The Washington Redskins decided before the season against the ongoing franchise day saga with Kirk Cousins and for a future with Alex Smith. The 34-year-old, who until last season had been dismissed as a risk-avoiding quarterback, achieved career highs last year and showed unfamiliar aggressiveness. But what’s the Redskins’ plan with Smith?
It was a quiet off-season in Washington. A very quiet one. After the big quarterback trade during the Super Bowl week, this was by no means to be expected. Because the Redskins invested dearly for a supposedly safer future. Cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third round pick were sent to Kansas City for 34-year-old Alex Smith.
However, the Redskins neither hired a high-profile member of the Free Agency, nor did they give notice to their coach or their owner. And thanks to the Smith Trade, the hiccup over Kirk Cousins’ contract extension is a thing of the past.
The new quarterback of the Minnesota Vikings drove the franchise crazy with his demands over the past offseasons. These demands have finally been met in the far north. The continuous standstill in contract poker, which resulted twice in an expensive franchise day and almost even in another, is finally over. In Smith, the Redskins get a veteran who goes into his 14th season and only gets rid of his real reputation in 2017. The risk-averse caretaker.
Here he surprised the Super Bowl Champion already in Week 1 with an excellent performance, just to keep up the level during the rest of the season. With 62 attempts to pass over 20 yards or more, he covered the distance eight times more than in the 2006 season, his first season as a starter and the season, which was his personal record for passes over this distance.
Instead, Smith took less and less risk after a severe shoulder injury that cost him the entire 2008 season. Less than 9 percent of his passport attempts flew over 20 yards or more in the last two seasons of his San Francisco 2012 era. Coach Andy Reid even trimmed this figure to 5.2 percent in Kansas City in 2014.
So there was nothing to suggest that Smith, as a dangerous deep passer, could ever drive enemy defensive coordinators to their faces with worry lines. But if he punishes his critics with lies. Not only did he try to reach the maximum career value in many passport attempts, he also brought it to his receivers in an enormously efficient way. More than half of these passes (54.2 percent) arrived and accounted for 30 percent of the Chiefs’ total passing yards in 2017, compared with Drew Bree’s second-best completion percentage on wide passes with 46 percent on 61 wide passes.
Given the enormously strong support cast and the mostly favorable starting positions in the Chiefs’ games, Smith is unlikely to be able to confirm these figures in Washington. The super weapons Smith had at the Arrowhead in Tyreek Hill, Travis Kelce and Kareem Hunt have now become Paul Richardson, Jordan Reed and Derrius Guice.
A further look at the statistics board reveals, however, that the efficiency of the supporting cast was by no means bad for Kirk Cousins at the Redskins 2017 either. While Smith was able to build on a supporting cast efficiency of +13.79 in Kansas City, which is the second-best score in the league, Cousins scored +7.76, the fifth-best score in the league.
In Tight End Vernon Davis, Chris Thompson and Josh Doctson, cousins had useful options at their disposal. A big problem was the vulnerability, which forced Reed and Thompson to the sideline most of the season, for example, but Smith will be able to hope for good and versatile players on the skill positions, especially thanks to the newcomers.
The vulnerability, a problem that has always caused despair in the capital anyway, was also omnipresent in the Redskins’ offensive line. Cousins was under pressure at 12.9 percent of his snaps last season. It’s the fifth worst value in the league. The constant danger of having to take a sack and possibly losing the ball was therefore a constant factor. However, the line was a constant before the 2017 season. Especially Center Chase Roullier and Right Tackle Morgan Moses have to find their way back into the track if Smith is not to face similar problems.
The trip to Washington is not only a new adventure for Smith, but also a reunion with one of his favorite game stations from earlier years. Tight End Vernon Davis spent the first seven years of his career with the 49ers, mostly seeing Smith’s throws fly in his direction.
During this time Davis developed into one of the most dangerous tight ends of the era, collecting over 4,000 yards at over 500 receptions and 40 touchdowns. “He has become a high-flyer,” Davis rejoiced after the arrival of the old sidekick. “His game has developed strongly. The ability to move and break out in the pocket. The Downfield Passes get right where they need to go. And then he does it so effectively.”
Davis has often had to step in for the number one tight-end reed in Washington over the last two years, as it has been plagued by protracted injuries. Reed will continue to be the first option in the Redskins’ offensive scheme, but Smith will have a security option in Davis that he can draw whenever he needs it.
Page 1: Deep Balls, Supporting Cast and a reunion
Page 2: West Coast Offenses and the importance of running backs