Looking back: The secondary was the strength of the defense in 2008, but not this past season. DeAngelo Hall had a strong season, even if he did miss a few key tackles. But he’s here to make plays and he did have four interceptions in 13 games. I love watching how he baited some young quarterbacks into bad decisions and he always seems to be around deflected passes. Carlos Rogers did not have his best season and now is losing a coach in Jerry Gray whom he really, really liked. Rogers is considered a physical corner, but in the first half of the year he seemed to get away from that and played softer in coverage than necessary. He seemed more intent on not making a mistake than on making plays. And his eyes weren’t always in the right place, which is why he was temporarily benched. Fred Smoot was fine; he is a good zone player now and helped at safety in a pinch. He plays bigger than his frame. Justin Tryon improved and his quickness inside is a plus. He was beaten on occasion, but no one can say he didn’t improve. We always heard how great LaRon Landry was playing, but I didn’t see it. Landry was back deep to prevent big plays, yet he gave them up by being too aggressive or falling for double moves. He was lousy in man coverage. Landry has terrific speed and is fearless vs. the run, when playing strong safety, but that speed hasn’t translated into many big plays. Chris Horton and Reed Doughty were fine; can’t say either of them should be a sure-fire starter in 2010. Horton improved at doing his job; Doughty was dependable and a good blitzer.
What they need: A free safety, so they can move Landry to strong. Is Kareem Moore that guy? Wouldn’t count on it; he’s shown in spurts that he can help, but that’s not enough. Depending on the CBA, Rogers could be an unrestricted free agent. But it looks more and more like he’ll be restricted. Kevin Barnes did not show he could play and Tryon does not project to a future starter.
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Where they’re headed:I wouldn’t be surprised if they added a corner this offseason, whether through free agency or the draft. It would be nice if this person could also return punts or kicks, too. It’s hard to say what they’ll do with Rogers. One report had the Redskins talking a while to Syd’Quan Thompson from South Carolina at the Senior Bowl. He’ll be picked in the top three rounds; they wouldn’t do that unless there was an opening.
Grade: C+. Too many big plays allowed and not enough made. Hall bumps this grade up. Too many guys were just average. More is needed from Landry; his speed is fantastic and he helps disguise things defensively. It might have been the scheme not allowing them to be more aggressive; we’ll find out this season if that’s true or not.
