Who is the WFT player to look out for this season?

As an influx of young talent flows into Washington, strengthening both the offensive and defensive end, Washington is now well equipped to make improvements from their past deficiencies in the 2021 NFL season.

While all of the incoming players must prove their worth and work for their respective spot in the lineup, I will be focusing on a player who had a solid rookie year at the running back position. That player is Antonio Gibson, second year player out of Memphis, who will heavily impact Washington's success on offense this year, for better or worse. 

As a fan of Washington, there have been years where the offense was loaded, but the production just wasn't there when it mattered most. Take the 2016 season as an example. Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Jamison Crowder were Washington's go-to guys on offense. In addition, Washington had one of the best tight ends in the league at the time (Jordan Reed). With Kirk Cousins at the helm, this team was only able to muster an 8-7-1 record, not making it to the playoffs. Now don't get the wrong idea, they put up big numbers through the air. Cousins threw for almost 5,000 passing yards, completing 25 touchdown passes in the process. However, in a win-or-go-home game against their division rivals (New York Giants), Washington only scored 10 points. A large part of this has to do with the lackluster run game during that season. Washington's leading rusher (Rob Kelley), only had 704 rushing yards that entire season. Whether that was the issue, or poor quarterback play, the lack of a potent run game clearly plagued Washington's ability to win games in the 2016 season. 

Washington heads into the 2021 season in a similar scenario. A gunslinger leading the way in Ryan Fitzpatrick, with elite receivers in Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel. However, whether or not Antonio Gibson can produce at a high level will impact the success of the offense, and the team when it comes to winning games. 

I am predicting that Gibson will step up in a big way this season, rushing for just under 1,000 yards, but also contributing in the pass game, with around 400 yards receiving. 

Is the WFT equipped to have a Top 10 Offense?

As we move into training camp for the 2021 season, each team in the NFC East is returning with an upgraded roster from the previous season. Each team has added more offensive playmaking ability, which was a problem for every team in the NFC East during the 2020 season (with the exception of the Cowboys). One thing is for sure: we won't have a division winner with a losing record. 

Washington enters training camp with several notable offensive additions. Starting with their new starting quarterback: Ryan Fitzpatrick. Say what you want about Fitzpatrick, but he is certainly an upgrade from any QB Washington had under center in 2020. Often times, Fitzpatrick gets a bad rap for being careless with the ball and inconsistent over long periods of times. Ryan Clark of ESPN (made the point skip to 4:25) that never in Fitzpatrick's playing career has any team ever said they were a "Fitzmagic away from being the best team in the division." While this is true, not many teams in past years have been as properly equipped as Washington on the defensive end. As plenty of analysts have already declared, all Washington needed was competent quarterback play to have won at least three more games last season. Putting points on the board was often the issue that plagued Washington's ability to win games. What people fail to realize is that Fitzpatrick has actually played very well over his past few seasons. In the 2020 NFL season, Fitzpatrick was the #1 quarterback under pressure. His 98.6 passer rating and 62.1% completion percentage under pressure were the highest in the league. After ranking 25th in points per game and still making it to the playoffs, albeit with a losing record, I think it's safe to say that Washington is a Fitzmagic away from being the best team in their division. 

The receiving core of the Washington Football Team took huge strides this offseason, signing Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries, and drafting Dyami Brown from UNC. Samuel and Brown add much needed speed for explosive plays down the field, and Humphries will likely take Steven Simms' role as the primary slot receiver. The closest receiving core Washington has had to this was in the 2016 season, when Desean Jackson and Pierre Garcon lined up on the outside, and Jamison Crowder was in the slot. This was when Kirk Cousins was at the helm, throwing for 4,000+ yards every year as a starter. With the 2016 season culminating in a 8-7-1 record, Washington looked to their defense as a liability. Fast forward to this past season, the roles have been reversed. But not for long. Washington now has a similar dynamic as the 2016 offense, with much more speed in Samuel, McLaurin and Humphries. In addition, Washington now have a solid young running back in Antonio Gibson, who I think is more of an offensive threat than Robert Kelley was. 

With a plethora of offensive talent and speed, Washington should have no problem putting points on the scoreboard. A defense that will continue to improve can't hurt their chances at another playoff run. After an offseason in which the WFT refined their strengths, and took their lackluster offense and rebuilt it, their 2021 season will come with high expectations. I expect them to finish with an 11-6 record (there are now 17 games in the regular season), and make the playoffs. Their offense displays the potential to be a top-10 offense, but whether that plays out as planned depends on the ball security and overall play of Ryan Fitzpatrick. 

Deshaun Watson would make the WFT immediate Super Bowl contenders

 This season was very surprising for many fans of the WFT, seeing their team embark on their first playoff run since 2015. Although they did have a 7-9 record doing so, there were many positives that came out of this season. 

They now have a solid foundation on the defensive side, with their d-line packed with first round picks. This year, they were lead by edge rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Young amassed 7.5 sacks over the course of the season, while Sweat had 9 sacks. 

The defensive line was where most of the action happened, but Washington did fairly well against the pass as well. They gave up the third least amount of passing yards per game over their 18 games (including the wild card game). Only giving up 201 yards per game through the air, that secondary more than held their own. While I do think a lot of that had to do with the circumstances they were under, such as a poor rushing defense at times, and abysmal quarterback play on the opposing side, it was a substantial improvement from last year. 

With a defense that is just beginning its ascent, it would be confusing as to why the WFT only went 7-9, looking from the outside in. Well, this is because of their subpar offense, accumulating only 216 yards through the air per game, 8th worst in the league. A rushing attack that was 7th worst in the league did not help their cause. To top everything off, Washington started three different quarterbacks this year (during the regular season). And mind you, their best offensive performance came in a game starting Taylor Heinicke, against a top defense in the Bucaneers, who are now in the Super Bowl. 

Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, and Alex Smith were the three starters in the regular season. QBR is a total quarterback rating measuring they're performance, that incorporates all of their stats and numbers. The WFT quarterback trio combined for an average QBR or 46.8. To put this into perspective, Deshaun Watson, who was 12th in the league in this category, had a QBR of 70.5. 

This is a clear indicator that QB play throughout the year was the leading cause of the WFT record being below .500. 

Deshaun Watson would bring consistent quarterback play, less turnovers, and some mobility, which was heavily lacking this past season. Watson posted 4,823 passing yards (1st in the league), 33 TD's (7th in the league), and just 7 INT's (7th in the league). 

Going back to my point on mobility, Washington gave up even more sacks than they forced themselves (50), and I can guarantee a large amount of those were caused by the lack of mobility at the QB position. 

At this point, however, all Washington needs is competent QB play in order to take a drastic leap forward. If that new QB happens to be Watson, then I believe that puts Washington into the conversation for Super Bowl LVI. 

Written by: Ben Kim

How Likely is a Washington Football Team Playoff Appearance?

This season has been a roller coaster so far for the Washington Football Team, with more lows than highs. 

Starting from week one: The Eagles eased their way into a 17-0 lead, making all Washington fans think, "another one of these years," which is what has been going through the heads of Washington fans on most week one's within the past 20 years. What happened next was both surprising and also magical, being that Washington's 27 unanswered points have been just about the only glimpse of hope given by this team. 

Other than the football team's week one comeback against the Eagles, they have not had much success at all. 

It seems as if every time the WFT gives some hope to the fan base, all of it is taken away in the next game. They win week one against the Eagles, but lose five straight games. They shut down the Cowboys, playing aggressive and with great energy on defense and looking flawless on offense. Only to turn the ball over five times against the Giants the following week... and lose by only three points. And just as fans are starting to say "Wow! I didn't know we were capable of making a 17-point comeback again," Washington goes on the road, puts themselves down 21 points, and comes back to tie the game up.... only to lose the game by a 59-yard field goal, given up with just 16 seconds left of play. It almost seems like they are trying to find a more interesting way to lose every week.  

As obvious as it might seem, it is clear that Washington wins games when they don't turn the ball over. Non-coincidentally, in the three games where they haven't turned the ball over, Washington is 2-1. That one loss came in a game where Alex Smith had to replace Kyle Allen, and was sacked 7 times in horrible (rainy) conditions. In all other games, they are 0-6.

It has become very evident over time that Washington is repeatedly shooting themselves in the feet, in games where they have a solid chance of winning. While this may seem obvious, there is another hidden reason behind why Washington has been so horrible within these first seven weeks.  

When field goals are made, the kicker goes unnoticed. However when they are missed, the kicker will start to take some blame. Right now, the latter is happening to Dustin Hopkins, kicker for the Washington Football Team. So far, Hopkins has made a rough 12/17 when it comes to field goal attempts, putting him at 70% on the year. While this happens every year for some kickers in the NFL, Hopkins is hurting his team the most. In games where Hopkins is asked to take two or more field goals, he has failed to convert at 100% accuracy in every one of those games, except for one. When Washington has put their trust in him to help them win games, he hasn't come through. 

As horrible as Washington has been over these first nine games, it's crazy to think that if they just clean up half of the avoidable mistakes they are making EVERY SINGLE game, they could easily make the playoffs. But it's true, seeing that even after five turnovers, they managed to be within three points of the New York Giants. And after seeing a 43-yard missed field goal and a fumble being the main reason why they didn't beat the Lions in a 21-point comeback. 

Looking at Washington's schedule over the last seven weeks, it won't be easy by any means, but there are winnable games in there.

Week 11: vs Cincinnati Bengals

Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 13: at Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 14: at San Francisco 49ers

Week 15: vs Seattle Seahawks

Week 16: vs Carolina Panthers

Week 17: at Philadelphia Eagles

Over that 7-game stretch, I believe Washington is capable of pulling out 4 wins, which puts them at 6 wins on the year - all they need to make the playoffs.  If Washington can limit the turnovers, MAKE field goals, and not continue to shoot themselves in the feet every game, there is no reason why this team shouldn't be well on their ways to the playoffs this year. 

Was trading Quinton Dunbar the right move for the Redskins?

So far, this offseason, the Washington Redskins have made many different moves in giving away and acquring different players. Not many of their acquisitions were very notable, other than their large investment in cornerback Kendull Fuller (who is now returning to the Redskins after playing with the Kansas City Chiefs for two seasons. Although, other than that, most of the other players that the Skins have brought it were previous reserves from other teams.

However, in lieu of signing Kendull Fuller, to their depleted secondary, the Skins traded fellow cornerback Quinton  Dunbar to the Seattle Seahawks, for a fifth round draft pick. This move greatly surprised me, not because of the trade though. Weeks before the trade, Dunbar had displayed interest in moving elsewhere to a new team, but I was never certain until hearing about the news of the trade. What I intitially was surprised about was what the Redskins received in return of trading Quinton Dunbar; a fifth round draft pick. According to Pro Football Focus, through week 17 of the 2019-20 NFL season, Dunbar ranked as the second best cornerback in the league in his overall PFF grade (which is judged by completion % allowed, opposing QB passer rating, etc.). Dunbar also had four interceptions, tied for eighth in the league. I get that Ron Rivera (Redskins new head coach) has a philosophy that only players who want to be on the team will play under him, but I am still astonished at the value dropoff that the Redskins received in return of trading Dunbar. However, I shouldn't be surprised, as the Skins' front office has a history of making questionable decisions.

Before this trade, I had my hopes up high for the Skins defense in the upcoming 2020-21 season. Those high hopes took a big dip after the trade. But it's time to reconsider.
The big question is: Does trading Dunbar really make a big difference?

Kendull Fuller, cornerback who the Redskins recently acquired from the Chiefs, played alongside Dunbar in the 2017-18 season. During that season, Dunbar had a 74.7 overall PFF grade, while Fuller had a grade of 90.6, one of the best in the league at the time. Although there grades show significant difference, they both allowed pretty much the same completion percentage, at about 56%. With a promising young core of Fuller and Dunbar, in a struggling secondary with a declining Josh Norman, the future looked bright, as the Skins were expected to develop their young cornerbacks for the next season.

Despite the fact that Fuller had one of the highest overall grades in the league as a cornerback, the Skins decided to trade him to Kansas City for an aging Alex Smith, who would replace Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback. That year, Dunbar's production took a dip, receiving more targets, and allowing a higher completion percentage to opposing quarterbacks. It was clear that Dunbar wasn't used to being the top corner on the team, and he used that season to adjust. The year after (2019-20), was much different, as I eluded to earlier.

With almost an entirely new coaching staff, along with a new defensive coordinator (Jack Del Rio), and also verteran corner Josh Norman leaving to the Bills, Dunbar and Fuller would have been the leaders of that secondary. I'm sure a whole lot of Redskins fans were looking forward to that, but unfortunately, things didn't pan out the way we wanted it to, which happens a lot when you're a fan of the Washington Redskins.

So, to sum everything up: did the trade make a big difference?
The final answer is yes. The Redskins secondary could have been significantly better with him playing alongside his old teammate Kendull Fuller. With that being said, this young secondary has great promise. Former slot corner, Fabian Moreau, started stepping up later in the season once being moved to the outside. The Skins also have a guy who is more comfortable covering in the slot, Jimmy Moreland, who is coming off a solid rookie campaign. With the recent addition of Ronald Darby (corner from the Eagles, who struggled a bit last year, but a proven defender in past years), there should be some interesting competition for starting spots as the upcoming 2020-21 season approaches.

Why the Lakers might have to split up

One of the most talked about teams in this years' off season has been the Los Angeles Lakers. They have made a lot of key acquisitions that have bumped up their chances of doing well this year.

One of the less talked about acquisitions has been the inclusion of Rajon Rondo. The Lakers front office loves their new addition, but the media has been focused more on LeBron James, and his decision to move to L.A. LeBron going to the Lakers might have been the most exciting investment, but the Rondo addition could cause the team to split up.

Even before LeBron came over, the Lakers had a lot of players who needed the ball in their hands to be effective such as Lonzo Ball and Julius Randle. This is why Randle left. He knew he wouldn't be able to get his hands on the ball with all of the new ball dominant additions, not to mention the fact that the Lakers also picked up Lance Stephenson.

One reason why Rondo causes problems for the Lakers is because they already have two other point guards who would not accept to take a shooting guard role. Lonzo Ball and Isaiah Thomas. Everybody knows that Rondo (a 1x champion, 4x all-star, and 2x NBA all-defensive first team), will not accept losing his starting role to a second year player in Ball. The two could possibly both be starters, but both are non-changeable players and they can't play any other position. It is also well known that if Ball was ever a bench player, his father would not be happy, and that could lead to disagreement with him and Luke Walton (Lakers head coach), and could also lead to Ball leaving. Don't forget that Thomas will also want to be added to the mix, and it is likely that he won't be on the team for much longer.

A reason why it wouldn't make sense for Ball and Rondo to both start is because the Lakers just resigned Kentavious Caldwell-Pope to a 1 year $12 million deal. It wouldn't make sense for two guys who are getting payed less than Caldwell-Pope to be starting over him.

The Lakers will once again be a very compelling team to watch, but keep an eye on Rajon Rondo and Lonzo Ball, and what their roles are.

Why Alex Smith will Thrive in the Redskins Offense

       The NFL off season and free agency has started, and there have been many changes in rosters. A lot of quarterbacks are now on new teams. In particular, the Redskins made a change at the quarterback position. They replaced Kirk Cousins with Alex Smith. This resulted in Cousins departing, and starting a new chapter of his career with the Minnesota Vikings. A lot of the experts have been criticizing the move by Washington, saying that the Redskins just got a cheaper version of Kirk Cousins, and that Smith would not make a difference to the success of the team. But, the Redskins actually got a more mobile quarterback, who doesn't throw as many interceptions. Interceptions has been a huge factor in why the Redskins haven't been able to stay consistent.

      One area where they have struggled in the past couple years is in the red zone. Last season, Kirk Cousins threw 4 red zone interceptions. Smith did not throw any red zone interceptions. This is one reason why the Redskins upgraded at the quarterback position.
      A lot of experts also said that Alex Smith had better weapons in Kansas City. He had a rookie running back in Kareem Hunt, who led the league in rushing yards. He also had arguably the best tight end in Travis Kelce. And the fastest player in the NFL, which is Tyreek Hill. Smith was criticized for not going far in the playoffs with all of those weapons. But, if you look at his overall success, Alex Smith has shown that he can be consistent in getting his team to the playoffs. The only drawback is that he has only won two out of the seven playoff games he has played in. However, Kirk Cousins has only played one playoff game, and he lost that one.
      The Redskins offense is very underrated. Part of the reason why they ended up unsuccessful last season was because their main target offensively in Jordan Reed had injury issues. After Terrelle Pryor also had injury issues, and wasn't living up to what had been expected of him, second year receiver Josh Doctson became the first option on offense. For basically being a rookie because of being injured the previous year, Doctson did a great job. Jamison Crowder also really stepped up his game last season. Don't forget that the Redskins also have Vernon Davis who is probably the most consistent offensive player on the team. There are so many talented offensive players on the Redskins roster. Not to mention that they just added Paul Richardson, a wide receiver from the Seahawks. He can be Alex Smith's Tyreek Hill with the speed that he has.

     On top of the offense being just as dangerous as Kansas City's, the Redskins will also have a better defense. Before all of the injuries started to take a toll on the defense, the Redskins had one of the best defenses in the NFL in the first few weeks of the 2017 season. One particularly memorable game was when they went up against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday Night Football. They ended up winning 27-10. With a healthy defense this year, the offense will be able to play off of their success.

     For the most part, obtaining Alex Smith was a good decision by the Redskins. If you look for any problems with the Redskins new offense, the only one is that Alex Smith might have trouble spreading the ball around, which could lead to unhappiness with the players.