Atlanta Falcons opponent Q&A: Washington Redskins Examiner Mark Newgent
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Matt Ryan, (AP Photo/Bill Feig)
The Atlanta Falcons return home to the Georgia Dome with a 4-3 mark, having lost two straight, and host the 2-5 Washington Redskins on Sunday.
The Redskins are the third team Atlanta has faced coming off their bye week. They are 1-1 in those matchups.
Washington Redskins Examiner Mark Newgent fielded some questions regarding Atlanta's Sunday opponent.
This will be the second game with Sherman Lewis as offensive coordinator. The first was a loss to Philly, 27-17. Is he making an impact at all? His unfamiliarity with the offensive personnel seems like it would be a detractor in his ability to successfully call plays. Is something about to happen with him and the offense? Surprisingly Lewis hasn't been a factor one-way or the other. Play calling isn't the issue with this team. I was surprised at the lack of logistical nightmares in that game. Lewis called the plays, related them to Sherm Smith, who then radioed them to Jason Campbell. However, after the game Jim Zorn revealed that Lewis called the passing game, while Smith called the run game, and Zorn said he "stuck his nose in there a couple of times." Many thought there would be a lot of delay of game penalties and wasted timeouts, but they never appeared. The problem is personnel and the poor construction of the roster i.e. no depth on an aging offensive line.
Statistically it looks like the defense is strong. 17.6 points per game, second fewest pass yards allowed per game, but the defense is only 22nd against the run. Atlanta is traditionally a run-first team. Does this bode well for Atlanta? Who are some of the playmakers on defense to look out for? I think it does bode well for Atlanta. The Redskins defense has been erratic against the run all season. They shut down Brandon Jacobs in New York but let the Lions run all over them. Defensive coordinator Greg Blache's operates a stop-the-run-first scheme, but has tweaked it recently to add more pressure and generate turnovers to help the moribund offense. Blache, however, may refocus on the run against the Falcons. Albert Haynesworth makes the defense the work; he draws double teams that allow his mates to make plays. Defensive end Andre Carter has benefited greatly from Haynesworth's presence tallying 6.5 sacks. Middle linebacker London Fletcher has a motor that won't quit. He is second in the league in tackles and is always around the ball.
Many Falcons fans remember DeAngelo Hall from his days with the Falcons. He'll often be recalled as a corner with a lot of talent, but even more desire to focus on himself. Many people called him MeAngelo or MeHall. Does that perception still follow him now that he's with his third team in Washington? Does he fit in there? Is he making an impact? Are you pleased to have him? DeAngelo is no longer MeAngelo, and he's fit in well here. He's from the Washington region and played his college ball at nearby Virginia Tech. Hall had an impact, especially with interceptions. However, he just doesn't know how to tackle. He allowed Jake Delhomme to make a game-sealing scramble in Week Five by blowing containment, and has just flat out whiffed on tackles. I wish one of the coaches would tell Hall you can't tackle with your back to the ball carrier. While, I'm glad for the interceptions, I still think it was money ill-spent in the off-season as the real roster deficiencies were on the offensive line not on what was the fourth-ranked defense in 2008.
The Redskins had a top-ten running game last season. This year they're 26th. Are the struggles mostly from Portis and Betts or the offensive line where two of the starters to begin the season are out? With out a doubt the offensive line. They can't run-block or pass protect. The two starters, LT Chris Samuels and RT Randy Thomas were keys to the pass pro and run blocking. Samuels is a six-time Pro Bowler, and Randy Thomas, who when healthy was an athletic guard who could pull with the best of them and pancake linebackers and defensive backs. Now they are done for the season, and in Samuels' case probably for his career. In the off-season the team identified the offensive line as the main reason behind the 2-6 collapse in 2008. Yet they failed to adequately address it. Sure they brought back LG Derrick Dockery, but there were significant doubts about Samuels' backup Stephon Heyer, and they brought in tackle Mike Williams, who at the time weighed over 450 lbs and hadn't played in the league since 2005. Guard Chad Rinehart, a third round pick in 2008, finally saw the field in 2009, but was demoted in favor of a Will Montgomery who has bounced around the league for three years.
What's the sense in Washington with Zorn? Is he a dead coach coaching or is there an idea that he has a future with the team? Zorn is in way over his head. You have to remember he was brought in as the offensive coordinator for a coach that wasn't in place yet. No one wanted the job so Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato elevated Zorn to head coach. Before this gig, Zorn did not even have a game's experience as a coordinator and bang he's now a head coach. When he was hired I thought he would end up being a net good for the team. However, in retrospect with this ownership and management, he didn't stand a chance. I will say this for Zorn; he is the reason behind Jason Campbell's improvement. Zorn knows how to coach and groom quarterbacks.
Washington sits, entering this game, at 2-5. They've shown in the past they're capable of putting strings of wins together. Is there a belief that this team still has life and can do that or are you already looking to next season? Yes they did put together win streaks to get into the playoffs (2005 and 2007) However both of those teams had a solid offensive line with a healthy Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas among others. Joe Gibbs was also the head coach. The first half of the Redskins' 2009 schedule featured five winless teams (six if you count the Giants in the opener) yet they only won two of those games. They rest of the schedule is tough featuring teams with a combined 38-20 record, including New Orleans, Denver, Dallas twice, Philadelphia and New York. I can easily see 2-14.
The fans are literally in open revolt, just Google "Burgundy Revolution."
I'm not looking forward to next season so much as I am hoping for Dan Snyder to realize his approach --going on a decade now--is a failure. He needs to cut bait, fire Vinny Cerrato, hire a real general manager and get out of the way.
Redskins Q&A with the Atlanta Falcons Examiner
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Atlanta Falcons opponent Q&A: Washington Redskins Examiner Mark Newgent
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