Ron Jaworksi has studied the Redskins and watched them play Baltimore during the preseason. He has a good handle on who they are and what they do. And he’ll be calling their game Monday night on ESPN. These are his thoughts on what he’s seen and on the critical matchups in the Redskins-Cowboys game.
On the Redskins: “I’ve watched them closely and in the big picture the one thing that jumps out at me is they’re organized. I remember covering them in Baltimore and they looked like they were much more organized in year two under Mike Shanahan. A lot of it is feel and a lot is sixth sense. They have much more of an understanding on what their individual responsibilities are. When you look at the tape, what jumps out at you is their front seven. It’s outstanding and it’s deep. It’s a good rotation. It’s less gimmicky and gadgets than it was last year. It’s a much sounder defense and probably because they have better players.
“The front seven is excellent. Kerrigan, Orakpo, they’ve become a long-term dominant linebacker rush-the-quarterback group. They’re an impressive bunch. Also, Carriker, Cofield and Bowen have been solid. So they have a nice rotation. London is always fun to watch to me. We were doing the conference call Thursday night and the first thing Gruden and Tirico talked about was London’s tackling. You keep looking for when that ability diminishes and it doesn’t show up. I love his passion for the game… That front seven is very formidable.”
On the Redskins front seven vs. Dallas’ offensive line: “I believe it’s a huge edge for the Redskins. As we break the game down, that’s one thing I’ll focus on. The Cowboys through the first couple games are getting no movement on their line. They’re just not a very good team right now and they’ve got issues. This is an area the Redskins can handle them.”
On Dallas’ front seven vs. Washington’s offensive line: “If you look at the strength of the Cowboys, it’s their defensive front seven. I can talk about DeMarcus Ware all day. He’s an amazing football player and you have to know where he is. He’s an effort guy. Rob Ryan is using him differently this year. He moves him around. Rob is more eccentric in his design. You’ll see all kinds of movement and in some of those looks he could be over the center, he could be over the guard. It’s not easy to locate him. I’ve seen Jay Ratliff stand up. Rob is like his brother Rex in that they’re a little crazy when it comes to design. They like giving the QB and pass protection a lot of different looks. That’s a critical matchup. Can they handle the front seven? And Sean Lee, the guy who replaced Keith Brooking [at inside linebacker] is a rock solid player and a lot younger. Dallas has issues at corner but with [Mike Jenkins and Terence Newman playing] that will help.”
On the Redskins’ offensive line: “They’ve gotten better every week and it’s that familiarity. It’s a zone blocking scheme and the offensive style is similar to what Houston does. Kyle Shanahan understands that offense well and he’s expanded it in the passing game. The receiving corps is better; they do a lot of different things. They’ll take their shots with Armstrong and do possession stuff with Moss. They do a good job in designing big plays to Fred Davis and Jabar Gaffney is a very steady route runner. Rex is getting a little feel for Gaffney and it’s a nice combination. Roy Helu is going to be a terrific back. Tim Hightower is a tough guy and a finisher. But Roy has flashed to me. As he matures he has a chance to be a really good one.”
On Rex Grossman: “He’s played very well. He’s in a system that’s good for him. They want to run the ball first; that’s their foundation. He can be a very good quarterback and they’ve done a good job manipulating him with the play call. And Rex reads the coverage well and gets the ball out. He looks more confident. I like guys that have fought through difficult times and he’s one of those guys. When you come back and get another opportunity, you come back and enjoy it more. I think he’s at that point, where he’s enjoying it and feeling less pressure. In that regard, he looks like he’s playing a lot more loose.”
On why Grossman is playing better: “It’s a combination. Kyle is doing a good job with some of the design of the plays. The timing that they run on that skinny post, that five-step drop and the ball is out in 2.1 seconds at 19 yards. Some of those are basic passing concepts that you have to be effective with and Rex has been great. Those throw-back plays have been terrific and good design. He has confidence in Fred now. It looks like Rex has that comfort level. The problem he still has is that he sometimes is a little wide in his stance and when he panics he gets in trouble with his mechanics and throws off his [back foot] or he won’t step into a throw. You lose power and you underthrow the deep throw. The thing you harp on him is being mechanically sound. Some quarterbacks have the arm to compensate for it, but Rex is not that kind of guy.”
On Dallas tight end Jason Witten: “Witten is the most complete tight end in the NFL. He can go inside, outside in the slot go in motion. He’s a guy Tony Romo has a great comfort level in. He knows where he’ll be. Who knows who will be out there with him? Ogletree, Holley, Dez Bryant? The only guy he can count on is Witten. The Redskins will do what they can to re-route him and have someone over the top. They know Witten is dangerous. Who is the guy Tony will look to? Jason Witten. The question is, can you stop him?”
