LANDOVER, Md. -- A few things I picked up re-watching the Washington Redskins' 22-18 win over the New York Jets on Friday:
Linebacker Preston Smith continued his almost-there plays, where he gets close enough to cause pressure but that’s about all. He’ll benefit quite a bit from the secondary’s ability to cover, assuming they play as the Redskins hope. Smith could use that extra three-tenths of a second to finish plays; if he doesn't get it, then there could be a lot of almost plays this year. Smith has a harder time winning with just speed off the edge; it’s hard for him to get that low. But often when he applies pressure it’s because of his hands. That’s what happened Friday; when he applied heat it stemmed from getting his hands quickly into the chest and not wasting time with stutter-steps. Then he could get around the corner or inside.
I put corner Kendall Fuller as having been “Down,” and I certainly don’t think he should be up. When you’re a third-round pick facing receivers at the end of the depth chart, you should win quite a bit. Fuller had his moments where he won and lost. He was beaten on a deep ball and gave up too much cushion on a slant. He recovered to strip the latter pass, though if it was against a better receiver there might have been bigger issues. But what I really like about Fuller is that he never gives up on a play and he doesn’t carry the good or bad into the next snap. After he was beaten, he responded by deflecting a pass. It speaks to his competitiveness, and that’s what you build on. Guys will get beat, but do they compete? Fuller trails Dashaun Phillips as the top slot corner, but that competitiveness will carry him far.
Will Blackmon said he learned a valuable lesson last week, and it helped him this week. It wasn’t just about the interception -- Thank you kindly for the gift, Geno Smith; yours truly, Will -- it was about just doing his job. Here’s what Blackmon said he learned after the Atlanta game: “I tried to play real disciplined this week. Last week I was a little nervous playing safety for the first time. I was just out there trying to make plays, and usually when you try to make plays you end up not doing well and making mistakes. Last week on one play I left (Quinton Dunbar) out to dry when I dove on one (route) when (I) should have stayed in the post. This week it was about playing disciplined football and playing my rules.”
One thing I like about a few of the other young players: They bring some energy. It’s not just Su'a Cravens, who had a relatively quiet night (though he blitzed off the edge one time, hitting the quarterback as he threw), it’s also linebacker Martrell Spaight. Even safety Deshazor Everett, though most of his stems from special-teams play. But each clearly likes what they do. Now they just need to get Cravens focused as much on doing his job as anything. He’s bitten hard on some play-action bootlegs the first two weeks, and on one Friday, he ran to the inside, sprinted up to the hole and then realized he should drop. Meanwhile, the play led to an easy completion over his head.
Perhaps the toughest battle for a roster spot on defense will be at inside linebacker. It’s likely that the Redskins will only keep five, and here are the top six competitors: Spaight, Cravens, Will Compton, Mason Foster, Perry Riley and Terence Garvin. It could come down to how comfortable they are with special teams -- it could make Garvin expendable since he really doesn’t project as much from the line of scrimmage. The Redskins will keep four outside linebackers and, to me, Willie Jefferson is intriguing as the fourth guy. He doesn’t always use his length well, but when he does he shows he could be worth developing. It’s hard to find length. Jefferson has applied some pressure in the two games.
