Smith still getting feel for offense
14-year veteran learning, adjusting to Redskins’ approach
Alex Smith’s first year with the Redskins was always going to require an adjustment period, but for a quarterback entering his 14th season in the league, the acclimation to a new offense and new teammates was supposed to be quick.
The process, however, has had its ups and downs, and Smith’s comfort level within the offense and ability to execute it have been targeted as areas in need of improvement ahead of a critical NFC East matchup Sunday at home against the Dallas Cowboys.
Injuries to several of Washington’s skill position players, dating to the preseason, have affected Smith’s practice time with Jordan Reed, Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, Chris Thompson and Paul Richardson Jr. The offense has gotten off to fast starts in wins over the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers but has scored just one second-half touchdown through five games.
On Monday, coach Jay Gruden issued his harshest criticism of Smith to date when he said the quarterback needs to get the ball out of his hands more quickly.
“Sometimes he hangs on too long and gives [receivers] too much of a chance, when he needs to get off of them and get to the next guy,” Gruden said. “For the most part, I thought he improved from last week to this week, and there’s still some improvement due for everybody across the board. I like where he’s at. I like the way he’s buying in and learning.”
Smith didn’t bristle at Gruden’s remarks Wednesday, while describing his growth within the scheme.
“There’s a lot of things in there; [being new would] be part of it,” Smith said. “All those little situations where you’re holding on a fraction too long or you don’t cut it loose. That’s the name of the game in the NFL, too. That’s playing quarterback. There’s always going to be pressure; every front every week is usually pretty good. Timing and anticipation are critical. . . . Conceptually, [there’s] some things that we do that I have a long history with that, obviously, came very easy and others that are still new [and] still getting a feel for.”
That fraction of a second can be the difference between finding an open receiver and allowing a defender in coverage to recover, between delivering a pass and allowing the defensive line to collapse the pocket.
There were reasons to be more optimistic last week. Reed, Doctson and Richardson were more involved in Washington’s offense, and the unit survived the absence of the injured Thompson. But there remains plenty of room for growth from an offense ranked 24th in scoring (21.2 points per game), 25th in yards per game (344.0) and 24th in passing yards per game (227.2).
“There are going to be dips, and some weeks it’s going to feel great, just depending,” Smith said. “A ton goes into that. Timing and all these things - when you’re getting plays called and what you’re getting them against.”
Another way in which the Redskins are looking to jump-start their offense is by creating more opportunities for Reed, who is widely considered the team’s top playmaker.
A season after missing 11 games due to injury, Reed leads the team in receiving yards with 225 and is second on the team to Thompson with 20 catches.
Gruden has expressed a desire to get Reed more chances, and the team has used a new wrinkle to do exactly that: the three-tight-end set. The Redskins started the game against Carolina with Reed, Vernon Davis and Jeremy Sprinkle all on the field and got two big plays out of the formation later in the game.
“Well, it regulates the defense quite a bit,” Gruden said. “There are only so many things you can do [to defend] those three-tight-end sets. You’ve got to play the run . . . [and there isn’t] a lot of creativity as far as blitz packages are concerned because of the threat of the run.
“We can pound the ball out of those sets, or we can open up the formations and throw it out of those sets. The negative is that if you put too much of it in, you [could lose one tight end to an injury] and you are out of the whole package. We’ll have a limited package every week, but love the formations, love the way we can attack defenses a lot of different ways.”
Reed and Davis were the top two pass catchers Sunday, as Reed finished with five catches for 36 yards while Davis had three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown. The tight ends can line up in a variety of ways, and the presence of three on the field typically forces the defense to think a run play is most likely. But each of the tight ends is most successful as a pass catcher.
“I feel like the coaches like that because of the matchups it creates,” said Davis, who added that Reed is “one of the best route-runners I’ve ever seen.”
The formation is another trick at Gruden’s disposal on offense, which has an opportunity to take a step forward against Dallas, in a game that will be pivotal in the division standings.
“Generally speaking, you hope that you’re just consistently getting better,” Smith said. “That’s the biggest thing. Certainly, week in and week out, those challenges change.”