Redskins 2005 Report Cards - Defense

[MTK]

Alright here we go with the D, same deal as the offense I'll open the thread up for comments once the entire unit is done.

[MTK]

#98 Lemar Marshall - When Antonio Pierce jetted for the NFC East rival NY Giants following a breakout 2004 season, many thought the Redskins would be unable to fill the void left behind. Marshall proved to be a very capable (and much cheaper) replacement for Pierce as he recorded a career and team high 98 tackles. He also led the team with 4 interceptions and notched 2 sacks rounding out a very solid all-around season.

Season highlight: In the season opener against Chicago Marshall quickly put to rest many of the doubts that fans may have had as he recorded 8 tackles and had a key interception that ended a Bears scoring threat.

Final Stats:
98 total tackles
79 solo
19 assists
2 sacks
4 interceptions
1 touchdown
5 passes defensed

Grade: B+

[MTK]

#53 Marcus Washington - Washington followed up a Pro Bowl 2004 season with another impressive season that one could argue was equally as worthy of Pro Bowl consideration. Washington was 2nd on the team in tackles and sacks with 93 and 7.5 respectively. Sorry LaVar Arrington fans, but Washington is now the best linebacker on the Redskins. His energetic play and all-around skills make him one of the Redskins' most valuable defenders.

Final Stats:
93 total tackles
73 solo
20 assists
7.5 sacks
1 interception
6 passes defensed

Season highlight: In the memorable 35-7 thrashing of Dallas in week 15, Washington had 4 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 2 sacks and an interception that he returned 41 yards.

Grade: A

[MTK]

#56 LaVar Arrington - It's tough to talk about the 2005 season without mentioning the drama surrounding Arrington. LaVar's tumultuous season began early in the '05 offseason when he lashed out at the organization over the handling of his knee injury. And then came the infamous contract grievance in which Arrington and his agents accused the Redskins of leaving out a roster bonus of $6.5M.

The dust eventually settled on both issues and as the season began fans were eager to see how Gregg Williams would utilize the talented linebacker in his aggressive schemes. The drama began to drum up again as Arrington's playing time dwindled until he hit rock botton on October 9th vs. Denver when he didn't enter the game at all.

There were whispers that Arrington's freelancing style wasn't exactly endearing himself to the coaching staff and Arrington needed to buy in and practice harder to see more playing time.

In week 7 against the 49ers, LaVar began to see the light a bit and was released from the doghouse, but for the rest of the season he was frequently pulled on 3rd downs and there were reports of a blowup between him and linebackers coach Dale Lindsey after the late season win over the Giants.

As the Redskins were gearing up for their first playoff appearance since 1999, an ill-timed article was published in the Washington Times in which Arrington openly questioned his future with the team, only adding to the drama that was the 2005 season for the once "face of the franchise".

Final Stats:
47 total tackles
39 solo
8 assists
1 pass defensed

Season highlight: In the wildcard game against the Bucs on January 7th, LaVar picked off Chris Simms setting up the Redskins only touchdown of the game. Arrington was all over the field recording 9 tackles and a forced fumble to go along with the interception.

Grade: C

[MTK]

#97 Renaldo Wynn - Wynn is one of those reliable veterans that every team loves to have a few of. He's consistent, durable and a quality locker room guy. He's not a guy that's going to wow you with statistics, but he's a steady performer that plays the run well and gives you 110% on every play.

Wynn had a solid 2005 season that was cut short in the playoffs when he collided with his defensive end counterpart, Phillip Daniels, suffering a broken arm. He should be healthy and ready to go by training camp, but with a rather hefty contract on the books he could be a potential cap cut.

Final Stats:
30 total tackles
24 solo
6 assists
0.5 sacks
1 pass defensed

Season highlight: Against the Cowboys on December 18th, Wynn recorded 4 tackles and his only 1/2 sack of the year.

Grade: C

[MTK]

#93 Phillip Daniels - Daniels bounced back from a disappointing injury plagued 2004 season to have one of the best seasons of his career. After a slow start in which he had 0 sacks through the first 5 games, Daniels caught fire and notched 8 sacks over the final 11 games highlighted by a 4 sack outburst against Dallas on 12/18/05.

Final Stats:
48 total tackles
37 solo
11 assists
8 sacks
8 passes defensed

Season highlight: In week 15 against Dallas, Daniels terrorized Drew Bledsoe for 4 sacks and received defensive player of the week honors.

Grade: B

[MTK]

#96 Cornelius Griffin - After 4 inconsistent seasons with the NY Giants, Griffin has taken his game to another level and solidified the Redskins defensive line. In 2004 Griffin set career high marks with 70 tackles and 6 sacks.

In 2005 Griffin battled through injuries but was still a key performer with 35 tackles and 4 sacks. When he missed 3 games and most of the first Giants game, the Redskins defense as a whole struggled and it's not surprising the team went 1-3 during his time out of the lineup.

Griffin is a talented all-around defensive tackle with enough power to take on multiple blockers and the quickness to bring pressure up the middle. One could argue he's the most critical piece of the puzzle to Gregg Williams' defense.

Final Stats:
35 total tackles
34 solo
1 assist
4 sacks
1 interception
1 pass defensed

Season highlight - Against Dallas on 12/18 Griffin snagged an interception off a tipped pass that helped set the early tone of the game and pitched in 3 tackles during the blowout win.

Grade: A

[MTK]

#95 Joe Salave'a - Prior to coming to the Redskins in 2004, "Big Joe" was mostly regarded as a journeyman defensive tackle best suited for a backup role. In 2005 Salave'a entrenched himself as a regular starter for the Redskins and had the best season of his career with 31 tackles despite playing through some very painful injuries.

Salave'a is a mountain of a man who plays with a very high motor. He is frequently called upon to occupy multiple blockers and his physical style on the interior line helps to free up other defenders to make plays.

Off the field he's a gentle giant and has his own youth foundation. You can find out more by visiting his website.

Final Stats:
31 total tackles
23 solo
8 assists
0.5 sacks
1 forced fumble

Season highlight: Against the Bucs on 11/13 Salave'a had 3 tackles including one crushing backfield hit on Cadillac Williams causing a fumble.

Grade: B+

[MTK]

#24 Shawn Springs - Since coming to the Redskins in 2004 Springs has entrenched himself as the Redskins #1 cornerback and has performed at a Pro Bowl level. In 2004 he started 15 games and led the team in interceptions and sacks with 5 and 6 respectively, a rare and impressive accomplishment for a cornerback.

In 2005 while his numbers may have dropped off, he was still one of the top performers on the defensive side of the football. Springs battled through injuries in 2005 which may have hurt his overall production, but he proved to have a high level of toughness that was one of the question marks surrounding his arrival to D.C.

Final Stats:
50 total tackles
47 solo
3 assists
1 interception
8 passes defensed

Season highlight: In the week 16 matchup against the Giants, Springs' tight coverage helped neutralize a usually explosive Giants' offense. In the game Plaxico Burress was held to 40 yards on 3 catches.

Grade: B+

[MTK]

#22 Carlos Rogers - Rogers was selected 9th overall in the 2005 NFL Draft and even though he didn't have an immediate impact, as the season wore on and his role increased, he proved to be an exciting young player who should be a cornerstone of the Redskins' defense for years to come. Rogers brings a nice blend of speed, intelligence, and toughness to the cornerback position.

Rogers battled injury problems early on that caused him to fall behind on the learning curve in training camp. Gregg Williams is known for bringing his rookies along slowly and Rogers was no exception. Rogers didn't start his first game until week 3 and that was more out of necessity due to an injury to Walt Harris. Rogers truly earned the starting job in week 13 against the Rams and he responded with 6 tackles and 1 INT.

Despite an up and down rookie season that was filled with injuries, Rogers flashed plenty of potential and will be a key player to watch in 2006.

Final Stats:
46 total tackles
42 solo
4 assists
2 interceptions
4 passes defensed

Season highlight: In a losing effort against the Chargers, Rogers was all over the field with 7 tackles, 1 INT and 3 passes defensed, an effort that earned him the starting job the following week against St. Louis.

Grade: B

[MTK]

#21 Sean Taylor - Gregg Williams calls him the most gifted athlete he's ever coached, and in the 2 seasons he's been in a Redskins uniform we're starting to see William's reasoning behind that statement. Taylor has brought along his share of off the field baggage since being drafted #5 overall in 2004, but he's also starting to build an impressive reputation around the league as being a ferocious hitter with the cover skills of your typical CB.

In 2005 Sean Taylor picked up right where he left off in 2004 with big hits, constant jawing at opponents, and his share of headline making controversies. As the Redskins enter this offseason, some serious off the field assault charges loom over the talented safety and Skins fans everywhere will anxiously await the results. A future without Sean Taylor is a scary thought to Redskins fans, but a future with Sean Taylor is an even scarier thought for the rest of the NFL.

Final stats:
70 total tackles
60 solo
10 assists
1 sack
2 interceptions
10 passes defensed

Season highlight: In one of the defining moments of the Redskins 2005 season, Taylor scooped up a loose ball against the Eagles on January 1st, 2006 and raced 39 yards to paydirt to seal the victory and along with it, a playoff berth for the Redskins.

Grade: A

[MTK]

Quick Hitters

Derrick Frost: Filling in for an injured Tom Tupa, Frost did a very average job averaging 40.4 yards per punt in 2005. Don't look for him to be back as the Redskins punter in 2006.

Grade: C-

Walt Harris: Injuries, inconsistent play, and a high cap number spells doom for his future as a Redskin.

Grade: C

Ryan Clark: Clark started 13 games in 2005 for the Redskins at strong safety and is probably deserving of his own profile, but in the interest of finishing up these report cards he's going to have to suffer with a quick hitter mention. Sorry Ryan, no disrespect intended.

Grade: C+

Pierson Prioleau: Along with Joe Salave'a, Prioleau has the distinction of being one of the most often misspelled player names on the Redskins' roster. The versatile defensive back was a quality addition to the Skins secondary in 2005.

Grade: C+

Warrick Holdman: Does anyone remember who was starting at ROLB when LaVar Arrington was riding the pine early in the '05 season? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Grade: D

Demetric Evans: A pleasant surprise in '05, Evans was pressed into action due to injuries and he responded by doing an admirable job and recording 3 sacks on the year.

Grade: C+

Ade Jimoh: One of The Warpath's favorites, "The Ade" as he's known around here is a special teams demon and is known to play some mean corner once in a while.

Grade: C+

Matt Bowen: An overpriced backup, Bowen has likely seen his final days as a Washington Redskin. We sure will miss those huge training camp hits, somewhere Trung Canidate is still searching for his mouthpiece.

Grade: C

[MTK]

alright have at 'em, the defensive report cards are in the books after a long delay.

Call it part lazy on my part, part I've been busy as all hell, and part I'm on vacation in Florida as I'm finishing these up. How's that for dedication?!

Back to the cold assed weather of upstate NY tomorrow though

[70Chip]

PEER SUN PRAY LOW

Our defense rules A Pluses for everybody.

[shallyshal]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

alright have at 'em, the defensive report cards are in the books after a long delay.

Call it part lazy on my part, part I've been busy as all hell, and part I'm on vacation in Florida as I'm finishing these up. How's that for dedication?!

Back to the cold assed weather of upstate NY tomorrow though

man, oh, man, it sure took you long enough to finish the job and unlock this
board for comments (just kidding, thanks for a great site !)

i think your ratings are especially pertinent given lavar's release. a grade c performance does not merit 12 mil per year.. 'nuf said