Pre-season midpoint: What do we know?

Aug 21, 2011

Here we are, halfway through the money-making period for NFL Owners known as the preseason, what have we learned about the Washington Redskins? While it’s true that the preseason is in many ways an exercise in futility: coaches don’t treat the preseason the same as a regular season game, players who might normally start or play simply don’t suit up, the games are used for things like “evaluation” and “being vanilla” more than about winning. In fact, with their feet held to the fire most head coaches in the NFL would admit that they’re just hoping to get a little game experience, stay healthy, and move on with life. So what then, could we possibly learn?

Coach Shanahan is playing coy with the local media, even telling them point blank that he doesn’t plan to let them know who the Redskins Week 1 starting quarterback will be when he decides, but rather keep it a surprirse, but this much is clear: The QB battle is that muddied version of “settled unsettled”. While nobody should be booking Superbowl tickets or firing up any bandwagons, both Quarterbacks have looked passable – which is a step up for a team most predicted would move the QB gauge somewhere between “atrocious” and “truly awful”. While it might look like there’s a battle going on, everyone who has spoken to either Head Coach Mike Shanahan or Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan agrees that it is Becks job to lose and he has not yet done so. It seems likely that he’ll start the 3rd preseason game and if he can survive, or have success, against the Baltimore Ravens defense you can throw in the white towel: John Beck vs. Rex Grossman will be over, for all intents and purposes.
The Defense, deservedly maligned for a scheme change in the 2010 season and a general lack of talent and misfit pieces has a chance to improve markedly in their second year under defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, but has plenty of concerns that the QB battle on offensive is masking. For starters, it is clear that there has been upgrades both to the base talent and to the way in which these players fit the scheme. Free agent signee and NT Barry Cofield has looked like a real honest-to-God NFL nose tackle, something the Redskins lacked last season for large stretches, and has both been able to hold his anchor point and even find ways to create pressure up the middle in passing situations. First round draft pick Ryan Kerrigan has flashed his collegiate reputation as a high-motor workhorse guy, and showed improvement from camp through the first two games. Kerrigan will no doubt have growing pains and likely get burned in coverage once teams start to gameplan against the Redskins, it’s clear that he can both make plays now and will only improve with time.
Unfortunately, the defense has concerns in the secondary with starters missing lots of time both in training camp and in the first two games. It’s pretty easy to predict that as the season gets underway, we are likely to hear coaches and players lamenting the “time to gel”, and “lack of communication” from a secondary that has two new starters from the 2010 season and is yet unsettled on the depth behind the on-paper starting 4 tandem.
While the Redskins shouldn’t be as awful as many have predicted, no one should make the mistake in thinking that the team is ready. However, there are encouraging signs. For the first time in at least 4 or 5 years, the Redskins will likely cut players that other teams will want to sign: a great omen for the team that their overall skill level and depth are improving under General Manager Bruce Allen and Head Coach Mike Shanahan. In fact, there are legitimate battles going on to make the team at both Wide Receiver and Linebacker where the Redskins will have to make painful (or perhaps surprising) cuts, and likely won’t be able to stash players for development on the practice squad as easily as in years past.

While nobody knows what the rest of preseason will bring, it’s becoming clear that the organization is ever-improving its overall talent and professionalism now that the adults have been in charge for a while (sorry, Zorn — not so sorry, Cerrato) and the last two weeks will be about getting the starters ready, making final decisions about who will stay with this team, and looking toward week 1 and the New York Giants.

Photo courtesy of, some rights reserved by Keith Allison