Washington's 2016 red-zone woes

Jay Gruden eyeing three ways to fix Redskins’ red-zone woes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/football-insider/wp/2017/04/04/jay-gruden-eyeing-three-ways-to-fix-red-zone-woes/?utm_term=.96c01ebd8e7b

Meaningless stats. Yards to nowhere. That was the chief gripe against a Redskins offense that last season rolled up the third most yards in the NFL (6,454) yet ranked 29th in red-zone scoring.

Despite all that productivity, with quarterback Kirk Cousins topping 4,000 passing yards en route to a second consecutive single-season franchise record, the offense was among the league’s least effective when it mattered most.

Once inside the opponents’ 20, the Redskins scored touchdowns just 45 percent of the time. A respectable goal for red-zone efficiency is above 60 percent — something achieved by 10 of the league’s 32 teams in 2016 and three of the four to reach the conference championships. (New England, Atlanta and Green Bay were 64 percent or better; Pittsburgh was just above 54 percent).

Based on offseason moves, it might seem the Redskins’ front office has addressed the problem by adding height to the receiving corps — 6-foot-4 Terrelle Pryor, for starters, and 6-3 Brian Quick, who’s expected to add depth.

But in remarks at last week’s NFL owners meeting in Phoenix, Coach Jay Gruden conceded that other fixes are required for the Redskins to finish more drives this season rather than settle for field goals. The coach highlighted three things he believes will help: In addition to bigger wide receivers, a more impactful running game and continued progression by Cousins.

“There’s other issues, without a doubt,” said Gruden when asked whether height was the solution. “Our running game has got to improve down there, or what runs we call down there have to improve. And some of the pass concepts, we’ve got to get our quarterback more comfortable. And sometimes when you call a pass down there, when they drop eight guys in coverage, it’s hard. The windows are very few and far between. It’s something Kirk can work on as far as buying time and keeping plays extended for a little while longer. So there are a lot of things we can work on as coaches and the players can work on and we can get them fixed.”

Given the number of offseason changes — a new play-caller (Gruden), new offensive coordinator (Matt Cavanaugh), new quarterbacks coach (Kevin O’Connell) and the radically overhauled receiving corps, the offense must come together quickly in minicamp and the preseason.

Here’s a closer look at how Gruden intends to cure the red-zone woes:

>> Bigger receiving corps: After allowing the combined 2,000 receiving yards of Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson to depart via free agency, the Redskins made a conscious decision to reload with height and length, signing Pryor and Quick during free agency. Second-year player Josh Doctson, at 6-2, is the wild card. Limited to two catches his rookie season before Achilles ailments landed him on injured reserve, last season’s first-round pick has proclaimed himself “100 percent” on social media.

“I like big receivers personally, but I also like little ones like Jamison [Crowder, at 5-8],” Gruden said. “But I think it’s a great advantage to have, when you have 6-foot-5, 6-foot-3 with a guy that has a 40-inch vertical, then you throw Crowder in there with a great change of direction.

“… There are some things that you are more comfortable doing with a bigger [receiver], like watch them run under a catch and all that stuff. The physicality at the line of scrimmage and some of the route concepts might change a little, but not a whole lot.”

>> More potent running game: The depth chart heading into offseason workouts is clear: Rob Kelley finished the 2016 season as the Redskins’ starter, so he’ll start 2017 workouts in the same role. Gruden hasn’t written off Matt Jones, the third-round pick in the 2015 draft, whose fumbles exiled him to the bench for the final nine games of last season. But to earn back a spot in the rotation, he’ll have to regain Gruden’s trust in competition with Mack Brown and, quite possibly, a rookie added in the NFL draft.

For now, it’s Kelley’s starting job to lose.

“Not one time did I feel like it was too big for him, not once,” Gruden gushed of Kelley’s performance as a rookie free agent. “That’s a hell of a thing to say for a guy out of Tulane who only had a couple carries his senior year. He came right in, he competes on every play. He had some of the greatest two-yard runs that I’ve seen. He gets back to the line of scrimmage, he keeps his feet moving, he protects the ball, he’s going to get better in pass protection. Catching the ball, he does a nice job. He dropped a couple here or there, but for the most part he catches the ball. I really think, the vision that he has, I think he’ll be more patient as a runner this year.”

Chris Thompson’s role as third-down special appears secure. But drafting a back isn’t out of the question. Said Gruden: “There are some special players in this draft that if they’re available it would be hard to pass up, quite frankly.”

>> Cousins’s progression: This is largely out of Gruden’s hands. It’s on Cousins, in his third year as an NFL starter, to improve in the intangibles that distinguish great quarterbacks. It starts with timing and familiarity with his receivers, and Cousins has already started working with Pryor and Doctson in throwing sessions supervised by ESPN analyst Jon Gruden. Their height — with Pryor and Doctson six and four inches taller than Jackson, respectively, is something Cousins must adjust to.

Beyond that, a coach can’t do much more than call a smart play once a team is in the red zone. Given the cramped confines inside the 20, it’s on the quarterback to buy time, extend plays and improvise, if need be.

“I think [Cousins] will get better the more he plays, without a doubt,” Gruden said. “But it’s something that you can’t just say, ‘Okay, I’m going to work on this today.’ It’s just got to be a ‘feel’ thing and a patient thing. The more he plays, the more he feels it, the better he’ll be. … I think you can’t force the issue either. Then you’re asking for trouble — more interceptions and sacks and all that — so that will come more natural to him. But that’s part of the process of growing as a quarterback.”