True Evaluations Don't Come in Training Camp

Washington’s offense struggles some practices. Other days, it looks better. But, the obvious is rarely noted. Washington has potentially a top 10 defense so an expected weaker offense better not exploit it regularly or it’s going to be another long fall.

Welcome to summertime with no preseason games. It’s hard to judge the team’s overall progress. Every great play is someone else’s failure.

“I think I look at it both ways,” coach Ron Rivera said, “but at the end of the day the emphasis on the offensive side of the ball is to protect the ball at all costs. The emphasis on the defensive side is to take the ball away.”

Dog days of training camp have always been that way, but there were weekly games or maybe a joint practice against another team to judge overall development. Washington was feeling pretty good about itself in 2014 when suddenly seeing the New England Patriots warming up on another field for a three-day camp. It was like the kids from the rich school with brand new uniforms playing some poor school where the talent gap was glaring.

In 2015, Washington was excited over drafting Brandon Scherff as its right tackle. One day after facing Houston pass rusher J.J. Watt in a joint practice, Scherff suddenly moved inside.

Getting a look versus another team has always been invaluable, but in the time of the pandemic lockdown that’s not going to happen. Instead, Washington is playing a see-saw game with itself. Every day it goes longer, the uglier it will become at times. Players will tire of facing each other. Temperatures won’t be the only things getting hot. Skirmishes will occur.

But will Washington be ready for the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 13? Rivera has a check list of evaluations each day.

“Well, special teams that’s for doggone sure, I’ll tell you that much,” said Rivera of difficult positions to evaluate. “The linebacker position – it’s always tough because a guy might get there, but is he getting there in position to make the tackle? That’s one of the things, you know—can he get there and put an arm out?

“Adrian Peterson’s going through some arms. He’s not going to get arm tackled [in games.]. Or a guy might get there, but is he under control? Because if not, [running back J.D.] McKissic’s going to shave him. That’s hard to judge because you don’t have that ability to tackle. And then again, tight ends. Those guys are hard to evaluate because they have to do the dirty work as well.

They have to come down inside and block the big guys. They’ve got to be able to get downfield. When you can’t go at that real speed, it’s hard to see exactly what they’re capable of.”

It’s a game of give and take. The defense usually has the initial edge in summer camps, partly because it only has to stop a play, not make a play. Eventually, offenses learn to fool them. And then the true evaluations come followed by the real scores in September.

Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Washington football team in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks