Eagles’ Transitioning Defense Still Dangerous

Head Coach Mike Shanahan finally officially named quarterback Robert Griffin, III the starter for the Washington Redskins’ opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles. That wasn’t until after he’d made a statement that Dr. James Andrews (the surgeon who operated on Griffin’s knee) was going to approve the QB to play but that ‘there’s a couple concerns that he has.’ That might have been an effort to let his QB know that he alone holds the reigns in steering who starts on Monday night. But the good doctor tweeted that he has no concerns regarding Griffin’s return and obviously, Shanahan relented. I believe Andrews’ exact words were: ‘None of it is true. No concerns.’ Obviously the doctor wasn’t thinking about how opposing defenses are going to target Griffin’s knee once he is on the field.

The fact that Shanahan said what he said and that Andrews denied it is an issue for another day. Those “concerns” were likely about some sort of medical setback. Where there should be concern is how the defenses that Washington faces tackle Griffin when he has the ball in his hands. They are going to target that repaired right knee in a big way. This begins Monday night against the Eagles.

Wide receiver Santana Moss said it perfectly in an interview recently: “Robert has to think when he’s out there: ‘I’m a marked man.'”

No matter that there are penalties for clipping below the waist, unnecessary roughness, piling on or any number of ways that defenses can attack a quarterback. There must be a few players out there — especially on teams within divisions — that would sacrifice a 10- or 15-yard penalty to assure that their team did not have to face Robert Griffin, III again during the season.

Last season, Griffin set NFL rookie records for passer rating (102.4), lowest percentage of passes intercepted (1.27) and rushing yards by a quarterback (815). The Redskins’ offense, with 6,131 total yards (3,422 yards passing, 2,709 rushing) and 46 touchdowns, was prolific.

The Eagles’ defense has a lot on their plate — in a year of transition especially — in stopping one of the most proficient offenses in the league. They are starting a new system with a new defensive coordinator, Bill Davis. But they are not devoid of talent.

While still a work in progress under Davis and his new 3-4 scheme, they did show significant signs of improvement during the preseason. But the Eagles’ linebackers Trent Cole and Brandon Graham (Graham backs up Cole and starting LB Connor Barwin), are former defensive ends that are now making the same transition that the Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo endured. They are learning to play with their hands by their sides rather than in the dirt (Barwin, while starting in the league as a defensive end, did play LB for the Houston Texans before joining the Eagles). These guys are learning under a new boss and the Redskins should hope that, like the Eagles’ offense under new head coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, the players on the squad spend more time thinking than reacting. If so, Griffin has a little less chance of getting that knee re-injured.

Of course, with regards to protection for RGIII, there is the matter of the Redskins’ healthy and cohesive offensive line. There is the excellent blocking of tight ends Fred Davis and Logan Paulsen; and the ever-present, extremely valuable fullback, Darrel Young. These guys have some say in how close defenses get to their quarterback. The issue obviously, is when Griffin springs from the pocket.

Washington may be lucky that their first regular season game is against a team in so much transition.

Change in the scheme and getting acclimated to it doesn’t mean the Eagles’ defensive players won’t go after Griffin’s knee any time they can. When the quarterback met with the media Wednesday, he was asked whether he was anxious about that first big hit.

“Not really,” he answered. “I’d rather not have that happen, but, like I said, it’s football. It’s going to happen. I’m not really anxious about it. Like I said, it’s just football. You get up from it. Your adrenaline is running so you usually I don’t feel the hits until the next day anyway, so we’ll see how I feel the day after.”

Whether is was a wise decision or not, Griffin didn’t play at all in the preseason. While people in the Redskins’ organization have said that this will not be a problem, it’s hard to believe that it won’t have at least a small affect on Griffin’s play. Besides just the “rust” that comes with not playing against another team with a different defense, it seems that the mental aspects of not being hit hard before that first regular season game would have some impact on a player’s mentality. RGIII is a unique talent, no doubt. But he is still human.

“It’s not a concern,” Shanahan said at a recent press conference about Griffin getting hit during real games. “He has been practicing for the last few weeks at a game-type speed. He’s had more reps in this 2013 Training Camp than he did from the year before. He’s had about 50 more passes, so he’s ready to go.”

Perhaps there won’t be any sort of change at all in how he plays. He has shown what a remarkable athlete he is in so many ways. But one should not be surprised if there is some residual uncertainty from not being hit by a player from another team come Monday night.

The Eagles’ defense will spend some time early feeling Griffin out, containing him and checking his comfort level. But Davis won’t just “contain” too long if he can help it. Even though he’s got six new starters and a change in defensive scheme to deal with, he’s not the type of coach to lay back.

“The great coordinators make quarterbacks see ghosts by taking them out of their rhythm,” Davis said to Jim Corbett of USA TODAY Sports. “We’re going to pressure and blitz. We’re not going to just sit back.”

He won’t blitz often (Griffin had a 56.2% completion rate last year when under pressure, according to ProFootballFocus.com) but he will blitz enough to see how Robert takes it. As NFL analyst Greg Cosell says, it will be ‘selective blitzing.’

“They’ll blitz RG3 to see how he moves,” Cosell said. “It’s still his first real action since the playoff game. And he’s going to have to do it for four quarters.”

Hopefully, in all of those mental reps Griffin took, he ran those read-option plays… like one where he has enough time (and space) to see Alfred Morris get to the right point and decide whether to either hand off the ball or keep it, based on how the defense behaves. He’s going to have to show teams and the world that he means it when he says he’ll slide or get out of bounds when he needs to.

Whatever happens in his mind, he has to know that his knee will be like the carrot to a donkey for the defenders he’ll be facing.

“That first hit is the biggest thing he still has to go through,” former Redskins’ QB Joe Theismann said recently. “The nation will be watching to see what happens when he gets hit the first time. That’s when the rust is knocked off. After that, it’s game on.”

There’s no doubt that, if anyone can go out after no preseason game-time and play well, it’s Robert Griffin, III. The man has shown that he is extraordinary and so he will likely go out and shine. Half the battle is his own mental state and how he feels about being a target. One thing is apparent. He doesn’t seem worried about it at all. Good. That’s part of what makes him so special.

“I just want to get out there with the guys and have fun,” Griffin said Wednesday. “We’ve got a big game at home. We want to protect our house, go from there. Play like you were never gone. That’s what every guy that comes back from injury has got to do – just play like you were never gone.”

Hail.