Which Redskin had the greatest "individual" season in history?

[MikeT14]

Just a one-off successful season based on whatever parameters you want to justify?

Examples to consider:

Alfred Morris, 2012, 335 rushes, 1613 yards, 13 TDs

RG3, 2012, 3200 yards passing, 20 TDs, 5 INTs, 815 yards rushing, 7 TDs

Santana Moss, 2005, 1483 yards receiving, 9 TDs, 1 amazing Cowboys game

Pick a Kirk Cousins year, they were all pretty similar 

John Riggins, 1983, 1347 yards, 24 TDs

Dexter Manley, 1986, 18.5 sacks 

Mark Moseley, 1982, 20 of 21 FGs

Art Monk, 1984, 106 rec, 1372 yards, 7 TDs

Joe Theismann, 1983, 14-2 record regular season, 3714 yards, 29 TDs, 11 INTs

Sonny, 1967

Terry Allen, 1996

 

[Thaiphoon]

1 hour ago, MikeT14 said:

Just a one-off successful season based on whatever parameters you want to justify?

Examples to consider:

Alfred Morris, 2012, 335 rushes, 1613 yards, 13 TDs

RG3, 2012, 3200 yards passing, 20 TDs, 5 INTs, 815 yards rushing, 7 TDs

Santana Moss, 2005, 1483 yards receiving, 9 TDs, 1 amazing Cowboys game

Pick a Kirk Cousins year, they were all pretty similar 

John Riggins, 1983, 1347 yards, 24 TDs

Dexter Manley, 1986, 18.5 sacks 

Mark Moseley, 1982, 20 of 21 FGs

Art Monk, 1984, 106 rec, 1372 yards, 7 TDs

Joe Theismann, 1983, 14-2 record regular season, 3714 yards, 29 TDs, 11 INTs

Sonny, 1967

Terry Allen, 1996

 

Riggins, Manley, Moseley, Monk, or Theismann for me. I'll narrow it down later. But those are my top-5

[MKnight82]

Gotta be Sammy Baugh right?  In 1943 guy led the league in pass attempts, completions, percentage, he had the best punting average and led in the league in INTs (caught, not thrown).  

[Thaiphoon]

3 minutes ago, MKnight82 said:

Gotta be Sammy Baugh right?  In 1943 guy led the league in pass attempts, completions, percentage, he had the best punting average and led in the league in INTs (caught, not thrown).  

Yes. I misread. I thought we were going by the OP list. But yeah, Sammy's would be it.

[MikeT14]

2 hours ago, Thaiphoon said:

Yes. I misread. I thought we were going by the OP list. But yeah, Sammy's would be it.

No, from whenever, I just ran out of steam. 

[e16bball]

Just throwing a couple out there. 

In 1972, Larry Brown rushed for 1216 yards and added 473 receiving yards, to go with 12 total TDs — in just 12 games. Extrapolating that line to 16 games, it would have been 1621 rushing yards and 631 receiving yards, for a whopping 2252 yards from scrimmage, and 16 TDs. Despite playing only 12 games, it was at the time the highest yards from scrimmage total by a player not named Jim Brown in NFL history. It remains the most yards from scrimmage per game in Redskins history, by a margin of almost 30 yards per game. Given the team’s success (made it to the Super Bowl) it probably goes without saying that he was MVP and OPOY, for very good reason. He was valuable in every sense: in addition to the whopping stats, the team only lost 3 games all season — and two of those losses just happened to be in the two games Larry missed. 

In 1963, Bobby Mitchell’s total of 1436 receiving yards led the league by almost 150 yards. While that total might not be staggering nowadays, it’s important to remember that only 4 other players cracked even 1000 yards receiving that season. Only 16 other players made it to even half of Bobby’s total receiving yards. He also ranked 2nd in the league in receptions and in yards per reception, so he was perhaps simultaneously the most reliable and the most dangerous receiver in the league. It also should be noted that he broke the Redskins color barrier that year, adding even more distinction to an already remarkable season. 

Sammy Baugh had his amazing all-around season in 1943, as referenced earlier by @MKnight82, but his best season as a passer was probably 1945. He put up a then-shockingly high passer rating of 109.9, which was 57% higher than league average that year (an all-time great number). That passer rating was only exceeded once — just barely, by Cleveland’s Milt Plum in 1960 — for the next 40 years. He also had a crazy statistical year in the 1947 season, which marked the real explosion of the passing game around the league. He threw for 2938 yards that year, which was nearly 750 yards (and 34%!) higher than Sid Luckman’s prior NFL record of 2194 yards. 

A personal favorite is the 1991 Mark Rypien season — partly because I was actually alive and somewhat aware when it happened, and partly because it really just came out of nowhere. The former 6th round pick was top 5 (top 2 in many cases) in the league in yards, TDs, Y/A, passer rating, and many of the other advanced passer metrics. He also topped the league by leading 5 game-winning drives, and was almost undeniably one of the league’s two best QBs, along with the HOFer Steve Young. He led the team to a dominant 14-2 season, capped off by a shellacking of the Bills and their duo of Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly — who somehow finished 1st and 2nd in the MVP voting ahead of Rypien. I think this one bears mentioning as a team season recognition as well, because it was undoubtedly the best Redskins team ever and perhaps the greatest team of all-time.

[e16bball]

I realize that in all that discussion, I didn’t pick my top season. It’s hard to pass up Sammy’s 1943 season, because the all-around impact will never ever be duplicated. 

If I’m picking a runner-up, I think I’d go with 1972 Larry Brown. What he accomplished that year was staggering.

[ripsean21]

Idk what Portis ran for the year Sean passed but I’d say there was never a more magical run as a player here from the rest of that year to the mid way point of the next season.

[ripsean21]

1 hour ago, e16bball said:

Just throwing a couple out there. 

In 1972, Larry Brown rushed for 1216 yards and added 473 receiving yards, to go with 12 total TDs — in just 12 games. Extrapolating that line to 16 games, it would have been 1621 rushing yards and 631 receiving yards, for a whopping 2252 yards from scrimmage, and 16 TDs. Despite playing only 12 games, it was at the time the highest yards from scrimmage total by a player not named Jim Brown in NFL history. It remains the most yards from scrimmage per game in Redskins history, by a margin of almost 30 yards per game. Given the team’s success (made it to the Super Bowl) it probably goes without saying that he was MVP and OPOY, for very good reason. He was valuable in every sense: in addition to the whopping stats, the team only lost 3 games all season — and two of those losses just happened to be in the two games Larry missed. 

In 1963, Bobby Mitchell’s total of 1436 receiving yards led the league by almost 150 yards. While that total might not be staggering nowadays, it’s important to remember that only 4 other players cracked even 1000 yards receiving that season. Only 16 other players made it to even half of Bobby’s total receiving yards. He also ranked 2nd in the league in receptions and in yards per reception, so he was perhaps simultaneously the most reliable and the most dangerous receiver in the league. It also should be noted that he broke the Redskins color barrier that year, adding even more distinction to an already remarkable season. 

Sammy Baugh had his amazing all-around season in 1943, as referenced earlier by @MKnight82, but his best season as a passer was probably 1945. He put up a then-shockingly high passer rating of 109.9, which was 57% higher than league average that year (an all-time great number). That passer rating was only exceeded once — just barely, by Cleveland’s Milt Plum in 1960 — for the next 40 years. He also had a crazy statistical year in the 1947 season, which marked the real explosion of the passing game around the league. He threw for 2938 yards that year, which was nearly 750 yards (and 34%!) higher than Sid Luckman’s prior NFL record of 2194 yards. 

A personal favorite is the 1991 Mark Rypien season — partly because I was actually alive and somewhat aware when it happened, and partly because it really just came out of nowhere. The former 6th round pick was top 5 (top 2 in many cases) in the league in yards, TDs, Y/A, passer rating, and many of the other advanced passer metrics. He also topped the league by leading 5 game-winning drives, and was almost undeniably one of the league’s two best QBs, along with the HOFer Steve Young. He led the team to a dominant 14-2 season, capped off by a shellacking of the Bills and their duo of Thurman Thomas and Jim Kelly — who somehow finished 1st and 2nd in the MVP voting ahead of Rypien. I think this one bears mentioning as a team season recognition as well, because it was undoubtedly the best Redskins team ever and perhaps the greatest team of all-time.

You instantly went to where I went too so I said Portis because he really ran out of his mind here he had 1000 in 8 with Zorn as a coach and very much carried a Todd colins offense to a playoff appearance. I know it’s not one season but it was a really impressive stretch

[turtle28]

The answer should definitely be Sammy Baugh, E brings up a good point with Larry Brown. 
 

I think what Kirk did here will always be underrated bc the team around him wasn’t as good as it should have been - besides the WRs & Reed.

Him throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and he and the receivers/Reed almost single handily carrying us to a playoff appearance in 2016 was incredibly impressive. If Reed hadn’t gotten hurt in week 13 & if Hopkins had made his FG vs the Bengals, I still think we make the playoffs that year.

[mar29020]

no redskins after 2000 deserves a mention

[MikeT14]

6 hours ago, mar29020 said:

no redskins after 2000 deserves a mention

Go on. Why? It’s not like some didn’t give their all and deserve recognition for that. 

[naptownskinsfan]

9 hours ago, turtle28 said:

The answer should definitely be Sammy Baugh, E brings up a good point with Larry Brown. 
 

I think what Kirk did here will always be underrated bc the team around him wasn’t as good as it should have been - besides the WRs & Reed.

Him throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and he and the receivers/Reed almost single handily carrying us to a playoff appearance in 2016 was incredibly impressive. If Reed hadn’t gotten hurt in week 13 & if Hopkins had made his FG vs the Bengals, I still think we make the playoffs that year.

Not really sure that the team around him besides WR and TE wasn't good. If you mean the defense, sure.  Trent and Moses were one of the best tackle duos at that time.  Scherff was in his rookie season and mauled that year, and Spencer Long and Kory Lichensteiger were all solid starters.  The running game was subpar, but I can't really blame the players for that because Jay basically punted the run.  

That defense though........way worse than I remembered it being.  

[naptownskinsfan]

Speaking of Todd Collins, I wonder if the guys at Hogs Haven are watching the site here?  This just went up an hour ago this morning.

 

[e16bball]

11 hours ago, turtle28 said:

The answer should definitely be Sammy Baugh, E brings up a good point with Larry Brown. 
 

I think what Kirk did here will always be underrated bc the team around him wasn’t as good as it should have been - besides the WRs & Reed.

Him throwing for nearly 5,000 yards and he and the receivers/Reed almost single handily carrying us to a playoff appearance in 2016 was incredibly impressive. If Reed hadn’t gotten hurt in week 13 & if Hopkins had made his FG vs the Bengals, I still think we make the playoffs that year.

I don’t make any bones about the fact that I can’t stand Kirk Cousins, but I actually think 2017 was his most impressive year. 

I don’t know that it was all that tough to throw the ball all over the yard with Pierre Garcon, Desean Jackson, Jordan Reed, Jamison Crowder, Chris Thompson, Vernon Davis, a good OL, Jay Gruden, and Sean McVay on your side. You’d have to be a pretty poor QB to put up middling numbers with that group, and we know he’s not a poor QB. 

What he did in 2017 was pretty remarkable, given that he lost Garcon, DJax, and McVay in the offseason, lost Reed for 10 games and Thompson for 6, saw the OL absolutely implode midseason, and was stuck with Josh Doctson and Ryan Grant as his primary outside WRs. The offensive talent around him went from excellent to hot garbage in the course of one season, but he still put up numbers. I think that was a testament to Gruden as much as it was to Cousins, but I had to respect the way the guy hung in there and battled and still put up some numbers despite having nothing to work with.

I don’t think we’d consider 2017 Kirk Cousins to be an all-time great Redskins season, but to me that was the year that he, himself, actually played the best and wasn’t just a facilitator for an awesome offense.