Covering the Bases: Top 10

WASHINGTON — I feel bad for Jay Gruden.

He finally gets an NFL head coaching job after being snubbed as a player, and
he inherits a dysfunctional mess.

The Redskins were a six or seven win team at best coming into this season.
Then, the injuries started piling up, and the ‘Skins lack of depth was
exposed.

The biggest question remains Robert Griffin III. He seems uncomfortable and
undecided both running and throwing the ball. He doesn’t seem to know whether
to stay in the pocket or roll out. Holding the ball too long has led to 15
sacks. That’s more than Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy combined. RG3 is also the
only Redskins quarterback without a win this season.

That begs the question: Who is the real RG3? The one that dazzled the league
in 2012, or the one that’s been beaten up and struggled ever since? How he
develops will decide the future of the franchise. The Redskins will keep
throwing him out there. Owner Dan Snyder will insist on it, having given up
too much to acquire Griffin.

In the same vein, the Maryland quarterback situation is also holding them
back. CJ Brown has struggled in his third year as starter. Too many
interceptions and too many sacks have led to too few points.

Maryland would have turned to backup Caleb Rowe by now, but he’s out for the
year with a torn knee ligament.

Coach Randy Edsall needs to recruit a top-flight quarterback if he wants
compete with the big boys in the Big Ten. A bigger offensive line is also a
necessity.

Saturday’s game against 12th-ranked Michigan State was in reach. The Terps
were down 16-7 at the half, but produced nothing after that. In fact, Browns’
pick-six early in the third-quarter put it out of reach.

But, let’s not make this column a total downer. After all, there are some very
good teams in our area. I thought I’d accent the positive by putting together
the first-ever Top 10 DMV Sports Ranking.

This is one man’s opinion, covering all sports — college and pro — based on
the past year’s performance.