1. The Redskins don’t have to learn how to finish games. They have to learn how to get players who can finish games. This is not about being several plays away from winning certain games. It’s about being several players away from closing out those games. Just know that the Redskins played nine games decided by eight points or less. And most bad teams still play close games; and each one exits the season saying the same thing: We need to learn how to finish games; we were thiiiis close to winning a few more games. Guess what? Good teams win them; bad teams don’t. “We easily could have won another four or five games,” end Stephen Bowen said. Thing is, a lot of teams who lost double digit games could say the same thing.
2. It would be one thing if the Redskins lost these games because of young mistakes by, say, a rookie QB. Or by a young receiver losing his poise after a play. You can grow from those. But when a veteran QB throws an underneath crossing route with no time outs and time running out in the first half … and a veteran receiver yanks his helmet off after a missed call, that’s not good. Rex Grossman should know better; Santana Moss should know better. But these are the sort of plays teams with no margin for error can’t make. The Redskins just don’t have the firepower to compensate for such blunders. Philly could make a mistake and then throw the ball to DeSean Jackson and watch him run 62 yards for a score. But when you lack playmakers, you can’t forego common sense. The Redskins did. The Redskins lost.
3. And the field goal issue. My goodness. They finished with five kicks blocked – no other team entered Sunday having had more than two blocked. And 14 teams had none blocked before Sunday. There was also a blocked extra point, giving them six such plays. I know Danny Smith teaches players how to play these positions and how to handle certain situations. The vets will tell you as much. But the bottom line is they failed too many times to do their jobs. Whose fault is that? Ultimately a coach is responsible for his players and their performance. The Redskins covered well this season – helped by their kicker and punter – but the return game was subpar. Two years ago the Redskins denied a few teams permission to talk to Smith. Will he be some sort of fall guy after this season? I have no idea but I’d be surprised if that were the case. Did he somehow become a worse coach overnight? Not likely. Special teams are tough because they encompass many different factors. They’re also reliant on having good depth (good special teams also result from depth; the Redskins don’t have that yet). The only thing I know is that 11 wins in two years usually means changes will occur somewhere.
4. Moss has been a terrific player in Washington since joining the Redskins in 2005. He provided electric plays for a few years and steady, productive play for a few more. He’s a good route runner, no doubt, and a guy who has always been professional to deal with. But this was not a good season for him. He lost explosiveness and he was an ineffective target. He caught 46 of the 95 passes thrown his way; that’s a bad percentage. Yes, coaches notice those stats. They also notice dropped potential TDs, like Moss also had Sunday. Does this mean Moss is gone? No. But it does mean that if he returns he has a lot of work to do – and the way everyone raved about Leonard Hankerson’s practices before his injury, there’s little doubt the club thinks it has someone who can take his place. They don’t have a receiver who could really beat Philly’s coverage, with good corners. Even Jabar Gaffney struggled, catching just four of 11 passes thrown his way. When they faced man coverage, it didn’t seem like they were getting open at all. FYI: Moss signed a three-year contract last year for $15 million. The key is that only $6 million was guaranteed.
5. Evan Royster had another strong game and the Redskins made a wise adjustment in the run game, allowing him to surpass 100 yards for a second straight day. But I’m not sure why they tried to run outside in the first place. The ends do a good job getting upfield and the linebackers play closer to the line, enabling them to shoot gaps faster. They gave Willie Smith trouble by doing this. When they started running more inside zone plays, they had more success. But Royster once more had a chance for two huge plays only to stumble after cuts. His 28-yard run should have been 15 yards longer. Those are lost yards. Royster is well aware of this and at least he’s getting to these areas. His vision has been excellent, probably better than Roy Helu’s. Sometimes, though, guys with lesser speed understand they don’t have time to mess around and are better at finding the holes now. Royster makes himself a little faster in the first 10 yards or so just because of his narrow cutting ability. But after that the lack of speed becomes noticeable. Still, if he kept his feet he could have rushed for 140 yards Sunday. If nothing else the Redskins should have solid run game in 2012, but that also assumes a return to full health for Tim Hightower (as well as a new contract).
6. Brian Orakpo had one of his best games, with two sacks and a forced fumble in the first half, only to see it end because of his injured left pectoral. He’ll undergo an MRI on Monday. Part of his success stemmed from being moved around – it appeared he spent as much time on the left side as he did on the right. Maybe this was a little preview of 2012, but he and Ryan Kerrigan worked well together on a couple stunts. That’s how Kerrigan got freed to hit Michael Vick on one rush, with Orakpo slanting from a middle ‘backer spot to the right tackle and Kerrigan shooting inside. It worked well. Orakpo did not have the season I expected in terms of sacks, ending with nine. But he did progress as a run defender, so his overall play was better. Still, to be an elite 3-4 defense you need to have at least one or two elite rushers. He needs to develop into that sort of player. Can he?
7. The Redskins will pick sixth in the draft, which will be the seventh time since 2000 that they’ve held a top-10 pick (in 2000, a trade left them with the second and third overall choices). What does that mean? Having a top-10 pick does not turn a franchise around, otherwise the Redskins would not just have finished their seventh losing season in that time. Will they be in position to get one of the top two quarterbacks? It’ll be difficult; Indianapolis holds the first pick and St. Louis the second. We’ll probably know the Colts’ intentions by sometime in March when they have to pay the QB his huge bonus or let him go. But it’s tough to see them passing on Andrew Luck. And the Rams have a QB in Sam Bradford, who would cost a lot against the cap if he’s released. But Robert Griffin III will be sitting there and the Rams would be smart to trade that pick. Cleveland, picking fourth (corrected from earlier saying they had the fifth pick; my bad), has two first-rounders and the need for a playmaker at QB or elsewhere. It won’t take three first round picks and two seconds, as some reports suggested recently. Guess who floated those rumors? The Colts. But it would take a lot to move up. It’s going to be an interesting few months, with rumors about all sorts of QBs likely to be heard. A couple of them might even be legitimate. Oh, by the way, the Redskins 2012 schedule is set too (at least in terms of who they play). In addition to divisional opponents, they’ll play at Pittsburgh, Cleveland, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and St. Louis. And, in addition to the divisional opponents, they’ll host Atlanta, Carolina, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Minnesota.
8. Jammal Brown was inactive, thanks to a groin that continued to bother him and now you have to wonder about his future in Washington as well. Tyler Polumbus is not, or at least should not be, considered the solution at this spot. But as far as Brown goes, he’s 30 and coming off two seasons in which injuries impacted his performance. It could be this is the only starting spot along the line they really try to upgrade, though a lot of film evaluation remains before those decisions are finalized. Brown just signed a five-year deal a year ago, however (with $8.25 million guaranteed). One player who almost assuredly won’t return is linebacker Rocky McIntosh, who also was inactive Sunday. His play declined at inside linebacker and he’s too old to keep around as just a special teams guy. Guys who should fill this role are younger and cheaper.
9. Did the defense regress? Well, they allowed 30 or more points in four of the last five games (in two of the games the opposition scored 21 points in the fourth quarter). For the season their numbers will be improved over 2010. Really, big plays were the issue and that’s why they still need to upgrade safety. It wasn’t just their fault, but their play is still an issue. Oshiomogho Atogwe said he was in position to make a play on the 62-yard TD pass to Jackson. “I make plays like that so it’s disappointing,” Atogwe said. But he didn’t make the play and that’s what matters. (By the way, Reed Doughty was not at fault on the pass to a wide-open Jeremy Maclin over the middle. Doughty’s job was to cover the deep outside half to the right. A linebacker was supposed to drop into coverage in the Maclin area. Miscommunication, we’ll call it). There were just too many big plays allowed by the defense, which certainly did not help their stats. The Redskins also surrendered 126 points in the fourth quarter this season. That was their worst quarter by far (36 more than the next highest total). They definitely need young players such as linebacker Perry Riley to mature, especially in coverage. When you have two rookies playing a lot, such as Riley and DeJon Gomes, both of whom are not great in coverage, big plays happen. Not that they were the culprits Sunday, mind you. But it is a factor. I don’t think they know yet whether Gomes is a future starter or backup.
10. Was there progress this season? Sure. The rookies got a ton of experience; they discovered a lot about the running backs. Ryan Kerrigan certainly appeared to be an excellent choice. But how many problem spots at season’s start were any different than at the end of the season, especially on offense? The question marks at season’s start: offensive line, quarterback and receiver. The question marks at season’s end: offensive line, quarterback and receiver. Did they develop legitimate depth – don’t know yet. Guys such as Willie Smith and Maurice Hurt certainly got some experience, but what they do with it is another matter. Both have a lot to work on. Not every young player automatically improves, but at least they enter the offseason knowing more about playing in the NFL. They should have a solid front seven next year, but the secondary was too inconsistent. And yes they’re younger overall. That helps. I would expect them to be aggressive trying to fill holes (that doesn’t mean pursuing every big name, however. Just that they’ll go hard after the guys they target, much like this past summer). But was this progress enough? Once again, this was almost like year 1A just because of the way they approached their first offseason and subsequent season. Real progress, however, will be measured much differently next season.
11. Happy New Year and thanks for reading this season.
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