Scot McCloughan’s To Do List: Part 5 – Defensive Backs
By Chris West
Dec 20, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy (25) scores a touchdown in front of Washington Redskins free safety Ryan Clark (25) in the first quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Clark
Ryan Clark has already retired from the NFL and is pursuing a career as an analyst on ESPN. He played mostly FS for the Redskins in 2015 but also saw some time at SS.
Clark began the season well in Houston. He scored a 1.00 rating versus the pass and run both. He played even better versus the Jaguars with a 1.10 rating.
Clark was very effective in the mid-season upset of the Cowboys. He earned a 0.97 rating versus the pass and was integral in the run game with a 0.84 rating and also had a 1.60 rating on blitzes although he was not credited with any sacks.
Clark was partially responsible for 5 TD receptions and indirectly for others because of his lack of speed and reaction time. He only had 3 passes defensed and 1 INT for the year and just couldn’t get to the ball or catch the receiver on long passes.
It is surprising that Clark wasn’t threatened more on deep passes
Late in the season, Clark was wearing down more. He scored a 0.82 rating versus the Giants, a 0.98 versus the Eagles and a 0.88 versus the Cowboys at the end of the season. It is surprising that Clark wasn’t threatened more on deep passes at that point in the season since he showed versus the Colts and other teams that he couldn’t make plays on the deep balls anymore.
Next: Brandon Meriweather