Washington Redskins must fix these problems

Aug 15, 2013; Richmond, VA, USA; Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett speak with the media prior to practice as part of the 2013 NFL training camp at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

2. Defense

Although Washington’s defense was statistically ranked in the middle of the pack in the NFL in terms of total defense, the unit had serious breakdowns in pass coverage all season long. Part of that had to do with execution issues but most was because of poor defensive schemes and play calls. For example, why would defensive coordinator Jim Haslett play his cornerbacks 6 or 7 yards past the line of scrimmage on 3rd and 3? Any smart opposing quarterback could recognize that, audible to a quick smoke screen, and the receiver will be able to pick up the first down easily, which is what happened on multiple occasions.

Washington and Haslett also fail to cover tight ends. If I have Rob Gronkowski as my starting tight end in fantasy football and Jared Cook as my backup, I’m starting Cook when the Rams play the Redskins. Zach Ertz had 15 (!) catches against Washington and Haslett made no adjustments. He simply refuses to cover tight ends — they’re seemingly always open over the middle. It’s an issue with the scheme, not personnel or execution, as this happens against almost every team and are not isolated incidents like blown coverages are. London Fletcher was somewhat correct when he said that Haslett doesn’t know how to call defenses.

Many Redskins fans believe the defense was a “bend but don’t break” unit, but it really was a “bend and break” unit. In Haslett’s tenure in D.C., no team has given up more points or yards than Washington — that is, from 2010 to 2014. Also:

Washington has a few choices, and has already tried to start the process by letting go of Haslett. First would be to switch back to the old 4-3 scheme of the Gibbs 2.0 era. That defense was a true “bend but don’t break”: the unit didn’t generate many turnovers, but it also was consistently in the top ten in yards given up and in points surrendered. That’s highly unlikely and a scheme change may not mean much — but another, more logical choice would be to simply build up on personnel. Linebackers Keenan Robinson and Ryan Kerrigan, as well as cornerback Bashaud Breeland, are good cornerstones to build around, and Bruce Allen must rebuilt the defensive roster, possibly starting with the fifth overall pick (safety Landon Collins, maybe). Haslett is out in D.C., so Allen needs to find an apt defensive coordinator.

Next: Management