It’s time for the Washington Redskins to admit the 3-4 isn’t working.
The Redskins are last in overall defense, 29th vs. the pass and 26th against the run. While coaches can counter Washington’s only 21st in points allowed, that’s like telling the judge you merely stole cheap items. It’s still awful.
Converting to a three-man line seemed like a bad idea from the start simply because the Redskins didn’t have the linemen and linebackers needed. Albert Haynesworth’s whining aside, it seems a poor fit.
Still, a new coach should be given the chance to try his system. Maybe the 3-4 was worth trying against earlier passers like Dallas’ Tony Romo, Houston’s Matt Schaub, Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning, Green Bay’s Aaron Rogers and Minnesota’s Brett Favre. Those teams attacked the rear of the Redskins defense more than the three-man line.
But Washington now faces four running offenses in its final five games beginning Sunday at the New York Giants. New York is sixth in rushing while coming opponents Jacksonville and Tampa Bay are fourth and 13th respectively. Only Dallas is a pass-first offense with a 27th-rated running game, but sans injured Romo is now more balanced than the rankings indicate.
Washington needs Haynesworth to play more than one-third of the snaps, if it’s not too much of an inconvenience to him, please. The lineman will likely depart over the offseason so the Redskins might as well get as much for their $41 million as possible.
Moving linebackers Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo closer to the line will help. Carter has been invisible with two sacks since moving from the line where he gained 11 last season.
Injured safety LaRon Landry’s return seems doubtful so the Redskins miss their best defender and run stopper. That means they can’t let Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs past the line and have Landry stop them. A 4-3 defense has a better chance of lower scores to allow Washington a chance given its own 21st-ranked offense.
Why bother tinkering with a month remaining? Partly to see which way the defense might go over the offseason. Washington has tough personnel decisions in free agent linebacker Rocky McIntosh and cornerback Carlos Rogers plus Haynesworth and Carter. All four might depart, but if a 4-3 is a better option for 2011 than Washington might try to retain all four players. A 3-4 makes each player less imperative.
With no third- and fourth-round picks next spring, Washington can’t plug too many holes. Knowing which defense to use might decide where to spend the second-rounder.
Certainly, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will use a mixture of defenses as he has all season. But a commitment to the 4-3 might show the way for 2011.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
