The 2014 regular season has arrived and first up on the Washington Redskins’ schedule is the Houston Texans. Some might believe that because the Texans’ record last year was 2-14 the game will be a sure win for the burgundy and gold. But considering that the Redskins’ record wasn’t much better (3-13), expectations should come down a peg or two (or three). Houston has a new defensive coordinator and, while he hasn’t changed the scheme from the 3-4 defense, there are some new twists. When Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin, III gets on the field, he and his offensive line are going to have their hands full. Really full.
Houston fired almost the entire coaching staff last January (they retained Bob Ligashesky as special teams coordinator) and brought in former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien to be their new leader. Along with the numerous other coaches and assistants that were hired in February, they brought the defensive-minded Romeo Crennel in as defensive coordinator and former New England Patriots’ linebacker (and Ohio Buckeyes’ linebackers and defensive line coach) Mike Vrabel as the linebackers coach. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden knows the difficulty in preparing for a team with a new regime in place and knows he’ll be making adjustments on the fly despite the game-planning the team has done. As a new head coach, he might as well get used to it.
“I think, like I said, you have a basic fundamental knowledge of [the opponent’s] system,” he said to reporters yesterday. “I think every week it’s the same — even though you get a chance to watch teams on tape, you don’t know exactly what they’re going to do. You might have a basic fundamental scheme of how they line up on defense, but from a coverage standpoint, a blitz standpoint, from an offensive standpoint, formation to a play concept standpoint… you never know what’s coming. So you have to be able to adjust on the fly all the time, every week whether you’re playing a new coach or not.”
The changes in Houston will be bad news for the Redskins. The Texans had a terrible record last season but, even with quarterback Matt Schaub’s fall from grace, they ended the season ranked seventh overall on offense and 11th overall on defense. With the influx of the new defensive minds and talent on the team, they might only get better although no one knows when. It would be good for Washington if Houston’s defense took a couple of games to gel.
Texans defensive end J.J. Watt — recently awarded a contract making him the highest paid defender in the NFL — was the 2012 Defensive Player of the Year, a 2012 AND 2013 Pro Bowler and a 2012 and 2013 First Team All-Pro. He will continue to be a focal point in the front seven. While he won’t have the freedom in this 2-gap scheme that he had in former DC Wade Phillips’ 1-gap, he is still J.J. Watt with the same physical talents. Listed at 6’5″, 289 lbs. (some sites list him at 6’6″), Watt’s strength, productivity and versatility mean he’ll do fine under a new coordinator. In 2013 he recorded 80 tackles (65 solo), 20.5 sacks, 16 passes defended and four forced fumbles (two of which were recovered). With his athleticism, covering two gaps should not be a problem for him.
Add in the 2014 first round draft pick and linebacker Jadeveon Clowney with his elite combination of speed, strength and athleticism and, even without the other talent on the roster, you have a formidable pass rush that is going to put pressure on Griffin and the offensive line. The rookie showed during the preseason that he was every bit worth the first round pick that he cost Houston.
In addition to the aforementioned beasts, when Crennel came to the Texans, it took him only a month bring nose tackle Jerrell Powe to the team, a guy he drafted when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs. Powe, at 6’2”, 331 lbs. and in his fourth year is a big man to move around. He’s had some problems with game plans in the past but is very athletic and can press offensive linemen off of himself with ease. Lateral movement doesn’t seem to be an issue for him which could be a problem for Washington and its zone blocking. Watching some of the film from the Texans’ win over the Denver Broncos in the third preseason game showed that Powe can be effective in short yardage situations, getting low and moving guys out of the way for the linebackers. The Redskins’ interior offensive line is going to have their work cut out for them when this big man comes to play.
The Houston secondary has not been their strength in the recent past but they have a safety in the secondary that could be a problem on Sunday. D.J. Swearinger, a 2013 second-round draft pick for Houston is a bit of a wild man (he was flagged for unnecessary roughness during a preseason game against the Denver Broncos and had quarterback Peyton Manning cursing at him). He is aggressive but productive. In his rookie season he recorded 71 tackles (54 solo), an interception and a forced fumble. His current boss (O’Brien) says he has a huge upside.
The Texans also have Brooks Reed, (2011 second-round pick, 6’3″, 255 lbs.) and Whitney Mercilus, (2012 first-round, 6’3″, 261 lbs.) in the linebacking corps. Reed, who was manning Clowney’s position before the draft, will still be on the field in some packages and could possibly spell the youngster depending on the situation. He’s in the last year of his contract so he’s likely pretty motivated.
Add a so-far-healthy 2009 first-round draft choice and veteran linebacker Brian Cushing (who was dealing with an ankle injury recently but he participated fully in practice this week) to the defensive mix and you have a real challenge for Jay Gruden and the Redskins’ offense.
“They’ve got great players all over the board,” Griffin said this week when asked about the Texans’ defense. “Whether it’s Brooks Reed, J.J. Watt, [Jadeveon] Clowney, [Jared] Crick, [Jerrell] Powe… all these guys do a good job rushing the passer, playing well in the run game, so like I said, we know we’ve got our hands full but, once again, we’re ready for the challenge.”
Hail.