The season is finally over. Now begins the LONG off-season.
The Redskins home loss to the Eagles on Sunday punctuated a season in turmoil. The Skins, in front of a home crowd filled with Eagles fans, could muster just 89 yards of total offense, while Greg Manusky’s defense continued to allow receivers and running backs wide open flats to catch and run all over.
Below are my Studs and Duds of the game.
Studs:
Tress Way - The Redskins punter averaged almost 45 yards per boot, and threw the best pass of the game by any Redskins player on a called fake punt that went for a first down.
Deshazor Everett - Starting in place of former safety D.J. Swearinger, Everett played very well, recording eight tackles, a pass defended and an interception.
Shaun Dion Hamilton - Dion Hamilton continued to show he’s the best linebacker on the team, recording eight tackles, one sack, one tackle for a loss, and two quarterback hits. The rookie has played great over the second half of the season, and he’s a player to watch this off-season.
Duds:
Josh Johnson - Johnson was horrible on the day, going 12-27 for 91 yards and an interception. His passes were off the mark from the get-go, and he looked uncomfortable in the pocked and on the move. If this was his final audition for any NFL team next year, he may have shot himself in the foot.
The Offensive Line - The unit collectively played horrible. It looked as though they were playing to NOT commit penalties all game. Their run blocking was weak, they were not firing off the ball, and they allowed the Eagles defensive linemen to basically set up camp in the backfield all game.
The Wide Receivers - I’ve said it all year; this group has a hard time getting open. It happened again Sunday, although Josh Johnson didn’t help matters by not getting guys the football when they did manage to break free from coverage.
Preston Smith - Did he even play? Yeah, I know he was on the field...but did he actually PLAY?
Josh Norman - We are paying this guy a LOT of money to make plays. He’s not doing his job!
Jay Gruden - He went into the game knowing what he had to work with on offense - this was no surprise. The fact that his team produced just 89 yards of total offense and no scores is simply embarrassing. If Jay is retained for 2019, he needs to find an offensive play-caller.
Bill Callahan - I’ve seen enough of him in D.C.!
Greg Manusky - This guy has no business being a defensive coordinator in the NFL. His schemes lack imagination and deception, his blitzes are ill-timed and rarely get home, and he continues to allows offenses to exploit mismatches.
Bruce Allen - #FireBruceAllen!
And that is all folks! Enjoy the off-season.