3 Key Redskins Who Outperformed Expectations In 2012 On Defense and Special Teams

I. Jackson - II. Paul/Crawford - III. Williams

Three guys that impressed Redskins this season on the defense and special teams

I.  Rob Jackson – To be completely honest we though Rob Jackson's NFL career was possibly over after this season.  The Redskins linebacking core was full of elite defenders such as London Fletcher, Brian Orakpo, and Ryan Kerrigan and Jackson's previous seasons were subpar.  But when Pro Bowl Linebacker Orakpo went down for the season during Week Two, someone had to step up.

The Redskins didn't look for a trade, or free agent, they simply said “Next man up”, and that happened to be Rob Jackson. Rob responded to the challenge in a big way with 4 interceptions and 4.5 sacks. He was a big reason for the Redskins mid season turnaround and is going to get payed when his contract expires this offseason.



II. Niles Paul & Richard Crawford – To the disappointment of several Redskins fans, Brandon Banks was going to be the main man on special teams in 2012.  But after some injury and/or poor play, Banks was replaced in the punt game by Richard Crawford and on kick returns by Niles Paul.  Paul & Crawford stepped in and made smart decisions on when to take a knee, when to fair catch, and when to return.

Paul never ended up breaking any showstopping runs, but the 233 monster took the ball downfield and gave RG3 solid field position. Crawford did a similar thing with a little more excitement, making one of the biggest plays of the regular season on an overtime punt return against Baltimore that helped the Redskins take home a big win.

III. Madieu Williams – With injury and suspension decimating the Redskins, their secondary was in shambles.  Enter Madieu Williams.

At the start of the season, few knew much about the 31-year-old safety, but he finished 3rd on the team in tackles with 99 and added a big interception.  If you take away his subpar performance in the playoffs, Williams was often a bright spot in a very dark defensive backfield.

Written By Redskins Contributor Ben Gerow

Read Our 3 Key Defensive/Special Teams Players From 2012

How About A Fourth Touchdown? RG3 To Niles Paul

RG3 threw his 4th touchdown pass of the day to his 4th different wide receiver.  With Aikman once again saying "this is a great time to take a shot" on a 3rd and inches, the Skins did.  Niles Paul was uncovered and caught a tough RG3 pass taking him to the ground and rolling into the endzone for the TD.



More Big Play GIFs From The Skins:

• RG3 Bomb To Aldrick Robinson
• Aldrick Robinson Dance In Endzone
• Alfred Morris Swings On Dallas
• Pierre Garcon Catch & Run TD
• Santana Moss Dance, RG3 Celebrates
• D'Angelo Hall F'ing With Dez Bryant
• Niles Paul Wide Open TD Catch

Niles Paul Crushes Vikings Marcus Sherels ... Sort Of

On a late game punt, the Vikings punt returner declined to make a fair catch and took some punishment for his decision.  Niles Paul streaked down the field untouched and smashed the Vikings Marcus Sherels right after he caught the ball.

Sherels' helmet flew off, making the hit look really brutal, but when you watch it in slow motion it wasn't as bad as it looked.  So...Take a look!