Giving Credit Where Credit's Due: Offensive Stats Before and After the Sherm Lewis Hire

[BigHairedAristocrat]

Per Shefter:

NFL: Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns truly offensive - ESPN

When Washington hired Sherman Lewis to call its plays, he was mocked and criticized. The amount of ridicule was shortsighted and mean-spirited, particularly for a man as accomplished as Smith -- a former offensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.

Now that Lewis has had three games to call Washington's plays, check out how the Redskins' offensive production compares. In the first six games of the season, the Redskins averaged 12.4 points per game; in the past three games, they have averaged 20.3. In the first six games, the Redskins averaged 16 first downs per game; in the past three games, they have averaged 20. In the first six games, the Redskins averaged 294 yards per game; in the past three, they have averaged 336.

The average rank of the defenses the Redskins played in the first six weeks was 21st; the average rank of the defenses the Redskins played in the past three weeks was 13th. And in the past three weeks the Redskins have been without offensive linemen Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas, tight end Chris Cooley and running back Clinton Portis for one game. So when the Redskins brought aboard Lewis to call plays, there really was one word to describe it -- bingo.

The Good News: Our offense is finally starting to take off

The Bad News: Cerrato's starting to give Snyder reasons not to fire him.