Redskins OC Kevin O’Connell brings play calling common sense, potential

The Redskins passing offense was one of the worst in the NFL last season, and their overall offense was one of the least efficient units.

Injuries obviously played a role in the offense’s demise; by Week 17, the Washington Redskins had gone through Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Johnson at quarterback, and they’d gone through dozens of player combinations on the offensive line, with many midseason signings dotting the ranks.

But even before the Redskins lost so many players to injury, their offense was uninspiring at best, and anemic at worst. Some of that was still personnel; Alex Smith, for all his sturdiness and stability, didn’t often generate big plays, and Adrian Peterson, the team’s odds-defying, yet limited running back, needed a high volume of carries to make an impact, negating big play opportunities.

Going beyond even the personnel department, play calling was an issue throughout 2018. Jay Gruden is a solid play designer; he knows how to scheme routes together to create artificial separation for receivers. But his ability to put together a competent play script was thrown into question when his team constantly found themselves in second and long, and third and long, after rushing on early downs, far behind the first down marker.

Constantly operating from a hole is never a good way for an offense to find success, and while Gruden later lamented at his team’s propensity to find themselves in bad situations, he never adapted midseason, to try and get more out of his albeit sparsely-stocked unit. His game scripts too often failed to glean the most efficiency out of his offense. In 2019, Gruden has a better cast to work with.

But, for the betterment of the team, it may no longer be Gruden’s domain alone.

34-year old NFL alum and current Redskins offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell has been steadily climbing the ranks in Washington, but until recently, not much light has been shed on his offensive philosophy, and what he could bring to the table in D.C. However, a recent press conference by O’Connell changed that. While there ultimately won’t be security until 0’Connell implements a plan that succeeds on the field, O’Connell passed the word test. From afar, he brings play calling common sense to the Redskins; something they desperately need.