Offense! Offense! Disregard the defense another year in 2013! Here's why!

[KDawg]

Ok but that move would come at a cost. Skins would have a lot of cap room tied up in their DEs Carriker, Cofield, Bowen + the 2nd round pick invested in Jenkins. One of the backups would have to be let go and a draft pick or free agent money allocated to the new NT. Let's say the NT comes at the cost of a draft pick or free agent money for CB. Would you make that choice or would you consider switching the two gap NT to a one-gap? Could Cofield succeed as a one-gap NT? Or, more importantly would the entire front perform better in the one-gap than it currently does as two gap? How much better does the new NT in a two gap have to be to justify losing a new CB?

It's not that simple. You'd need a coordinator who was good at running the 1-gap scheme to do that. Cofield could be fine in a 1-gap system, but our coordinator wouldn't be.

[acuratl1984]

With the Pittsburgh game as an example. Ignoring the defense is a terrible idea.

How will our Offense score when we cant get the ball back for 10+ minutes at a time?

We may have an amazing offense but other defense WILL be able to stop them from time to time due to mistake/penalties etc.

But when our defense cant stop anything, our offense will be watching from the sidelines.

[Phat Hog]

I think OL and DB needs to be our focus. We may be able to get away with our receiving core if RGIII has time in the pocket. And we can have the need to score 30 pts a game to have an opportunity to win every week. Big plays given up by our secondary has killed us!

[Vilandil Tasardur]

Am I the only one who thinks that Polumbus has done a fantastic job?

I actually completely disagree with your. My only offensive move by design this offseason would be resigning Morgan. Then, I would simply go BPA ALL DAY LONG with a very heavy focus on defense. I don't believe there is such a thing as a day one starting RT that day down in the draft and I don't believe that (1) he would be better than the best ILB or Corner at that same spot or (2) there are any other pressing offensive needs.

I think we are set from LT to C and I like Chester's play AND our depth at RG. I think Polumbus has done a damn fine job and I don't think you can get good value on a replacement. I think a free agent would be way to pricey for the value of a RT and I think a draft pick would likely be a reach in the 2nd (though maybe not 3rd). Thus, I would take the best defensive player regardless of position until our 4th rounder, at which point I consider O-line depth and maybe RB depth, but even then I'm still learning heavily towards DB depth and LB depth if I have to players graded equally.

I just don't think we need NEW pieces on offense, I think we just need to grow and mature as an offense. When I watch us play, I don't see a team with missing pieces. I see a team with both rooks and both bishops ready to battle, just not quite executing the same battle plan yet.

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

I think we're gonna blow a huge wad of cash on a safety, a corner, and possibly a nose tackle in FA. Then we will draft some depth guys on both sides of the ball.

Our D desperately needs some playmakers. However, I think if Shanny sees a big target WR out there in the the early/middle rounds that he really likes, he will grab him.

[Geneva]

We don't need that much on offense. I would like to see one more very good WR, then work on the offensive line.. This will gives RG3 the time he needs to find the the open man.

I would then spend some free agency money on the defense. London is good for one or two more years. Like you I believe that they will cut Hall at the end

of the season..I have always believed that you should spend money on the team areas where you need the most help.

[DogofWar1]

Am I the only one who thinks that Polumbus has done a fantastic job?

I don't know about only one, but you're probably outnumbered.

FordRanger76 had a very good thread going about pass blocking and run blocking of each of the lineman: http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?370984-Fordranger76-s-Offensive-Line-Statistics-Thread

He had a year-to-date section at the top, and Polumbus was the only starter below 70% on pass blocking. He also was below 60% on run blocking, with a similar rating to Chris Chester.

Year to Date Stats (through week 7)

Pass Blocking

Trent Williams 165/194 85.0%

Kory Lichtensteiger 184/231 79.6%

Will Montgomery 206/231 89.1%

Chris Chester 181/231 78.3%

Tyler Polumbus 161/231 69.6%

Jordan Black 27/37 72.9%

Run Blocking

Trent Williams 151/185 81.6%

Kory Lichtensteiger 139/210 66.1%

Will Montgomery 149/210 70.9%

Chris Chester 122/210 58.0%

Tyler Polumbus 125/210 59.5%

Jordan Black 12/25 48.0%

Black, as we can see, is pretty terrible, so it's problematic that Polumbus is so close to him. Chester at the very least has respectable pass blocking stats.

I will agree that an upgrade for next year would probably be costly, but it's a necessity, most of the pressure RGIII is seeing when it's a failure of the Oline is coming from Polumbus' side. The biggest names in FA are Clady, Albert, and Baker. Clady will be extremely costly, so I don't really disagree that we should avoid him, and Albert will probably come at a cost too. Baker might not be too cost prohibitive. As for in the draft, the two ZBS guys who would be an immediate upgrade are Jake Mathews and Oday Aboushi. Mathews, if he even declares, is a 1st round talent who we won't get a shot at. Aboushi however, is going to go somewhere in the 2nd or 3rd.

It is dependent on how we address safety in the offseason, but Aboushi in the 2nd would improve the spot. Not necessarily hugely, but enough to help protect Griffin better, and his ceiling is much higher than Polumbus'.

We need to address RT in some manner in the offseason. Whether that's with a FA signing, a 2nd or 3rd round pick of Aboushi, or of a later pick who will probably not see the field until 2014, Polumbus is not fit to be the starter long term. He was, after all, brought in as Brown's backup, and is now starting in his absence.

[mi6]

We need skilled playmakers on both sides of the ball -- a #1 WR,and a #1 DB.

Then, I would go for a solid physical FS followed by a talented SS. This can be addressed thru FA.

OL and DL is where I would focus next. And, a young punter.

[darrelgreenie]

I think its harder to go from good to great then from bad to good.

[SWFLSkins]

I think its harder to go from good to great then from bad to good.

Then for the Redskins it should be easy, lol.

[slappy434]

If they do anything on offense other than O-line, they're crazy. Any argument that the O-Line this year is "playing well" is equally as crazy. The combination of play calling and RG3 is masking huge deficiencies for most of our starters. Sustaining drives and time of possession will win games and championships. Put a SOLID O-line together to protect RG3 and with different play calling/scheme along with RG3's talent will mask any deficiencies at other positions. The deficiency drop-off at those skill positions is much less than that of our current O-line. Protect RG3, give him a few more seconds per play to pass and we wouldn't need a Green/C. Johnson at receiver or a Gronkowski/Graham at TE.

By the same argument though, keeping opposing offenses off the field and preventing big plays also wins games and championships. Allowing teams to routinely score 50+ yard TDs won't get you very many wins. By adding the right pieces in the secondary, some of those plays don't happen, teams don't stay on the field, Redskins win at least 2 more games at this point.

In my mind it's all about balance. This coming off-season, additions are needed at Offensive Line & Defensive Back. If that happens, the Redskins become a perpetual force in the NFC starting 2013 or 2014 (assuming they continue to add players through keen evaluation and with balance in mind.

[DiscoBob]

The O'Line has been a pleasant surprise this year IMO. Part of that is the game planning and use of play action plus RGIII's mobility but still they are grading out as a pretty good line this year. We could certainly upgrade RT and maybe RG as well (although Chester has played much better the last couple of games) but overall its not an area in anywhere near as much need of upgrade as our secondary and pass rush IMO.

Much of the OL improvement is the effect of a mobile quarterback. Imagine how good he would be if we gave him as much time as the Giants OL give Eli?

[DiscoBob]

Without a #1 pick, they should target positions that historically produce starter level talent in lower rounds - OL, S, and LB

[MartinC]

Much of the OL improvement is the effect of a mobile quarterback. Imagine how good he would be if we gave him as much time as the Giants OL give Eli?

Football outsiders do a pretty good job grading OLines - some of the grading is subjective but so is just about grade you can give to OLine play. They rank our line at 15 in the NFL. Certainly room to improve and I totally agree RGIII really helps the line out. However in the context of his thread the needs at safety, corner and pass rushing DE seem rather more pressing IMO than RT (which is NOT to say RT is not a need).

[DiscoBob]

Football outsiders do a pretty good job grading OLines - some of the grading is subjective but so is just about grade you can give to OLine play. They rank our line at 15 in the NFL. Certainly room to improve and I totally agree RGIII really helps the line out. However in the context of his thread the needs at safety, corner and pass rushing DE seem rather more pressing IMO than RT (which is NOT to say RT is not a need).

I get that there are advanced statistics that can be examined, but I don't see how they can account for the differences in the way that a Dline has to play a team with a dual threat QB. Our pass blocking has only been passable IMO because the DL and LBers hesitate to all out rush because of the threat of running. Our OL was poor last year and I don't believe that Polumbus is a starting caliber OT...watching the way that the Giants DL was stumped because of RGIII's mobility has convinced me that he alters the way that they play a ton....which appears to improve the quality of our OL....

If our OL could give RGIII time in a traditional drop back scheme, I think we could be even that much more potent on offense...right now he has little time to make the reads before he needs to start moving around the pocket. He is good at doing so, so it doesn't appear to be a weakness, but if he had real time to throw, I think we would have a Brees or a Rodger like passing attack....

[Rpredskins]

With our 2nd round pick I'd like BPA among ILB, CB, S, and WR. Those are the 4 biggest needs imo. Yes we need a backup tackle but you don't spend a 2nd round pick on that when you have no 1st. I don't buy that our starting o-line is bad. Look at the run blocking, it has been above average.

WR may not seem like a huge need but look how much it paid off for the Giants drafting Cruz when they already had Nicks, or the Falcons drafting Julio Jones when they had Roddy White. Plus teams like Saints, Packers- the returns on investing in WR talent are high.

Obviously DB would be ideal though. To think Sean Taylor and Dirty 30 were once seen as the great safety tandem of the future....

[Voice_of_Reason]

The premise is based on the fact that RGIII in year 2, with most players returning, can't be a top 5 offense.

I think they can be. And they have stocked up on depth at OL in the last 2 drafts. Polumbus is playing better, so the urgent need to find a RT might be diminishing.

I think that they HAVE to find a way to shore up the back end of the defense. This team actually reminds me a little bit of the 49ers in the early 80's. They already had a pretty good offense with a young Montana at the helm, but their defense, and specifically their defensive secondary stunk. So, what did Walsh and company do? He spent 4 of his first 5 draft picks on DBs: Ronnie Lott, Eric Wright, Carlton Williamson, Lynn Thomas. That was 1981. 49ers won the SB that year.

Now, the 'Skins don't have a #1, so they can't pick up the best DB around, but they can make it a point of emphasis in the off season to pick up 3-4 secondary guys. I think the LBs, with Orakpo returning, even with London's age, should be ok. DL should be ok. They need to swap out 3 starters in the secondary: Hall, and both Safeties. Hall will be gone due to cap reasons anyway.

So, unless there is a hidden gem who's going to emerge, I'd be happy if they spent ALL of their resources on the defensive seconary. Because I believe that the offense can be top 5 with the pieces they have now. And a top 20 defense probably means they win 10 games.

[ddub52]

Just TWO safeties would do wonders for this team.

[Gart Monk]

In hindsight, if WAS spent their FA $ on defense this year instead of putting a premium on WRs, they would be in much better shape right now. 15, 88 & our "franchise tag player" are zero producers while the defense is in shambles. Allen/Shanahan have done a terrible job with three years of FA aquisitions. It pains me to see Charlie Caserly on tv. He is a skilled FA scout and should be involved in the Redskins FO.

In response to the OP, this defense needs to be addressed immediately. Green Bay barely won their ring against an overrated Pittsburgh team that didnt have the luxury of playing SEA or AZ for the title. December/January = Defense!

[Bacon]

Pick up an RT in the draft and maybe a good WR prospect and leave the rest be. The offense is more than adequate. With an even more mature, confident RG3, it can be sensational.

On D, we need someone on the line who can pass rush, MLB, and an entirely new secondary. Every position there could use help. Why ignore it simply because it's too **** to fix?

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Already voiced my opinion that we won't be in a position to compete for post-season play until 2014 at the earliest through outside factors in particular. ( http://www.extremeskins.com/showthread.php?372522-Why-we-can-t-compete-until-2014-at-the-earliest.-Maybe-2015.-All-through-little-fault-of-our-own. )

Preaching to the choir man. And stand tall against the same flack I took in that thread.

Hail.

[Widget_5]

Can you explain why preventing the opponent from scoring seven points is more important than scoring seven points if the goal is to win championships?

Because it doesn't matter how many points you can score, if you can't stop the opposing team from scoring, on the other hand if the other team can't score they can't win.

Would you rather each game be a shoot out & just hope & keep our fingers crossed that we get the ball last?

Again, wouldn't it be better to score 30+ points and the other team 0?

Please understand I'm not suggesting that we don't need to add to the offense or that it isn't important. I simply suggesting that with Pierre and Fred healthy & a reliable RT our offense is fine. But currently it is our defense which is lacking.

Of course the ultimate goal would be to have a balanced team No 1 Offense & No 1 Defense.

[Oldfan]

Because it doesn't matter how many points you can score, if you can't stop the opposing team from scoring, on the other hand if the other team can't score they can't win.

And, if you can't score, you can't win.

This statement was never true:

.... I believe the odd adage applies, Offense wins game, Defense wins championships.

This is a myth caused the factor called "ball control." The majority of championships have been won by teams with offenses that played the ball control game very well. As a result, their defenses were not on the field as much as those of other teams.

Grade A ball control offense will lower the score for BOTH teams. Thus, their defense looked good on the points rankings while the offense was usually not top ranked.

---------- Post added November-3rd-2012 at 02:20 PM ----------

And there is a chance the Skins already have the WR, but no chance that they have a #1 corner. So I agree with you, but I think they need to get the corner first. This offense, offense, offense and more offense is what they have now, Defense is needed to keep teams from outscoring your high flying offense.

Who has a chance to be a #1 WR? Garcon's Indy career stamps him unlikely. A real #1 would have the same effect for the offense that Orakpo and Kerrigan together had on the defense. It's fairly easy to game plan to stop one good receiver, but it's so much tougher to stop two.

[illone]

Reggie Wayne is not a #1 WR anymore.

Yea, he is.

[terpskins10]

Reggie Wayne is not a #1 WR anymore.

What's your definition of a #1 WR?

I'd say a guy who leads the NFL in receiving, with a rookie QB throwing to him, and no one else reliable on offense to take pressure off of him would qualify. Wouldn't you?