Joe Gibbs said it during the offseason, repeated himself in training camp and continued the theme throughout the season. If the Redskins dared think about heading anywhere in the postseason — other than home — their defense would have to lead.
Consider his wishes, or demands, granted. Washington’s eighth-ranked defense is a major reason why the Redskins are 9-7 and headed to Seattle for Saturday’s first-round matchup.
Here are three reasons for the turnaround:
Youth » The Redskins’ defensive coaches have wanted to get younger and faster the past couple years. They cut veteran linemen Renaldo Wynn and Joe Salave’a and replaced their roles with second-year tackles Anthony Montgomery and Kedric Golston. Eight of their last 11 draft picks have been spent on defense; six of the eight remain on the roster.
At season’s start, the Redskins had five starters 25 and under on the defense. Thanks to injuries (Carlos Rogers, Rocky McIntosh) and Sean Taylor’s death, they now have three — safeties LaRon Landry and Reed Doughty and Montgomery — with four others playing key roles — Golston, corner Leigh Torrence, end Chris Wilson and linebacker H.B. Blades.
“When you’re young, you’re oblivious,” Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said. “It doesn’t matter who you’re facing. You just want to play and hit somebody.”
Said coach Joe Gibbs, “They approach it differently so that adds to the enthusiasm. You need to have a good mix. … It bodes well for the future.”
Schemes » The Redskins altered their schemes in the offseason, designating a free and strong safety for the first time under coordinator Gregg Williams. They also asked the linemen to be more aggressive rushing the passer — and abandoned the three-man fronts more prevalent last season — and wanted both safeties deep more in a Cover 2.
That worked for the first half of the season until they stopped getting pressure from their four-man fronts. So in the past month Williams returned to his aggressive blitzing ways. “[Williams] gets all the credit,” Redskins end Phillip Daniels said. “He changed our defense. … Guys are able to play harder and faster and be more physical. At one time you were physical and then the next time you were finesse. We don’t have that [anymore].”
Middle linebacker London Fletcher » At 32, he went against the youth movement, though he did add speed. But he provided leadership in abundance. He finished the regular season with a team-best 156 tackles, but the intangibles meant just as much.
“London ties it all together,” Daniels said.
“He gets excited about everything,” Gibbs said. “He holds people accountable, too. He’s very much the boss over there.”
