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.
The root of the Redskins offensive inefficiency
It’s understood that the Redskins didn’t always have a choice, in regards to the efficiency of their offense in 2018. By the latter half of the season, the offense was worn down by injuries, and the patchwork offensive line made it challenging to facilitate plays on occasion.
But even so, Jay Gruden did little in an attempt to maximize the tools he had. He put the brunt of the workload on the sinking shoulders of Adrian Peterson, and as a result, the Redskins missed out on a substantial amount of yards.
It wasn’t just the amount of rushing plays overall that hindered the offense, but the timing of said run plays. In a stat provided by analyst Warren Sharp, the Redskins are shown to have been the second worst rushing offense in the NFL, through three quarters, on first and ten.
Their success rate running the football on first down was just forty percent, and yet, they ran it on first down the third-most in the NFL, at a clip of sixty-two percent. Adrian Peterson individually had a dismal 37 percent success rate on first and ten, which per Sharp, ranked nineteenth out of twenty qualifying running backs.
To put it simply, the Redskins were bad at running on first down. And they kept running on first down.
A commitment to maximization
The aforementioned trend embodies the kind of inefficiency that wastes plays, drives, games, and ultimately seasons. And that’s the kind of inefficiency that Kevin O’Connell appears to want to fix. In a recent press conference, available via Redskins.com, O’Connell expressed the desire to implement more explosive pass plays on first and second down, and he also mentioned the importance of play action, and its fruitful implementation, in the modern NFL.
Establishing the run on first down is no longer an effective way to run an NFL offense. The passing game offers more inherent maximization potential; in 2018, passing plays generated 8.2 yards per attempt, while rushing plays generated just 4.79 yards per attempt. In the right context, running the ball can be effective, but it’s not the building block on which to set an offensive game script.
Play action, conversely, unveils more possibilities to an offense; NFL-wide, teams experienced an average of an extra 1.13 yards per play on play action passes, as opposed to other play types. Washington, meanwhile, used play action less than the mean, even when they averaged 6.7 yards per play action pass, and 5.8 yards per play on everything else.
It’s a good sign to see Washington’s new young offensive coordinator quickly catering to the modern way. His acceptance and desired implementation of modern concepts, supported by analytics, is reminiscent of former Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay, and while we have yet to see O’Connell put his words to work, we know where his football mind is at. It’s a good place to be. O’Connell brings a desire to attack, and to maximize every play. Nothing less will do in today’s NFL.
Sense and personnel meshing together
There’s still a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the Redskins offense, but there is definite potential in the amount of weapons they have, and with Kevin O’Connell calling the shots, the unit could be due for a facelift.
That said, there’s little clarity as to the degree of influence O’Connell will have with the Redskins offense. He could have full reign. He could be a glorified consultant to Jay Gruden. But whatever the case, O’Connell’s voice is a good one to have in tow, and if he does have control of the game script, with input from Gruden, then he has an improved personnel group at his disposal.
In the running back room, there exists a diverse array of weapons in Derrius Guice, Chris Thompson, and Bryce Love, if Love can get healthy and add receiving consistency to his game. In the receiving core, Terry McLaurin and Paul Richardson add speed and nuance, while Trey Quinn has the confidence of the coaches to create space up the middle of the field. Cam Sims and Kelvin Harmon have the size and strength to compete in roles of their own, and Josh Doctson is still a stellar athlete who could see an uptick in numbers with a more contemporary offensive mind utilizing his talents.
Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis cannot be forgotten as big play threats, either, and with Dwayne Haskins, a quarterback with whom O’Connell has history and chemistry, the offense could operate much more smoothly in 2019.
Of course, this is all theoretical. There are dozens of question marks. The offensive line has to stay healthy. Paul Richardson has to stay healthy, which he’s rarely done. Jordan Reed has to stay healthy, which he’s rarely done. Vernon Davis is 35 years old. Derrius Guice can provide an impact as a runner and receiver, but he’s coming back from a torn ACL. So is Bryce Love. Trey Quinn is unproven. Terry McLaurin is unproven. Cam Sims is unproven. Kelvin Harmon is unproven. Dwayne Haskins is unproven. Kevin O’Connell is unproven.
But while there is so much uncertainty surrounding Washington’s offense, one thing is certain: There are enough traits to work with. The potential is there. And perhaps, with Kevin O’Connell, the Redskins can transcend into the current era of football. Where they should have been all along.