In the NFL, sometimes bringing in a new quarterback can really shake up a team but for the Washington Redskins, that’s not likely to be the case in 2018. Regardless of how some may feel about the front office staff, props must be given to President Bruce Allen & Co. for snagging veteran quarterback Alex Smith when it was obvious that things were not going to work out with former QB Kirk Cousins. Both the similarities between the two signal-callers — and the differences — appear to be perfect for the organization.
Head coach Jay Gruden, for his part, is completely satisfied with his offensive field general and for good reason. Smith is a savvy veteran who has seen a lot of football. He is experienced, calm, mobile and doesn’t have an issue with his injury history. It’s not often a team can bring in a quarterback in January and have him up and running to the extent Smith looked like he was in the team’s Week 1 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
While the Redskins have a new quarterback, they also have a lot of guys on the roster that have been in the nation’s capital for a year or more, working in Gruden’s offensive scheme.
There’s the entire starting offensive line and the receivers (Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson, Maurice Harris and Brian Quick) save Paul Richardson and any of the rookies. All the running backs, except for Adrian Peterson, know their coach and his scheme (Chris Thompson, Rob Kelley and Samaje Perine); and the tight ends are all familiar with the system (Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis and Jeremy Sprinkle).
With Smith being the veteran quarterback that he is, and with the talents that he has; one must wonder if Gruden will dig deep into his offensive genius and call plays that opposing defenses either haven’t seen before or would not have seen recently. And if those plays are the always-so-entertaining run/pass option plays (RPOs) — which Smith is so effective running — it’s going to be tough for the opposition and fun for those watching.
The Redskins Week 2 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts would be a good time to bring out some new plays.
This is not to insinuate any disrespect for the Colts defense or the team in any way. But the Redskins played a good game against the Arizona Cardinals and are at home this week. Is there a better time to pull out all the stops?
“Obviously with the read/option series and the RPOs that we have, that’s really a trend around the league,” Redskins LT Trent Williams said. “But, Jay’s an offensive-minded guy, an offensive-minded coach, you know… a guru. So, to say when it comes to offensive-minded schemes, we’re going to have a ton of packages, we’re going to have a ton of formations, a ton of schemes and you know, that’s just what he does. That’s his identity.
“I wouldn’t say [they’ll be plays we’ve never] brought out before,” he continued, “But, yeah… having a guy like Alex, who can give you the best of both worlds, obviously, it opens up your playbook to many things people may have never seen from him or may have used years ago and now he has a chance to bring it back out. But, to answer your question… yes. Having Alex and his versatility he brings to position allows us to do a lot of stuff.”