Here's another article: :heh:
Feeling warm in DC right now Shannahan? :sly:
http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10010882/nfl-solving-washington-redskins-issues
It's been an adventure for the
Washington Redskins since the team traded three first-round picks and a second-rounder for the opportunity to build around quarterback
Robert Griffin III.
After leading the Redskins to the playoffs during a record-setting rookie season in 2012, Griffin has mostly struggled this season in his return from knee surgery. The Redskins have a 3-7 record, a roster with too many holes and a quarterback whose approach has come under fire.
ESPN NFL Insider
Louis Riddick, a former NFL safety who served as pro personnel director for the Redskins and
Philadelphia Eagles, joins Mike Sando to address key questions relating to the future of Griffin and the Redskins.
How deep do the Redskins' problems run?
Riddick: When you give up what they had to give up to get RG III, the last thing you want to wind up realizing is that you have to run a very specifically designed offense in order to get the most out of him -- which means it has to be almost perfect in terms of the run-pass balance in order for this guy to excel. And on top of that, if he ever does have to become a drop-back pocket passer because that is what the game dictates -- whether the Redskins are behind or in a shootout, and thus need a more pass-focused offense --
you don't want to feel you're going to be limited in what you can do offensively because his game has not progressed sufficiently to do that.
Sando: This team won its final seven regular-season games last season to finish 10-6 and win the NFC East. But if we look back, Griffin was producing at a high level even before the team hit its stride. Last season, from Weeks 6 through Week 11, he had eight touchdown passes, two interceptions, a 100.9 passer rating and a 79.8 Total QBR score.
He has four additional interceptions, an 82.0 rating and 55.9 QBR score over the same span this year. That is not so good, but should it be alarming? Young players tend to be inconsistent and Griffin is coming off the injury. Are we talking about fundamental flaws?
Riddick: For me, there are a whole bunch of things that are adding up to where I'm saying, "Man, this is not a guy, to this point, who can put a team on his back." He is not an
Andrew Luck-type of quarterback in the traditional sense that you can load him up with as much volume in terms of the passing game and expect him to execute it from the pocket in a way you would traditionally expect from a franchise quarterback. No one has seen that from him yet.
He was drafted one spot after Luck -- one spot -- and the Skins gave up the farm to get him. There sure seem to be a lot of limitations on what Griffin can do.
Sando: Griffin had outstanding stats from inside the pocket last season. ESPN charting ranked him third in passer rating and fifth in QBR from inside the pocket. He completed 68.6 percent of his passes from there and had an 18-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio. But since Griffin needed a dominant running game to succeed on those throws, he wasn't a successful pocket passer in the traditional sense. And when you look at that offensive line, it's not built to facilitate a traditional passing game, either. Left tackle
Trent Williams can play that way, but the rest of the line just isn't suited to hold up. And if Griffin cannot overcome that, what are the Redskins to do?
The draft capital they gave up to get RG III has made it tougher for them to build along the line and elsewhere.
Would a QB trade make sense?
Sando: No one can say the Redskins haven't invested in the quarterback position.
They gave up their short-term future for Griffin and also used a 2012 fourth-round pick on Kirk Cousins. Some of the needs throughout their roster outweigh the value of a backup quarterback, in my opinion. Why not trade Cousins? Or, if you're really down on Griffin, would you even consider Cousins as the starter? No one is probably going to talk about trading RG III, but I suppose that depends upon just how much you're down on him.
Riddick: They gave up too much to get Griffin, so they can't unload him. In his defense, he is still young and he did miss the entire offseason. There is time. But the expectations were so high given what they gave up, how high he was drafted, and
all the attention he brought on himself with the press conferences and documentaries he was doing in the offseason (not to mention coach Mike Shanahan stating that they were a potential Super Bowl-caliber team). He set the bar very high and right now is falling way short of it.
Sando: A quarterback I spoke with early in the season caught me off guard at the time when he suggested Cousins' presence could tempt the Redskins to play him if Griffin struggled. This quarterback and other players I've spoken with did not like the way RG III was out front holding press conferences every day following his return from knee surgery. They thought it would invite exactly the type of scrutiny Griffin is facing now. They questioned his approach to the position.
Riddick: I don't think they'll move on from Griffin, although I will say that from what I know, Cousins is well-respected for his professionalism and humility, for his willingness to work behind the scenes and be a grinder who loves the game for the game itself, and for not drawing attention to himself. Cousins has had a few good performances, and his character is so high that you never know how desperate a team is for a quarterback and what they might do when under the gun to try to produce a prospect at the position.
Other issues for the Redskins
Sando: We've discussed Griffin and the offensive line, but there are other issues facing this team. The Redskins' defense hasn't exactly dominated. Washington ranks 30th in points per game allowed, 28th in expected points added, 29th in points allowed per drive, and 28th in three-and-out percentage. There are needs for this team to address and scarce resources.
Riddick: The Redskins are going to need a lot of help. To start, what should they do with
Brian Orakpo from a contract perspective? He is a hard-playing, high-motor tough guy, but he's not an elite pass-rusher. At linebacker, I love
London Fletcher, but for the first time I can say Father Time has caught up with him, as he increasingly is being isolated, targeted and exposed. And in the secondary, it's just a mess. They need draft picks and cap space. They need a lot of help.
Sando: The Redskins went into Week 11 with the NFL's fourth-oldest roster.
Coach Mike Shanahan has a 24-34 record with the Skins (including this year). He mismanaged RG III's injury situation on a national stage and with disastrous results. Now, he and his offensive coordinator (and son), Kyle, seem unable to develop Griffin as quickly as hoped. A coaching change seems likely to me unless Washington finishes strong. The Redskins have four of their remaining six games at home, but that includes difficult matchups against San Francisco and Kansas City. I'm not seeing a run similar to last year's playoff push.
Riddick: Some people are defending Mike Shanahan. I do not know him. I've heard him say that he likes the improvements in terms of the franchise and where it is headed, and the Redskins like to point to the salary-cap penalties they incurred as having hurt their depth.
Well, their record is what it is. And the cap didn't prevent them from doing things in the draft and getting more production and surplus value out of the picks they did have. Plus, there are other ways to build depth beyond using cap space. I've been through that in Washington and Philadelphia; you take free agents because you missed in the draft and it's a recipe for disaster.
