With the start of anything new comes optimism and intrigue. In Washington that optimism and intrigue comes in heavy when the football season starts. The fans in Washington are hoping that their Redskins have made the necessary changes to, once again, make them a competitive football team. In a 2 part article I will preview the 2015 Washington Redskins.
First we look at a big one in terms of the way things have previously been run in Washington. Dan Snyder hired a GM. The hiring of Scot McCloughan came as culture shock to Redskins fans across the nation. Many fans, including myself, said this team would never win again without the hiring of a solid football mind. They now have that mind in the Nation’s Capital. Let us see if the strong winning tradition can once again return to Redskins football.
Let us now take a look at the 2015 Redskins on the offensive side of the ball. They are under a second straight year with Jay Gruden as their head coach. He has vowed to put a stronger emphasis on the power run game. The hiring of Bill Callahan to be the offensive line coach is going to make this easier to transition too. He transformed the Dallas o-line into one of the best in the league last year. His addition to the offense should truly be a difference maker.
Another question mark on the offense will be the play of Robert Griffin III. He has been named the starting QB by Coach Gruden. Questions here are of plenty; can RG3 stay healthy? Can he read defenses properly? Can he avoid sacks? Will he put in the necessary classroom work? Along with many, many more questions. If we see any marked improvement from RG3 at all it will, somewhat, justify the contract option. RG3 will need to be much improved in order for the Redskins to improve.
The offensive line should be much more solid in 2015. This is not saying that the 2014 line play was horrendous. However, it could have been better. The hiring of Bill Callahan already makes them better. The drafting of RT Brandon Scherff solidified a need at that position. They recently released RG Chris Chester, before camp, allowing Spencer Long to take over. Having done this is showing they want some youth and strength along the line. We should see a much improved line play, allowing the Redskins offensive and RG3 to have success with what they want to do.
The Redskins receivers have the least change in 2015. The mainstays are with Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson on the outside. The intrigue will come at the slot position. #3 WR Andre Roberts had a severe case of the drops last season. Some came at critical stages in games. The Redskins had thought that second year receiver Ryan Grant could possibly push for that slot position. However, it seems he more suited for the outside. He has tremendous rout running ability and hands. So they drafted a 5’8” WR out of Duke, Jamison Crowder. Crowder has the skills and upside to push Roberts and maybe eventually take that 3rd spot. He is also a tremendous value on special teams. This will be a battle to watch not just in camp but throughout the season as well.
The running backs of the 2015 Washington Redskins are going to be a staple of the offense. AT least according to head coach Jay Gruden. Last they were a underutilized piece of the Redskins offense. This allowed the Redskins QBs to be hit and under pressure more than maybe they should have been. The incumbent, Alfred Morris, is in a contract year. He has seen a slight drop in his yardage totals since his rookie campaign. This could be because of the bad QB play or maybe the change in scheme, who knows. One thing we do is that he will run his butt off and will finish runs. In order to try to spell Morris and allow for the vaunted running game they are talking about, they drafted a heavy hitter out of Florida in Matt Jones. Jones is known for his hit first mentality and punishing running style. This will give Offensive Coordinator Sean McVay and Jay Gruden some options on short yardage.
Overall the 2015 Washington Redskins should be a better offensive team. At least they should on paper. The question marks are still there. Can they answer those questions? If so, you may see a surprise come out of the Nation’s Capital and its football team.
