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

3 Lesser Known Players Who Could Save The Redskins

I. Jackson - II. Forbath - III. Haslett

Three guys that Seattle Seahawks fans may not have heard of, but will find out about first hand on Sunday...

I.  Rob Jackson "Jack City" – When Brian Orakpo went down for the season many Redskins fans thought he was simply irreplaceable. But Rob Jackson doesn't see Beyonce anywhere. He has stepped up amazingly with key interceptions all season long.  It will be interesting to see how the Redskins use Denzel (see video) next year when Orakpo returns.




II.  Kai Forbath "Cobra Kai" – Since 1994 the Redskins have lead the NFL in kicking changes; they have used 19 kickers since Ace of Base was cool.  The signing of Forbath might change the trend in D.C. considering he has hit on 17 of his 18 attempts this season with his lone miss coming in Week 17. His clutch kicking has been key to the Redskins success lately and will hopefully carry into the playoffs.


III.  Jim Haslett "Matt Walsh" – A coordinator...underrated?  Considering everyone was firing him 8 weeks ago, yes.  On paper, calling the 28th ranked defense doesn't seem impressive.  But he deserves an enormous amount of credit for the Redskins post bye-week turnaround. Halett's halftime adjustments have driven opposing teams crazy and the D is forcing big turnovers, all with a subpar secondary. Will he be able to outs-cheme the young dynamic quarterback Russell Wilson?

Written By Redskins Contributor Ben Gerow

• Read The 3 Lesser Known Seahawks Players Who Could Crush The Redskins
• Read The Top 5 Reasons The Seahawks Are Beatable
• Read The Top 5 Reasons The Seahawks Are Dangerous

RG3's Awkward CBS 9 Interview And Jack City Rob Jackson

CBS 9 pulled RG3 over to their cameras to give a brief interview and it was some great television.  At one point in the interview, the reporter, Dave Owens, says he is done with questions, then says he lied and asks another question.  At that point he goes off onto a stuttery talk about how RG3 remembers him:

"You remember me at the uh, uh at the uh uh uh, what...wha...wha...what was that...up in new york city, the, the subway.  When I was tryn...when you told me don't ask you any questions and I still asked you questions" -Dave Owens

Next up was the revelation that Rob Jackson's nickname was "Jack City":

"The MVP Rob Jackson, Jack City as we call him..." -RG3


Then an even more awkward moment when the reporter says he is finished with the questions, but he doesn't want RG3 to leave:

"I'd love to keep you all night long...is there anything you want to talk about? Ask me any questions?" -Dave Owens

"We're Good, I think I wanna go home now" -RG3

RG3 looked overwhelmed, tired, and ready to go home and get some sleep.  However he was mobbed like the president of the United States all night by everyone.  Fame is great, but this has to be frustrating for RG3.