Over the past couple of years, the Washington Redskins have invested significantly in their defense and it’s improved the unit. The offense had already been productive with former QB Kirk Cousins, Pro Bowl tight end Jordan Reed and RB Chris Thompson. The addition of running back Derrius Guice to an offense that was already pretty good amped up expectations and meant that, from the minute veteran QB Alex Smith was signed this past offseason to replace Cousins, the pressure on him to produce would be substantial.
Having been in the league so long, the assumption was that the drop off from Cousins to Smith would be minimal. Head coach Jay Gruden said early on that there wasn’t going to be a lot of time for the 34-year old to get up to speed… he is a veteran and was brought to the nation’s capital to win now. But six games into the 2018 season, the head coach may be coming to realize that perhaps his expectations for immediate success might have been a bit too high and that Smith still has a learning curve to conquer.
That’s not to say that the QB isn’t going to work out or should be treated like a rookie.
But for a guy with his experience, it’s been a bit of a surprise to witness some of the plays that have been left on the field and some of his questionable decisions.
Smith has made a few choices that make sense for a player not completely comfortable with a system. Like letting himself get dragged out of bounds on a scramble when there’s only a minute-and-a-half left in the game and the team has the lead… as in last week’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. Or like holding the ball too long, dropping too far back from the pocket and missing an open Maurice Harris (WR) in the end zone to throw an interception… as in the loss to the New Orleans Saints. As well, Smith has shown an unexpected lack of accuracy and inability to see the entire field at times.
By the same token, he has certainly done some good things. Perhaps Smith is simply not being given enough of a pass for where the Redskins are in the season and the short amount of time he has been here.
He hasn’t lost a game for Washington, by any means. In fact, he has most certainly done his part in the Redskins’ four wins by being safe with the football and managing the game adequately. And he appears to be getting more comfortable throwing down the field and spreading the ball around (think Brian Quick and Michael Floyd).
Still, those plays that have been left out there have been baffling at times.
Gruden, having watched his signal-caller through the first half of the season, seems to realize that he might need to rethink the pressure he has put on his quarterback.
“We’ve had a lot of similar carry-over concepts from Kansas City and from where he’s been with San Francisco,” Gruden said today about communicating with his QB. “And he’s been taught different things and sometimes I take that for granted. ‘He’s a 15-year vet and he probably doesn’t need to know how to read this certain concept because he’s done it so many times.’ But we might have a little tweak on it so it might be [TE] Jordan Reed that might be No. 1 in his progression or it might be the [running] back or what have you. So, we’re all getting that communication on a daily basis. And then each week there’s a new set of concepts that we might have to add for the defenses we’re playing. They might be a totally different coverage so, we’ve got to be able to adjust and coach him up properly so we’re thinking on the same page.”