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Week One Grades
Welcome to the 2014 regular season and the first week of BBQ grades and questions. The Redskins underwhelmed in a 17-6 loss to the Texans. It was a rough debut for a new coach and a new offensive system. Feel free to offer your own grades, opinions, suggestions, and ideas. Too, we have some questions to close out this first week of action.
Let’s take a look at the grades.
Quarterback:
Robert Griffin, III showed some promise at being a pocket passer, but he also struggled at times. Turning the ball over inside the red zone is a huge negative. Grounding the ball did not help, but Griffin has learned to slide when in danger.
Grade: C+
Running Backs:
The running game was solid, but Alfred Morris and Roy Helu were underutilized. Morris nearly lost the ball inside the red zone, but video replay saved the play. We hope to see a little of Silas Redd sometime soon.
Grade: B+
Wide Receivers:
An offense will try to take what a defense will give them and the Redskins needed to look further downfield at times. A reverse lost major yardage. There were too many short passes. Gaining yardage after a catch simply didn’t happen either.
Grade: C
Tight Ends:
This position was non-existent and did not contribute anything of note. Blocking was atrocious. Jordan Reed has another injury and this could be his destiny in the NFL – potential, but injured too often. Niles Paul quickly went from hero to zero.
Grade: F
Offensive Line:
Where do we start? The porous right side? Tyler Polumbus? Chris Chester? Even Trent Williams had a holding call and a couple of miscues. It was simply horrific.
Grade: F
Defensive Line:
It was not as stellar as some may think. A journeyman quarterback all too often had time to throw the ball and Arian Foster gained more than 100 yards. One sack from Jason Hatcher and some good third down stands certainly stand out, but some improvement is still needed.
Grade: C+
Linebackers:
A solid effort from Keenan Robinson and Ryan Kerrigan helped to keep Houston in check. Perry Riley and Brian Orakpo were steady. This was the best unit on the field for the Redskins on Sunday.
Grade: A-
Cornerbacks:
Overall, the corners were good, but unspectacular. Bashaud Breeland had an untimely penalty, but did well in the nickel packages. David Amerson played a solid game while DeAngelo Hall continued to defy his age – many thought he would be playing safety by now. E.J. Biggers was good in nickel packages too.
Grade: B
Safeties:
Bacarri Rambo could be on an even shorter leash after a terrible performance. Granted, he is more of a free safety, but poor angles continue to be his Waterloo. Ryan Clark provided a veteran presence and solid play.
Grade: C-
Special Teams:
Bottom line, it wasn’t pretty. A blocked extra point is simply unforgivable. That one point quickly changed the game and energized the Texans. A blocked punt for a touchdown hurt as well. One bright part of the special teams was punter Tress Way. He could have a long tenure in Washington.
Grade: D
Coaching:
Seeking to transform Griffin into a pocket passer seems to be working, but it will take time. Defensively, the game plan was solid and the unit did a fine job – albeit, with some breakdowns. Special teams contributed heavily to the loss. The offensive line was simply – offensive. Not making enough adjustments at halftime was surprising when one considers the hype that originally came with Jay Gruden.
Grade: D+
Week one passes into the history books. How would you grade each position and the coaching staff? What are you looking for in the coming week against the Jaguars? Is it time for some changes on the right side of the line? Who do you blame the most for this loss?
See you again next week.
Hail to the Redskins!