Fox analyst Daryl Johnston watched the Redskins in person two weeks ago and studied them this week in preparation for calling their game again Sunday. He’s also a bit familiar with Dallas, having played for the Cowboys and having seen them a few times this season as well. He also sees a plan to the Redskins rebuilding efforts.
On why Dallas RB DeMarco Murray is running so well: “He’s consistent. I was with Emmitt Smith Monday night and asked him about it and one of the things he said is, he’s hitting the holes. He’s running with more physicality than Felix Jones does. The performances he’s had have inspired everybody and when they see the success the individual is having, now the group starts to perform at a high level. It’s been a situation where it spreads throughout the team. For a team that struggled to run the first five weeks, to have that success it’s not just one guy. It’s not.”
On other factors involved in the run game: “Maybe a little bit is about opportunities. There’s the confidence that DeMarco has created with Jason Garrett to really start to hammer the run game. I know for us when we were playing we always got stronger. The run game is rarely something that takes off the first quarter or the first drive. It takes a while to get a feel for how the defense is playing you and how the matchups are up front. Jason is very confident as a play-caller and that’s giving them more opportunities to establish the run game. Now all of a sudden it helps a ton in the pass game. Now you got the defense on their heels. Really, what they’ve been able to do is fight through a time during the course of the season early on when they weren’t running as effectively. You look at the Detroit game as a classic example; a 27-3 lead that should be time to take the air out. It would be interesting to see if they had DeMarco running in that game what would have happened. Now they’ve just gotten to the point where everything is clicking and their confidence has continued to grow. Tony [Romo’s] getting back and healthy and making all the throws now that he’s past his injuries.
On what the Redskins defense needs to do: “They need to tackle better. They have not been a great tackling team this year. A lot of the big runs I’ve seen from them are from missed tackles. The biggest thing is, when you’ve got a running back who is on a roll, you better make sure you’re tackling well and continue moving to the ball. Don’t think someone else will make that tackle. The Redskins’ defense in my opinion has held up their end of the bargain. When you have an offense struggling, it puts a lot of pressure on them. They just have to do their jobs. Don’t start to do too much and all of a sudden you’re in the wrong gap because with [Murray] it has the potential for a big run.”
On the matchup: “Dallas is evolving into a balanced attack and they can throw a lot of weapons at you. Murray and Laurent Robinson are guys at the beginning of the season you don’t have to worry about now you have to make sure you have them accounted for. They’ve been making big plays. Whether it’s because others are attracting more attention from the defense, it doesn’t matter. They can hurt you in a lot of ways. That’s the challenge for the Redskins’ defense. For the Redskins’ offense, you are who you are right now. You’re a team that doesn’t know who the quarterback is from week to week. You’re a team waiting for someone on the outside waiting to make plays. You feel like the line is getting better but you’re not confident in what they do. You have to fight through it. But you have to commit and move forward. I’m not a fan of moving in from week to week thinking, ‘This is what gives us the best chance to win this week.’ “
On Redskins QB Rex Grossman: “There’s the potential for great plays. He’s aggressive down the field. He has charisma and a presence the guys like. One thing I hear is the guys feel Rex gives them the best chance to win. If that’s true, that’s who you have to stay with. That makes them better at their job. The thing you have to do is understand he has the potential to throw a critical interception like he did against Miami. That’s been the knock throughout his career. … But it’s hard to gain confidence [as a unit] when they have Beck for a couple weeks and then they’re back to Rex. No one has the ability to grow. Believing in the guy is a huge part of a team. On offense, if I believe this guy is the guy who gives us the best chance to win it elevates the whole unit. It gives you the best chance because you believe in them.”
On Washington’s run game: “I’m not a fan of a zone-blocking scheme. I played in a man scheme. I know Mike has had unbelievable success in this system and I’ve seen other running backs have great success. I’m just not a fan. It takes the decisiveness out of what you have to do and it takes out the physicality of the run game. One of the most important parts of the run game is the physical component, imposing your will in an offense. Our offense, when we decided to run, you’d better buckle your chin strap. With a zone scheme you don’t have that. It’s, let’s stretch the field and run and then cut. It’s easier to defend. If you do your job it’s easier to stop a zone blocking scheme than a man blocking scheme because the man scheme becomes one-on-one battles across the board. The zone scheme takes away your aggressiveness and is not as physical. Now, this comes from a guy who didn’t play in it and who doesn’t understand it as well as if I had played in it. But what I liked about what we did is that we had a physical presence. I talked to Tony [Siragusa] when he’d go up against an offensive line that had a good zone blocking scheme and he worried about them chopping on the back side and the defenders around your legs. They don’t knock you off the ball; you’re just worried about guys at your legs.”
On Redskins LB Brian Orakpo: “I think he and Ryan both will be great players outside together. It’s not often you have a great edge rusher who doesn’t have that component on the other side. DeMarcus Ware, when Anthony Spencer plays well he plays a lot better. On third down the Redskins get creative and exotic when you have those athletes to bring into the middle and move around. That’s a huge plus. I understand what Mike is doing and he told us this: ‘To be competitive you have to have a great defense.’ And he is trying to turn around a franchise by establishing a defensive presence and then they’ll take care of the offense. Redskins fans should see the same commitment over the next couple seasons on offense. This is a long term thing and there will be growing pains. Unfortunately injuries have really impacted what Washington is able to do and it’s made for a tough season. There is a plan and you can see it and this is one of those seasons you have to fight through.”
On Dallas LB DeMarcus Ware: “He was injured last year, one of those nagging things that stays with you and you can’t shake it. He’s healthy this year. He’s a presence on the outside and he’s one of those guys who never gets enough credit for how well he plays the run. He’s got 13 sacks but he’s very good against the run as well. These guys that play on the outside that have ability to run around the tackle and when they see he’s vulnerable, they can drop weight and bull rush…. There’s some very unique athletes on the outside and DeMarcus, if he’s not at the top, he’s right there.”
On how to defend him: “You can’t do the same thing all the time. A tackle has to be out there one on one so Trent Williams will have to win some of those but put a tight end out there; have backs chip and release and crack him from the outside in. Do things to keep him uncomfortable. It’s like when you play against a quarterback, you don’t bring the same blitz so he can get used to it. if DeMarcus knows by formation and personnel group that he’s one on one, that’s a tough play for Trent. So the more looks and formations you show, you’ll slow him down and make him think and you have to make him think for 60 minutes because once he gets comfortable …”
