Which Redskins offense is the greatest offense in Redskins History? Could it be the 1983 Redskins? Or the 1991 Redskins? Maybe even the 2013 Redskins?
Pierre Garcon stated to ESPN, “We have the potential to be the best offense ever, really,” Garcon told reporters Thursday. “We can be the top offense in the league. We have a lot of great players at every position. We have a great offensive line, great tight ends, great receivers, running backs and quarterback.”
Now I’m not going to drink his Kool-aid and agree with him at all. Greatest of all time? Unlikely. I don’t even think they’re the best offense in the history of the Washington Redskins, let alone the NFL. So this had me thinking, which Redskins offense was the best in the history of the organization?
Let’s Start off with the 1983 Washington Redskins. In 1983, the Washington Redskins were one of the greatest offenses in the NFL and their overall record was 14-2. They were first in the league in total points scored and in their margin of victory. They were second in yards gained per pass attempt and third in total yards. The ‘Skins ground game topped the league in rushing touchdowns, was third in yards gained per rush attempt, and first in least amount of turnovers lost. They ranked fourth in yards per play and fifth in passing touchdowns.
They were one of the best teams in ’83, and were the NFC Champions. They couldn’t, however, win back to back Superbowls. The ’83 Redskins are one of the greatest teams of all time and some can even argue that they were the best team in Redskins history. They were pretty much unstoppable.
Now let’s take a look at the 1991 Washington Redskins. The team had an identical record as the ’83 team at 14-2, but the huge difference being that in ’91 they won the Superbowl. Looking at the stats, they were first in the league in points, margin of victory and yards gained per pass attempt. They were second in passing touchdowns, fourth in total yards and in yards per play, and fifth in total passing yards. They also had a great ground game. They were seventh in total rushing yards, seventeenth in yards gained per rushing attempt, first in rushing touchdowns, and third in least amount of turnovers lost. The Redskins were one of the top offenses in the league and won the Superbowl that year, dominating their opponents.
If you look at the numbers of ’83 and ’91, you would say that there is no way that the 2013 Redskins could even come close to those numbers, but that isn’t the case. Let’s take a look at the 2012 Washington Redskins, which were one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL with Griffin III, the fleet footed quarterback who could score from anywhere on the field, was in the line-up. The team was 10-6 and won the division, though lost in the first round of the playoffs. They were second in yards per play, third in yards gained per pass attempt, fourth in the league in points and fifth in total yards. They were only twelfth in margin of victory, thirteenth in passing touchdowns and an unimpressive twenty-third in total passing yards. Their running game was where they really shone though. They were first in total rushing yards, second in yards per rushing attempt, second in rushing touchdowns, and first in least amount of turnovers lost.
Each of these teams were at the top of the league in offense, and we can expect the current version to be closing in on that as well. But which is the best? I asked on my twitter account (@redskintalk24_7) “Which Redskins offense was the greatest in the history of the organization?”. Everyone who tweeted me back said the 1991 Redskins. Not wanting to trust Twitter alone, I also asked Redskins fans for whom I spoke with in person. Again, the consensus answer was “1991”.
In the end, my opinion is that it was the 1991 team. So sorry Garcon, but best offense ever? Try to become the best offense in Redskins history and then we’ll talk.
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