For much of 2012, Washington Redskins fans probably figured things were finally headed in in-depththe right direction, after rookie QB Robert Griffin III had a tremendous season in leading the team to a playoff berth for the first time since 2007. But a torn up knee suffered in Washington’s wild card loss meant rehab took up an offseason that otherwise could have been spent building further wrinkles into the team’s offense.

As the 2013 season got underway, several things became clear. Griffin was not the same player he was as a rookie. And his relationship with coach Mike Shanahan was not progressing either. The team got off to a rough start and never fully recovered, ending the season dead last in a weak NFC East.

After the season, Shanahan was fired, replaced by Jay Gruden. Griffin is clearly “the guy,” but the team needs to put some pieces in place around him – and must do so without its first round pick, having sent it to St. Louis as part of the trade that allowed Washington to acquire its franchise QB.

So where does Washington go from here? Kevin Ewoldt, managing editor of Hogs Haven, shared his reflections on 2013 and hopes for the year ahead.

Zoneblitz: After a positive 2012 season that ended with a playoff berth, 2013 went in the other direction. What happened?

Ewoldt: There are a lot of factors at play here. When you have a legit QB and he spends the entire off-season, training camp, and pre-season rehabbing, there’s going to be a lot of rust and we saw that the first five weeks of the season.

The special teams play was a blooper reel week in and week out. The Redskins offense ranked dead last in starting field position as a result. Blocked punts, blocked FGs, poor snaps…you name it. The Redskins basically spotted their opponent 7 points a game this season. If anyone wants to talk about the return game, I’ll put on my paper bag before addressing those stats. It’s hard to win games with the worst starting field position in the league.

And then there’s the porous defense.

Zoneblitz: There have been reports that Mike Shanahan wasn’t getting along with RGIII and that he was having relationship issues with other players. How much of the problem in 2013 was he?

Ewoldt: It’s hard to say. Clearly there was a rift, but it was also evident that RGIII’s teammates were not on his side either. The O-Line would not help him up after sacks and his WRs were critical of him to the media. RGIII got a little big for his britches and team did the right thing benching him the final few games of the season.

Zoneblitz: What do you think of the hiring of Jay Gruden as his replacement?

Ewoldt: It’s always hard to evaluate how a coordinator with no head coaching experience will fare. Head coaches need to hold a locker room and walk the line of being respected but not too buddy buddy with the players. What I do know is that the tandem of Bruce Allen and Jon Gruden in Tampa was a complete disaster in regards to the drafts and free agency. I’m not optimistic this will go well.

Zoneblitz: RGIII was great as a rookie and struggled in his second year. Were his issues primarily shaking off the injury? Or did the league start to catch on to his game? And what do you expect from him going forward?

Ewoldt: I think it is both. Clearly, teams were better able to defend RGIII have 17 weeks of game film to tweak their defenses. On the flip side, RGIII got no time to practice and take his game to the next level because of the injury. I think RGIII will be much better next year, but I still question his longevity and durability.

Zoneblitz: The trade that brought Griffin to Washington leaves the Redskins without the second overall pick this season. What is your assessment of how that trade has turned out?

Ewoldt: It’s too early to say definitely but clearly as of now it wasn’t a great trade. No one would trade that many picks for a QB with two ACL injuries on their plant leg. I was critical of the pick at the time given it was for three additional high picks. That’s three starters. In addition, the Redskins could have had Russell Wilson, Kaepernick the year before, etc. As of now, the trade was not a good one but if RGIII has a solid season next year, people will forget about this one. It doesn’t help RGII’s stats that the defense is a total mess and the Redskins haven’t been able to improve it given the cap penalty and no high draft picks.

Zoneblitz: The defense allowed nearly 30 points per game. What has to happen to turn that around?

Ewoldt: It’s a bad situation when one thinks about London Fletcher being gone as well. The Redskins have major holes at: MLB, FS, SS, DE…and that’s assuming Brian Orakpo and DeAngelo Hall come back. There’s no way to fix it all in one off-season. Next year the defense will have bad streaks.

Zoneblitz: So was 2012 an aberration or is this team talented enough to contend again soon? How far off will that be?

Ewoldt: 2012 was an aberration. The Shanahans dropped the read-option on teams and no one could adjust until this past off-season. Now the Redskins sit with a shredded defense and an offensive line that needs to be overhauled.

Zoneblitz: If my math is correct, Gruden makes eight coaches in the 15 years since Daniel Snyder bought the team. How big of an issue is lack of continuity in the team’s struggles over the years?

Ewoldt: It’s a major issue. New coaches want their own players and schemes. We saw what moving the Redskins top-ten 4-3 defense in 2009 to a 3-4 in 2010 did … dead last … and DEs playing OLB. Mike Shanahan forced a square peg in a round hole and it didn’t fit. It was a good effort of four years trying to make it work!

Zoneblitz: What would you like to see Washington do in the draft and free agency?

Ewoldt: There is nothing in my mind they can do accept realize they have to hit homeruns on their second, third and fourth round picks. History has not been good in that department the last few years, so it’s likely the Skins will be fighting to not be last again.

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