ASA CANTY, CONTRIBUTOR
Summer in DC can be unbearably hot and uncomfortable. Thousands of residents spurn the city for vacations, leading to the couple of weeks as July ends and August begins where the streets look empty and those still in town have the look of exhaustion pronounced on their face by the sun beaming down. This dreary image is familiar to any Washingtonian, almost as familiar as another DC summer pastime: Washington Redskins optimism.
Each summer the most most popular team in the city by a long shot becomes the talk of the natives, as training camp begins and ends and the team prepares for week one. It is during this period that we all convince ourselves that maybe this is the year to believe the cliche statements pouring out of our football team, that maybe this is the year we finally do it. It is a trap that I fell into myself as I looked at the team before the season started.
The offseason was a moderate one. The most high profile move of the lot was signing former Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro receiver Desean Jackson. One of the top deep threats in the NFL, Jackson has top notch speed that should perfectly complement the consistent possession game of Pierre Garcon. A fantastic signing that has many fans excited, it would be wise to expect many Robert Griffin to Jackson connections deep down the field, an area the Redskins were sorely lacking in last year.
Aside from Jackson, Washington picked up Jason Hatcher, a consistent defensive lineman from the Dallas Cowboys, Ryan Clark, a former star safety in the twilight of his career, and Andre Roberts, a wide receiver from the Arizona Cardinals, among other less prolific acquisitions. For a team that used to be known for splashy, expensive signings that never panned out, it is nice to see a few years in a row where they don’t seem to be throwing money at players just to throw money. I expect all of these new additions to contribute, especially Jackson, whose aforementioned speed could set up potentially devastating sets for opposing defenses.
The responsibility of taking advantage of these opportunities falls to new head coach Jay Gruden. A former offensive coordinator, Gruden takes his first head coaching job this year, replacing Mike Shanahan after last year’s 3-13 disaster of a season. While Gruden will have plenty of offensive toys to play with, the larger challenge will be with the defense. A unit that ranked close to last in many major categories last year did not make many changes except for the addition of Hatcher, who, while bolstering a strong pass rush, will not make up for the lack of talent in the secondary. Question marks on defense and a new coaching staff would be more than enough mystery for most other NFL teams, but still I was optimistic about our chances of success. The source of this optimism was Robert Griffin III.
Perhaps no other player in the NFL inspires the same amount of wonder as Robert Griffin III. From the highs of his historic rookie season in which he captivated our city like no other I have seen, to the lows of last season as he tried to brave through the year on a knee that clearly was not fully healed from a torn acl, you cannot have a conversation about football in Washington without bringing up RGIII. This is why every time Griffin scrambles out of the pocket, taking a big hit to get those extra few inches, the response is one of respect but also of anger. If anyone is going to take this team to the promised land, it is Griffin, and so every time he forces his knees to hit awkwardly, or his head to snap back, or fall flat on his back, every fan’s heart skips a beat but we cannot look away. Griffin is the centerpiece of the team, and how he goes the team goes. Rookie year RGIII could take any team to the playoffs, second year RGIII needed a lot more help.
Looking to this year, I expected a mix of both, a quarterback who would play safer, smarter, and better. There would be some growing pains, but RGIII is a player who, when he is playing his best, can be second to none in the NFL. All of these thoughts went out the window in week two though, as Griffin planted to throw as he rolled out of the pocket and his ankle twisted in gruesome fashion. A dislocated ankle, and suddenly the season belonged to Kirk Cousins, Griffin’s backup. There has been a steady murmur from various voices that he should have been our starter ever since RGIII tore his knee up. I have always believed that Cousins is a fine quarterback, but one whose talents will never reach the “slightly above average” level. We now have no choice but to find out.
A new head coach, a backup quarterback playing starter, a shaky defense. The analyst in me says the Redskins are looking at a 7-9 season, finishing in the middle of the pack of the NFC as Cousins looks reliably average and Jay Gruden goes through the trials of the head coach life in the NFL. But at heart I’m a fan, and at heart that summertime optimism is always present. The Skins secondary can hold it together long enough for linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan to come off the edges and terrorize opposing quarterbacks, right? Jay Gruden will be the rookie head coach leading his team to the playoffs, winning the NFC East and out-strategizing the other coaches in the league who could only dream of having speedy Desean Jackson and powerful Alfred Morris line up in the same offense, right? Most importantly, the quarterback who took our city on a magical ride two years ago will return, right? That’s what the season is for, a guide to answer all of these questions that get born in the DC August heat. Enjoy football, and Hail to the Redskins.