themurf Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 (photo by Brian Murphy) 5. Pierre Garcon, receiver - Sure, Garcon was the closest thing to a big-name free agent the Washington Redskins acquired last offseason -- landing a five-year, $42.5 million deal to come to our nation's capital, but the second act of his career didn't exactly start off as planned. Garcon announced his arrival with a stunning 88-yard catch and run against the New Orleans Saints in the season opener, and then was basically a non-factor for the next two months thanks to a lingering toe injury. Things looked so bleak for a while there that more than a few folks were advocating shutting him down and placing him on the injured reserve list. Thankfully, the Redskins coaching staff is more than happy to ignore the so-called experts and Garcon was able to get his groove back just in time to help the burgundy and gold make an improbable playoff run down the stretch. In the last four games, Garcon has begun to show that he's fully capable of being the number one receiver by hauling in 23 catches for 340 yards and three touchdowns. If the fifth-year pro was able to sustain that level of production over the course of an entire season, he'd have 92 catches for 1,360 yards and 12 touchdowns. That's called getting it done. 4. Will Montgomery, center - Be honest, unless you're related to an offensive lineman, you went into this season believing the Redskins had a stud left tackle and a bunch of spare parts along the line. That's because blue-collar guys like Chris Chester, Kory Lichtensteiger, Tyler Polumbus and Will Montgomery aren't exactly household names and the only time their names are typically ever mentioned is when someone is ****ing and moaning because one of them blew an assignment. But a funny thing has happened this season -- Washington's offensive line is no longer viewed as a complete liability and some of the guys in the trenches have even begun to earn praise instead of scorn, for their play on Sundays. Williams, of course, continues to perform as one of the premiere left tackles in all of football. But the biggest surprise along the offensive line has been the play of the man in the middle. Montgomery's play has been so consistently solid all season long that he's been a staple of ESPN's All-NFC East team all season long and Pro Football Focus lists him as the second best center in the entire NFL (trailing only Minnesota's John Sullivan). 3. Rob Jackson, outside linebacker - When Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Orakpo was lost for the season after tearing his pectoral muscle Week 2, reasonable people wondered if the Redskins defense would ever be able to pressure opposing quarterbacks against this year. Conventional wisdom suggested opponents who double or triple teamed outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan would effectively eliminate Washington's pass rusher entirely. And for a while there, it seemed like that would indeed be the case in 2012. Initially, the coaching staff seemed to admit that no one on the roster was capable of filling the void created by Orakpo's loss and was prepared to play out the rest of the season with a platoon of linebackers rotating in and out of the lineup. And then Jackson said enough is enough. Next thing you know, the 2008 seventh-round draft pick had transformed himself from an afterthought fighting for a roster spot to Washington's secret weapon on defense. These days, he's basically good for a key play or two every game -- like, for example, his game-changing interception on the second play of the second half in Cleveland. Considering his college career began at some place allegedly called Fort Scott Community College in Kansas (he played there for two years before transferring to Kansas State), it's safe to say Jackson took the road less traveled on his way to becoming an NFL player. Judging by his play this season though, it's safe to say he's here to stay. 2. Alfred Morris, running back - Okay, okay, I know head coach Mike Shanahan has made a career of turning guys you've never heard of into highly-productive running backs over night. But here's the thing, anyone who witnessed Shanahan's first two seasons in Washington had a right to wonder if that trait never made it out of Denver. In 2010, the Redskins ground game ranked 31st in attempts, 30th in yards and 24th in touchdowns. In 2011, the Redskins ground game ranked 25th in attempts, 25th in yards and 26th in touchdowns. This season, the Redskins ground game ranked fourth in attempts, first in yards and third in touchdowns, and a large reasons for that production is Morris. Sure, having a dual threat quarterback like Robert Griffin III is obviously going to help keep defenses honest, but Morris has absolutely made his presence felt during his rookie campaign. The sixth-round pick entered training camp with little fanfare as most people thought he'd simply be an extra body competing with the likes of Roy Helu Jr., Evan Royster and Tim Hightower for playing time. Hell, even Morris admitted he didn't think he'd step onto the field during the first month of the season. And now the 24-year-old is 194 yards away from setting the franchise's single season rushing record. Not the rookie record. The all-time single season rushing record. That's because Morris rushes with a purpose. He's humble, he's hungry and, best of all, he's thrilled to be playing for the team he grew up rooting for. 1. Kyle Shanahan, offensive coordinator - Even after the Redskins had traded away a bevy of draft picks for the chance to draft Griffin, the so-called experts remained unconvinced Washington was the ideal fit for RGIII. The lazy narrative making the rounds in the weeks leading up to the season was that the Shanahan clan simply had too much of an ego to alter their offense to maximize Griffin's insane talents. If you listened to a good chunk of the national media, then you had to be all but certain the powers that be in Washington were going to ruin Griffin before he ever had a chance to show the world what he had to offer at the pro level. And then the season started, and it was instantly apparent that those people didn't know what in the world they were talking about. Instead of asking the Heisman Trophy winner to do his best Rex Grossman or John Beck impression, they went the other way completely -- embracing all of the "gimmicky college stuff" that the experts also said could never work in the NFL.* *Basically what I'm trying to say is -- these experts aren't really experts as all, so stop paying them any attention when they pick the Redskins to go 2-14 every year. The absolute best development of the 2012 season has been watching a Redskins offense that never seemed to get going the previous two seasons magically transform into a well-oiled machine capable of marching up and down the field on anyway at any time. If a defense tries to take away the run, Griffin beats them with his arm. If they try to take away the pass, RGIII or Morris pick up chunks of yards at a time on the ground. Simply put -- the rest of the NFL is forced to make their best guess what's coming next because the younger Shanahan has turned the Redskins into the team no one wants to play. Rumors are already circulating that Kyle Shanahan might be viewed as a potential head coaching candidate this offseason. Let's hope that's not the case. Not because I don't want to see him continue to grow as a coach, but because 'Skins fans are just now starting to see what this team is truly capable of and it'd be a shame if he was stolen away before everyone had a chance to enjoy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins island connection Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I was a bit surprised to see/hear of Garcon's signing and didn't think it was a wise decision. My initial thoughts of Garcon were him being the byproduct of a high-powered offense with Manning and opponents double covering Wayne, Harrison and Clark, thus leaving him open. Boy was I wrong. He has been a huge benefit to the team, and with an aging Moss who is still effective but can be an impact player, a group of receivers who were for the most part under-achieving but have begun to pick their game up some, the overall receiving corp looks promising, but still needs work. But the single most revealing aspect of this season is this; teams are no longer looking at the Redskins as a pickup game, but are taking them seriously. When the defensive issues can be corrected, the Redskins will be a top 3 team in the league, and thats a great feeling... SIC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rskin72 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Nice list, well thought out. Of those you mentioned, I thought Garcon would be a stud.....so am glad to see that others (not necessarily you) are finally seeing that when healthy, he can be a legit #1 WR. Guess if I had to pick a couple of different "suprises", I would also mention: 1. Kai Forbath - seems as if we may have finally found a kicker. While he was not on the roster opening day, he was added to the team after the Cundiff fiasco, and has certainly made the most of his opportunity. While he can certainly improve on his kick-off's, no problems at all with FG's regardless of distance or situation. He has been a find, and a suprise that he has been so consistent, and so good. 2. RGIII - sure, we all hoped he would be as special in the NFL as in college. But, I read many opinions on several boards, and listened to several "experts", who were all predicting gloom and doom for our #1 pick. While I thought RGIII would develop into a star for us, I certainly did NOT think he would come into the league and be as good as he has been. Granted the offensive scheme has helped here, but RGIII (from all accounts) has not merely rested on his athletic ability, but has put in the time and effort in practice, and in film study, to seperate himself from other lesser QB's. How shocked were most of us when we went into NO opening week and our offense put up 30+ points? Who would have thought that he would have the second highest QB rating in the NFL in Dec? Who would have guessed that he would have thrown 18 TD's and only 4 picks, and this without his #1 WR and #1 TE for much of the season? And....who would have thought that he would become the most electric player in the NFL even before the final game of his rookie campaign? So....maybe he is not a big suprise, but a suprise nonetheless that he is achieving the level of success with this team, in his rookie season. The only reason why this is not a bigger deal is that there are two other rookie QB's that are also far exceeding expectations. 3. The team's character/composition - after the panthers loss, and the statements of Shanahan.....I thought we were done for the season. With a 3-6 record, and the bulk of the NFCE schedule in front of us......I figured we were heading for another 4 or 5 win season, and was sure the Lambs were looking forward to their high first round draft pick as a result. I mean, how many times over the past several seasons has this team let us down game after game? Why was there reason to hope when we allowed the panthers to beat us at home? Well, I don't know what happened during the bye week, but the team has come out since and won 5 straight. We have beat dullass on T day in their stadium, we have beat the gnats by playing ball possession at the end of the game and running out the clock, we have beat the buzzards in a comeback for the ages with our second string rookie QB, and we went into cleveland....a potential trap game....and won...again with our second string QB. With all the key injuries and suspensions that we have endured, it seems as if this team is resilient, has heart, and is mentally tough. That speaks volumes about the type of player that the coaching staff have chosen to bring onboard to play for the Redskins. Really regardless of what happens over the last couple of games, I think this year has been a success, and has me looking forward to the possibilities for this team over the next several seasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
celticsalmon Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Robert Griffin III- Everyone had a sense of how good he could be- but he'd played beyond anyone's wildest expectations. His courage, leadership and maturity are some of the intangibles that he brings to the team-and an infectious will to win! HTTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckus Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Great list. My 5( would Kai Forbath if I could squeeze one more onto the list. He was an enormous surprise. Not even on our team to start the season. Signed mid-season off the street. How many of us expected him to come in and immediately be the most accurate and reliable kicker we have had in years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themurf Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 I would also mention:1. Kai Forbath - seems as if we may have finally found a kicker. While he was not on the roster opening day, he was added to the team after the Cundiff fiasco, and has certainly made the most of his opportunity. While he can certainly improve on his kick-off's, no problems at all with FG's regardless of distance or situation. He has been a find, and a suprise that he has been so consistent, and so good. Honestly, I struggled with keeping him off the list because he has been clutch all season long, but I couldn't talk myself into bumping him off the list in favor of any of the other five guys. Forbath has been awesome, and I guess I could have had six names on the list -- although that doesn't sounds nearly as catchy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingdaddy Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Getting rid of Casey Rabach and handing the job to Montgomery was a huge move for the offense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaGoonie55 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Great post. I think the list is fine as written. It is also important to note that our defense is playing really well considering the injuries that have plagued them. Hail! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gortiz Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Pierre - you got to think that he would have a good year after putting up the numbers he did with Curtis Painter as his QB. But sure, i did not think he would be a game changer. That is what he is. Will - man, I don't watch the OL enough to even fake a response here Rob Jackson- I guess so, but he's really only turned it on the last few games right? I mean, he was non existant for several week after becoming a full time starter. I say if he keeps up this level of play through week 17, than yeah, big suprise. Alfred - just playing devils advocate, because no one saw this coming and Alfred has been a god send, but really, he's just another low round draft pick among several that Mastermind has been able to find and get major production from. Kyle - Kyle had this in him, he really did. I mean, we all knew what he did in Houston. I think the way he has gone about it, by changing and adapting, well, yeah that's a big surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Getting rid of Casey Rabach and handing the job to Montgomery was a huge move for the offense. As was Lichtensteiger over Dockery, a move the media here went crazy about, specifically Brian Mitchell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RBClintonPortis Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I think RGIII has to be on this. I know I personally had sky high hopes but not 20th in the league in rushing (after missing a game mind you), didn't see legit periphery NFL MVP talk, playoffs and NFC East in sites at Xmas, 18-4 TD to INT rating, NFL 4th leading Offense. I didn't see that in 2012, though I hoped it, and that is a surprise. I love Jacksons's fire but Perry Riley. Perry Riley is just an inch under London on all the stats and is only 2 sacks behind Jackson (& has 3Xish as many tackles). Riley is very quietly having a pretty monster year. If you told me in August the redskin defensive MVP talk should seriously discuss the merits of it being Riley I would say you were nuts. But it is not nuts and that is a surprise to me bigger than Jackson's emergence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsciambi Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I'd like to throw Lorenzo Alexanders's name out there. He's an absolute animal. It's almost a given that if there's a big hit on ST, it's from him. Heck, he's almost always first to the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHendrix Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 As was Lichtensteiger over Dockery, a move the media here went crazy about, specifically Brian Mitchell. That was as much about scheme as it was replacing an older player with a younger one. Dock is just not mobile enough to play in the Shanahan blocking scheme. I'd like to throw Lorenzo Alexanders's name out there. He's an absolute animal. It's almost a given that if there's a big hit on ST, it's from him. Heck, he's almost always first to the ball. My favorite role player of all time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexey Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 London Fletcher is not a surprise, but I think he deserves a mention. #10 in the league in tackles btw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TSO Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 That was as much about scheme as it was replacing an older player with a younger one. Dock is just not mobile enough to play in the Shanahan blocking scheme. Not sure why you thought that's what I meant there. And I know, but that didn't matter to anyone who criticized the move incessantly. They clearly knew better than Shanahan. Especially when Korey struggled his first few starts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC9 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Perfect list Brian. I was hoping you'd even have Kyle on it. Good job and good write up as usual! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedBNG Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 One of my biggest surprises as of lately isn't any one coach or player, but simply the halftime adjustments on both O and D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
illone Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Id love to see kyle shanahan stick around for awhile. This offense is only going to get better. Kyle + rg3 = many years of winning. I gotta think that kyle wouldnt want to leave this situation, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC9 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Rob Jackson- I guess so, but he's really only turned it on the last few games right? I mean, he was non existant for several week after becoming a full time starter. I say if he keeps up this level of play through week 17, than yeah, big suprise. Only to the untrained eye... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HighOnHendrix Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 One of my biggest surprises as of lately isn't any one coach or player, but simply the halftime adjustments on both O and D. That's a really good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theismann07 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 One of my biggest surprises as of lately isn't any one coach or player, but simply the halftime adjustments on both O and D. That's a really good point. One of the signatures of the great Gibbs teams. Haven't seen it for awhile in these parts, so it's nice to see. Like everything else lately, this is something that is part of the whole thing coming together for the Redskins. Great list by the way. Can't disagree with any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burgold Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 I think anyone who doesn't list a winning record as a surprise is either a super homer or a liar. We don't have a winning record yet, but we can't have a losing one and that is amazing given a rookie quarterback and getting salary capped like we did by Mara. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor ToughLove Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Talk about a big surprise! If you had offered me a $100 bet on each of these before the season started, hope as I may, I would *never* have taken a bet on any single one, much less all five at once. (And I don't know anyone who would have) This has become a "never say never" team. #1 GRIFFIN - rookie QB might make the ProBowl. WOW! #2 MORRIS - rookie RB might break the franchise seasonal rushing record. WOW! #3 O.LINE - would support the NFLs #1 rushing offense. WOW! #4 FORBATH - first year kicker might have a perfect season, 15 out of 15 field goals. WOW! #5 COUSINS - a rookie backup QB would have a QB rating of 101 in relief. Wow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chipwhich Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 To me one of the top 5 would have to be the play of RG3 the QB. I mean he is a rookie QB. Odds were against him. There have been tons of heralded QB's, throw in the Heisman curse. I never expected RG3 to put up the numbers he did. RG3 makes our oline better. So the surprise shouldn't be with an olineman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HA1LV1CT0RY Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 Great read! Those five are definitely interchangeable. Kinda stunned Cobra Kai isn't on that list, the unsung hero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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