[30gut]

No commitment to the running game

The Redskins may have lost Tim Hightower to injured reserve but the complete lack of commitment they have shown to the running game that was the foundation for their fast start to the season is somewhat shocking. Hightower certainly started the season well but he was not alone in that regard, with Roy Helu (-0.2) and Ryan Torain also playing very well. In the last two weeks, with Hightower on the shelf and trying to bed in a new quarterback, the Redskins have only called 20 designed runs. Neither game has been a runaway victory for the opposition, though the Bills and 49ers rarely looked troubled. Much as the Redskins individual performances are falling off all over the team the complete unwillingness of Mike and Kyle Shanahan to lean on the running game is either baffling or inexcusable depending upon your persuasion. Helu made his intentions clear with a strong run on the first play from scrimmage in the game but was only given the ball on the ground nine more times after that.

Re-Focused - 49ers @ Redskins, Week 9 | ProFootballFocus.com

Originally Posted by Dan Graziano

A couple of interesting facts in this Redskins.com notebook, including the fact that Washington Redskins running back Roy Helu's rushing touchdown Sunday was the first against the Seahawks since the second quarter in Week 4. Helu had a remarkable day and was probably the main reason the Redskins snapped their six-game losing streak. The rookie had 23 carries and the Redskins ran the ball on 29 of their 65 plays.

Here's why that last bit matters: It means they ran on 44.6 percent of their offensive plays, which is their second-highest such figure of the season. Only the Week 4 victory in St. Louis, in which they ran on 40 of their 69 plays (58.0 percent) ranks higher. Sunday was also the fourth game of this season in which at least 40 percent of Washington's offensive plays were run plays. You want to take a guess what the 4-7 Redskins' record is in those games?

Yeah, it's 4-0.

Which means they're 0-7 when they don't run it at least 40 percent of the time. I did that little bit of higher math right there so you didn't have to. I'm looking out for you guys. I'm helpful like that.

Point is, the Redskins' offense only works when it's able to commit to the run. Even as Helu was getting 2 and 3 yards a carry in the early going, they stuck with the run Sunday. Even against one of the stingiest run defenses in the league, the Redskins kept running the ball in the hopes that it would pay off, and when Helu jumped over that dude and ran 28 yards for a touchdown, it had.

During their six-game losing streak, only 29.7 percent of the Redskins' offensive plays were run plays. There were three games -- Eagles, Bills and 49ers -- in which they failed to run the ball at least 30 percent of the time. The bottoming-out came (no surprise) in Week 8, when quarterback John Beck took 10 sacks and the Redskins got shut out. They ran on just 11 of their 54 plays that game -- 20.4 percent.

http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post...d-the-run-game