Beneath the Cream
August 29, 2019
By Jay Evans
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the fourth, and most uninteresting, preseason game was played tonight, this column will also serve as the game recap. Don’t judge us. The Redskins were defeated by the Ravens at Fed Ex Field tonight by a score of 20 – 7. Dwayne Haskins played two quarters and was 10 for 17 with 104 yards, one 7 yard touchdown to rookie WR Stephen Sims, Jr, and a quarterback rating of 96.2. Byron Marshall was the leading rusher with 8 carries for 45 yards. Craig Reynolds had 9 carries for 15 yards. J.P. Holtz was the leading receiver with 2 receptions for 30 yards. Cam Sims had 1 reception for 12 yards and 2 drops. Sims Jr. also had 2 kick returns for 80 yards and 2 punt returns for 10 yards. Jeremy Reaves was the leading tackler, with 8 total tackles. JoJo Wicker had the Redskins’ lone sack.]
The Redskins ended the preseason tonight, and with each of the games there were glimpses of both efficiency and truancy. Following the third game of the preseason in which they earned their first victory, the team announced a starting quarterback, finished the inconsequential matchups relatively healthy, and displayed moments of efficiency and truancy.
Based upon their play, the first game of the preseason was a non-existent event for the Redskins. In the second game, the team’s starters played and the difference was noticeable, but for long stretches the team struggled with consistency. Rays of promise have begun to peak through the ominous clouds of 2019, but expecting the dour season predictions to lighten because the Redskins showed competency in two games is far from realistic.
The third game of the preseason is widely regarded as the most important and best evaluation to the “true” makeup of a team. In this contest, the Redskins removed the anti-aging Pond’s Cold Cream from their face and unmasked a style of football that anachronistically looks like it came from the same era as our grandmother’s facial products. The season is going to revolve around a dynamic ground game, even with subpar talent. The 2019 season will be a grind.
Did the Redskins face an Atlanta Falcon team with deep playoff aspirations? Yes. Did they play the “true” Falcons? No. The Falcons first team offense threw the ball fourteen times and worked on their passing attack. When Julio Jones (DNP) is in the lineup they are one of the better passing attacks in the league.
The Redskins countered with their strength, running the ball consistently throughout the game. They ran the ball twenty-eight time for a combined 108 yards. Half of the carries accounted for 64 yards from Derrius Guice and Chris Thompson for 64 yards, at nearly 4.6 yards per carry. They are who we thought they are.
The Redskins offense, which is a work in progress, is going to rely on their stable of running backs and use misdirection to pick up chunk yardage. The two quarterbacks who will likely play the season are both new to the team this season and on completely different spectrums in the maturation process.
Case Keenum, on his fourth team in as many years, is learning his fourth offense in successive years. Case, the recently anointed starting quarterback, is a game manager on his sixth team in eight seasons and there is a reliable scouting report on the veteran. He will choose the safe play underneath and matriculate the team downfield rather than forcing the ball to a receiver.
Dwayne Haskins has the physical dimensions to be an excellent quarterback. The ceiling is high for Haskins, but the game is more above the shoulders than ever before and there was always going to be a learning curve for the rookie who has only fourteen starts since high school. If forced into heavy playing time early, Haskins would suffer from traditional rookie mistakes while relying on his physical gifts until he is comfortable within his own role.
Haskins has shown his great promise in the preseason with some aggressive downfield plays in the preseason, so the learning curve may not be as steep as some predicted prior to drafting the Ohio State product.
Neither the team nor coach can afford to punt on the opening of the season, as the Redskins need to make the 2019 playoffs to save many jobs in Ashburn going forward. In that context, the choice to start Keenum comes as no surprise. Per John Keim, “once [Colt] McCoy strengthens his leg…he could end up with the [starting] job.” The Redskins are unwilling to rush Haskins onto the field and “some would like to see [Haskins] sit all season.”
Keenum is prone to mistakes, as should be expected, after the limited experience he has in Washington with Jay Gruden’s offense. After the two-minute timeout in the third preseason game against the Falcons, the Redskins began play inside the 20-yard line and the same problems that plagued them in the red zone will continue into the season.
Case Keenum dropped back for a pass to the end zone, but Falcon’s tackle Jack Crawford beat Chase Roullier cleanly and Derrius Guice was coming from the far side to try and pick up the block, resulting in an incompletion.
Brandon Scherff was caught on camera directing Keenum on the miscommunication of a poor protection call from the quarterback. Keenum will learn to manage the time and pace of the offense, but in the meantime misalignment and poor adjustments will plague the offense.
The Redskins then moved to the 1-yard line after a contested play. Rookie wide receiver Terry McLaurin drew a pass interference call on the ensuing play to put the ball in scoring range, but Derrius Guice was denied twice until scoring on his third attempt, the ball was moved back ten yards due to a holding play by left guard Ereck Flowers. Missed blocks and penalties thwarted the scoring opportunity.
The Redskins offense isn’t about one man. The entire offensive unit is learning to work together with, at a minimum, seven players new to the rotation. The Redskins have either four or five returning starters on offense from a year ago, depending on if you count Adrian Peterson as a fulltime starter and the status Jordan Reed, who will always come with the caveat of an injury protocol.
Trent Williams is holding out and has caused the left side of the offensive line to become a patchwork quilt. Donald Penn and Ereck Flowers worked together for the first time in the third preseason game and both Wes Martin and Geron Christian have worked with the top unit as well, but expect this group to be interwoven with changing threads all year even if Trent Williams returns.
Continuity goes a long way. The defense has been together under one system for three seasons and some of the players have known each other dating back to college and, in the case of Greg Stroman and Tim Settle, even high school.
The defense is in the midst of integrating Landon Collins, the “big” addition in the offseason, who came to the Redskins with a preexisting relationship to the four other Alabama Crimson Tide members on the defense and a former teammate in Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. The other new additions to the defense are three rookies and six-year veteran Jonathan Bostic, signed only after injuries occurred early in camp, who will be part of an overall rotation.
Rookies Montez Sweat, Cole Holcomb and Jimmy Moreland have shown the ability to contribute, but of the eight or nine remaining members on the field, there is a prior quantifiable experience of playing time spent together.
All of this was evident throughout the preseason. The Redskins offense relied heavily on a ground attack. Last year, the offense was excellent in the first half of the season when they controlled the game by running the ball and keeping the ball secure. Until the tenth game of the season, the Redskins had not played in a game that had a lead change, and if they were behind by double digit points they looked futilely inept attempting to mount comebacks.
Case Keenum is not Alex Smith, but like Alex, Case has demonstrated the consistency to control the rhythm of a game. Keenum won’t press the ball downfield and the team is going to have large lapses in chunk plays. As the Redskins are constructed they will win game if they win the turnover battle. Turnovers are going to dictate the play this season.
The season isn’t going to be an embarrassment because they have a below average veteran at quarterback. The defense is going to keep them in most games, but on an off day don’t be surprised by a beatdown when they can’t overcome a supreme performance by an opponent.
The other guys get paid too. The Redskins got boat raced by the Falcons less than a year ago. Same result occurred against a superior offense in New Orleans. The Redskins were trounced by a mediocre team in the New York Giants, albeit with offense that had elite talent. The subtle breeze, the day, the matchup, the locker room’s mood, and other things all will factor in the play of the Redskins this season.
What was learned by the preseason, we already knew. There is still some fat that needs to be trimmed for the cream to rise to the top. The Redskins will rely on their run game as the quarterbacks become comfortable, but until then anything can happen. As Dennis Green demonstrably stated years ago, “they are, who we thought they were!”