Here is what you need to know on this Monday, July 3, 24 days before the Washington Redskins start training camp in Richmond on July 27.
Timeline
The Redskins last played a game 183 days ago; they will open the 2017 season against the Eagles at FedEx Field in 69 days.
Days until:
—Franchise tag contract deadline (7/17) 14
—Preseason opener @ Ravens (8/10) 38
—Roster cut to 53 (9/2) 61
The Redskins by the numbers
25—The number of years since the Redskins posted three straight winning seasons
How relevant is this to 2017, as the Redskins now have their chance to break this skid? On the one hand, it’s in the past and it has no actual bearing on what is taking place today. But it’s also an indicator that the organization, under the ownership of Jack Kent Cooke, John Kent Cooke, and Dan Snyder, has been able to assemble an organization that is capable of piecing together a winning season here and there but incapable of building anything that lasts more than a couple of seasons.
Last year they did blow their chance of going to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991-1992. They will have to try to get the first piece needed to end that streak this year.
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7—The number of fourth-quarter turnovers the Redskins had in 2016
In 2015, the Redskins were very good at holding on to the ball in the fourth quarter, committing just two turnovers (plus one in overtime). Last year, it was a different story. Those turnovers took place in six different games and it won’t surprise you at all that their record in those games was 1-5. Three of those turnovers stick out: the end zone interception that Kirk Cousins threw against the Cowboys in Week 2, the interception that snuffed out a late, desperate drive that could have tied the game in Arizona and, well, you know about Week 17.
Turnovers were a problem in the third quarter as well, as they coughed the ball up six times. They won just two games when they turned the ball over at least once in the second half. In all the Redskins were 6-1-1 when they held on to the ball in the third and fourth quarters and overtime.
5-3—The Redskins’ record against top-10 defenses in 2016
After posting yesterday about the fact that the Redskins face all the top five defenses (per DVOA) in 2017, I got some comments like this one:
Playing nine of top 10 defenses, 5 of top 5, is reason alone to give credence to preseason prognostications of dubious winnings.
— Tor (@tor1viking) July 2, 2017
It will be tough, no doubt, but looking at last year suggests that such doom and gloom might not be warranted. The Redskins played eight games against the top 10 defenses. They split with the Giants, swept the Eagles, beat the Ravens and Vikings and lost to the Panthers and Cardinals. Actually, they were a little worse, 4-3-1, against defenses that were ranked in the bottom half of the league.
Stay up to date on the Redskins. Rich Tandler covers the team 365 days a year. Like his Facebook page Facebook.com/TandlerCSN and follow him on Twitter @Rich_TandlerCSN.
In case you missed it
- The top five defenses the Redskins will face in 2017
- Redskins RB Matt Jones picks up famous new agent
- Casserly responds to Dallas sportswriter's Hogs comment
- The numbers say that Cousins is an 'upper tier passer'