Role Reversal

Will the Real RGIII Please Stand Up?

By Max Berger

 

Jonathan Newton, The Washington Post

Expectations were sky high in the nation’s capital after the Washington Redskins finished the 2012 season with a 10-6 and won the NFC East. Led by last year’s Rookie of the Year winner, Robert Griffin III, and head coach Mike Shanahan, in his third season with the team, the ‘Skins surprised everyone and made the playoffs for the first time since

2007.

With a whole season under RGIII’s belt and an offseason to build off of last year’s success, they were one of the popular picks to repeat as division winners this season; however, it’s code red in the oval office of Shanahan as RGIII and his squad have limped their way to a 3-7 record and are currently fourth place in the division.

Why?

Last year Washington was fifth in the NFL in total offense, ranking fourth in points and first in rushing due to the dynamic duo of Griffin and fellow rookie Alfred Morris. This year? Different story…the Redskins ranks 15th in points per game. Even though they are still third in the league in rushing yards, the most glaring drop off in the numbers is from the aforementioned quarterback RGIII.

2012: 65.6% completion percentage (third), 3200 yards (20th), 20 TD passes (t-19th), 102.4 passer rating (third)

2013 (through week 11): 59.7% completion percentage (21st), 2714 yards (eighth), 14 TD passes (t-12th), 86.3% passer rating (18th)

Although he is on pace to surpass the previous season’s passing yardage and touchdowns totals, his regression in completion percentage and QB rating are telling signs that he has been a less-efficient quarterback in 2013. 

After suffering a torn ACL in the Wild Card round of playoffs last year when the ‘Skins fell to the Seahawks, Griffin has not been the same player after this injury. He is a very-skilled passer, especially on his deep balls, but for a quarterback who relies heavily on his mobility to keep plays alive and plants his leg hard to drive the ball down the field, a significant injury like the one he suffered last season seriously compromises his style of play. It still remains to be seen whether or not RGII can regain his confidence and return to his rookie-year form.  

The Redskins struggles on offense have contributed to the team’s poor performance, but their defense, or lack thereof, has been an equally big concern. Even in last season’s division-winning campaign, the defense wasn’t among the league’s best, allowing the fifth most yards and 11th most points in the NFL, but this season it has been worse.

Now, Washington’s Department of Defense has allowed the third-most points in the league, which is surprising considering that former Pro Bowl linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan rejoined the unit this season after both missed significant time with injury in 2012.

The return of these two studs on defense, coupled with one of last season’s best offenses in the league, was reason for people to believe in the future of the Redskins; however, both sides of the ball have taken a step back and this doesn’t look like a temporary problem or easy fix.

I believe there is more hope for the defense to improve than the offense because after his injury, RGIII will never be the same player he was in his inaugural season in maroon and gold. This may sound dramatic, but a mobile quarterback with a taxing style of play who suffered a serious injury early in his career is both more susceptible to future injuries and less likely to have a sustainable, successful career for years to come.

Which season is the fluke: 2012’s playoff team or 2013’s fourth-place team?

The next chapter in this story is yet to be completed, but don’t be surprised to see some serious changes in D.C. if the beloved Redskins fail to turn around their season.

NFC East Division Overview

Another NFL Season has Finally Arrived

By Max Berger

Charlie Riedel / AP

Through the first two weeks of the season, one thing is for sure – the NFC East is no longer the NFC beast. The 2012 division champs Washington Redskins and the never-say-die New York Giants are both 0-2, while the Dallas Cowboys and the new-look Philadelphia Eagles sit at 1-1 with some major issues to address. Although coming into the season most experts expected the ‘Skins, Cowboys and Giants to compete for the division title and playoff spots (this seems to be a developmental year for the Eagles), none of last year’s twelve playoff teams started the year 0-2. All four teams have an uphill battle to make the playoffs, but let’s take a closer look, starting with last year’s division champions:

           

This was supposed to be “the year” for the Redskins as people in sports call it—the year where key players are in their prime and everything should culminate into a Super Bowl victory at season’s end. Transcendent quarterback Robert Griffin III, last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, coming off of offseason knee surgery implored that he was healthy and ready to build off of last year. Also, a stout Washington defense a season ago welcomed back healthy linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, two former Pro-Bowlers, to the mix; however, this season has been far from “the year” so far. RGIII is current ranked 31st in QBR and has already thrown three interceptions after throwing just five in 2012. Defensively, the ‘Skins have been historically bad, ranking dead last in the NFL and giving up the most yards in league. How bad? Washington has given up 1,023 yards in the first two games, second most yards allowed in NFL history through two games. As if there wasn’t enough turmoil in the nation’s capital already, this team should hit the panic button soon.

           

Next, the enigma that is the New York Giants. Every year after slow starts, the fans call for Coughlin’s head despite him winning two Super Bowls with Big Blue. Eli Manning has been, well, Eli Manning so far this season, one yard away from leading the league in passing yards but throwing a league-high seven interceptions thus far (the next closest QB has thrown four). No one can doubt his talent and his late-game abilities, but he makes some absolutely head-scratching decisions with the football at times. Fantasy football experts drooled over running back David Wilson’s potential this season but thus far the Virginia Tech product has been plagued by fumbling issues. The defense gave up a late touchdown and 36 points to the Cowboys in week one and got torched by the better Manning and the Broncos in week two for 41 points. This week’s matchup against Carolina is a must win for the G-men if they want to get this season back on track.

           

All was quiet in Dallas this offseason…except not at all. The Cowboys and their charismatic owner Jerry Jones had very high expectations heading into the season, like always, but some think this is the year the team breaks through and makes a postseason run. So far, again like always, there has been good and bad with “America’s team.” They impressed in week one, winning a 36-31 shootout shootout over the aforementioned Giants, but in week two they fell in a close 17-16 loss to the upstart Kansas City Chiefs. After a quiet week one, big-play wide receiver Dez Bryant exploded against the Chiefs for nine catches, 141 yards and a touchdown, and the Cowboys will need this kind of production and consistency from him each week if they want to reach their full potential. With all of the young-star quarterbacks in the league right now, Tony Romo is flying under the radar and playing some good football, ranking 12th in the league in QB rating. If they can limit mistakes on offense and the big plays on defense, this is a talented, hungry team that’s ready to pounce in a weak NFC East.

           

Catch your breath, it’s time to talk about the high-flying Philadelphia Eagles. Good news:  Head coach Chip Kelly’s offense is ranked second in the league. The Birds are second in total yards, rush yards and third in scoring. Most importantly, Kelly has once again made Michael Vick a relevant NFL and fantasy quarterback again, as he boasts the third highest QB rating and, most importantly, has no turnovers yet this season. Additionally, running back LeSean McCoy and wide receiver DeSean Jackson lead the league in rushing and receiving, respectively. This trio in Kelly’s fast-paced offense should continue to produce throughout the season. Bad news: the Eagles have to play defense too. The D has given up the third-most yards and fifth-most points allowed this season. These Birds are fun to watch and will be involved in some exciting shootouts this season, but the team cannot expect to contend until the defense can stifle its opponents.

           

Overall trend in the NFC East, and throughout the entire NFL: defenses are nowhere to be found, besides in Seattle, as offenses are destroying the record books. The division is not at its best this year, but it should be entertaining on and off the field as always. Someone has to win and someone has to lose, so here’s the prediction on how everything plays out:

1.     Dallas Cowboys (10-6)

2.     New York Giants (8-8)

3.     Philadelphia Eagles (7-9)

4.     Washington Redskins (6-10)

What Makes RG III Special?

By Thomas Rende

Three things that can be associated with Thanksgiving are football, food, and family. Pretty simple, right? When you mesh these things together you get an interesting concoction of raw and powerful opinions. True feelings that help paint a picture of a situation or a nugget of some real insight. A relative did that for me on this Thanksgiving.

AP Photo/ Patrick Semansky

“He will not win a Super Bowl before Andrew Luck. Michael Vick and Randall Cunningham never won a Super Bowl. I’ll take a Roger Staubach or a Joe Montana over them any day of the week.”

The player my relative is referring to, Robert Griffin III, is the most interesting QB in the NFL. The best part of this argument is the fact that he doesn’t see the biggest difference in the short career of RGIII compared to those other QB’s: he’s accurate.

At this moment in the season, RGIII has a completion percentage of 67.1%, which ranks him fifth in the NFL. His completion percentage for the season, if it ended today, would be the 35^th best for a QB during a full season. Michael Vick has only had a completion percentage over 60% once in his career and the same can be said for Randall Cunningham. Having consistency in the passing game is the one dynamic that has eluded the explosive dual threat QB’s in the past.

If the Shanahan’s in Washington can continue to tailor the offense through RGIII we may see one of the best QB seasons from a dual threat QB ever. I forgot to mention the fact that he is a rookie, so this won’t be that last time that you get to watch him tear up an opponent on the national stage. 

Quarterbacks Shine in Week 6

Aaron Rodger's historic day proves that star-studded quarterback play is still essential in fantasy football

(AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

By Gabriella Rusk 

At this point in the season, the fantasy breakout stars have, well, broken out. While everyone hopes to find one on the waiver wire such as the tall terrific tight end, the wonderfully wise wide receiver, the reckless yard returning running back, the truth is there isn’t too many star sleepers left to be awoken. All that’s left are spectacular performances from the players more or less expected to have great seasons. Guys that are picked early in the fantasy league’s draft finally are proving themselves worthy of that coveted roster position. And those guys are the quarterbacks.

Good ol’ Aaron Rodgers is a prime example. The first round fantasy quarterback threw for six touchdowns and 338 yards against the Texans on Sunday night, tying a team record. The 2011 NFL MVP remains a primer fantasy quarterback after a slow start in 2012.

Then there’s Peyton Manning who proved on Monday night that he is still a quarterback to be reckoned with. He threw for 3 touchdowns and 309 yards, leading the Broncos back from a 24-0 halftime deficit to win the game 35-24. It was the fourth-greatest regular-season comeback in NFL history, according to CBSsports.com.

Despite losing to the Titans, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw for 363 yards to become the franchise’s all-time passing leader. In his career, Big Ben has thrown for 28,066 yards, making him an elite quarterback in both the NFL and fantasy football.

To cap it off, Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, who suffered a concussion last week, had a 76 yard rushing touchdown, breaking the NFL record for the longest touchdown run by a quarterback.  RG3 cashed in once again for his fantasy owners this week as he continues to dominate NFL defenses.

But fantasy football leagues remain wide open with eight weeks left to go before Week 14 playoffs. With NFL records still waiting to be broken, fantasy owners hope they are one up’d by players on their roster.