ANALYSIS/OPINION:

A review of the best and worst performances by the Washington Redskins‘ offense and some observations after re-watching the TV broadcast of their 34-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

GAME BALLS

RB EVAN ROYSTER: The sixth-round rookie had his second 100-yard game in as many starts. He finished with 113 yards on 20 carries, plus five catches for 52 yards, despite painful body cramps. He and fellow rookie RB Roy Helu (injured left knee) deserve high marks for toughness.

Royster dodged tacklers with deft footwork. He’s good at subtly adjusting his course while keeping his shoulders square to the line of scrimmage and continuing to get upfield. That fits his description as a “gliding” runner. His 28-yard run was an extreme example. His instincts took over, and he juked his way through three tackles and around another defender. He kept his shoulders squared for most of that run.

Royster has a knack for finding the hole. To me, he does it better than Helu. However, he lacks the burst to consistently turn those open lanes into gains of 20 or more yards. On Washington’s second run of the game, for example, he took a pitch to the right and almost immediately cut back off of FB Darrel Young, who cut-blocked DE Jason Babin. LG Maurice Hurt got to LB Casey Matthews, and C Will Montgomery drove DT Trevor Laws out. LT Willie Smith cut down DL Cullen Jenkins on the back side, too, so the lane was there. But Royster didn’t accelerate, and that allowed Jenkins to get up off the ground and make the tackle for only a 4-yard gain.

Royster’s balance problems also continued. Ironically, he went down without being touched on his 28-yard run after breaking three tackles. “I just tried to accelerate a little too hard and got a little too much forward lean and just slipped,” he said after the game. It’s another reason why the Redskins consider him to be only a solid reserve.

FB DARREL YOUNG: With the Eagles‘ ends lined up wide and their linebackers deep, Young consistently executed successful lead blocks by identifying defenders and getting to them. The Redskins sometimes used him as an H-back to wham the 3-technique. He helped RB Evan Royster gain 6 yards on a second-quarter run by doing that.

Young also solidified his reputation as a pass-catching threat. When the Redskins faked an end-around in the first quarter, Young slipped behind the linebacker on a corner route and caught a 20-yard pass at the sideline. He’s got good hands, too. QB Rex Grossman‘s throw was out in front of him about thigh-high, and Young had no trouble pulling it in.

Young’s 12-yard run in the second quarter made him a triple threat. When DT Derek Landri penetrated off the snap, Young quickly changed direction to the right and got around the corner. It was an appropriate way for Young to finish a promising first season as the starter.

RG CHRIS CHESTER: Each lineman contributed to the Redskins‘ 5.2-yard average on 25 rushes, but Chester was the most consistent, seeing as how both tackles had loads of trouble in pass protection against the Eagles‘ fast ends.

Chester got to the second level on several first-half runs. Chester and RT Tyler Polumbus also executed a few successful combination blocks. When RB Evan Royster converted third-and-1 on the first series of the third quarter, Chester sealed DE Juqua Parker inside after Polumbus shoved him in and released to LB Brian Rolle. Chester’s block of LB Keenan Clayton in space sprung Royster’s 15-yard reception on a screen pass in the second quarter.

Chester isn’t an overpowering lineman, but in his debut season in Washington he proved he can play in coach Mike Shanahan‘s system because he can run and carry out some of the nuances of combination blocks. He should benefit from experience in the scheme and some stability at right tackle, where the Redskins will look to upgrade in the offseason.

RB ROY HELU:Helu didn’t have a major impact on the game, but his 47-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown was impressive because he ran the last 20-or-so yards on one leg. He left knee was killing him all game. The Redskins put Helu in a bad spot last week by cutting RB Ryan Torain, which forced him to play when he obviously wasn’t close to full speed. Helu responded with the team’s only touchdown.

He was patient setting up his blocks on the screen. He drifted toward the sideline to help suck S Nate Allen into LG Maurice Hurt’s path. Helu during his rookie season proved he can be a contributor in the future, although the Redskins would love for him to be their No. 2. That depends on what they do to address the position in free agency.

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It’s difficult to spin a 5-11 season as anything but a failure, and in our winner-takes-all sports culture, where regular season games—even those against hated rivals—are analyzed only in the context of playoff seedings and potential championship runs, abject failure may be the most appropriate descriptor.

Revival was the theme of NFL 2011. The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers made the playoffs for the first time since God-knows-when-or-cares-to-remember. The city of Houston earned its first playoff game since the beloved Oilers relocated to the Bible Belt. Even the Miami Dolphins showed signs of life after briefly threatening to lay a goose egg in the wins column.

In Denver, a God-fearing quarterback and serious young man teamed up with a resourceful coaching staff to revive the read option offensive scheme, which hasn’t seen this much NFL action since before the NFL-AFL merger.

But in the feel-good culture of reinvigorated franchises and continued TV ratings dominance, not every team received an auspice of better things to come. The Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns, two of the most hapless franchises in all of professional sports, remain relegated to history, confined to NFL Films highlight reels that recall a time when meaningful games regularly took place off the banks of the Potomac and Cuyahoga Rivers.

Browns fans take the cake for most pained NFL fanbase since they have never experienced a Super Bowl win, and their current team can only be described as the pseudo-Browns, the original franchise having left almost two decades ago to take up residence in Baltimore. That doesn’t mean the men, women and children who commute an unfathomable distance to FedEx Field every Sunday to sing Hail to the Redskins are any less frustrated.

Washington and Cleveland are actually connected in more ways than one: Since Art Modell took his team and their talents to the city where everyone’s favorite meditation on the decay of urban America was set, the Ravens, not the Redskins, have been the class of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area.

Twenty years ago, no one could have predicted that the beloved and uber-successful Redskins would one day be usurped as the best professional football team south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but such a transformation has happened, and now, no one can say with certainty if the Burgundy and Gold will ever regain their status as one of league’s elite franchises.

Bruce Allen hired Mike Shanahan to restore the glory, but the latter has since admitted that turning the Redskins around has been harder than he initially anticipated. Shanahan clearly did not understand all the baggage he was taking on when he signed Dan Snyder’s offer letter.

But even in a rain-cloud filled season, there are a few silver linings to be gleaned and more than a few lessons to be learned.

Professional football today is all about the audacity of hope, the illogical impulse to believe that your team will be the one out of the 32 (a three percent chance for the mathematically disinclined) to host a trophy at season’s end.

The Washington Redskins won’t be that team this year, but with a few tweaks, they may one day get back to where they once belonged. In the mean time, fans can take solace that the Redskins are still 100 times more competent than the no-account Washington Wizards.

The Washington Redskins rushed for more than 100 yards in each of their final six games – something they hadn’t done even once in their previous six games. During that span, rookie Roy Helu ran for 100 yards three times, and fellow rookie Evan Royster did so twice.

Watching all this on television? Veteran Tim Hightower, who began the season as the starter but was lost for the season after he tore ligaments in his knee in a Week 7 loss at Carolina.

“They’ve done great with what they’ve been given, and with the talents that they have,” Hightower said of Helu and Royster. “But in the same sentence, I know who I am. And I know my capabilities and what I can do, and I know what I bring to a football team.”

Hightower said this as he is in the throes of rehabilitation, a process that won’t truly be over until he plays in a preseason game next fall. He also said it knowing he is a free agent. He is uncertain as to whether the Redskins want him back, but the native of Prince George’s County and graduate of Alexandria’s Episcopal High is absolutely positive that he wants to return to his hometown team. He was acquired in a preseason trade with Arizona for veteran defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday.

“Very important,” he said. “I love this organization, and coming back here, I didn’t realize exactly how much it would mean to me coming back here, and getting the chance to play here, and just kind of being around your family, go places around the fans and this city, it was special for me. This is something where I would like to play here for a long time. It would mean a lot to be back here.”

In five games, Hightower ran 84 times for 321 yards, a 3.8-yard average. Helu led the team with 640 yards on 151 carries (a 4.2-average), and Royster gained the most yards per carry – 5.9 yards – of any back on the team, though he ran the ball just 56 times.

Hightower said he wanted to talk to Coach Mike Shanahan about his prospects here, but he also has work to do before he can justify a new contract.

“Right now, my focus is on rehab, and that’s what it’s got to be,” Hightower said. “It wouldn’t be right for me to start talking contracts right now when my knee’s not nowhere near where it needs to be. I think when all that rehab stuff is done, and all the rest and all the food is in my body, I think the contract is going to take care of itself.”

Hightower is infamous for not believing in the timetables set for him by doctors following injuries. His focus: training camp.

“I don’t believe in the timelines,” he said. “I didn’t ask any target dates. I know I’ll be ready to play by the season starts. I know I’ll be 100-percent full speed.”

The Washington Redskins should target ferocious inside linebacker Bart Scott this offseason. Yesterday, NFL.com reported that Scott is unlikely to be back with the New York Jets in 2012.

It seems that the veteran is set to become one of the high-profile casualties of the Jets’ inevitable house cleaning, following their limp finish to the season.

Mike Shanahan should seriously consider adding Scott to the Redskins 3-4 defense. The 6’2″, 242-pounder is a vicious hitter and a highly aggressive presence in the middle of a 3-4 front.

Scott’s tough tackling and physicality would help improve the Redskins’ soft run defense. Jim Haslett’s unit could use an infusion of tenacity after ending 2011 by surrendering 67 points in two games.

The defense was outmuscled by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 and appeared unable to cope with the brute force of bruising back Toby Gerhart.

Scott would add a nasty streak to the defense and make the group more intimidating at the point of attack.

Scott is also an excellent blitzer, having played in Rex Ryan’s multiple fire zone schemes for most of his career.

This skill would make the 10-year pro a valuable weapon in the heavy blitz packages favoured by the Redskins defense.

With London Fletcher now 36, Perry Riley still growing into the position and Rocky McIntosh’s future in the 3-4 in doubt, the Redskins need to add another capable inside linebacker to the mix.

There won’t be many as qualified as Scott available. His abundance of 3-4 experience and fiery demeanour would provide the spark to elevate the Redskins defense from a solid unit to an elite one.

Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said last week that he had no doubt he would return to the team next season, and on Monday, the coach expressed appreciation for the support he has received from owner Daniel Snyder throughout the 5-11 season.

Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Washington Redskins speaks to the media at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. Monday. (Photo by Matt McClain For The Washington Post)Shanahan spent much of Monday beginning the review process for the 5-11 season that ended Sunday. He said he has spoken to Snyder and that he and the owner are on the same page regarding the Redskins plans going forward.

“The owner of the football team, you constantly keep him updated on the direction you plan on going with free agency and the draft,” said Shanahan, whom Snyder signed to a five-year, $35 million contract in December of 2010. “He’s been very, very supportive. He wants to do it the right way. He understands it’s not going to happen overnight if you do it the right way, and I appreciate his support.”

The 5-11 Redskins just posted the worst record of Shanahan’s 17 full seasons as a head coach. And Shanahan acknowledged that the losing has had a draining affect on him. But, he said the failures motivate him.

“It always takes a toll on you, all the time you put in. Any time you have a loss, with all the time and effort you put in, it’s like somebody stuck a knife in you,” Shanahan said. “It’s tough to go through a season like that. Thank God I haven’t been through a season like that before. I might not still be in this profession very long. But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you.

Shanahan added, “I enjoy what I do. I enjoy the challenge of putting a great football together here with the Washington Redskins. I know we’re not there yet, but I’m excited with what I do, I’m excited with the players that we’ve got, and I’m excited for the future.”

More Redskins news:

Reid: Give Shanahan the right parts.

Season of woe packed into one game

Grossman says he can cut down on picks