Vision Quest: Fix This Defense!!!!!

For a brief shining moment it seemed as if everything was right in DC. Jason Campbell suited up and played in the first game. During the first half the team seemed to swagger a little and even came up with a much needed red zone interception to remain tied at 3. Sure we had not scored much but JC’s passes were crisp even though the receivers were dropping them. And then to start the second half the Redskins, led by their new quarterback and without their two top playmakers in Portis and Moss, put together one of the finest drives of the season and capping it off on a well executed TD pass from Campbell to Cooley. The future was all there in that last play and Redskin fans everywhere had stars in their eyes.

And then it all fell apart.

The Redskins defense, predictable as always, yielded a 14 play, 85 yard morale crushing drive that chewed up 8 minutes and 36 seconds of clock and resulted in a touchdown to tie the game. In every game this season the Redskins have been owned in the third quarter, and this was no exception despite the score being tied. In fact of the 10 redskins games played the opposing team has scored on it’s first drive of the second half 7 times, including in each the last 6 games straight. In fact overall the Redskins are losing the third quarter battle 67-24 on the season. And over the last 6 games where the Redskins have gone 1-5 with a lucky FG block and penalty giving them their only win, the spread was 60-7.

Quite simply Gregg Williams is being out coached and outclassed by every team in the NFL and has brought shame on not only the Redskins football team, but his reputation as a defensive genius.

We can’t put all the woes of the team on one coach or unit, even when that unit is as woeful as the Washington defense. Certainly the blame for our pitiful 3-7 record rests with all facets of the team. Play calling has been horrible and the need for Al Saunders to simplify our playbook has become apparent. Joe Gibbs personnel choices, including his love for Mark Brunell, are certainly fair game. Joe Bugel has had 3 seasons to put together a decent offensive line and failed for two and half of those seasons (only consistency was during the last half of last season). Lastly, our inability to have consistent special teams has been written about here explicitly, in fact I think I have a restraining order against me from Danny Smith.

The difference between those units and the defense is simple: They have gotten better as the season has gone on. Gibbs finally relented and started Jason Campbell this last week and it looks as if we have our quarterback of the future. All of a sudden Saunders play calling looks better with a live arm tossing the ball around. The offensive line seemed to protect Jason Better as well, though run blocking needs improvement. And even the special teams unit has become more consistent in recent weeks.

However the defense has not improved. In fact it has slipped. I am not just talking about the fall over the past three years where we went from a top 3 defense in 2004, to a top 10 defense in 2005, to a defense ranked in the thirties (out of a possible 32). No our defense has taken a step back in virtually every game this season. Our run defense has been horrible only to be outdone by our porous pass coverage. And what’s worse is there is no excuse for it.

On defense only 2 starters are new to the team, Andre Carter and Adam Archueletta, both of whom were supposed to be upgrades at their position. Sure Carter seemed a little too light in the run defense department and did not provide much of a pass rush, but how is that different from the last two years when Daniels manned that spot? Arch is a pro-bowl safety that seems to be misused in the Redskins D. I blame the coaches for not scheming to his strength.

The rest of the crew is not new to the defense and should have no learning curve. Yet many seemed to have regressed.

Carlos Rogers is having one of the worst sophomore slumps that I have seen. It is not just that he is being burnt like my first attempt at frying a turkey, no. It is the effort that he is giving on the field. In fact the only effort he seems to care about is his dancing, despite the fact the only time he gets to do it is when the opposing players drops a catch-able pass. His missed interceptions are frustrating, but there is a reason he is a CB and not a WR. However two plays last week, his blitz where he half heartedly rushed the QB despite having a clear lane, and where he jogged after Galloway on Tampa’s go ahead TD are indicative of a player who needs a heart transplant.

Warrick Holdman was anointed as the starter at OLB despite the drafting of Rocky McIntosh very early on. And to date he has done nothing to deserve this honor. Dale Lindsey has some kind of Man crush on Warrick because this is two straight years that we have had to watch him get blocked by a wide receiver, tailing a Tight end making a catch for a big gain, or drug along like a load of laundry by the opposing running back. In fact I think they should sell all Holdman Authentic jerseys with grass stains received giving up a third down conversion.

Sean Taylor just seems lost in the defense at time. Sure Arch gave him very little help but that should not affect his tackling or the pursuit angles he takes on runs. Marcus Washington is doing more dancing then game changing hits. Griffin and Salave’a are not occupying enough blockers to allow Lemar Marshall to be effective. Daniels has not provided enough of a push to justify his presence on the field. And Sean Springs has been a shadow of the shut down corner he used to be.

Yet Williams and the coaching staff refuse to play the youth on the team, even though we are virtually out of the playoffs. Rocky McIntosh has not seen much action that is not special teams related. When we traded up to get him he was billed as a line backer who could play all 3 spots. We heard all summer how well he was progressing and how much he has learned the defense. Why is he not starting or at least on a heavy rotation at either weak side linebacker? Holdman and Marshall are both older and failing, time to give the kid some time.

We also drafted two young defensive tackles this year in Golston and Montgomery. When Salave’a was hurt Golston got a lot of playing time and Montgomery also rotated in. But now that the season is over & Salave’a is healthy, Old Joe getting most of the reps. This just des not make sense. It is time to play the rookies and build them for next year.

The frustrating part of this is if our team, even with its offensive issues, had gotten even a partial showing of last year’s defense we would still be in the hunt for the NFC east crown. The Giants (6-4) are fading as I thought they would in the second half as injuries pile up and Eli’s weakness has shown. Dallas (6-4) is on a roll but Romo is going to hit a wall once teams have enough tape on him, in fact our defense as woeful as it is figured him out a couple of weeks ago. Philadelphia (5-5) is done now that McNabb is out for the rest of the year.

At 3-7 it is no leap to think we could have been in this race if our defense had helped us win a few. The losses to Tennessee and Tampa at the very least would have been won with an above average effort to stop the run. In both of these cases the Redskins faced average running attacks gave up big time rushing totals. Tennessee is #9 in rushing this year averaging 127.8 yards rushing, but against Washington racked up 194 yards with Travis Henry alone getting 178. Tampa is ranked #28 in rushing averaging 91.2 yards and against the Washington defense 181 yards rushing, 122 to Cadillac Williams.

These are the more extreme examples but cases can be made that the Redskin run defense cost us the Minnesota, Philadelphia, and even Indianapolis games as well. When you can’t stop the run you can’t win in the NFL. Your safeties cheat up and your corners are left on an island. All of a sudden you are going to see more sites like Rogers trailing Galloway for an unforgivable TD last week.

One can only hope that Gibbs proclamation about priorities will reverberate with the Defense for the rest of the season. In the NFL defense is not just about schemes and positioning but passion and will as well. The Redskins defense in 2004 had a swagger on it, despite losing two starters very early in the season. They exerted their will on the opponent and dictated terms to the offense. They said you main gain yards but it won’t be on the ground and you will pay for it. Time to get back to that type of attitude.

Gregg Williams has hopes of succeeding Gibbs as head coach when and if he retires. So much so he negotiated a clause in his contract that he will be paid $1 million if Gibbs is not followed by him. This used to be a given in Redskin circles and though of as a good thing. However if GW and his staff can not turn this Redskin defense around THIS season he may not only not be the next Redskin Head Coach, he may not be a Redskin coach at all next year.