***Official*** Washington Redskins 2014 Thread (In-Season) (1 Viewer)

[dehaven123]

what a shame to waste a pretty good defensive effort like today's was.

can someone teach rg3 to step up in the pocket instead of his silly swerve to the sidelines every time there's pressure from around the edge? good gawd.

I agree with the sentiment, but on the other hand I don't really blame him for not wanting to step up behind Chester, who could end up pushed back into his lap at any moment.

Agreed. Watt did whatever he wanted to whichever lineman was in front of him. And it seemed that we didnt even try to block #58.

That said, there were definitely times were Griffin should have stepped up or made moves to manipulate the pocket much better.

But it's part of the process. A lot of fans don't want to hear it but patience is required.

yep. houston did do some things pressure wise, but i did expect better pocket composure from rg3.

 

[Archer]

Tyler Polumbus distinguished himself today, the way an overflowing port-a-pot does.

He was awful. No business being a starter...

 

[dehaven123]

what a shame to waste a pretty good defensive effort like today's was.

can someone teach rg3 to step up in the pocket instead of his silly swerve to the sidelines every time there's pressure from around the edge? good gawd.

I agree with the sentiment, but on the other hand I don't really blame him for not wanting to step up behind Chester, who could end up pushed back into his lap at any moment.

in my eyes, nearly every time he did his swerve, there was an opportunity to move up in the pocket. he didn't. i dont recall one time actually when he did put himself in a better position to make a play by pushing the pocket. all i saw was him trying to wide outrun the rush to the edge of the field, resulting in bringing the sideline in as a defender and taking away 2/3 of the downfield.

 

[fatness]

Redskins start new season making same killer mistakes

Yes, it’s a new season but the errors they made certainly made it feel a lot like 2013.

“You can’t make those mistakes and expect to win the game,” Redskins running back Alfred Morris said.

The frustrating part for Washington is that each of the mistakes was eminently preventable. But they added up to a rough debut for first-year coach Gruden.

It started with the extra point, the easiest play in the NFL. J.J. Watt penetrated the middle and Kai Forbath's kick appeared to be low. It was a bad combination and it resulted in a block and lost point.

On the Texans' next possession, crossed signals followed by a poor tackle attempt led to a touchdown.

Safety Bacarri Rambo did what he was supposed to do. He dropped to the middle and was supposed to read the quarterback. But DeAndre Hopkins, running in his area, turned to the outside. Rambo spun around and a huge gap was created. Another player was supposed to be there in coverage. They were not.

“They were hurrying up a little bit,” safety Ryan Clark said. “We had to get some things figured out before the play and we didn’t. It put Bacarri in an extremely bad situation. That was a team mess-up. That wasn’t just Bacarri. I know it will be played that way, but it wasn’t his fault.”

“Just blown coverage,” Rambo said.

But the missed tackle around the 35-yard line was his fault. Hopkins broke free from the attempt and completed the 76-yard score.

“A poor angle,” Rambo said.

“It was poor,” Gruden said. “We all saw it. It was poor. A poor angle, poor attempt at a tackle and it led to a huge play in the game.

Then there was the blocked punt. Upback Roy Helu failed to block Alfred Blue, who raced inside and blocked Tress Way's punt, then returned it five yards for a touchdown.

“I didn’t step heavy inside and I should have,” Helu said. “I didn’t do my job. I feel terrible.”

But the Redskins could have overcome that block if not for two fumbles inside the Texans’ 10-yard line. First, quarterback Robert Griffin III was tripped by center Kory Lichtensteiger as he came out of his stance. Griffin tried to hand off to Morris, running outside to the right. But Griffin was fully outstretched and it led to a botched exchange, a fumble and the Texans ball.

Their next possession ended with tight end Niles Paul fumbling at the end of a 48-yard catch, having the ball knocked free from behind.

Bad special teams play. A coverage blown on a big TD. An O-lineman knocked back and tripping the QB. An unforced Niles Paul mistake.

Where's the 2014 season thread? I think I'm stuck in the 2013 season.

 

[dgreen]

They moved the ball decently at times. They out-gained Houston in rushing yards, passing yards, and, obviously, total yards. They just made more mistakes which was made worse when those mistakes were killers.

 

[MikeApf]

Frustrating game. There are positives. Defense played pretty well. In the second half we also started moving the ball. Had it not been for the mistakes, this was a game we *could* have won. On the other hand, "coulda, woulda, shoulda" you know? Strange Nick Foles had two fumbles for the Eagles early, and while Jacksonville stormed off to a 17-0 lead, Philly just came back and stomped them.

The first year Robert played, during the second half of the season, you felt that we had that attitude of winning no matter what -- you felt that at the end of the game, we were going to pull it off. Now it seems like we just wait to make the next mistake.

Too early to hit the panic button; maybe next week we win going away. At the same time, I've been a Redskins fan since the days of Kilmer so I don't really need anyone to tell me to be patient. I will always root for this team, through thick and thin and will never turn away. But I will say what I saw today was really discouraging -- you just have to wonder how long everyone is going to stick by the QB if we suffer through another really bad year...

 

[dgreen]

The first year Robert played, during the second half of the season, you felt that we had that attitude of winning no matter what -- you felt that at the end of the game, we were going to pull it off.

The zone read was amazing. I wish we'd still use it. I guess they called it once today and Griffin actually made the wrong decision and Watt stuffed Morris.

 

[MikeApf]

The first year Robert played, during the second half of the season, you felt that we had that attitude of winning no matter what -- you felt that at the end of the game, we were going to pull it off.

The zone read was amazing. I wish we'd still use it. I guess they called it once today and Griffin actually made the wrong decision and Watt stuffed Morris.

I agree with you. Here's the problem. Robert was special in college because he could run and throw NOT because he was a pocket passer. If you take away the running, yeah, maybe he's not much better than Cousins and honestly he's behind because Cousins has played in that system. Now everyone is afraid to have him run because he may get hurt.

But you have to wonder if 5 great years of Great Griffin would be better than 15 years of Extremely Average Griffin.

Hate to say it, but if he can't run at all, he's just not special and they'd do well to just move on...

 

[dgreen]

The first year Robert played, during the second half of the season, you felt that we had that attitude of winning no matter what -- you felt that at the end of the game, we were going to pull it off.

The zone read was amazing. I wish we'd still use it. I guess they called it once today and Griffin actually made the wrong decision and Watt stuffed Morris.

I agree with you. Here's the problem. Robert was special in college because he could run and throw NOT because he was a pocket passer. If you take away the running, yeah, maybe he's not much better than Cousins and honestly he's behind because Cousins has played in that system. Now everyone is afraid to have him run because he may get hurt.

But you have to wonder if 5 great years of Great Griffin would be better than 15 years of Extremely Average Griffin.

Hate to say it, but if he can't run at all, he's just not special and they'd do well to just move on...

Yeah, I've been saying for a while that I'm ok with him running. It's not like the pocket is always the safest place to be.

Like I said, I thought Griffin passed pretty well today and looked accurate. Even that long ball to Garcon wasn't bad. He gave Garcon a chance, but he horribly mistimed his jump. Griffin mostly needs to work on moving in the pocket and getting rid of the ball.

I'm not ready to say he can't be special without running, but it's certainly possible. If the team were to reach that conclusion, then it would be amazingly stupid to not have him run more often.

 

[dgreen]

See, that play Luck just made is one that I think people would freak out if Griffin did that...therefore, I don't think Griffin even tries it right now, which is so stupid.

 

[Apple Jack]

If he would learn how to protect himself, I think any coach would be crazy not to let him off the leash. He can't do it.

 

[fatness]

If we had an offensive line that was even average, we wouldn't be talking about Griffin's performance. Griffin did not lose this game. Gruden took away part of the offense (they didn't run enough -- about half as often as they passed). The offensive line took away the deep passing game by pass blocking poorly (a specialty). Special teams were egregious (2 blocked kicks, costing 8 points). The offensive line caused a turnover (Lichtensteiger stepping on Griffin while he was trying to hand to Morris) and Niles Paul gave the ball away. That is why they lost.

You guys are getting too caught up in all the offseason mostly-irrelevant talk of Griffin-Griffin-Griffin, and not talking about the whole game or whole team. And unfortunately we have another HC who is too QB-centric in his thinking, I'm afraid. There are some players and coaches that should get reamed in team meetings following this game (ST coach, Paul, Helu), and I'm not sure Gruden's aware of that or up to the task. And who's going to ream Gruden for calling so few running plays?

 

[fatness]

Worst turnovers inside the 10-yard line: The Redskins. Twice. One came on a botched hand-off when Robert Griffin III tripped over a lineman’s foot, and the other came after a long catch-and-run from Niles Paul, who was filling in for the injured Jordan Reed, and really, you can get a pretty good sense of how the game went just from this sentence.

Worst blocked kicks: The Redskins. Twice. We’ll get back to that later. But there are elementary school children who don’t remember Washington having a consistently competent special teams unit.

Worst foreboding: All the overheated preseason worries and angst and blog posts now seem entirely justified. Washington’s offense scored one touchdown, and Robert Griffin III was harassed and uncomfortable throughout the game. His completion percentage was great, and Washington had 372 yards of offense, but this wasn’t a Porsche. Not yet, anyhow.

Worst two-minute drive: Washington’s final possession of the first half was like when you quickly drive to the corner store to get some emergency diapers, except first you break some traffic laws, do a few slow circles in the middle of the road, run into three trees and a mailbox, and then finally just park your car in the neighbor’s driveway and go to sleep. Somehow the Redskins went from a first down in Houston territory with a minute left on the clock to just giving up on the drive.

Best reminder of the 2013 special teams: There were plenty of good moments: Long punts, deep kickoffs, strong punt returns, good tackles. But there was also a blocked extra point. And a player tackling his teammate. And a blocked punt returned for a touchdown. The Redskins, for years, have specialized in mildly unusual special teams plays that don’t happen every day. Here were three. In the first half of the first game.

Best special teams tackle: Darrel Young was right there with a form tackle to stop the punt returner from breaking up the sidelines. The punt returner was Andre Roberts. Both those dudes play for the same team.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-sports-bog/wp/2014/09/07/best-and-worst-from-redskins-texans/

 

[fatness]

Good read from John Keim. http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/10685/texans-17-redskins-6-ten-observations?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Well, many on twitter and in Redskins Nation were terribly worried with how bad the offense looked in pre-season...the worries are over, we are that team. Although we flash at times, surely can see DJax quickness and cuts and such, we made a lot of error filled performance that will land us back to a top draft pick if not corrected. Very well said,,,

Where's the 2014 season thread? I think I'm stuck in the 2013 season.

RG3 is not the same kid he was when he came into the league, at least by the looks of it. Clearly the coaching staff also has reservations about him as at one point he was 13-15 for 59 yards. WHAT??? Completed 13 passes and only amass 59 yards, that is a WHOPPING 4.5 yd avg!!!!! That shows that there is no confidence as his game consists only of dink-n-dunk. I pointed out last year that RG3 fundamentally was showing real poor technique and seemed to frequently throw off his back foot or not set his feet. I am still wondering when this fundamental part of playing QB will change for him, this is the NFL and not HS football. It is one game, but we've all seen enough of this show to know that this seems to be the norm and I won't give them any benefit of the doubt until I see anything else (consistently) otherwise.

Oh and here's a NEWS BREAK alert...Jordan Reed just got hurt from getting hurt. I think he sprained or pulled something in while laying on the trainer table.

Absolutely what Ryan Clark brings to this team, leader ship and smart play/hits. Now if that can rub off on others...

Dajx will be real fun to see once he gets going, so quick once the ball is in his hands.

Nice to see a good return man, A. Roberts is a breath of fresh air.

Hatcher was a good get for us, he can make a difference for sure. On the other hand, Orakpo must have missed the flight to Houston because he was absolutely nowhere to be seen.

A. Morris might have never fumbled in the past, but that seems to be just that the past. His almost fumble near the goal line is a reminder of how close this could have been a big goose egg for us. I hold my breath every time he carries it now.

Love Gruden's response at the end of the game "I'm not pleased with any part of our game because we lost."

 

[MattFancy]

Few thoughts from yesterday's game:

1. We can still run the ball. Morris and Helu looked really good running yesterday. The team averaged over 5ypc against a pretty solid Texans defense. Don't think we need to worry about the run game going forward.

2. Garcon picked up where he left off. 10 catches yesterday. Doesn't look like the addition of DJax will effect his targets too much, especially if Reed is out for awhile.

3. DJax looked solid in his debut. Would've liked to see them go deep to him more, but he had 8 catches on the day.

4. RG3 looked better. Didn't look comfortable back there, but who could blame him with the way Watt was causing havoc on every play it seemed. 78% comp% is good, even though they were mostly short passes. Figured going in we had to have a game plan that involved a short passing game because I didn't trust our OL to hold up. Looks like Gruden and McVay thought the same thing.

5. The OL needs to improve if we're going to scare people on offense. DJax's main threat is taking the top off defenses. We can't do that if RG3 only has 2 seconds to throw on every play. Granted, he may have held onto the ball a little long on a couple of plays, but he wasn't getting much time to scan the field or have his WRs get open.

6. Defense looks better. I know Fitzpatrick isn't anything special, but the defense seems to be on the up swing. Though, like typical Redskin defenes, when we needed a stop/turnover lat in the 4th quarter, we let the Texans drive down field and kick a FG to seal it.

7. Overall, a pretty meh game. Saw some improvements on both sides of the ball, but also saw plenty to work on going forward. The biggest thing going forward is going to be the OL. If they can't give RG3 time, it won't matter who we have playing QB.

 

[fatness]

The defense could not get off the field during the 4th quarter when Houston had a long drive for the Fg that iced the game. Just like so many times last year.

"Unshackled by Shanahan" didn't seem to help them there.

 

[dhockster]

The running game looked really good for the Redskins. I thought the defense also looked pretty good (although I don't think the Texans are big time offense). Questionable coaching and big mistakes cost the Redskins the game. The coaching may get better as Gruden gets experience, but if the Redskins don't cut out the crucial turnovers, they will be right back where they were last year.

 

[MattFancy]

The defense could not get off the field during the 4th quarter when Houston had a long drive for the Fg that iced the game. Just like so many times last year.

"Unshackled by Shanahan" didn't seem to help them there.

Keim said the Texans has like 192yds going into the 4th quarter. They had 126 or something like that on their last 2 drives. Defense couldn't get off the field when we needed them to step up the most. Feel like I've been saying that for the last decade.

 

[dgreen]

The defense could not get off the field during the 4th quarter when Houston had a long drive for the Fg that iced the game. Just like so many times last year.

"Unshackled by Shanahan" didn't seem to help them there.

Well, to their credit, they had stopped them on 3rd down and got a pretty weak roughing the passer call on Baker. The horse collar was the dagger.

 

[dgreen]

Cofield to short-term IR. That means he'll miss 8 weeks and then be eligible to return.

That's going to hurt. Remember, of the DL they kept, only Cofield was really a NT. Now they either have to use a 3-4 DE at NT or go find someone who is currently unemployed (or I guess on someone else's practice squad?) to sign.

I don't remember when Cofield went down and how that coincided with Houston's eventual success driving the ball down field.

 

[MattFancy]

Cofield to short-term IR. That means he'll miss 8 weeks and then be eligible to return.

That's going to hurt. Remember, of the DL they kept, only Cofield was really a NT. Now they either have to use a 3-4 DE at NT or go find someone who is currently unemployed (or I guess on someone else's practice squad?) to sign.

I don't remember when Cofield went down and how that coincided with Houston's eventual success driving the ball down field.

I'm not sure either. Though I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

 

[dgreen]

I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

For most of the day, it was the type of defensive performance you'd hope to have against a below average offense.

 

[Sidewinder16]

I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

For most of the day, it was the type of defensive performance you'd hope to have against a below average offense.

I would argue they did just fine for the whole day. They held Houston's offense to 10 points (and had them held to 7 for the first 58 minutes). The defense shouldn't really carry any of the burden of this loss. That rests solely on the fumbles and the ridiculous joke that is the Redskins special teams unit, IMHO.

 

[MattFancy]

I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

For most of the day, it was the type of defensive performance you'd hope to have against a below average offense.

I would argue they did just fine for the whole day. They held Houston's offense to 10 points (and had them held to 7 for the first 58 minutes). The defense shouldn't really carry any of the burden of this loss. That rests solely on the fumbles and the ridiculous joke that is the Redskins special teams unit, IMHO.

My only gripe with the defense was when we needed them the most, they couldn't stop their offense.

 

[dgreen]

I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

For most of the day, it was the type of defensive performance you'd hope to have against a below average offense.

I would argue they did just fine for the whole day. They held Houston's offense to 10 points (and had them held to 7 for the first 58 minutes). The defense shouldn't really carry any of the burden of this loss. That rests solely on the fumbles and the ridiculous joke that is the Redskins special teams unit, IMHO.

My only gripe with the defense was when we needed them the most, they couldn't stop their offense.

The only things I can really think of to fault the defense is the blown coverage and lame tackling attempt by Rambo and then the Breeland horse collar.

I'm not sure I care too much when they gave up points. 10 points allowed by the D should be a win any week. The only reason it wasn't a win this week is because the other two units completely crapped the bed.

 

[MattFancy]

I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

For most of the day, it was the type of defensive performance you'd hope to have against a below average offense.

I would argue they did just fine for the whole day. They held Houston's offense to 10 points (and had them held to 7 for the first 58 minutes). The defense shouldn't really carry any of the burden of this loss. That rests solely on the fumbles and the ridiculous joke that is the Redskins special teams unit, IMHO.

My only gripe with the defense was when we needed them the most, they couldn't stop their offense.

The only things I can really think of to fault the defense is the blown coverage and lame tackling attempt by Rambo and then the Breeland horse collar.

I'm not sure I care too much when they gave up points. 10 points allowed by the D should be a win any week. The only reason it wasn't a win this week is because the other two units completely crapped the bed.

Very true. They definitely played well. It just sucked because it seems like our defense always falters when we need them the most. Get a TO or force a punt and we have a chance to tie the game. Letting them go downfield and kick a FG ended the game.

 

[dgreen]

I heard a stat yesterday that was surprising. The Texans didn't get the ball into our territory until the 4th quarter.

For most of the day, it was the type of defensive performance you'd hope to have against a below average offense.

I would argue they did just fine for the whole day. They held Houston's offense to 10 points (and had them held to 7 for the first 58 minutes). The defense shouldn't really carry any of the burden of this loss. That rests solely on the fumbles and the ridiculous joke that is the Redskins special teams unit, IMHO.

My only gripe with the defense was when we needed them the most, they couldn't stop their offense.

The only things I can really think of to fault the defense is the blown coverage and lame tackling attempt by Rambo and then the Breeland horse collar.

I'm not sure I care too much when they gave up points. 10 points allowed by the D should be a win any week. The only reason it wasn't a win this week is because the other two units completely crapped the bed.

Very true. They definitely played well. It just sucked because it seems like our defense always falters when we need them the most. Get a TO or force a punt and we have a chance to tie the game. Letting them go downfield and kick a FG ended the game.

Yeah, I understand. I guess I just don't look at games that way anymore. It's like blaming the pitching staff in a 2-1 loss because they give up a late-inning run. Or maybe a kicker who makes 4 FGs but misses one at the end being blamed.

I think games have to be viewed in their entirety. I understand the desire to see them be "clutch" and step up at that time, but they pretty much were just that for most of the day. In fact, they had just come off a drive where Houston drove inside the 10 and the defense forced a huge fumble. The offense didn't do much with it, of course. The offense is the one who didn't come through when needed.

I think we have memories of mostly bad overall defensive performances culminating with allowing a team to drive the field late in the 4th. I don't think those memories should lead to much criticism of this past Sunday.

 

[fatness]

Safety Akeem Davis is back where he was after the final cutdown -- on the Redskins’ roster.

Washington signed Davis off the practice squad to fill the spot vacated when they placed nose tackle Barry Cofield on the short-term injured reserve list. Cofield is eligible to return later this season.

The Redskins opted to stick with six defensive linemen in Cofield’s absence. They used six linemen in Sunday’s loss to Houston.

With Davis, the Redskins now have five safeties but will get Brandon Meriweather back from suspension next week, which would then give them six at this position. Davis is more of a special teams player at this point, which is why he initially made the 53-man roster. However, the Redskins cut him a day later when they claimed Duke Ihenacho off waivers.

The Redskins also cut receiver Nick Williams and corner Richard Crawford off the practice squad. The Redskins have been looking for bigger players at both spots. They signed tight end Je’Ron Hamm, defensive lineman Derrick Hopkins and receiver Marvin McNutt to the practice squad.

http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/10780/redskins-sign-akeem-davis-to-roster?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed

 

[fatness]

Gruden said Roy Helu was “out to lunch” on the blocked punt in the Redskins' 17-6 loss to the Texans on Sunday. Anyone disagree? Gruden kept using the word "poor" to describe Bacarri Rambo’s angle on a missed tackle that led to a 76-yard touchdown catch. Disagree?Gruden has never shied from saying what he thinks quarterback Robert Griffin III must do better. It’s not as if Gruden shares every thought without a filter; if he did, some assessments would be much harsher. There's no doubt about that. He even took a jab at himself, saying in hindsight he wishes the Redskins had run the ball more.

Jay Gruden has been brutally honest in his assessments of his team, including quarterback Robert Griffin III. It’s not as if he’s ripping players. But he will be more honest in evaluations of certain parts of the game, much more than predecessor Mike Shanahan. Is it better to be this honest? If the Redskins win, it will be hailed as refreshing; if they keep losing, then...

http://espn.go.com/blog/washington-redskins/post/_/id/10752/jay-grudens-honesty-could-be-best-policy

 

[fatness]

Cofield being out 8 weeks is going to be a problem.

 

[MattFancy]

Cofield being out 8 weeks is going to be a problem.

Yes, yes it is. Any NT out on the market?

 

[Marvelous]

Chris Baker moving to NT. Jenkins will be at end.

Cooley was discussing RGIII's performance. He said RGIII does not slide to the left to stay in the pocket. He always takes off to the right, which makes blocking for him difficult. It also puts Polumbus in a bad spot. Cooley thought there were definitely plays where if RGIII steps to the left, he gets the time he needs to complete the play.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

It's funny how some people only want to talk/write, but not interact...I guess its a normal internet complex that people think what they say is more important than others have to say. Then again, maybe its just who's who click thing...dunno...whatever...

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Chris Baker moving to NT. Jenkins will be at end.

Cooley was discussing RGIII's performance. He said RGIII does not slide to the left to stay in the pocket. He always takes off to the right, which makes blocking for him difficult. It also puts Polumbus in a bad spot. Cooley thought there were definitely plays where if RGIII steps to the left, he gets the time he needs to complete the play.

I think I saw Hatcher in that spot during the HOU game a few times too. Regardless, Baker is the best bet to fill that and if Jenkins is motivated and is anything close two the 2 yrs ago guy...we might alright for the time being. Not ideal, but disaster either.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

Cofield being out 8 weeks is going to be a problem.

Yes, yes it is. Any NT out on the market?

Not starter worthy....they are a premium and with more teams running 3-4, even less to go around.

 

[fatness]

Chris Baker moving to NT. Jenkins will be at end.

Cooley was discussing RGIII's performance. He said RGIII does not slide to the left to stay in the pocket. He always takes off to the right, which makes blocking for him difficult. It also puts Polumbus in a bad spot. Cooley thought there were definitely plays where if RGIII steps to the left, he gets the time he needs to complete the play.

He also said Griffin played well enough to win, that the Skins can expect similar defensive tactics to what Houston did (deep safeties, allowing shorter passes, pressuring the QB heavily), that the Skins' bootleg and screen plays failed in the Houston game, and that Morris needs to run more to get the pressure off Griffin and the O-line.

 

[Marvelous]

Chris Baker moving to NT. Jenkins will be at end.

Cooley was discussing RGIII's performance. He said RGIII does not slide to the left to stay in the pocket. He always takes off to the right, which makes blocking for him difficult. It also puts Polumbus in a bad spot. Cooley thought there were definitely plays where if RGIII steps to the left, he gets the time he needs to complete the play.

He also said Griffin played well enough to win, that the Skins can expect similar defensive tactics to what Houston did (deep safeties, allowing shorter passes, pressuring the QB heavily), that the Skins' bootleg and screen plays failed in the Houston game, and that Morris needs to run more to get the pressure off Griffin and the O-line.

I am not sure if Cooley or someone else said this. If Griffin is not going to run, teams are going to blitz him a lot. The run threat two years ago made teams very hesitant to blitz.

Also heard Griffin wants to be a pocket passer and not run. Gruden has said he only calling plays the QB is comfortable with.

 

[dgreen]

It's funny how some people only want to talk/write, but not interact...I guess its a normal internet complex that people think what they say is more important than others have to say. Then again, maybe its just who's who click thing...dunno...whatever...

I thought about not interacting with this post, but...what?

 

[dgreen]

Chris Baker moving to NT. Jenkins will be at end.

Cooley was discussing RGIII's performance. He said RGIII does not slide to the left to stay in the pocket. He always takes off to the right, which makes blocking for him difficult. It also puts Polumbus in a bad spot. Cooley thought there were definitely plays where if RGIII steps to the left, he gets the time he needs to complete the play.

Yeah, my main gripe with the in-the-pocket Griffin is that he doesn't buy time within the pocket very well. When pressure is coming, it seems like he thinks he needs to buy himself several more seconds rather than 0.5 more seconds. Sometimes, all you need is another half second to make a play.

As for him running, I think I've been pretty clear that I think it's ridiculous for him NOT to run some. It's such a good weapon and he's so good at the zone read. They ran zone read once against Houston. It was the 3rd and 1 on the first drive and Watt stuffed Morris. I thought the HOU end had clearly commited to Morris early enough for Griffin to pull it back and easily pick up the first down, but he let Morris have the ball and he was stuffed. As an aside, it also seemed like a poorly designed blocking scheme there. One idea with the zone read is to leave the end unblocked to give you an extra blocker for the RB, yet they didn't use an extra blocker on Watt and he, of course, whipped Chester.

 

[fatness]

Chris Baker moving to NT. Jenkins will be at end.

Cooley was discussing RGIII's performance. He said RGIII does not slide to the left to stay in the pocket. He always takes off to the right, which makes blocking for him difficult. It also puts Polumbus in a bad spot. Cooley thought there were definitely plays where if RGIII steps to the left, he gets the time he needs to complete the play.

He also said Griffin played well enough to win, that the Skins can expect similar defensive tactics to what Houston did (deep safeties, allowing shorter passes, pressuring the QB heavily), that the Skins' bootleg and screen plays failed in the Houston game, and that Morris needs to run more to get the pressure off Griffin and the O-line.

I am not sure if Cooley or someone else said this. If Griffin is not going to run, teams are going to blitz him a lot. The run threat two years ago made teams very hesitant to blitz.

Also heard Griffin wants to be a pocket passer and not run. Gruden has said he only calling plays the QB is comfortable with.

Cooley said the first thing. The second thing, I have not heard. Cooley was pretty emphatic that the Skins will face a ton of defensive pressure on the QB until they figure out how to make other teams pay for it. And straight drop-back pass after pass won't do that. It plays to the team's weakness.

 

[dgreen]

A. Morris might have never fumbled in the past, but that seems to be just that the past. His almost fumble near the goal line is a reminder of how close this could have been a big goose egg for us. I hold my breath every time he carries it now.

Now I get your last post.

I actually think holding onto the ball is a Morris weakness. His fumble rate has been fairly high and there have been some that have been credited to the QB because Morris simply doesn't catch the pitch. If I had to guess, I'd say his run down to the 1 this week was a fumble. The camera angles luckily blocked the view of the ball as his knee hit, but I'd guess it was coming out.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

A. Morris might have never fumbled in the past, but that seems to be just that the past. His almost fumble near the goal line is a reminder of how close this could have been a big goose egg for us. I hold my breath every time he carries it now.

Now I get your last post.

I actually think holding onto the ball is a Morris weakness. His fumble rate has been fairly high and there have been some that have been credited to the QB because Morris simply doesn't catch the pitch. If I had to guess, I'd say his run down to the 1 this week was a fumble. The camera angles luckily blocked the view of the ball as his knee hit, but I'd guess it was coming out.

You hit the nail on the head here. I find myself holding my breath every time he carries the ball now. Funny how first year not an issue at all and then all of sudden...complete opposite now.

 

[fatness]

I find myself holding my breath every time the Redskins offense has the ball now.

 

[dgreen]

I find myself holding my breath every time the Redskins offense has the ball now.

At least you don't have to hold your breath very long.

 

[RGIII HTTR]

I want that feeling back that we had for that one year, RG3's first year, where we had confidence the team could score no matter where we got the ball. All the other years before RG3 and the last year + plus so far (pre-season & 1st game) it feels like we won the lottery if we move the ball down field and score.

 

[thayman]

I want that feeling back that we had for that one year, RG3's first year, where we had confidence the team could score no matter where we got the ball. All the other years before RG3 and the last year + plus so far (pre-season & 1st game) it feels like we won the lottery if we move the ball down field and score.

You won't, Griffin doesn't want to run so now we're stuck with a mediocre qb.

 

[fatness]

I want that feeling back that we had for that one year, RG3's first year, where we had confidence the team could score no matter where we got the ball. All the other years before RG3 and the last year + plus so far (pre-season & 1st game) it feels like we won the lottery if we move the ball down field and score.

You won't, Griffin doesn't want to run so now we're stuck with a mediocre qb.

I'm not sure that's it. It may well be the coaching staff doesn't want him to run. Or it could be both.

 

[fatness]

I want that feeling back that we had for that one year, RG3's first year, where we had confidence the team could score no matter where we got the ball. All the other years before RG3 and the last year + plus so far (pre-season & 1st game) it feels like we won the lottery if we move the ball down field and score.

When the Skins get the ball on offense I'm more afraid of the opponents scoring than when the opponents' offense has the ball.

And when the Skins are kicking ................................

 

[fatness]

Over/under on # of complete games Jordan Reed plays this year: 2.5

John Keim said this morning that Reed has had 9 different injuries since being with the Skins.