The Pass Rush Problem

[E-Dog Night]

The problem isn't Gregg Williams and his schemes. If Williams had real talent to work with, the Skins D would be downright frightening. But the talent just isn't there, even when the players are fully healthy.

The #1 problem that the Redskins have is not being able to pressure the quarterback. Never getting a pass rush form the 4 down lineman is killing this team. The rush from the linebackers has not been much better. This is probably not news to you.

This issue is clearly not going to be solved this season. If it could have been solved, it would have been by now. For Gregg Williams, creative as he may be, the smoke has cleared and the mirrors are broken. His blitzes are not getting it done anymore. So that only leaves one thing: next season.

As I see it, the target issues are: #1 - both defensive end positions; #2 - middle linebacker; #3 - strong safety, and; #4 nickel corner. That's five positions that have directly contibuted to the Redskins being almost totally ineffective in pressuring the QB. Perhaps #4 could include the both 2nd & 3rd corner positions, but IMO Carlos Rodgers will be a top cover corner next season.

Looking at the draft, as you know, next year's #1 pick was traded away for Jason Campbell, so unless someone is desperate enough to give up a #1 pick for Patrick Ramsey (and no one is that desperate), there will not be a top guy available to draft.

So that leaves free agency. 2006 is supposedly the year of cap hell for the Redskins. I don't think that will happen in terms of having to jettison players to get under the cap. But I also think that signing a pricey pass rusher will be tough, because there will only be so much cap room to work with. And how many top-tier pass rushers are going to be available? Next to the quarterback position, elite pass rushers are the most coveted position, and thus the least likely to be available in abundance. Not to say that there will be no one available, but it won't be as if "the next Dwight Freeny" will fall into the Redskins' lap.

So where does that leave us?

As far as I see it, the options are:

- Developing what we have now

- Hoping a few steals fall in the draft

- Scooping up a player or two in FA who was under-rated (read: a bargin) and/or maybe just needed a change of scenery

These are not great options, but what else is there?

[thelarkascend1ng]

i'm not so sure our D is as done as one would conclude from what you wrote. i think that our D can step it up still. i don't know, i just think of how people thought Portis was done for and over-rated, but he put 144 yards on the ground in the bucs game, so i can't really conclude that just because there are flaws, you have to look towards trades, drafts, or next-season improvements. the necessary improvements can be made at practice, and there's a good chance that our D can work itself out. it may not, but i don't think our pass rush is done for the rest of the season.

i'll bet the front 4 are just itching to get a big game, and it could definitely happen.

[fdarugar]

I fully expect for some of the fat to be cut this offseason. We will acquire 2 key guys in the offseason too. This is what Danny does best.

[fdarugar]

I also think SS is not a problem position, Ryan Clark is a stud, imo.

[DaSkinzBaby]

We had pass rushers Kenard Lang and ND Kalu. Need I say more? Those specific 2 mentioned have gone on to have successful careers. Kenard Lang and ND Kalu would be very good in the GW I AM GOD defense. But this is nothing more than opinion.

[E-Dog Night]

i'm not so sure our D is as done as one would conclude from what you wrote. i think that our D can step it up still. i don't know, i just think of how people thought Portis was done for and over-rated, but he put 144 yards on the ground in the bucs game.....i'll bet the front 4 are just itching to get a big game, and it could definitely happen.

I would love to believe you, except there's no history of past performance to suggest that the front 4 will start getting it done. Portis has had plenty of success in the past - running backs have thier ups and downs. But the D line wan't particularly adept at rushing the passer last season either.

[Destino]

I'm not so sure I'm ready to let the coaching staff off the hook. At least not until I know why the team didn't add talent to the DL yet again. If the defensive coaching staff communicated to Joe Gibbs that the return of Daniels was enough to improve the unit then it is their fault. If on the other hand they told Joe and the FO that they needed additions and for some reason the club didn't move in the direction then it's someone elses fault.

The point being the players on the DL didn't get here by accident. Someone wanted them here and someone made the choice to pretty much leave the unit unchanged. Who ever that is, is at fault for our current situation.

Also who in the front office hates to draft for the DL? Look at this....

Redskins drafts:

2001

Rd Sel# Player Pos. School

1 15 Rod Gardner WR Clemson

2 45 Fred Smoot CB Mississippi State

4 109 Sage Rosenfels QB Iowa State

5 154 Darnerien McCants WR Delaware State

6 186 Mario Monds DT Cincinnati

2002

Rd Sel# Player Pos. School

1 32 Patrick Ramsey QB Tulane

2 56 Ladell Betts RB Iowa

3 79 Rashad Bauman CB Oregon

3 87 Cliff Russell WR Utah

5 159 Andre Lott FS Tennessee

5 160 Robert Royal TE Louisiana State

6 192 Reggie Coleman T Tennessee

7 230 Jeff Grau C UCLA

7 234 Greg Scott DE Hampton

7 257 Rock Cartwright RB Kansas State

2003

Rd Sel# Player Pos. School

2 44 Taylor Jacobs WR Florida

3 81 Derrick Dockery G Texas

7 232 Gibran Hamdan QB Indiana

2004

Rd Sel# Player Pos. School

1 5 Sean Taylor FS Miami

3 81 Chris Cooley FB Utah State

5 151 Mark Wilson T California

6 180 Jim Molinaro T Notre Dame

2005

Rd Sel# Player Pos. Ht. Wt. School

1 9 Rogers, Carlos CB 6-0 199 Auburn

1 25 Campbell, Jason QB 6-4 223 Auburn

4 120 White, Manuel FB 6-2 244 UCLA

5 154 McCune, Robert ILB 6-0 243 Louisville

6 183 Newberry, Jared OLB 6-1 234 Stanford

7 222 Broughton, Nehemiah FB 5-11 250 The Citadel

[fdarugar]

1 friggen DL in 4 years, damn.

[E-Dog Night]

Wow, that's 2 D-linemen in 4 years, in the 6th & 7th round.

Football is won and lost in the trenches.

[E-Dog Night]

I also think SS is not a problem position, Ryan Clark is a stud, imo.....I fully expect for some of the fat to be cut this offseason. We will acquire 2 key guys in the offseason too. This is what Danny does best.

Ryan Clark is playing pretty well, but is not helping the pass rush any. He doesn't appear able to be a good blitzer, but I don't fault him for this, just stating it for what it is. This is way down the list of problems, obviously.

There's fat to be cut, for sure, but not much we can do to replace it. Danny has been fast and loose with the cap before, but every once in a while you have to take it easy for a year to let the cap replenish itself. I think that's this year. I'm no capologist so I could be wrong.

[red zone]

:doh: We're already looking at next year's draft? You're kidding right E-Dog? I've said it literally 1,000 times. This team will win with the players it has.

[RedskinsNation]

Im still baffled how Renaldo Friggin Wynn has survived cap casualties and offseason cuts year after year. The guy never has been good w/the Redskins....I dont even remember him being good w/the Jags. Has he gotten a single sack this year? One for gawdsakes? I doubt it.....I guess he's good against the run and have conceded that he doesnt do much vs. the pass. I assume the team has just realized this and tries to blitz to make up for his ineptness. Ditto for Daniels.

We need just one D-end and I feel like our D would be elite. The thing is that this has been a problem for years and never addressed....Wynn and Daniels need to be upgraded this offseason.

[Inigo Montoya]

1 DE Beast would improve our defense by leaps and bounds! This can be done next year, Danny-boy will find a way!!!

[Inigo Montoya]

Im still baffled how Renaldo Friggin Wynn has survived cap casualties and offseason cuts year after year. The guy never has been good w/the Redskins....I dont even remember him being good w/the Jags. Has he gotten a single sack this year? One for gawdsakes? I doubt it.....I guess he's good against the run and have conceded that he doesnt do much vs. the pass. I assume the team has just realized this and tries to blitz to make up for his ineptness. Ditto for Daniels.

We need just one D-end and I feel like our D would be elite. The thing is that this has been a problem for years and never addressed....Wynn and Daniels need to be upgraded this offseason.

Word!!!

[red zone]

1 DE Beast would improve our defense by leaps and bounds! This can be done next year, Danny-boy will find a way!!!

Sounds like the Eagles the season before the signed Jevon Kearse and TO. :laugh: :laugh:

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

The thing that drives me crazy about those drafts is that teams that find quality lineman in the late rounds are the teams that get to the playoffs. We never even tried during the Danny drafts.

And frankly, I'm still mystified at the two fullback picks last year. Some teams go decades without drafting a fullback.

[SkinsfaninSD]

I agree as well as everyone else who has watched a game that the front 4 as a whole is not getting it done in the pass rush minus a few occassions. I worry that if we continue to blitz and not get through to the QB that we will continue to be exposed as we were against Tampa. Next week is of particular concern especially if Griffen can't go again. Everyone knows about Randy Moss and Jerry Porter is a talented, yet inconsistent receiver. Porter can take advantage of matchups though as he did with Pac Man Jones a few weeks ago. The way W. Harris has been playing recently is of particular concern as some of his effort has looked similar to Pac Man. We have a tough team with great talent in some areas and lack of talent in others. It's clear that every week until the end of the season will be a battle until the end. I just hope we can continue to battle, minimize mistakes, hopefully get a few more calls our way, and pull it out at the end and get into the playoffs. In the offseason, lets take care of our problems and continue to improve in Gibb's 3rd season. Question though....I know we don't have a 1st round pick next season, but how many picks do we have in rounds 2-7? I can hardly keep track anymore since we're always trading picks away.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

1 DE Beast would improve our defense by leaps and bounds! This can be done next year, Danny-boy will find a way!!!

Ah, because Danny's wallet has solved all of our problems over the years.

On edit....

We could probably find a good DE in the free agent market next year. But the reason I always go back to the draft is that filling your holes via free agency costs you across the board. The gazillion dollars Danny will end up spending on a DE next year is money that won't be available to resign...I don't known...Dockery. (I actually have no idea when his contract is done but you know what I mean).

[oaty49]

Here's an idea. Get rid of Chris "i can't block anyone" Samuels for a D-lineman. I'm sick of hearing how great he is yet the pressure almost always comes from his side of the line and he's usually hurt.

[The X-Factor]

The Manuel White looks very bad at this point. WE have seen during the course of this year that we are very deep at the FB/H-back position already. There was no real need to add one, let alone two FBs through the draft.

It's hard to justify ever more considering that Chris Canty was still on the board. He was a local guy who was going to be a early round pick if not for injury. Seeing as how our DEs generate no pressure, it's hard to believe that Canty would not have made some contribution in passing downs.

[oaty49]

From what I've read we traded our first and 4th round picks this coming draft for denver's first pick last year. so that would leave us a 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th and 7th. I say use them all on lineman. If only 2 pan out, then you still come out ahead.

[Drex]

The Manuel White looks very bad at this point. WE have seen during the course of this year that we are very deep at the FB/H-back position already. There was no real need to add one, let alone two FBs through the draft.

It's hard to justify ever more considering that Chris Canty was still on the board. He was a local guy who was going to be a early round pick if not for injury. Seeing as how our DEs generate no pressure, it's hard to believe that Canty would not have made some contribution in passing downs.

To make matters worse, where does Canty end up? In Dallas, of all places. :doh:

[DCMONEY]

I've said this as well as some others. If the Skins would've kept Champ and their 2nd rd pick. Which lets say in theory the 2nd rd pick was used on a running back(maybe Tatum Bell). This would've been cheaper than Springs and Portis. Approximately 10 million dollars cheaper. Having that 10 mill allws them to offer Smoot a tad more to stay. Now you have to young corners that you drafted still here. This enables you to go into the draft and look at other needs, Namely a DE and maybe another DT. But this is all water under the rug.

[oaty49]

I'm personally glad Smoot isn't here anymore. He was almost as over-rated as Champ. Anybody noticed how many times Champ has been burnt this year. I do agree, however, that we gave up too much for portis. He doesn't even fit into Gibb's style of offense. I think Betts is the better back. I wouldn't mind seeing them trade Portis for a DE next year. Fine with me. RB's can be replaced.

[The X-Factor]

To make matters worse, where does Canty end up? In Dallas, of all places. :doh:

And he is outperforming BOTH of DEs with a mere 1.5 sacks. :doh: