Get Excited, Get Optimistic & Get Real

It is a refreshing time to be a fan of the burgundy & gold; there is a new coaching team in place and across the roster there are plenty of guys who are legitimate breakthrough candidates.

Excitement, however, can be quickly extinguished when the reality kicks in that Washington are only at the start of this new era. There are skill gaps in vital positions on the field with both the Cornerback and TE/wide out group being obvious areas where Rome Cannot Be Built in a Day ™

The general analysis places the Redskins in the bottom tier of the NFL in 2020. For this consensus opinion to be proved wrong, a lot would have to go very right in Washington in a short space of time and fans, in the vast majority to believe the highest ceiling is likely 8 wins.

UKHTTR and our good analytical friend from across the pond, Kennedy Paynter, share a few thoughts across three categories – Get Excited, Get Optimistic and Get Real.

This UK website dedicated to an upbeat attitude to the team in D.C., let us kick off proceedings with Get Excited.

UKHTTR:

OK, so my first choice is a little bit obvious.

But you cannot be anything other than upbeat with the new team of Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio. Both these guys have been extremely impressive since arriving in Washington and, if you are choosing the coach-centric route, there are not too many better options than Ron to make a success of that pathway.

Rivera is clearly inspiring, has the evidence-based background of creating a winning culture in Carolina and working with a young (at the time) QB in Cam Newton. Without being disparaging to fired former Head Coach Jay Gruden, the Rivera brand of hard-nosed football is more in tandem with the Washington fan base culture and history.

After six years of bemoaning Washington being hamstrung by opponent coaching adjustments at half-time, I strongly suspect this is an area that the Redskins will immediately show improvement with Del Rio and Rivera at the helm.

My second pick for Get Excited must be the individual skill set, energy, and fear for the opposing QB that the overall number 2 pick in the draft Chase Young will bring.

If Chase can perform to the levels expected, whilst of course, the caution required for a rookie, Washington can take the leap from potential greatness on the defensive side of the ball to a legitimate nightmare to contend with.

Every podcast that has featured those who have coached Chase report in glowing terms of both the tangibles and intangibles of the Ohio State graduate. I will leave the last line on Chase from Urban Meyer, “God put together that guy,” Meyer said. “He said, ‘I’m going to make one of the best defensive ends to ever play college football.’ I think he is going to carry on in the NFL. He’s got it all.”

Kennedy:

The easiest way to get excited about this team is to look at the defensive front. I know, I know, we’ve been saying that the defensive front would be one of the best units in the league since drafting Ryan Kerrigan opposite Brian Orakpo, and more recently after drafting Jonathan Allen, DaRon Payne, and Montez Sweat in successive drafts.

This year, though, with real adults running the organisation and two rock-solid defensive coaches leading the way, I think we can fairly expect a ton out of this defensive front in 2020. I expect Kerrigan to ‘start’ on the outside across from Chase Young, but I expect Montez Sweat to take more snaps than Kerrigan by season’s end.

Physical freak DaRon Payne could surprise this year in a one-gap scheme, and the player I am watching most is Jonathan Allen, who has yet to live up to his top-five hype coming out of Alabama. I loved Allen coming out of school, and I think he could make a huge leap in his fourth season where he will be able to play 3-technique almost exclusively in Del Rio’s D.

Bonus: Watch out for Ryan Anderson. When he began to play strong-side ‘backer late in 2019, he really came on strong. I expect big things from him!

Moving onto Get Optimistic.

UKHTTR:

Perhaps a bit of a slept-on guy for my first choice. I have high hopes for Ryan Anderson, the second-round pick back in 2017.

A quick look at some important stats: Anderson doubled his QB hits from 2 in his rookie season to 4 in his sophomore. In 2019 this went up to 9. His sack total doubled from 2 in 2018 to 4 last year.

Ryan is not flashy or a particularly athletic guy, but his football instincts and potential clutch play will be a dream for the new coaching team. In fact, expect Ryan to be a future salary cap headache decision in 2021 as I predict another improved season in Washington.

My second choice for optimism is the most important position on any roster and quarterback Dwayne Haskins will be entering his sophomore season in D.C.

His play improved significantly down the back stretch of 2019, with clear indications of pocket strength and a rapport with rookie standout and former College team mate Terry McLaurin. The NFL is uncompromising, but trust in your guy under centre is critical and Rivera has given the former Ohio State star his full backing.

Ron was not tempted by his former QB Newton in free agency, but instead gave up a fifth for ex Panther Kyle Allen.

Enough to keep Dwayne on his now lighter toes given Allen’s knowledge of the Scott Turner offense, expect Haskins to make some further strides in 2020 and do not envisage Washington go QB in Draft 2021.

Kennedy:

Anderson and Haskins are solid players to be optimistic about in 2020, but I am going to look for a player that might surprise at wide receiver.

Former NC State stud WR Kelvin Harmon is not a burner and he doesn’t possess the quickness to separate on the outside-which is why he fell into the 6th round (206th pick) of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Harmon, however, is a player that might be utilized similar to the way DJ Moore and Chris Samuels were in Carolina, as he has a knack for finding space in underneath coverage and he blocks extremely well, allowing Scott Turner to line him up as an H-back, TE, or even RB in various formations.

No, Harmon isn’t as explosive as the two Panthers I referenced, but his versatility and willingness to do whatever coaches ask of him might find him a solid role in the new variable, motion-centred Redskins offense.

Bonus: The secondary; specifically, cornerback.

This organization pulled no punches when it went hard after WR Amari Cooper, and the team in general was very open about the happenings of free agency and players they spoke to.

Rivera was also very candid about the team’s needs when he took the job in January. One position hardly ever referenced? Cornerback. Now, this could be coincidence, or maybe the team did make a push for corners and just never found a deal to their liking, but I have a feeling that Rivera and Del Rio like some of the talent the team has at CB and believes that, when put in advantageous situations, that talent could be more than sufficient in their scheme.

UKHTTR:

Despite the positive mantra of UKHTTR, there must be a degree of caution with a team that finished 3-13. The Rivera disciplined approach and culture will not mesh for all in the building and return instant results.

There might even be some unexpected casualties along the way, for whom a different culture elsewhere suits better for their own personality traits and approach to the game.

My Get Real is maybe unfair, but I urge caution against any big-contracted players inherited by Rivera. The Landon Collins deal is not going to break a team who are extremely healthy cap wise in 2021 onwards and he is still a great age.

This is not to say that Landon will not play OK for the Redskins, but my Get Real is in relation to his likely performance in comparison to salary, and it’s here that I feel a reality check might be needed.

Kennedy: My Get Real isn’t going to be a popular one, and I certainly hope I’m wrong.

As a popular player in and out of the locker room and on and off the field, WR Terry McLaurin burst onto the scene and went from what many called a reach in the 3rd-round to a top-5 finisher in Rookie-of-the-Year votes.

Now that the league has a full year of tape on him, I suspect that he will have more brackets and/or double coverage thrown at him, and he might not get as many looks as he would need in order to have the receiving output many fans expect him to have. Turner’s offense is also very-much based in spreading the ball around, so I could see McLaurin’s output dip a bit in his sophomore season.

Don’t fret though, Redskins fans; add another ‘dude’ opposite him next year and the sky is the limit for this stud of a football player and, more importantly, stud of a human being.