Redskins Ingredients for Improvement after Week 1 loss to Eagles
By Ian Cummings
No. 5 – Use the short passing game more often
The passing game as a whole isn’t always going to be the most consistent unit with Case Keenum at the helm, but there are ways to mitigate inconstancies from Keenum and help him hone in on what he does best. We saw some of that on Sunday, and then we saw the Redskins stop doing it.
The Redskins short passing game has potential. With Josh Doctson out of the building, Washington now has three starting receivers who can all get open quickly in the short and intermediate ranges with quickness and route nuance. Keenum doesn’t have the arm strength to fit the ball into tight windows, but when he can get into a rhythm and hit guys in stride, he’s at his best. The short passing game gives him that opportunity.
This isn’t to say that the Redskins shouldn’t dial up shots occasionally. They most certainly should, at logical times. First and ten. Second and short. But as we saw on Sunday, Keenum isn’t the best deep passer, so those plays aren’t going to hit every time. The best way to run an offense is to do something one’s players are comfortable doing, and Keenum looks most comfortable commanding a quicker attack, where he can utilize play fakes and separation.
In terms of the offense as a whole, the Redskins should utilize the quick passing game more. Play action, rollouts, drag routes, comebacks. It was in that state where the Redskins were most efficient on Sunday, and it’s perhaps the best way for them to cut down on negative externalities in the coming weeks.