Redskins midterm grades

[MTK]

QB: Campbell has been solid but outside of the Lions game nothing spectacular. He has improved his short range accuracy but still need work on the deep stuff. Considering it's his first full season as the starter, I'm pleased with his progress but he still has plenty of room for improvement. Right now he's not costing us games, but he needs to get to that point where he can win games for us. Grade: C+

RB:Prior to the Jets game Portis was having a disappointing season. Part of the blame has to go to the banged up offensive line, but part of the blame also has to go on Portis. If last week was any indication of what's to come in the 2nd half of the season, the running game should be in good shape. Betts has had a limited role and has had difficulty adjusting to playing so sparingly, and probably understandably so. Grade: B

WR: Everyone outside of Randle El has been disappointing, and even Randle El as cooled off in recent weeks. Moss needs to pick up his play in the 2nd half. Grade: D

TE: Cooley has been a solid producer and the offense definitely needs to continue to get him involved more often. Grade: B

OL: Losing two starters is rough, especially when they are the caliber of players that Thomas and Jansen are. However injuries are part of the game and Fabini and Wade have had enough time together now that the excuses are running thin, they need to start getting it done. Things started to come together at least on the ground against the Jets, granted they are pretty weak against the run. Grade: C

DL: Montgomery is one of the best stories for the team this year. Griffin has been solid but needs to stay healthy. Andre Carter has had a nice season and has shown that last year's strong finish wasn't a fluke. He's already matched his sack total from last year and is on pace for double digits. Overall this unit has been stout against the run, and has shown flashes of being able to provide pressure. Grade: B

LB: What else can you say about London Fletcher? They guy is a tackling machine and has been leader on and off the field. Great pickup. Rocky McIntosh has been impressive in his first year as a starter and is 2nd on the team in tackles. Marcus Washington has been banged up but Godfrey has filled in and done a solid job. The LB corps which were a mess last year are now one of the strongest units on the team. Grade: B+

CB: The injury bug has bitten this unit with Rogers out for the season and Smoot battling a hamstring problem that will probably hamper him for the rest of the year. Springs has quietly enjoyed a solid season on the field despite some serious family issues off of it. Overall the CB play is much improved from a year ago. Grade: B

S: The duo of Landry and Taylor has been everything that we expected when Landry was drafted back in April. Taylor leads the league with 5 INTs, and Landry is coming off his best game as a pro against the Jets. Grade: B+

P/K: Frost started off hot but has really cooled off. He needs to get back on track. Suisham is now 12/15 (80%) after his 5 FG day against the Jets. Grade: B

[mredskins]

I agree for the most part. WR= big fat F. think of all the droped balls and how games could have beeen changed!

[BDBohnzie]

Great Assessment, King Kool-Aid...I mean The Ego.

I think one could argue moving the TEs up to a B+ with the play of Todd Yoder. He's been solid as Cooley's backup.

I'd also give the O-Line a slightly higher grade (C+), as it is tough to lose 2 veteran clubhouse leaders. They've given up 13 sacks in 8 games, 6 of which were to Green Bay and New England. They are starting to gel without those leaders, and will only get better.

Frost has taken a nose dive in recent weeks. Hopefully he can right the ship.

[hail_2_da_skins]

QB: Jason Campbell has done a decent job, but I'm going to have give him an average grade because he has to check down to the fullback or tight end too often and his accuracy needs improvement. That might not be entirely his fault. The play calling is conservative and predictable. The wide receivers are not getting good separation and when they do they drop too many passes. The offensive line doesn't always give him ample time.
Grade C

RB: I love Clinton Portis but I question whether he is going all out. At times it seems as though he is not giving second effort. Sometimes he seems complacent and runs into the back of his blockers and fall down. Ladell Betts has been a disappointment. He isn't running nearly as well as last year. Portis had a great game last week, but this poor grade is for the entire year.
Grade C-

WR: NO TOUCHDOWNS! This does not look like a professional football team. I've seen high school teams with better production from their wide receivers. I am so tired of seeing wide receiver screens, dump offs to the back and passes to the tight end. Boring.
Grade F

TE: Chris Cooley is the man. Absolutely one of the better tight ends in the game. Yoder has made some decent contributions as well.
Grade A

OL: The offensive line has been up and down. This is mainly due to injuries and the shuffling of the line because of injuries. Despite all the shuffling, the line play has been fair.
Grade C

DL: Surprisingly the defensive line play has been good. I would like to have seen the team draft a defensive lineman but the incumbents have been impressive. I really like the two young tackles Montgomery and Golston.
Grade B

LB: London Fletcher has been one of the best free agent acquisitions of the off season. He is a tackling machine. Rocky McIntosh has stepped up and is fielding his position well.
Grade B

DB: This unit has done an outstanding job. Sean Taylor has stepped up and is playing at an all-pro level. The rookie, LaRon Landry is a perfect complement to Taylor and making spectacular plays as well. The corners are physical and coverage is good. After watching the Jet game, I think Carlos Rogers coverage skills have gone unappreciated. Smoot coverage is okay but Rogers really excelled and will be missed the rest of the season.
Grade B+

Special Teams: The Rock is one of my favorite players. Does whatever the team needs. Suisham has solidified the kicking game. Frost has been okay.
Grade B

[SouperMeister]

Originally Posted by mredskins

I agree for the most part. WR= big fat F. think of all the droped balls and how games could have beeen changed!

Agreed. Santana's drops and key fumble pretty much lost the GB game singlehandedly. Campbell has seemingly lost his mojo since that 2nd half collapse. The passing game has put zero fear in opposing defenses since then.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

QB: Campbell has been solid but outside of the Lions game nothing spectacular. He has improved his short range accuracy but still need work on the deep stuff. Considering it's his first full season as the starter, I'm pleased with his progress but he still has plenty of room for improvement. Right now he's not costing us games, but he needs to get to that point where he can win games for us. Grade: C+

RB:Prior to the Jets game Portis was having a disappointing season. Part of the blame has to go to the banged up offensive line, but part of the blame also has to go on Portis. If last week was any indication of what's to come in the 2nd half of the season, the running game should be in good shape. Betts has had a limited role and has had difficulty adjusting to playing so sparingly, and probably understandably so. Grade: B

WR: Everyone outside of Randle El has been disappointing, and even Randle El as cooled off in recent weeks. Moss needs to pick up his play in the 2nd half. Grade: D

TE: Cooley has been a solid producer and the offense definitely needs to continue to get him involved more often. Grade: B

OL: Losing two starters is rough, especially when they are the caliber of players that Thomas and Jansen are. However injuries are part of the game and Fabini and Wade have had enough time together now that the excuses are running thin, they need to start getting it done. Things started to come together at least on the ground against the Jets, granted they are pretty weak against the run. Grade: C

DL: Montgomery is one of the best stories for the team this year. Griffin has been solid but needs to stay healthy. Andre Carter has had a nice season and has shown that last year's strong finish wasn't a fluke. He's already matched his sack total from last year and is on pace for double digits. Overall this unit has been stout against the run, and has shown flashes of being able to provide pressure. Grade: B

LB: What else can you say about London Fletcher? They guy is a tackling machine and has been leader on and off the field. Great pickup. Rocky McIntosh has been impressive in his first year as a starter and is 2nd on the team in tackles. Marcus Washington has been banged up but Godfrey has filled in and done a solid job. The LB corps which were a mess last year are now one of the strongest units on the team. Grade: B+

CB: The injury bug has bitten this unit with Rogers out for the season and Smoot battling a hamstring problem that will probably hamper him for the rest of the year. Springs has quietly enjoyed a solid season on the field despite some serious family issues off of it. Overall the CB play is much improved from a year ago. Grade: B

S: The duo of Landry and Taylor has been everything that we expected when Landry was drafted back in April. Taylor leads the league with 5 INTs, and Landry is coming off his best game as a pro against the Jets. Grade: B+

P/K: Frost started off hot but has really cooled off. He needs to get back on track. Suisham is now 12/15 (80%) after his 5 FG day against the Jets. Grade: B

I would give the wr's an F. They have not done a damn thing.

You also forgot coaching. Defensive coaching gets a B+. Williams has only had one real bad game where I felt he was outcoached. But NE is scoring on everyone so he almost gets an A. Plus we are not giving up the big plays we did last year.

Offensive coaching gets a D. The "not lose" attitude is only going to take us so far. It's good enough to beat the Jets and Dolphins but it's not going to be good enough to beat NYG and Dallas.

[irish]

I agree with all Matty's grades but he overlooked grading the coaches.

Def coaches: C. The D is good but not great and cant seem to really clamp down on a team to offset the terrible O.

Off coaches: F. Tons of talent but cant score. Sure line injuries have hurt but not enough to make the O this terrible.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by irish

I agree with all Matty's grades but he overlooked grading the coaches.

Def coaches: C. The D is good but not great and cant seem to really clamp down on a team to offset the terrible O.

Off coaches: F. Tons of talent but cant score. Sure line injuries have hurt but not enough to make the O this terrible.

You do realize that they are a top 10 defense, right? Are they dominant? Nope, but they're pretty damn good. Aside from the game against the Patriots, the Redskins defense is allowing opposing offenses to score, on average, just 13 points per game. I'm not sure what kind of standards you are holding them to, but whatever they are, they are too high.

[70Chip]

Long Snapper: A+ Put Allbright in the Ring of Fame now.

[irish]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

You do realize that they are a top 10 defense, right? Are they dominant? Nope, but they're pretty damn good. Aside from the game against the Patriots, the Redskins defense is allowing opposing offenses to score, on average, just 13 points per game. I'm not sure what kind of standards you are holding them to, but whatever they are, they are too high.

Outside of the Giants, Packers, & Pats games, the Skins are undefeated. Averages dont mean much. The Skins do have an average defense. The problem is they allow teams like the Jets to march down the field to tie the game. They cant really win a game by themselves either. I dont know what to say about holding the team to a high standard, maybe if more fans held this organization to a high standard the team might be a perennial playoff team instead of a perennial loser and excuse-maker.

[MTK]

I have no problem with the Skins D to date, outside of the Pats of course. Remember that 7 points last week came from special teams.

Turnovers are up this year, sacks are up, points allowed are way down, and the big plays allowed are way down.

This is good defense. Good but not great.

[saden1]

Offense: D
Defense: B+
Special Teams: B

Overall: C+

We have played very poorly so far this season especially when you consider the talent on this team. Being 5-3 shows that this team can win even when it's struggling...I wonder what they are capable of when they start hitting on all cylinders.


Take us home Joe! Take us to the promised land!

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

Originally Posted by irish

Outside of the Giants, Packers, & Pats games, the Skins are undefeated. Averages dont mean much. The Skins do have an average defense.

The Redskins defense allowed: (1) Miami's offense to score 13 points, when other defenses allow them to score 21 points; (2) Philly's offense to score 12 points, when other defenses allow them to score 20 points; (3) the NYG's offense to score 24 points, when other defenses allow them to score 25 points; (4) Detroit's offense to score 3 points, when other defenses allow them to score 25 points; (5) Green Bay's offense to score 10 points, when other defenses allow them to score 24 points; (6) Arizona's offense to score 19 points, when other defenses allow them to score 20; and (7) the Jets' offense to score 13 points, when other defenses allow them to score 18. In short, the Redskins defense are holding opposing offenses to about 9 fewer points per game than they score against other defenses.

I know you can't deal with stats, but I want to hear you come up with a persuasive argument as to why this team's defense is "average." If the Redskins defense is average, every other defense sucks goat testicles.

Originally Posted by irish

The problem is they allow teams like the Jets to march down the field to tie the game. They cant really win a game by themselves either.

In the end, they let the Jets score a whopping 13 points. Do you really expect the defense to single-handedly win games? Well if that is your measure of whether a defense is good, you'll never be happy.

Originally Posted by irish

I dont know what to say about holding the team to a high standard, maybe if more fans held this organization to a high standard the team might be a perennial playoff team instead of a perennial loser and excuse-maker.

Yes, if I personally hold them to a high standard, they will be a perennial winner. I, as a fan, can will a team to victory. I didn't know that I had such Jedi powers.

[irish]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

The Redskins defense allowed: (1) Miami's offense to score 13 points, when they average 21 points; (2) Philly's offense to score 12 points, when they average 20 points; (3) the NYG's offense to score 24 points, when they average 25 points; (4) Detroit's offense to score 3 points, when they average 25 points; (5) Green Bay's offense to score 10 points, when they average 24; (6) Arizona's offense to score 19 points, when they average 20; and (7) the Jets' offense to score 13 points, when they average 18. I know you can't deal with stats, but I want to hear you come up with a persuasive argument as to why this team's defense is "average." If the Redskins defense is average, every other defense sucks goat testicles.



In the end, they let the Jets score a whopping 13 points. Do you really expect the defense to single-handedly win games? Well if that is your measure of whether a defense is good, you'll never be happy.



Yes, if I personally hold them to a high standard, they will be a perennial winner. I, as a fan, can will a team to victory. I didn't know that I had such Jedi powers.

The Ravens D single-handedly won them a Super Bowl. A defense that can win like that for a team is not good, they are great.

I gave the defense a C (not an F) becuase I think they are average, not great and not bad. I guess you can call that good or average I dont really care what word you use.

[MTK]

Ok, so one team in NFL history had a defense that carried them all the way with little help from the offense. That Ravens D was a very rare bird, no pun intended. Perhaps the best defense the league has ever seen. Sorry but that's an unrealstic standard to hold this year's Redskins defense to.