DeAngelo Hall Calls Redskins’ Defensive Performance ‘Average’

Mark Maske, writing about yesterday’s ‘skins’ defense performance for The Washington Post:

“Cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who had a first-half interception to set up a Redskins’ touchdown, called the overall play of the defense ‘average.’”

Nope. Below average, if we’re measuring against past ‘skins teams. The Washington team used to have a top-5 or -6 defense year-in, year-out. Their Achilles heel was a porous offensive line, which let the other team’s defenders through to clobber our often-mediocre quarterback. The 4-3 defense strategy under Gregg Williams was a winner, even if the offense failed to score.

The ‘skins switched to a 3-4 defense upon Mike Shanahan’s arrival and hasn’t been as effective since.

Here’s a thought: what if Jim Haslett, the ‘skins defensive coordinator, moved back to the 4-3 formation? While there’s no guarantee the team would return to strong defensive performances, imagine an effective defense coupled with the newly-exciting offense under Kyle Shanahan, with the top-notch rookie RGIII at quarterback. That’s where Washington’s best potential lies.