1How good are they? Maybe this is a better question: They’re 3-1, so does it really matter? The goal is to win games while still improving. Thus far, that’s what the Redskins have done. But the flipside is they must play better than they did against Arizona and St. Louis. Better teams would have beaten them that day. The bottom line is they beat who they played. That’s all that counts. For now.
2
Do they have one strong running back? No, but unlike previous years they have three backs who can play — and who can help. Ryan Torain is the strongest runner. Roy Helu offers big-play potential and speed (he’s improving in protection, too). And Tim Hightower has the best all-around game and could be a good third-down back.
3
How long is the leash on Rex Grossman? Coach Mike Shanahan benched Jake Plummer in 2006 when Denver was 7-4, but he had rookie Jay Cutler ready. There’s no Cutler behind Grossman. John Beck did not finish strong this summer, and that’s a reason to stick with Grossman until they start losing. However, two turnovers a game won’t help his cause. If that doesn’t end, the losses will mount, and the change will happen.
4
Is this defense for real? The Redskins not only have five new starters, they’ve made clear upgrades at four of those spots. And they should continue to improve considering nearly half the starters are new to the system, a key player is a rookie in Ryan Kerrigan and LaRon Landry has played only two games. Staying in the top 10 will be challenging once they start facing better offenses (three offenses they’ve faced are ranked 18th or worse). Their next three games are against offenses ranked fourth (Philadelphia), third (Carolina) and ninth (Buffalo) in total yards.
5 Why isn’t Chris Cooley more involved in the passing game? Part of the problem the past two games is that Cooley has had to play fullback. That will change now that Darrel Young should be healthy. Cooley has been targeted on only 12 passes this season (with seven catches). The offense clearly wants to go downfield more, and Jabar Gaffney has been good in the middle of the field. And Fred Davis is an improved target. It’s hard to imagine Cooley’s role returning to what it was in the past, in part because there are more options.
– John Keim
