabach to get to the second level where he is an asset and not a liability.  But the only time the Redskins have been able to run the ball in open space so far has been when they have gotten on the edge quickly, utilizing multiple fullbacks and tight ends on opposing LBs.  Some creativity in the rushing game has allowed us to overcome some talent deficiencies, at least on a couple plays.  Mostly, the running game has been a waste of time.\

Big Plays

There were a bunch of them.  Above, I explained how the Redskins generated big passing plays to their tight ends, using both their best, most explosive receiving options, and the unique strengths of Donovan McNabb to attack a Texans defense that came in determined to shut down our rushing "attack."  But the Redskins also gained big plays to Mike Sellers, Joey Galloway, Anthony Armstrong, and Roydell Williams.

The Redskins made great use of checks at the line of scrimmage to get out of bad running plays.  This is a new thing in Washington.  Jason Campbell would often change receivers routes at the line, or move a running play to a different running play, but I don't specifically know if runs became passes and passes became runs.  We certainly never ran "smoke", which essentially doesn't let the offensive line and backs know that you aren't going to run the ball, and just throw it out to a receiver instead.  The Redskins are aligning Santana Moss deeper in the slot to account for this.

The play they came out with specifically for the Texans defense was a rub play, Moss going inside and trying to run into as many defenders as he could (which isn't legal, it just has to be done right), and Sellers running into the flat open to catch a pass.  Sellers' hands didn't fail him on Sunday, which is probably not something the Redskins should continue to count on.  Sellers got 23 yards on the game's first play to set the tone.

Galloway's 62 yarder was a single receiver play action pass where the Texans managed to bust a coverage somewhere.  It was max protect, just a few short guys in the pattern for check down purposes, and McNabb was likely told to just launch it over Galloway's head if he wasn't open.  He was.

Anthony Armstrong caught a 20 yard dig route on 3rd and 20 from McNabb.  It's notable because McNabb really didn't receive any protection here, which is supposed to be a death sentence on third and ten.  Amobi Okoye (who was a monster in this game -- though because of McNabb, you didn't know that) came free over Rabach, Armstrong got out of his break increadibly fast, and McNabb threw it behind him because that was the only window in the coverage.  He caught it anyway.

His throw to Roydell Williams on the lone third quarter possession was probably even better.  Williams found a void in the coverage between the linebackers and the safeties over the middle.  That's good, but Jammal Brown and Kory Lichtensteiger didn't block anybody.  On top of that, McNabb didn't really have a window to throw between the linebackers, and with more alert linebackers (I've never been particularly impressed with Demeco Ryans, personally) it's probably an INT.  But McNabb was able to throw a rope between them and hit Roydell in stride, and he got plenty after the catch.

McNabb simply won't be able to perform at this level week in and week out: if he could, he'd already be hall of fame bound with multiple NFC Championships and a Super Bowl win or two.  But while he's proven susceptable to pressure from the edges, McNabb has shown an impressive ability to tune out pressure that comes up the middle.  This is what this Redskins team needs: we simply don't have interior players strong enough players to consistently ensure a clean pocket from the front.  But as long as the tackles don't allow rushers to get to McNabb's upfield shoulder, the offense will stay on track.

Pass Protection Unit

Jammal Brown had a bad game.  He says he's still adjusting to the right side.  I say: fine point, but Trent Williams is addressing to an entirely different level of competition and he's been, if anything, a team strength.  Two blown blocks for Brown, and a fairly inexcusable false start penalty at home that arguably cost us the game.  Through two games, Stephon Heyer has been the more efficient right tackle.

Rabach made a really good adjustment on a 3rd and 8 inside stunt by Mario Williams.  Trent Williams did his job and picked up Okoye while passing Mario Williams inside to Lichtensteiger.  Lichtensteiger wouldn't have been able to handle him on his own, and Rabach alertly (for anyone, but especially for him) got there in plenty of time, they both made contact at the same time killing his momentum.  McNabb coverted the first down to Moss, keeping a scoring drive alive.

They allowed lots of hits on McNabb in this game.  It didn't matter in the final score, but it's certainly something to watch for.  Portis spent much of the second half on the sideline.  When he's on the sideline, being Donovan McNabb isn't fun.  This team needs both a healthy Portis and a healthy McNabb to have any semblance of a passing offense.

Receiver Stats

• Santana Moss -- 10 receptions, targeted 12 times, 89 receiving yards, 7.42 YPT. Two unsuccessful completions (both screens).  67% success rate.
• Mike Sellers -- 4 receptions, targeted 6 times, 38 receiving yards, 6.33 YPT.  One unsuccessful completions. 50% success rate.
• Joey Galloway -- 3 receptions, targeted 6 times, 88 receiving yards, 14.67 YPT.  No unsuccessful completions.  50% success rate
• Chris Cooley -- 3 receptions, targeted 3 times, 64 receiving yards, 21.33 YPT.  No unsuccessful completions.  100% success rate.
• Anthony Armstrong -- 2 receptions, targeted twice, 36 receiving yards, 18 YPT.  No unsuccessful completions.  100% success rate.
• Keiland Williams -- 4 receptions, targeted 4 times, 15 receiving yards, 3.75 YPT.  Four unsuccessful completions.  0% success rate.
• Fred Davis -- 1 reception, targeted once, 62 receiving yards. No unsuccessful completions. 100% success rate.
• Roydell Williams -- 1 reception, targeted once, 35 receiving yards.  No unsuccessful completions.  100% success rate.
• Clinton Portis -- 0 receptions, targeted once. 0% success rate.

Clearly, the backs are used in a "last resort" target scheme, with no meaningful plays designed to go to the running backs.  Very high percentage game, with only Joey Galloway accounting for more than two incomplete passes (he doesn't run very good routes for a veteran -- at least in this game).  Cooley, Roydell, Armstrong, Keiland Williams, and Fred Davis combined to catch all 11 of the passes thrown at them, meaning that in the next game, you can imagine that they'll get more than just 11 passes thrown at them.  10/12 is a great day for Moss catching the football -- he was used more in underneath routes today -- but I also threw out two passes intended for him that were tipped by Super Mario at the line.

There are two primary complaints about the Redskins defense right now coming from fans and commentators alike:

1. They are struggling to stop the run
2. Their blitzes are too predictable in quantity, if not quality

What does it all mean?  It's proven difficult to really gash the Redskins for chunks of yards on the ground.  A vast majority of NFL teams have graduated the NFL style of the 70s where it was all about what you could do on the ground play after play after play.  Offensive coordinators who support antiquated "three yards and a cloud of dust" offenses are routinely criticized and tend not to hold jobs for very long.  In short, the Redskins haven't proven to have a sustainable issue against stopping the run, at least not in the way that the Indianapolis Colts have.  This will all change if big plays on the ground become a common sight.  If the Redskins begin to get gashed by the run, coordinators will begin to stick with it, taking the 4.0+ average the Redskins will give them until they break a long run.

If there's a meaningful difference between last years run defense and this years run defense, it's that last year's was centered around making sure London Fletcher could arrive at the ballcarrier unblocked on most plays.  That meant the two blockers in front of him as well as the two linebackers in front of him had a responsiblity to aggressively take on blockers and open up lanes downhill for Fletcher.  This year, Fletcher is not the centerpiece of the run defense concepts, though he remains the focal point of both opponents we played in the running game.  The focal point of our run defense is LaRon Landry, who oftentimes, even has Fletcher taking on blocks to make sure he comes free.  Tackling has not been an issue for Landry this year, though in the past, it certainly has been.

Landry is a defensive back, which is why some analysts are concerned about the Redskins run defense.  If he's making all the tackles, isn't that indicitive of a schematic problem?  Not necessarily, because Landry is making most of his plays at the linebacker level, and fewer in the secondary after a 7 or 8 yard run.  Effectively, the Redskins base defense might as well be a 2-5 front.

This week, there was a lot more base 3-4 concepts because the Texans are predomiantly fond of their pro-style sets.  The Redskins defensive line does a pretty good job keeping blockers off of the linebackers, however, they aren't a big, powerful group, so they usually get driven a yard or two off the ball in most plays.  This means that the biggest difference between this years run defense and last years run defense is that the Redskins hardly ever get a tackle for loss in the backfield.  I think we had three in the game versus the Texans (Carriker - 1, Fletcher - 1, Hall - 1).  The Redskins faced 23 running plays, so the vast majority of the Texans runs (87%) went for positive yardage.  If you follow the concept of adjusted line yards, it seems pretty clear that the Redskins defense is going to rank very low this year.  They haven't even proven to be competitive in short yardage situations, much less dominant like they were last year.  However, giving up a median run of three yards, as the Redskins do, makes rushing offense completely unsustainable for the opponent.  To beat the Redskins defense this year, you have to throw early and often.

Herein lies the problem with the Redskins defense this year: through two games, the pass defense has been very, very poor.  It's far too early to say that the poor results are not simply a function of the opponent, but in two weeks, Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, and Miles Austin now have three of the best receiving games of the young NFL season.  The only thing those three have in common is that they played the Redskins defense.  You could argue that the strategy of using Landry as a movable piece in the run defense is hurting the overall pass defense, but that's probably contradictory to the true story.  Landry's biggest and best contribution to the Redskins defense so far is that he's been absolutely unblockable on the pass rush.  When you block him with a back, he stuns him and goes right over him.  When you block him with a guard, he spins and goes right by him.  When the offense doesn't otherwise account for him, he finds a free gap, shoots it, and pounds the quarterback.  Landry was credited with just a single sack in this game, but the one that was credited to Lorenzo Alexander was pretty much Landry's sack, he tripped up Schaub who stepped up and awkwardly fell at Alexander's feet.

There were 80 defensive plays in this game, and 57 passes.  Landry fired about ten times, give or take two either way.  He had five combined pressures/hits in addition to two sacks.  That's an alarmingly efficient rate.  If a 4-3 defensive end made plays at that rate, it would be the equivalent of a seven sack, 15 pressure performance.  That's historically great.  We saw Landry flash this ability under Gregg Williams in 2007, but he was a rookie, and with Sean Taylor only playing eight games that year, it was difficult to have him get into any rhythm in that role.

Unfortunately, the abolition of the "Angel" position created that same year for Taylor and later Landry has really hurt the Redskins on the other end.  The deep middle coverage has been incredibly poor.  That's not all Reed Doughty's fault, though he's progressively less useful in coverage the further you move him from the line of scrimmage.  It's really a combination of everything.  The Redskins have been excellent at defending deep sideline routes this year: Phillip Buchanon and Carlos Rogers in particular, but the outside leverage that the corners keep on the receivers at all times in this zone defense has given quarterbacks a bunch of voids to pick apart in the deep field between the corners and the safeties.

Matt Schaub is a zone killer at quarterback, and his 9.4 YPA day comes hardly as a surprise.  Perhaps the most surprising aspect of it comes in the form of pressure: the Redskins put a lot of pressure (and pain) on Schaub throughout this game.  The Texans scored 7 points in the first half, 20 in the second half, and three in overtime.  In all three periods, Schaub was relentlessly pounded by interior pressure in the A and B gaps.  The Texans offensive tackles had great days: Duane Brown pretty much held Brian Orakpo without a mention in the first half, but Orakpo played big in the second half when the Redskins starting stunting in the tackle/guard gap instead of around the outside.  LaRon Landry actually ended RT Eric Winston's sack-free streak, dating back to the end of the 2008 season.  Despite all these pressures, Schaub completed 38 of his 52 passes.  Schaub could trust his receivers to always be open against the Redskins zone coverage and the demolition of our secondary was really a team effort.  Here are a few of the reasons Schaub and the Texans had so much success throwing the football:

Kevin Walter had a Mismatch against Carlos Rogers

Rogers usually does just fine against receivers in the mold of Walter, but Walter excelled on this day because the type of patterns he loves to run doesn't conflict with the coverages that Rogers likes to play.  And so time and time again on first and second down, Walter could run down the numbers against Rogers and could use the middle of the field as a built-in option route to get open.  The Redskins provided precious little help to the inside, and with outside responsibility, Rogers was beat by Walter's precision no fewer than eight times in this game.

Rogers' INT in the first quarter actually came against TE Owen Daniels, who really wasn't a factor in this game.  It was just a rare mis-read by Schaub, and a good reaction on the ball by Rogers, who was kind enough to drop it up in the air that time.

Dig routes

The dig route (deep in) is known as a cover-three buster, and the Redskins play a lot of cover three.  But even on the plays where the Redskins were not playing cover three, they still couldn't defend this route all day.  The Texans ran this in front of two safeties, they ran in it in front of single safeties, and they ran it against no safeties.  What was a little disturbing is that Schaub didn't have to even hit the receivers out of their break, the Redskins LBs and safeties simply weren't defending Walter and Andre Johnson between the hashes.

Deep Posts

Walter had a big one against Rogers that set up the field goal that cut it to 27-20.  The Redskins appeared to have a cover three call on with Landry in the deep middle, Doughty defending the deep third behind DHall (can't remember if he was blitzing on this play or not), and Rogers with his deep third on the single receiver side (vs. Walter).  You're never going to believe what happened on the play when I tell you: Landry got baited out of deep coverage by a crossing route (by Jacoby Jones, I think?  A. Johnson might not have been in the game then).  Walter got inside leverage on Rogers deep, and Schaub's throw was excellent.  I'm not sure it would have mattered if Landry was there, the throw was probably too perfect, and perhaps all the Redskins saved was 15 yards on top of the completion.  But it was just more "gaping hole in zone" stuff that the Texans exploited all game.

Poor Screen Recognition

The Texans didn't run many screens, but they ran them on third down, and not enough Redskins linebackers diagnosed them in time to stop them.  They are in a 1-5-5 on third down when the opponent is in three or more receivers.  So it's the responsibility of the five linebackers to diagnose and blow up screens.  So far, the only players to correctly see a RB screen in time to stop it were Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry.  Adam Carriker and Andre Carter have serious problems with play diagnosis (in general), and these screens usually target Brian Orakpo's aggression.  The players who need to do a better job are reserve OLBs Chris Wilson and Lorenzo Alexander, as well as Rocky McIntosh.  These guys play a lot in these 1-5-5s and if the formation has an obvious weakness so far, it's that it's far too easy to get your lineman out in screens against it.

The Arian Foster 50-yard screen was thrown to the opposite side of a third down overload blitz.  That will happen from time to time if you continue to overload pressure on third down, but I think the positives of overloading in obvious passing situations certainly outweigh the negatives.  Teams have really struggled to pick these blitzes up and get guys out into the routes.  So far the screen is a stand alone weakness of this unorthodox defense.

The Johnson TD Pass

Doughty got screwed.  Johnson was a lone receiver to the left against Phillip Buchanon in man-under coverage.  The Redskins rushed five.  Doughty was the free guy in the defense and had double coverage responsibility on Johnson.  Buchanon simply didn't know/think Schaub would make the throw he ultimately did.  He had no other read on the play besides Johnson, he just didn't follow the play to it's completion, and Doughty got out-positioned and out-jumped.  This play simply should never have happened.

Conclusions

The linebackers are the best, deepest unit of the team, but the Texans starting receivers proved too versatile to match up with play after play.  That's okay, as they might have the best group of receivers in the league.  Andre Johnson and Miles Austin have averaged 123 yards per game against our defense, and Johnson won offensive player of the week.  None of that is a good sign.  The Rams don't have anyone who can masquarade as an elite receiver, so things will certainly be different this week.

Zone coverage is a work in progress, and we might simply not have the personnel to play it.  We didn't last year.  The starting corners are generally more than holding their own.  Rogers did much better vs. Johnson than he did vs. Walter.  Buchanon struggled today.  The Texans generally didn't go at Hall very much, which suggests that his coverage was sound.  There were too many situations where Doughty or Landry gave up an in-cut to a receiver who got free.  I thought Fletcher was excellent in coverage in this game.  Perhaps the biggest problem is that the Texans simply don't use the perimeter like other defenses and we'll have more success against other quarterbacks who lack the touch of Matt Schaub.

One thing that's painfully clear is that between where our safeties play and our linebackers play, there's a two yard void of space to throw the ball against every play for first down yardage.  To be a good zone coverage defense, that space needs to be significantly smaller, half a yard at most.  Next week, we play Sam Bradford, who will probably crumble under the same rush that Schaub fought through.  But if the rush doesn't get to him, he's capable of putting up similar career-best passing numbers because the Redskins' zones are just too spacey right now.

[picapp]

 

I spent a good part of my work life with the world's largest computer technology company. The joke was "how can you tell when the world's largest computer company's salesman is lying?" Answer: when his lips are moving.

You can always trust what a football coach says about his players.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid was crushed by fans last week when he said that Kevin Kolb remained the team's starting quarterback after suffering a concussion in the game against the Green Bay Packers.

Michael Vick looked good in relief of Kolb and already fans were clamoring for him instead of Kolb, who the fans said lacked leadership and could not make all the throws. The same fans applauded when Philadelphia extended Kolb's contract and guaranteed his $12 million salary last April then dumped Donovan McNabb to the Redskins on Easter Sunday.

Vick started for Kolb on the road against the Detroit Lions last Sunday and played...fabulously, completing an uncustomary 61.7 percent of his passes to nine different receivers for two touchdowns and gaining 37 yards on seven attempts. The Eagles rolled up 409 total yards for the close win against the Lions. (NOTE: For his career prior to Philadelphia, Vick completed 54 percent of his catches for a pathetic 75.7 QB Rating.)

On Monday, Reid reiterated that Kolb was the starting quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles. But yesterday (Tuesday) Reid named Vick the starting quarterback for the rest of the season.

Shades of Joe Gibbs and Patrick Ramsey!

Why the change of heart? After studying game tape, Reid recognized that he had Michael Vick on his roster.

”This isn't about Kevin Kolb's play. You're talking about Michael Vick as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL right now."

That would be more believable if Vick wasn't on Philly's roster through two training camps and the Eagles didn't have a $12 million stake in a guy now relegated to the bench.

Either Reid got talked to by somebody higher up, or he had the epiphany that Vick is something more than trading fodder. The Eagles are an order of magnitude better with Vick at quarterback than with Kevin Kolb. They may be as dangerous as when Donovan McNabb was under center.

Michael Vick paid his debt to society and deserves a shot to rebuild his career while realizing, I hope, that he can do better than be a gangsta' wannabe.

Reid said that Kolb will be a "championship-caliber quarterback." He did not say "in Philadelphia."

Kolb must be wondering where he stands after all this. Reid did not back him as resolutely as he did for McNabb over 11 seasons. Which begs the question, how can you tell when your coach is lying?

Point After: For all of Vick's heroics, the Lions played the Eagles tough, and did it without starting quarterback Matthew Stafford. Detroit rolled up 444 yards and 32 points. The Eagles dodged a bullet for this win.

Both the Eagles and the Lions are on the Redskins calendar. It's best not to be presumptive about the Lions or any of the weaker teams on the schedule, like oh say, the St Louis Rams.