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To get ready for Sunday's Detroit Lions game, I exchanged five questions with Ken Meringolo from Hogs Haven, SB Nation's Washington Redskins blog. You can check out his answers below.
1. Robert Griffin III has put up pretty solid numbers so far this season, but there are concerns about his overall efficiency. Is it safe to say that he's still shaking off the rust after spending the offseason recovering from knee surgery?
I certainly hope that rust is all that it is. He did not play any live ball until Week 1 and he was clearly missing receivers and looking a little bit tentative. His numbers look great, but we would all rather see wins than 300-yard games. There are rumblings that his knee brace is hampering him, but there seems to be no consensus that the brace can be blamed too much. I think he can be a very successful pocket passer, but we all know he is built to be more than that, so here's hoping those other facets of his game begin to shape up.
2. Sticking with the quarterback situation, there's no chance we see Kirk Cousins on Sunday unless RGIII is hurt, right?
No chance Cousins sees the field unless Griffin is carted off of it. I think Cousins could be very effective, but if Mike Shanahan ever pulled Griffin, the world might stop spinning.
3. Perhaps the most concerning thing for the Redskins is the fact that they gave up 1,023 total yards in the first two weeks of the season. What is wrong with the Washington defense?
This is exactly what we did last year to start the season. Once our offense started humming, our defense had a significant amount of pressure removed from it. That could be what happens again, but we do have some weaknesses. Our secondary has yet to take shape, which is pretty much a dagger in today's NFL. I think we will get better against the run, but if we don't improve against the pass, this season is going to be a very, very long one.
4. What one matchup will be the most important for the Redskins to win if they are going to come away victorious on Sunday?
I would love to say it is whomever we put on Reggie Bush or Calvin Johnson, but it is probably going to be Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo against your offensive tackles. If those guys can get to Matthew Stafford, we have a chance to win. If they can't, Stafford could break the all-time record for passing yards.
5. Do you think a time will come when the Redskins change their name, and should they ever change it?
I have advocated for change because it seems that people are genuinely offended. I just love my team and I was born and raised rooting for the Redskins. I would never deliberately offend or hurt anyone in the process of cheering for my favorite squad. I think Dan Snyder has not helped himself out at all by being so close-minded about the whole issue. I think there is a solution here that involves preserving the ability to proudly honor the tradition of the Washington Redskins while moving away from what seems to be becoming a very hot issue. I do think the name will be changed at some point.