By the Numbers

Some interesting stats:

1. Rookie H-Back Chris Cooley has 4 receptions for 30 yards and one touchdown. Moreover, Cooley forced a fumble on special teams.

2. Defensive Tackle Cornelius Griffin has racked up 10 tackles (the 5th highest number of tackles in a league with 243 D-linemen) and forced one fumble this season.

3. Strong Side Linebacker Marcus Washington has 19 tackles over the past two weeks (the 6th highest number of tackles in a league with 212 linebackers). Only Zach Thomas, Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan, Mike Peterson, and Monty Beisel have more tackles than Mr. Washington.

4. Middle Linebacker Antonio Pierce has 17 tackles (the 12th highest number of tackles), 3 passes defensed, and 1 interception for 16 yards.

5. After dealing with shanked and short punts for years, the Redskins have finally found an answer to their punting woes. In terms of both gross (40.5 yards) and net yards (46.3 yards) per punt, Tom Tupa is the 5th best punter in the league.

6. Whereas Washington's punt coverage is the 9th best in the league (at 6.1 yards per return), it kick return coverage is the 5th WORST in the league (at 25.6 yards per return).

7. Not only is Washington's overall defense the best in the league, it has allowed a mere 2.1 yards per carry (1st in the league), 82 total rushing yards (1st in the league), 0 rushing touchdowns (tied for 1st in the league), and 0 rushing plays of 20 yards or more (tied for 1st in the league).

Some interesting stats:

1. Rookie H-Back Chris Cooley has 4 receptions for 30 yards and one touchdown. Moreover, Cooley forced a fumble on special teams. I expect Cooley to play a key role against Dallas, exploiting holes in Dallas' blitzing defense and providing a crucial safety valve for Ramsey. Of course, Ramsey has to get the ball to him, but I'm certain that Gibbs will make Cooley a big part of the gameplan against Big D, and that role will expand as the season progresses.

2. Defensive Tackle Cornelius Griffin has racked up 10 tackles (the 5th highest number of tackles in a league with 243 D-linemen) and forced one fumble this season. Griffin is doing what is asked of him in this defense, which is simply to take advantage of the double team on Noble or Salave'a and get to the ball. Salave'a, by the way, has helped Griffin a lot. While not the largest tackle out there, Big Joe is strong as an ox, and beats blockers with sheer power and quickness.

3. Strong Side Linebacker Marcus Washington has 19 tackles over the past two weeks (the 6th highest number of tackles in a league with 212 linebackers). Only Zach Thomas, Ray Lewis, Dan Morgan, Mike Peterson, and Monty Beisel have more tackles than Mr. Washington.

4. Middle Linebacker Antonio Pierce has 17 tackles (the 12th highest number of tackles), 3 passes defensed, and 1 interception for 16 yards. These two guys are a big reason the defense is #1 to this point. The question is, can they sustain that production and effectiveness with Arrington missing from the lineup?

5. After dealing with shanked and short punts for years, the Redskins have finally found an answer to their punting woes. In terms of both gross (40.5 yards) and net yards (46.3 yards) per punt, Tom Tupa is the 5th best punter in the league.Tupa looked awesome in training camp practices, and he's carrying that over to the regular season. For a 38 year-old, he's still got a lot of power in that leg of his. His veteran savvy and accuracy helps a lot, too. If he keeps it up, this was one of the best signings of the offseason.

6. Whereas Washington's punt coverage is the 9th best in the league (at 6.1 yards per return), it kick return coverage is the 5th WORST in the league (at 25.6 yards per return).
No doubt, the kickoff coverage has been a huge weakness. I'm sure Danny Smith has been working hard in practice to correct the problems, but the young guys have got to play with more discipline in coverage. Hall's not going to make it through the season if he has to keep making tackles.

7. Not only is Washington's overall defense the best in the league, it has allowed a mere 2.1 yards per carry (1st in the league), 82 total rushing yards (1st in the league), 0 rushing touchdowns (tied for 1st in the league), and 0 rushing plays of 20 yards or more (tied for 1st in the league).The defense is doing what it's supposed to do, but it has a big test coming up with Dallas-- the #1 offense yardage-wise at 432 yards per game-- and the difficulty level just jumped up about 5 notches with Arrington and Daniels missing from the lineup.