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Redskins Ingredients for Improvement: Resilience is key

By Ian Cummings

BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 30: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - AUGUST 30: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins looks on against the Baltimore Ravens in the first half of a preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium on August 30, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Shawn Lauvao #77 of the Washington Redskins in action against the New York Giants during their game at MetLife Stadium on October 28, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Shawn Lauvao #77 of the Washington Redskins in action against the New York Giants during their game at MetLife Stadium on October 28, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) /

No. 3 – Scheme away from offensive line deficiencies

Just two weeks ago, in Week 8 against the Giants, the Washington Redskins were known for having one of the meanest offensive lines in football. It was a line that had enabled 33-year old Adrian Peterson to resurrect his career, and a line that turned an anemic offense into one that schematically suffocated teams out of the game.

It’s amazing how quickly things can change.

We’ve now past Week 9, and the Redskins will be without All-Pro caliber offensive guard Brandon Scherff for the rest of the season, and they’ll be without Trent Williams for at least three more weeks. The engine of the offense, once manned by Scherff and Williams, a top-tier tandem, will now feature players such as Ty Nsekhe and Luke Bowanko. In fairness to Nsekhe, he’s been very solid in relief of Williams, but the depth of the team is shot, and as a unit, the line will be limited without its two best players.

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In both the running game and the passing game, the Redskins will have to scheme away from their deficiency in the trenches as much as they can. They won’t be able to simply run the ball and win the time of possession battle anymore. They’ve been outmuscling defensive units, but with Trent Williams and Brandon Scherff both out, they’ll have to keep them on their toes instead.

In the running game, this could spell the end of Peterson’s rumbling campaign, or at least the end of a chapter in 2018. Holes won’t come as often, and lanes won’t stay open for long. The quickness of Kapri Bibbs, or Chris Thompson, when healthy, now better suits an ailing blocking unit, and when the time comes when Washington needs to churn out tough yards on the ground, Peterson may have to create for himself.

As for the passing game, seven-step drops may now serve as sack sentences. Alex Smith is a distributor, and in the next few weeks, it will be Jay Gruden’s job to make it easier for Smith to distribute without as much time. Whether that means quicker developing plays, or shorter drops, or more screens with Josh Doctson and Michael Floyd clearing the line of scrimmage, changes will have to be made. Gruden had a strategy that worked, and it got the Redskins five wins in seven games. But now, halfway through the season, that strategy’s key piece, the offensive line, is hurting. Adjustments are necessary.

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