Studs and Duds (offense): Redskins-Dolphins

QB Rex Grossman. He did an excellent job for much of the game and there’s no doubt in my mind he should continue starting. He just looks more comfortable than John Beck. But this is still a battle of backups. And the bottom line: nine points. He directly impacted that stat with two decisions in the red zone. Also, he underthrew TE Fred Davis on the bootleg to the right, throwback deep left play. Davis should have caught the ball. But a better throw prevents the linebacker from catching up and results in a huge gain. Grossman’s interception in the red zone came at killer time; a first and goal from the 10 in the fourth quarter down by four. No time to force a throw. Staring down a target didn’t help. And see the red zone breakdown below for what happened on another red zone throw (Hankerson was open underneath). There were more than a few good throws; he threw in rhythm at times and made good, quick decisions on other throws. He had back-to-back good throws in which he hit Hankerson out of his break and then Jabar Gaffney on his break, under a heavy rush. Had Grossman gotten the Redskins into the end zone, he’d be off this list. He did not. I understand their injury situation, but I also know he wasn’t facing the 86 Bears defense.  

LT Trent Williams. Give Williams credit for playing on a bad ankle. From the way he’s playing, it appears the ankle is still an issue. He did say before the Niners game that it was not 100 percent and probably closer to 80. But he’s playing so all you can do is go by what you see. And he had issues Sunday. In the run game, for example, there were six times on 20 runs (including two negated by penalties) in which he did not make or hold his block. Maybe the holding call on him was a bit questionable, but it was called nonetheless and it wiped out a five-yard run. There was one tough four-run sequence for him. On the first, he failed to get any push on LB Karlos Dansby, who got off him for the tackle. Otherwise a four-yard run is much longer. Next run: Williams is beaten inside by the end for no gain. Next run: Williams runs to his left then goes downfield toward the safety. Meanwhile, Dansby is never blocked and makes the tackle. This is the dangerous part of doing reviews: I am not sure if Williams should have gone to Dansby. I do know that nobody else did. I also know this was only a two-yard gain because of it. Anyway, next run: Williams called for holding. He was OK in pass protection, getting beaten inside once. But it was the run blocking that hurt the offense.

RT Sean Locklear. He just hasn’t gotten the job done in a reserve role. He’s a standup guy, but at some point you have to produce.  Locklear hasn’t done so. On the second play of the game, a stretch zone to the right, the end avoided his block and was three yards deep in the backfield when Ryan Torain took the handoff. Locklear then went to Dansby, but showed no pop and the ‘backer easily shed him and got into the tackle. There was no attempt to drive Dansby, only to obstruct him. That’s not good enough. In the second half, he was beaten inside and called for holding. Earlier, though, he did a good job on one pass set in which he started inside, then helped outside on a corner blitz. A good job. But two plays after his hold he was beaten outside; he just doesn’t bump guys off stride. Early in the fourth quarter, that lack of pop enabled a linebacker to again bump him back and then shed the block and make the play.

LG Maurice Hurt. There was some improvement and I’ll start with one positive play. Hurt had a few so it’s not like he was terrible all game. Saw on one pass set where the defender took him upfield, then spun back inside. But Hurt’s base was excellent and he slid with him and prevented any pressure. But he still has too many negative plays. Again, to be expected. Considering I didn’t think he’d be ready to play this season I’m not surprised. Oh, once again I could often tell when Hurt was going to his right based on how he set his left hand (light, and more even with Will Montgomery’s heel; when he’s not moving that way, his hand is usually even with the front of Montgomery’s foot). Hurt struggles with his balance and does not arrive with enough explosion to consistently move defenders, whether it’s linebackers or linemen. He allowed a sack (see red zone notes below) when he got a split second late start off the ball and set poorly (feet not under him enough); it was easy pressure to his outside shoulder. Later in the game, there was one play in which he was beaten inside by end Randy Starks for easy pressure. When I froze the frame, Hurt’s back was straight up and his knees were out front. Too off balance. And in the fourth there might have been a miscommunication on this but Williams took the outside blitzer, leaving Hurt with Jason Taylor. But Hurt didn’t move over much – he tried to elbow him — and Taylor got the sack. Hurt is still learning the NFL game.

TE Logan Paulsen. The Redskins had a nice play call that should have resulted in a touchdown. But Paulsen’s holding penalty cost them; the kicker is that if Paulsen had just let his man go, fullback Darrel Young would have blocked him and Ryan Torain still scores untouched. Now, it’s probably hard for him to realize this unless he knows where the linebackers are (too far inside). Still, a tough mistake. Paulsen did catch a 16-yard pass, but the holding penalty was a killer.

NOTES

…Graham Gano missed two field goals, but didn’t put him on the Duds list for one reason: the conditions. The wind at that end of the field (where he missed the 50-yarder and 49-yarder) was atrocious. Even Miami kicker Dan Carpenter missed a 49-yarder at that end. Gano said it was the worst wind he’s kicked in. Gano often is a bit too honest about why something is working, or failing and it can come across as an excuse. But Gano didn’t offer the wind as an excuse; he was asked about it Monday. These were two long attempts, too. He’s kicked pretty well, when not having field goals blocked, so I’ll give him a break on this one.

…TE Fred Davis was nearly a Dud, too. He was targeted seven times and caught three passes for 28 yards, with his long of 18 coming after the Redskins were down by 11 points late in the game. He dropped one (underthrown) deep ball and his run blocking was not his best. But it was more inconsistent than bad. But I’m not sure he rose to Dud status. I would like to see him do something early in games again.

…Hankerson had 19 yards after the catch Sunday, but the way he was able to turn it upfield on a couple throws made me think perhaps he could help the Redskins in that area as well. Of course, that’s a moot point now with his injury. But it highlights an ugly truth: the wideouts get very little after the catch. In fact, they average 3.0 yards after the catch, with only 287 total yards after 98 receptions, according to ESPN. Five wide receivers on other teams have more than that total by themselves.

…For as much as Grossman likes to throw over the middle and in the intermediate areas, the Redskins still only had two pass plays for 20 yards or more. The Dolphins had five such plays. In the last four games the longest pass play by the Redskins is 32 yards. During that same time, their opponents have combined for five such plays.

…The best run of the game for Washington might have been Roy Helu’s three-yard pickup on third and three. He showed the quick feet that we saw in the preseason, helping him avoid tacklers on two occasions. First, defensive tackle Tony McDaniel shot between guard Chris Chester and Locklear, barely nudged, and forced Helu to bounce backwards about two yards by diving at his feet. Helu appeared to have a shot at running wide, but linebacker Cameron Wake beat him wide, forcing Helu to make a sharp cut back inside and he then scrambled forward for three yards and a first down. Just a nice run.

…OK, the run game and the red zone were two major issues in Sunday’s loss. And in most of the losses of late.

Don’t need to break down every run play, but it is important to note that it’s not as if the Redskins just tried one way of running the ball. They ran out of three-receiver packages, leaving Miami with six defenders in the box; they ran counters; they ran draws; they ran stretch zones. They had Paulsen blocking down from the tiger position. In each case, there were breakdowns that prevented potentially excellent gains.

…There were two times in which running back Ryan Torain could have helped. However, one of the runs (that Fox analyst Tim Ryan harped on) started off as a stretch zone run designed to go wide left. Williams got moved back two yards and Torain could not attack the edge, so he cut back inside. Chester was engaged with his man, who had moved him two yards deep and inside; had Torain been a little quicker he could have cut off Chester for a good gain. So you can probably blame a little bit on a few guys in this case.

…The other Torain run in which he could have helped came on the first and goal run from the 5. He perhaps could have set up the linebacker better. Chester and Paulsen pulled to the left and Torain followed Paulsen between the guard and the tackle slots as Chester blocked the outside linebacker. Inside linebacker Karlos Dansby was positioned to the left. Nobody blocked Dansby, but the back can help himself out by setting the defender up. It didn’t help that Hurt lost his block vs. nose tackle Paul Soliai, who filled the hole as well. Dansby was right behind these two. I wonder if Torain had given one jab step to the left, forcing Dansby out of the hole he wanted to hit, how much difference would that have made? As it were, Dansby waited until Torain cut and filled the hole. Still a three-yard run in a tight spot. My hunch is that the coaches did not plan on Soliai being part of the action and that Torain would not need to cut back on the run.

…It has to be frustrating watching the running game mistakes for coaches because in too many cases if one guy makes, or holds, his block, then the gain is solid.

…Miami used seven defenders, or less, in the box on 15 of the Redskins’ 18 runs. If your running game is stopped by seven defenders, you’re in trouble.

On to the red zone issues. Let’s go real quick with each one:

1.       Third and 2, 20-yard line. Grossman sacked for a 12-yard loss. Problem: LG Maurice Hurt is beaten to the inside by end Jared Odrick. Hurt was the only linemen with one hand down. No problem there, but he was a split second late off the snap and his feet were a bit too out front, causing him to be off-balance. Pressure, sacked (2.36 seconds).

2.       First and goal from the 5. Torain for two yards. Problem: Hurt fails to move Soliai, who then pushes him back toward the hole. Dansby is unblocked. Torain can’t, or doesn’t, set him up with his footwork and he makes the tackle.

3.       Second and 3. Torain for two yards. Problem: Hurt can’t move Soliai again and that clogs the middle. Center Will Montgomery is pushed back inside. No room to run. But, still, two yards here isn’t bad at all.

4.       Third and goal, 1. Torain around left end, TD. Problem: Paulsen holds.

5.       Third and goal, 10 yard line. Grossman dumps it left to Helu for two yards. Problem: Nobody’s open. The Dolphins rushed four; the Redskins sent five out on the route.

6.       Third and 6, 20 yard line. Grossman connects with Jabar Gaffney for 11 yards. Great job by Grossman unloading the ball; Gaffney caught it just as he broke outside. Threw it in 1.6 seconds as Miami rushed seven; the Redskins only had six blockers and Grossman was drilled after he threw the ball.

7.       First and goal, 9 yard line. Grossman throws an inside screen to Davis for a loss of six. Problem: The play should have worked better, but guard Chester, engaged with Starks, slipped after the completion and Starks makes the tackle. It should have resulted in four or five yards at least.

8.       Second and goal, 15-yard line. Grossman underneath to Hankerson for 10 yards. Hankerson runs a good route, showing patience as he runs inside and stops. When the corner comes over, Hankerson cuts inside and is wide open, turning it up for an additional seven yards.

9.       Third and goal, 5-yard line. Grossman throws a fade incomplete to Davis. Problem: Hankerson was wide open underneath. Grossman was not going to have time as Miami rushed seven. In fact, he unloaded the ball in 1.73 seconds. But Hankerson was on the same side as Davis, so he was in Grossman’s line of vision. Grossman had not yet unloaded the ball when Hankerson cut inside. Davis’ route served as a pick and the corner was four yards off Hankerson.

10.   First and goal, 10-yard line. Grossman throws an interception. Problem: Grossman stared down the area – Hankerson had position on his man at the goal-line; Gaffney was running a slant. Dansby made an easy read and a pick.  Grossman forced a pass.

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