morsdraconis
Contributor
Three Burning Questions Redskins Hope To Answer Before Week 1
Redskins' 2016 OTAs (organized team activities) are right around the corner and there are a few burning questions the team hope solve before they play host to the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 12th.
The Redskins finished the 2015 NFL season with a 9-7 record, recording their first winning season in three seasons (the first under previous head coach Jay Gruden) only to get blown out by the Green Bay Packers 35-18 in the Wildcard game of the playoffs. Ending on a low note, but hopeful for the future of the team, the Redskins made a stunning change at coach, bringing in Jonathan O'Connor from the college coaching ranks, and shaking up what little consistency they have had. Now, offseason cuts of Alfred Morris at RB, finally moving on with Kurt Cousins as the leader at QB and removing any doubt by cutting Robert Griffin III, the Redskins have holes to fill and hope to do so with young drafted talent.
#1 - Who Will Be The Starting Running Back
Last season, the Redskins saw, as the trend in the NFL continues to be the case, a RB by committee approach take form for them at the spot. Part of that was because of injuries, Matt Jones missing 3 games because of injuries, and part of that was lack of production all around from Jones, now Cowboys RB Alfred Morris, and 3rd down back Chris Thompson. The production was striking compared to the season prior when Morris carried the ball 265 times for 1074 yards, compared to last seasons 202 carries for 751 yards.
So, enter the 2015 NFL draft, where the Redskins selected RB Keith Marshall with their last pick at #242 in the 7th round. Keith Marshall has had limited action at Georgia because of a torn ACL his sophomore season and an injury to his knee on the same leg. Marshall seemed to have recovered from both injuries during his senior season, but only received a small amount of rushing attempts behind more established RBs on the team. Marshall displayed blazing speed at the combine, running a combine best 4.31 40 yard dash time, and has the size to be a powerful runner with time and weight training.
Most believe that the starter will be 2014 NFL draft's 3rd round selection, Matt Jones, who displayed talent in his rookie 2014 season as the spell back for Morris. The biggest concern for Jones is if he can stay healthy. Jones suffered a torn ACL in the 2012 season in college, suffered a toe injury in the game against the Jets on October 18th, and a hip injury prevented him from playing against Philadelphia and Dallas the final two games of the season. The Redskins have expressed that they think Jones will be able to handle a full season of work at the RB position without any issues.
There are numerous reports that the coaches absolutely love what Marshall brings to the team. Expect both players to get lots of work at the position during preseason and possibly even see more of a 50/50 split between the two if a definitive decision isn't reached.
#2 - Who Will Be The Starting Nose Tackle
Another position battle that has really heated up is the nose tackle position on the defense. Last season, the Redskins were paltry at defending the run, allowing a miserable 122.6 yards per game on the ground, putting them 7th worst in the league.
The Nose Tackle position was a position of need, and the Redskins spent a 5th round pick (152nd overall) in the 2016 NFL draft on Matt Ioannidis, nicknamed "The Professor" at Temple for his ability to consume and learn a playbook quickly. Ioannidis brings tenacity to the position, with a will to move a mountain to get to the football.
Then, we have the old veteran, Kedric Golston. On the team since being selected in the 2006 NFL Draft in the 6th round, Golston has played all across the defensive line, in both 4-3 and 3-4 defenses. In 2010, when the Redskins switched from the 4-3 defense to the 3-4 defense, Golston switched from playing the defensive tackle position to playing the defensive end position. Now that Golston has continued to put on weight and from additional strength training, he is the leading candidate for the Nose Tackle position on the 3-4 defense for the Redskins this year.
Many think that the strength and tenacity of Ioannidis will finally unseat the 11 year vet, Golston plans to continue to play hard and stick to the roster, like has has before, resigning with the Redskins for the fifth time this offseason on a one-year contract.
As with the RBs, preseason and OTAs look to be flush with interest as the two shake out who will be the starter at this all important position on the defensive line.
#3 - Can We Get A Little Bit Of Consistency In Here? Please?
The Redskins, as was mentioned in last week's article when we sat down to talk Coach Jonathon O'Connor (the new Redskins head coach), have suffered some of the worst bouts of consistency issues of any team in the league:
- 10 different coaches in 23 seasons.
- A winning percentage of just 41.7% (153-214) for an average season record of just 7-9.
- Only 2 playoff wins and only 5 playoff appearances in 23 seasons
While this question will hardly be answered before the first week of the season, the question still remains, is this the year the Redskins finally string together two winning seasons?
We'll find out together.