Redskins Should Focus On More Aggressive Offense
- Updated: October 24, 2012
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There’s no surprise this season that the Redskins defense, especially the secondary has been the weakest link of the team so far. After seeing what Robert Griffin III and the offense has done, is it time we see a more aggressive offense, and less aggressive defense?
Coming into the 2012 season the Washington Redskins were thought to have what could be one of the more dominating defensive lines in the NFL, but after injuries in the offseason and first couple of weeks of the season, we’ve found out otherwise.
While the defense suffered the most, injuries to cornerbacks, safeties, and even suspensions haven’t helped; contributing to the lack of success at the front of the line to the back of the line. Heading into Week 8 of the 2012 season, Washington is currently ranked dead last against the pass, giving up 328.4 yards per game (2,299 on the season).
After finishing 12th in 2011 against the pass (222.1 yards per game), the hope was that bringing in secondary mastermind Raheem Morris who had taken a 19th place Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing defense in 2006, to first in 2007, was that he could make it happen in Washington.
Needless to say that hasn’t happened, and in fact the Redskins have gotten worse. Injuries to the defensive line most certainly hasn’t helped him nor the secondary, but the types of looks they are throwing at offenses certainly isn’t helping.
While the Redskins would like to confuse quarterbacks, the ways the Redskins are doing it is only shooting themselves in the foot, allowing big plays to happen, as well as major mismatches. Ironically, the opposite side of the ball, the Redskins offense, has been the complete opposite, causing not only mismatches and confusion, but also the big play.
Unlike last year when the offense ranked 16th, the 2012 Redskins are 5th in the league. A lot of that can be put on Robert Griffin III whose athleticism has confused defenses when running the option, but also because of his deadly accurate passing abilities. As the New York Giants found out on Sunday, Robert Griffin III is no Michael Vick, in fact, he is much, much better.
When’s the last time you heard a Giants defense say they were “mad at the football God’s” because Michael Vick was in the division? Or even furthermore in saying, “That guy is flat-out unbelievable?” That’s no shot at Michael Vick who when healthy can also be a phenomenal player as we all found out two years ago, but it just shows how good Griffin really is. Especially when one of the most lethal defensive lines in the NFL and possibly NFL history says that.
Though the Redskins defense can and has made some huge plays this year, especially in the interception and fumble compartment, they still are the main reason the Redskins have been losing their games. In fact, the Redskins have been in the lead during all of their games leading into the fourth quarter this season, only to lose.
What should the Redskins do? Well, it’s rather simple. This is the NFL and the league is much more pass-happy. We have what could be an NFL MVP in Robert Griffin III, we have the league’s best running back in Alfred Morris, and we have an entire set of wide receivers who have world-class speed.
In 2006 the Indianapolis Colts had the third best offense in the NFL. Their defense on the other hand sat at 21st. This year the New England Patriots have the best offense in the NFL, their defense on the other hand is 23rd in the NFL. The Indianapolis Colts went on to win the Super Bowl in 2006, and the New England Patriots currently lead their division at 4-3.
What does this have to do with the Redskins? The Redskins currently have one of the poorer ranked defenses, but have one of the best offenses in the league. Instead of continuing to be too complex on defense, “Keep it simple stupid,” as the saying goes. In other words the Redskins should plan on mixing in more Cover 2 and Cover 3 defenses, rather than focusing on the things that have been hurting the team.
That’s not to say entirely wipe out the blitzes or confusion in the backfield, but keep it to a limited role so the team does not get lit up.
Offensively the Redskins should do the complete opposite of that, and in fact do what they are doing now, but much, much more. This team has proven they can put up 40 during any given Sunday, and possibly even more if they didn’t stop throwing the ball.
This offense alone can win the Redskins games, and in a sense shares a lot of similarities with the 2009 New Orleans Saints, whom had the number one offense that year and 25th ranked defense.
If the Redskins want to win games, and ultimately make it into the playoffs, they need to use what they have, and that’s the offense. They cannot show feelings towards the opposing team by trying to sit on leads in order to not run the scoreboard up, in fact, that’s exactly what they need to do.
The Redskins needs to put up as many points as possible to ensure that opposing offense have no chance to catch them. Whether that means throwing the ball 60 times a game, running the ball 30 times, or splitting it up evenly, the Redskins need to find a way to continue their drives and come away with points each time they go down the field.
As Bill Belichick once said, “If you don’t like us running up the score, stop us.”
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