Washington Redskins Utilize Their Tight End a Lot in the Passing Game

by John B on Dec 3, 2011 11:05 AM EST

The Washington Redskins' passing game has not been a thing of beauty this year. One area they have been very effective is throwing the football to tight end Fred Davis. Davis has 75 targets this season, one behind Jabar Gaffney for the team lead. Redskins passers have a 70% completion rate. This has resulted in Davis leading the team in receptions and yardage. Davis is an athletic target, the kind that the Jets have trouble matching up against.

The problems the Jets have against tight ends are well known. The extra playing time Brodney Pool provided last week is reason for hope. It seems the coaching staff is finally acknowledging that Eric Smith is really hurting the team in coverage. Jim Leonhard, while effective against the run and covering for guys who blow assignments, is physically limited.

Pool needs to be better than he was against Buffalo, but we also probably need to see a lot of Pool this week to avoid Davis having a field day. The Redskins feature their tight end in their normal offense. Attacking the Jets there will not require any adjustment.

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Comments

This is the matchup that can kill us.

We can stuff the run game, and cover the outside, but Fred Davis and Cooley can hurt us. We need brodney on his game this week. Hopefully we can see what this guy Tracy Wilson has.

by jets4life24 on Dec 3, 2011 11:22 AM EST reply actions

Cooley is IR

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Giant LB'zz SUCK!! Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams,...Maybe .. Sadly this has been modified.

by Troy O on Dec 3, 2011 12:10 PM EST up reply actions

Put Revis on him

by chrebetsthebet on Dec 3, 2011 11:40 AM EST reply actions

At 6-4 260 that may not be so wise.

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Giant LB'zz SUCK!! Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams,...Maybe .. Sadly this has been modified.

by Troy O on Dec 3, 2011 12:12 PM EST up reply actions

Cro?

Darrelle Revis once won a game of Connect Four in three moves.

by bm01bath on Dec 3, 2011 12:15 PM EST up reply actions

Pool over the top and LB underneath . IMO

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Giant LB'zz SUCK!! Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams,...Maybe .. Sadly this has been modified.

by Troy O on Dec 3, 2011 12:18 PM EST up reply actions

Moss and Gaffney are dangerus

so thats where the corners will be.

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Giant LB'zz SUCK!! Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams,...Maybe .. Sadly this has been modified.

by Troy O on Dec 3, 2011 12:22 PM EST up reply actions

dangerous

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Giant LB'zz SUCK!! Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams,...Maybe .. Sadly this has been modified.

by Troy O on Dec 3, 2011 12:23 PM EST up reply actions

I dont know

He did pretty good against Vincent Jackson(6’5",230),Andre Johnson(6’3",226), and Calvin Johnson(6’5",236)

by chrebetsthebet on Dec 4, 2011 8:38 AM EST up reply actions

apple meet orange.b

I may not be the most noble of men but in a town of lepers, im the one with the most fingers.

Giant LB'zz SUCK!! Mark Herzlich, Jacquian Williams,...Maybe .. Sadly this has been modified.

by Troy O on Dec 4, 2011 3:30 PM EST up reply actions

im nervous for this game...

cannon is no brady (captain obvious), heck he’s not even a fitzpatrick, but he’s always had a knack for torching new york teams. giving him the confidence that he can just feed his TEs all day is disconcerting.

"Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."

by FrankWhyte on Dec 3, 2011 12:03 PM EST reply actions

At this point, I'm nervous about any game.

The way this team has been playing (and the way the Denver game went), is there really ANY team in the NFL that the Jets could not lose to?

We can’t play these games: “Let’s just be close, and let the defense win it in the end”

by ________key on Dec 3, 2011 1:10 PM EST up reply actions

This

That is exactly Rex’s mentality. To a freakin tee. And the Skins are basically Bronco-lite (dynamic edge rushers, possibly strong running game with a weak passing game).

Won’t be at all suprised if this has the same arc.

by Crackback on Dec 3, 2011 2:56 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

yup

"Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."

by FrankWhyte on Dec 4, 2011 12:32 PM EST up reply actions

I keep wondering if the Jets have a whole different way

of defending the TEs that they are holding for the playoffs. They have been playing so much zone and called of their heavy bizarre blitzes, it almost seems like they are keeping a lot in the bank.

If this is so, they probably thought that they would have a better record by now, but it has come to the point (thanks to the Denver game), that you can’t save any part of the playbook.

by ________key on Dec 3, 2011 12:06 PM EST reply actions

I was thinking...

…the same thing really. Not so much their coverage of TE’s but their coverage in general. Especially after what we saw last week with Revis on Johnson.

by Shane H on Dec 3, 2011 12:18 PM EST up reply actions

Yes. I should have said their coverage in general. But mostly it is the concern about the TEs because the way they are playing them they are just going to be abused. You can put smaller people on TEs when the throw isn’t accurate/pressured. But when you give the QB time, it is murder.

by ________key on Dec 3, 2011 1:01 PM EST up reply actions

Should have kept Lowery....

how’s that sixth round pick we got for Lowery looking now? with that said stickland has had tight coverage on tight ends this year, but is obviously outmatched physically. maybe we can double the TE, with a LB and a nickel.

by Chrebetfan on Dec 3, 2011 12:23 PM EST reply actions