Tag: Landon Collins

How on Earth will the Redskins slow down Christian McCaffrey?

The Redskins have a huge challenge on their hands as they look to slow down Christian McCaffrey on Sunday and get their third win.

For a Washington Redskins defense that has actually found some success in the past few weeks, Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers looms large. It stands as quite possibly the toughest test they’ve faced in a while, and it’s all due to one player.

Christian McCaffrey, a powerful and shift running back who is running away with the fantasy football MVP award.

So far this season, McCaffrey has amassed 1,123 rushing yards and 586 receiving yards, making for a league-leading 1,709 total yards at an average of 155 yards from scrimmage per game. Week in and week out, he has gone up against defenses that are scheming to nullify is production, and the rest of the league is still waiting on a blueprint to stopping him.

So how will Washington attempt to slow him down? The same way they did in last year’s 20-17 victory over the Panthers — by stacking the box and blitzing the back.

In an impressive late-season victory a year ago, the Redskins were able to hold McCaffrey to 20 yards on eight rushes and 46 yards on seven receptions. They were able to be so successful because edge rusher Ryan Kerrigan was stout against the run, and Daron Payne muddled up rushing lanes in the middle. According to Mark Bullock at The Athletic, Washington also brought an extra man into the box to offer some run support and spy McCaffrey out of the backfield, a role that will likely be played by Landon Collins on Sunday.

Washington also routinely sent a blitzer on passing plays, causing McCaffrey to stay and help pick it up before releasing on his routes and putting a linebacker in a tough position to cover him out of the backfield.

Blitzing the back was successful for the Redskins against McCaffrey last year, limiting the number of times he was able to work out into a route or at the very least, delaying his release. Expect them to try some different blitzes with the same intent on Sunday.

Will it be just as effective this time around? Maybe, maybe not. McCaffrey is another year older and his level of play has gone up significantly since last season, but it’s worth a shot.

If the Redskins can slow down McCaffrey, then they have a chance to slow down the Panthers and pick up their third win of the season. If not…it could be an ugly afternoon.

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Alabama Football: Week 12 “NFL Freaks Of The Week”

The “NFL Freaks of the Week” is a weekly poll on the Alabama football twitter account

The “NFL Freaks of the Week” is a weekly poll on the Alabama football twitter account, that lets fans vote for an NFL offensive and defensive freak of the week from the previous week’s matchups. 

Last week, Calvin Ridley and Jarran Reed were the Freaks of the week.

Let’s see who the fans voted for this week! 

Offensively, these were the three candidates twitter got to vote on:

Derrick Henry | 19 rushes, 159 yds, 2 TDs, 1 catch 16 yds

Calvin Ridley | 6 catches, 85 yds, TD, 1 yd rush

Mark Ingram | 15 rushes, 111 yds, TD, 1 catch, 7 yds, TD

WINNER: Derrick Henry with 82% of the votes

And defensively, these were the four candidates that Twitter got to vote on:

Landon Collins | 10 tackles

Ryan Anderson | 6 tackles, 1 sack

Shaun Dion Hamilton | 6 tackles, 1 sack

Mark Barron | 6 tackles, 1 sack

WINNER: Landon Collins with 72% of the votes 

 

Which week 12 “freak” were you most impressed with?

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Three takeaways from the Redskins 16-13 win over the Detroit Lions

The Redskins found a way to come back and beat the Lions on the back of Dwayne Haskins and some fellow rookies.

The Washington Redskins won a game. In 2019. Hold on, that might not be a crazy enough statement to describe what we just witnessed.

The Redskins held a lead, gave it up late, and then came back down the field thanks to a couple of budding rookie players and kicked a game-winning field goal, ending their nine-game home losing streak, picking up their second win of the year.

Many problems still surround the franchise as a whole, but if that win can’t put a smile on your face for a split second, then I can’t help you. Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins showed a lot of poise and improvement, and fellow rookies Terry McLaurin, Kelvin Harmon, and Steven Sims put on a show on offense and special teams. When all is said and done it won’t matter much, but for now, it’s good enough for an afternoon of celebration. Here are our three biggest takeaways from the game.

A Rare and Inspiring Win for Washington

The Redskins took a lead early, then lost it late, but then they regained it in the final second. If you were to take a straw poll at halftime as to who would win the game, I think the result would show little confidence in Washington, but they managed to pull it out on the back of Haskins and an impressive defensive performance.

Washington held a 10-point lead at the half, and they scored 13 points in the first two quarters, which is their highest point total in the first half since putting up 20 points against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1. After relinquishing the lead late in the fourth quarter, back-to-back field goals from Dustin Hopkins gave Washington a three-point lead late, and the defense held on to win it.

When looking at the game from a broad scope, Haskins was decent, the offense was fine, and the defense was pretty good. The rookie quarterback finished the game with 156 yards and 0 touchdowns on 13-for-29 passing with 1 interception. Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon were the top receivers in Washington, hauling in a combined 115 yards.

The Redskins snapped their nine-game home losing streak, and Haskins got the first win of his career. The draft stock took a hit, but fans got to celebrate for a day.

Steven Sims Needs to Touch the Ball More

It only took two plays, but in that small sample size, undrafted rookie Steven Sims proved that he is one of the most dynamic players that the Redskins have, and he needs to be given more of an opportunity to shine in Washington.

On the very first play of the game, a kick-return for the Redskins, Sims hauled in the kick and scampered upfield for a 33-yard return to near midfield. A couple of drives later, with the game tied at 3-3, Sim was back to receive again, and he made some magic happen. 

We’ve seen Sims’ ability a couple of times this season when the Redskins have tried to get him touches in the offense, but fans have always been left begging for more. It’s clear that the rookie has explosive speed and a knack for making things happen. With the season all but over, he needs to be getting more reps.

A Chance to Feel Happy

Obviously, there are still a lot of things to be upset about if you’re a fan of the Washington Redskins. You still have an inept owner, a general manager who can’t make two correct decisions in a row, and a team that can’t get out of their own way. But for a day at least, fans should take a second to feel happy.

The future of the Redskins showed itself of Sunday against the Lions, and it has a chance to be bright. Haskins didn’t put up eye-popping stats, but he did what needed to be done at the most critical times and got his team in a position to win the game. McLaurin ran all over the field and out-played Darius Slay, one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL, and Kelvin Harmon proved that he can be something special when given the chance.

In the end, it ended in a rather meaningless victory that won’t matter when all is said and done, but that doesn’t mean it can’t matter right now. Though the stands at FedEx Field were nearly empty, the seats that were fill got to witness a show. If some things are able to break in the right direction, there’s a chance the team can grow from this in the future.

What could a Jamal Adams extension look like?

Jamal Adams will want to be the highest-paid safety in NFL history, and the Jets can’t afford to wait to sign him if they want to keep him.

If Christopher Johnson really wants Jamal Adams to be a Jet for life, he’s going to have to pony up a lot of cash to keep Adams in New York.

Though the Jets control Adams through the 2021 season if they pick up his fifth-year option, they’d be apt to offer him an extension sooner rather than later, both as a show of good faith after a chaotic year and because of the potential price tag he could command in two years.

Adams is currently the 18th highest-paid safety with the $22.2 million rookie deal he signed in 2017 after the Jets took him sixth overall, but he will soon earn a much bigger salary. The Jets have three options with Adams: They can sign him to a contract extension at any point after this season, pick up his fifth-year option by May 3, 2020, or do nothing and let him play out the final year of his contract and let him hit free agency at the end of the 2020 season.

The Jets should take the first option if they truly believe Adams is the face of their franchise and the future of their defense. 

What would it take to sign Adams to a long-term deal? Well, you’d have to look at the two record-setting contracts signed by safeties Landon Collins and Kevin Byard last offseason. Collins signed a six-year, $84 million contract with the Redskins in March that included $44.5 million in guaranteed money. With an average annual salary of $14 million, he became the highest-paid safety in the NFL until Byard signed a five-year, $70.5 million extension with the Titans in July that included $31 million guaranteed and will pay him an average of $14.1 million annually.

Byard’s yearly salary is the starting point for Adams’ contract extension. In all likelihood, Adams would want somewhere close a $15 million annual salary, which isn’t completely unthinkable given Adams’ play of late.

The Jets also can’t afford to wait longer than this offseason to extend Adams because of the other safeties in line for massive deals.

If the Jets exercised Adams’ fifth-year option today, it would cost around $11.81 for the 2021 season. Since Adams was a top-10 pick, his option is calculated by taking the average of the top 10 safety salaries. That $11.81 million number could increase if another safety signs a deal that vaults him into the top 10.

That’s below anything Adams would ask for in a contract extension this winter, but by pushing the Jets’ deadline to sign Adams long-term by another season it could potentially raise the floor well for Adams if other safeties sign bigger deals.

The three names Joe Douglas will have to watch if he plays the waiting game are the Vikings’ Harrison Smith, the Bears’ Eddie Jackson and the Chargers’ Derwin James. Smith is up for an extension after the 2021 season when he’ll turn 32, so the odds of him setting the market price are low. James is already one of the best safeties in the league but also isn’t eligible for a new deal until after the 2021 season unless the Chargers exercise his fifth-year option where he’ll have to wait until after 2022. 

The price could go up for Adams if the Jets wait for Jackson’s impending deal.

Jackson is two years older than Adams and much more of a ballhawk, but he’s also one of the best safeties in the league and could easily sign a bigger deal than Byard and Collins as early as this offseason. If the Bears choose to extend Jackson before the Jets extend Adams, it could massively affect Adams’ asking price down the road.

The Jets shouldn’t wait for any of these dominos to fall. Getting Adams locked up before the market resets will be crucial to Joe Douglas’ ability to remake the roster and keep Adams at the same time. He’ll have at minimum $46.4 million to spend in 2020, and that’s before he inevitably cuts other contracts for overpaid players like Trumaine Johnson.

Yes, spending upward of $15 million per year on a safety is a massive risk for the Jets given the holes in various other positions on the roster. But for someone like Adams, it’s worth it given his performance this year. The Jets won’t just be paying for an incredible defensive back, but they’ll be paying for a top-flight pass rusher as well.

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been able to unlock Adams’ versatility both in coverage and as a pass rusher. He’s blitzed Adams at multiple positions on the field – edge, safety, cornerback – which helped Adams notch five sacks the past two weeks (six on the season) and put him on pace to break the NFL record for most sacks by a defensive back (eight).

According to Next Gen Stats, Adams blitzed an average of 5.2 times per game over the first eight games of the season. Adams lined up as an edge rusher 14 times against the Redskins, rushed 13 times and finished with a 26.4 pass-rush win percentage, per Pro Football Focus. On the season, he ranks first among defensive backs in blitzes (55) and quarterback pressures (12). Though he only has one interception on the season, Adams has broken up six passes and allowed a completion percentage of 53.8 percent and a passer rating of 78.7 when targeted.

Retaining Adams will come at a hefty price, but it will be worth it to preserve the closest thing the Jets have to a superstar. Generational defensive talents don’t come around often and the Jets would be wise to lock theirs up for the foreseeable future.

Jamal Adams proving why Jets need to keep him

The Jets can lock up Jamal Adams as early as this summer and they should seriously consider it after his second consecutive three-sack game.

Remember the idea of trading Jamal Adams after the season? Scrap it. The Jets will and should pay Adams for what he is: the best safety in the NFL.

Adams proved to the Jets for the second-straight game how much of a game-changer he can be on defense. Adams followed up his two-sack, nine-tackle performance that included a fumble recovery touchdown in Week 10 with a three-sack outing against the Redskins on Sunday. He leads the Jets in almost every defensive statistic and looks like a reinvigorated man on a mission after trade rumors upset him after the deadline. 

“I understand my worth. I know what I can bring to a team. And I’m so excited to be a part of this Jets organization,” Adams said after the game. “I’m the best doing it. That’s all that matters.”

Players of Adams’ caliber don’t come around often. When they do, teams generally try and keep them around for as long as possible. Though Adams appeared to be on his way out of New York after a tumultuous trade deadline week — he refused to talk to Adam Gase or Joe Douglas and made ambiguous statements about his future with the franchise — the safety knows he’s due for a big paycheck as early as this offseason. Every week he puts up games like his past two, his price only goes up – either on the trade block or in the negotiating room.

Douglas rightly asked for the moon when discussing trades for Adams at the deadline, and now it looks like two early-round picks might not even be enough to acquire Adams’ services. The safety is a game-wrecker and is on pace to break the NFL sack record for a defensive back set by Cardinals’ safety Adrian Wilson in 2011. Adams has a team-high six sacks through 10 games and only needs two more to tie Wilson’s total and three to top it.

Credit to defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, who has unlocked Adams’ pass-rushing ability. Adams is blitzing more from the edge than he’s ever done in his career and he’s getting consistent pressure on quarterbacks. He has nine quarterback hits to go along with his six sacks. Adams is enjoying the blitz packages and his role as the versatile safety in Williams’ scheme. 

“The picks aren’t coming my way,” Adams said, pointing out his lone interception compared to his six sacks, “so I thought I’d do something different.”

Teams build identities off players like Adams. His swagger and skill blend seamless for what the Jets want to cultivate as they continue in the Gase-Douglas era. Adams provides the figurehead on defense next to Darnold on offense and to take that away for a couple of draft picks is a useless long-term play that detracts from any promising future the team may have.

But it will cost the Jets to keep Adams. A lot. Landon Collins and Kevin Byard each signed a contract this past offseason that pays them $14 million and $14.1 million a year, respectively. Those will be the starting point for Adams. 

He’s worth it.

You take away Adams and the Jets have no star on defense. No leader. No one who can terrorize quarterbacks and wide receivers alike. He is the heart and soul of the Jets defense and he’ll command a salary that recognizes that.

Christopher Johnson knows this. That’s why he told Adams he wants him to be a Jet for life. Douglas knows this even though he fielded trade calls for him less than a month ago. Gase definitely knows this and acknowledged Adams’ game-changing ability after the Redskins game.

“You feel him the whole game on the sideline [and] on the field,” Gase said. “He’s bringing everything he has. He’s just laying it all out there… It’s very impressive to watch him play. It’s as consistent as you can get, too. He’s making unbelievable plays week after week.”

The Jets don’t have many stars on their team. Darnold is still a work in progress, Quinnen Williams is young and who knows how long Le’Veon Bell and Robby Anderson will remain on the roster. Adams is the closest thing the Jets have to a face of the franchise, and they need to keep him around as long as possible.