Jon Fox’s Questions:

1-What do you think of Jay Gruden so far?

Fox: I like him as a leader but am reserving my judgment as an offensive mind. His “no bull” attitude is exactly what they needed after the Shanahan Snakes and there’s just a sense that the players will fight for him instead of giving up. I’d like to see the real offense that he is going to run before I judge him on that.

Carr: I like Jay Gruden a lot so far. I love his energy in practice, the way he will line up across from DeSean Jackson or blitz against RG3. I also like the way he doesn’t involve himself as much with the media as Shanahan used to. He’s got plenty of weapons to make his offensive system work and I think he will do just that.

Fox: Before the final preseason game, Gruden was apparently doing suicide sprints with the players. Night and day difference between him and Shanahan.

2-Do the Redskins have a functioning secondary?

Fox: Not really, no. They’re really gambling that David Amerson can take a big step forward and lockdown one side of the defense. If he can’t, then they’re going to give up a ton of passing yards because the safeties are a total mess.

Carr:  It’s hard to say but I would have to lean towards a no. DeAngelo Hall had a fantastic season last year and David Amerson seems to have progressed a lot coming into his second season. Ryan Clark is a good veteran addition at safety, but not a long-term solution. Brandon Meriweather’s suspension to start the year doesn’t help either. The secondary will be better, but still not good.

Fox: Hall and Amerson can make big plays, but man they give up a ton of yards(and 3rd down conversions) between those big plays. They need someone who can just settle things down in the defensive backfield, either at slot CB or FS and they appear to be hoping that Breeland is that at Nickel back.

3-With RG3 and Trent Williams coming up for new contracts soon, what is Orakpo’s future with the team?

Fox: Bruce Allen is refusing to even discuss a long term deal with Orakpo, even after Orakpo offered to take what would essentially be half of what he demanded back in April. It’s the preseason, but Trent Murphy is seeing the field in sub packages in Orakpo’s spot with the 1st teamers. Unless Snyder overrules Allen, Orakpo will walk in a season.

Carr:  A lot of this depends on Orakpo’s performance this year. If he is able to put together a career year, his value will be much too high for the Redskins to keep him. However, if he puts up a lackluster season, the Redskins may be able to get him for a deal. It seems the Redskins are preparing for Orakpo to leave by drafting Trent Murphy. At this point in time, it is very unlikely that Orakpo will be wearing burgundy and gold next season.

Fox: I don’t think that they would have invested their first draft pick in Murphy if they didn’t intend on replacing Orakpo. Now it’s possible that Orakpo takes a below market contract around 5 years, 35 million and they let Kerrigan walk but I just don’t see it. Unless Orakpo blows out some part of his legs, he’d rather hit the open market and even take a one year deal to get a big one in 2016.

4-Who should be starting that isn’t?

Fox: Morgan Moses and Spencer Long should be starting over Tyler Polumbus and Chris Chester. Polumbus is very one dimensional, only thriving as a 2nd level run blocker and Chris Chester never has a dirty jersey it seems. I don’t know if Long/Moses can be reliable starters in the league, but I’m fairly certain that they can be better-by the end of the season-than Chester and Polumbus.  

Carr: I would love to see Morgan Moses and Spencer Long anchor the Redskins right side of the offensive line. However, that doesn’t mean that they are ready quite yet. I expect them to both be starting by the middle of the season, but not necessarily in Week 1. Rookie Ryan Grant seems to have starter potential, but won’t be able to get a lot of first team snaps as the Redskins are already loaded at the receiver position.

Fox: Grant is another rookie who’s looked fantastic, but that WR spot is so loaded that it’s going to be hard to see him getting a lot of playing time. I think that they see him as Garcon’s eventual replacemen t(Garcon is 28 now).  

5-Should we overreact to the preseason?

Fox: We shouldn’t have overreacted to the preseason last season when they went 4-0, looked great and then didn’t even win 4 games in the regular season. So we shouldn’t overreact now. It’s very questionable on how much of the real offense the Redskins have shown this preseason, but it does seem clear that the defense still has some issues. Signing Hatcher and finally getting Keenan Robinson on the field has shown that the run defense could be decent, but the secondary is still a mess.

Carr:  In no way whatsoever should we overreact to the postseason. The defense has been very good, which has given many fans hope. However, we will have to see how Jim Haslett’s different blitz packages work out moving forward. The offense has been poor to say the least, but that shouldn’t be a major cause for concern. Jay Gruden has been running a very vanilla offense throughout the preseason, with no real game planning or drawing up plays for certain players. The offensive has explosive potential, don’t expect to see more of what we have seen so far through the preseason.

Fox: The more and more I re-look the preseason, the more I believe that Gruden sees this season as a freebie: if Haslett’s defense struggles, they’ll rebuild it with a high 1st round pick next season and Gruden just wants to fix RG3 as a pocket passer on the offensive side of the ball. They certainly didn’t have any common themes with the first team offense and each game the calls were different.

Matt Carr’s Questions:

1-Which rookie will have the biggest impact in 2014?

Carr: For me the simple answer is Ryan Grant. Grant has had a superb camp and preseason. He runs great routes, seems to always lose defenders, and always catches the ball. Grant will have a tough time competing for snaps with guys like Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson, and Andre Roberts. However, Gruden has been very high on Grant’s abilities so we should see him get plenty of opportunities to prove himself.

Fox: Breeland. He’ll see the field more than any other rookie unless Moses or Long becomes a starter quickly. I also suspect that Breeland could jump ahead of Hall if he keeps giving up tons of yards.

2-What player will have a breakout season?

Carr: This one has to be Jordan Reed. The former Florida Gator excelled as a rookie last season in very limited action. He has the athleticism and body type to be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. And with guys like Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson on the outside, that leaves a lot of space in the middle for Reed. Reed will certainly get a lot of targets, especially in the red zone.

Fox: Andre Roberts for me. Roberts won’t see a single top CB(and probably not any 2nd best CBs) throughout the entire season. He’s going to play outside with Desean Jackson in the slot, so he’ll be isolated on a LB or SS 50% of the time. I would expect him to get 60+ catches for 900 yards.

3-Will we see the same Robert Griffin III that we saw in 2012?

Carr: It’s hard to say. The electrifying player that we saw win the Rookie of the Year award in 2012 was in a read-option based offense. Jay Gruden has already told reporters that the read-option will be used very rarely this season. However, what we will see is a more developed pocket passer who is not afraid to use his feet. Both Gruden and Griffin himself know that Griffin’s speed is a big part of what makes him special. Fans will be thrilled to see Griffin move out of the pocket to make plays, but he has to be cautious and protect himself.

Fox: I don’t think that they will simply because that offense is dead. You’ll still see them use some pistol offense but the read-option and designed runs for him are all but dead. I think you’ll see the Rg3 that drew comparisons to John Elway in this offense: a mobile guy who gets it out of his hands quickly. You will see some pass plays where he has the option to run(especially on 3rd downs and shorts or the red zone), but he’ll be less “electrifying” and more “productive.”

4-Who will be the change of pace back behind Alfred Morris?

Carr: Jay Gruden was very effective using a “thunder and lightning” type running back approach in Cincinatii with BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard. It is likely that Roy Helu Jr. has a good chance to win this job because of his ability as a runner as well as a pass catcher. However. Jay Gruden has been very high on second-year running back Chris Thompson. Thompson is immensely talented but has struggled throughout both his college and professional career to stay healthy. If Thompson can stay healthy and impress coaches in the final preseason game, he has a good chance to make the 53-man roster. If he’s able to make the roster, he has the ability to see a lot of playing time behind starter Alfred Morris.

Fox: Silas Redd is my guess. I don’t think that they’re married to Helu and they really liked Royster and Lache Seastrunk. Chris Thompson has some skills, but had some injury issues but Redd (an undrafted FA) had to show them a lot to beat out two guys that they drafted (the team, not Gruden and Allen). It will all come down to who can contribute as a receiver and as a pass blocker. Redd probably can beat out Thompson now and Helu down the line.

5-What three players are most likely to make the Pro Bowl?

Carr: For me, this is DeAngelo Hall, Pierre Garcon, and Alfred Morris. Hall had one of the best season of his career last season, and I expect him to continue that trend this year. Garcon, who lead the entire NFL in receptions last season, will still be the most targeted receiver on the team even with the additions of DeSean Jackson and Andre Roberts. Jay Gruden has already said that the team will need to lean on Morris while they adjust to the new offense. Expect a lot of carries for Morris in the same zone read scheme that he has already been so successful running in his first two seasons.

Fox: DeSean Jackson, Trent Williams and Jason Hatcher. Williams is all but a fixture at the pro bowl now and is legitimately in the discussion for “best OT in the NFC.” Jackson should enjoy a big season in the passing game to go with his strong name recognition. I also picked Hatcher because I think he’s primed for a big season as the focal point of the defensive front 7. Teams will be focusing their pass blocking on the outside rushers, so that should leave Hatcher facing more OGs and OCs pulling out than the OTs. If he gets 6+ sacks, he should be a lock for the Pro Bowl.

Bonus Question: Will the Redskins’ name change and if so, what to?

Fox: As long as it doesn’t affect Dan Snyder’s bottom line, it won’t change. If the protestors move from snarky tweets/Facebook posts to threatening his advertisers with a boycott, then he’ll consider changing it. Assuming that he’s forced to do so, he’ll probably change it to something approved by the Patawomek tribe (the DC area tribe of Natives who support the Redskins’ name) and shield the team from criticism by having them be a part of the team, especially on game days. This would allow him to keep the logo, colors, etc but have a similar protection that Florida State enjoys.

Carr: Unless they are physically forced to change the name, it is simply not going to happen. Owner Dan Snyder is sticking to the fact that the name promotes honor and bravery of Native Americans. The name comes with so many years of tradition. The question is, why hasn’t this been a problem for the last 70 years? The bottom line is: no name change will occur anytime soon, not as long as Dan Snyder is the owner anyway.

Final Prediction for the 2014 Season:

Fox: I said in my NFL preview that they would finish 8-8. Nothing’s changed for me. They’re going to score a lot of points, stop the run decently well and give up a ton of passing yards. At least they’ll be fun to look.

Carr: While I would like to be more optimistic, my prediction is that the Redskins will finish 7-9. It’s hard to believe that the defense will make a drastic improvement over last season, and I’m not sure how quickly Robert Griffin III will adjust to the new offense. The Redskins will be much improved from last year’s dreadful 3-13 season, but still not good enough to make the playoffs.

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About the author
Matt Carr
Matt has a passion for all things DC sports. Expect a lot of articles revolving around the Redskins, Wizards, Nationals, and Capitals.