Redskins vs. Saints: Duds from Monday’s primetime matchup

No. 1 – Alex Smith (and a note on Jay Gruden)

Everyone is so quick to place the brunt of the blame on Jay Gruden. But this was a team effort, and there were times where Gruden called up good plays that simply weren’t executed. Alex Smith was the culprit on a good amount of those plays; he was simply off last night.

Take, for example, this play, where Maurice Harris was wide open for what could’ve been a touchdown on an out-breaking route. He was wide open for three seconds before Alex Smith even saw him. Smith threw the ball late, and it was picked off. Stagnation reflects poorly on Gruden, but the veteran has to see the field.

That said, Gruden got out-coached. He didn’t scheme to the best mismatch on offense. The middle of the field was a shining opportunity for crisp runners like Jordan Reed, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson, but the Redskins almost never went there. Again, there were plays where a pass catcher had an edge on the Saints’ linebackers, and Smith didn’t pull the trigger.

The Redskins’ offensive showing against New Orleans was a team effort. They failed to get things going through the running game, and when they abandoned the run, the Saints defense bottled the passing game up. The offensive line failed to consistently let plays develop. Alex Smith failed to give the offense the element of respectability that we’re used to seeing from him. And yes, some responsibility must be given to Jay Gruden. His team was not ready. And when they had chances to get back into the game early, they took themselves out of it.

These players are grown men who shouldn’t have to have their hand held. Jay Gruden took responsibility for the disaster, so he’ll be the scapegoat once again, but he is far from the sole cause. Execution, just as it was a problem against the Colts, was awful against the Saints. The coach can motivate the players, yes. But the players have to put the product on the field. They did not this week.