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***OFFICIAL*** Washington Commanders Thread (2 Viewers)

One good thing from Sunday's offensive performance was the lack of unsuccessful fades in the end zone.

/trying to find bright spots here

 
Chris Thompson is not durable enough to be a 'featured' back, but he's the closest thing to 'special' on the offense behind Jordan Reed. The Redskins rushing offense was an interesting paradigm last year in that while they didn't run the ball much, when they did, it was reasonably productive. There are plays in the Gruden playbook involving traps, screens and draws that Thompson can thrive in and be productive, that minimize the beatings that go with the between tackles game. It would be nice to see Thompson on the field more on early downs to lessen the predictability of run/pass. Which would also help out an O-line that doesn't appear to be in sync yet, and particularly had trouble keeping defenders out of Kirk's grill. I bet if Thompson was in more on 1st and 2nd down, we'd be in a lot fewer 3rd downs, and of those, a lot fewer 3rd and longs...Pryor is a gifted athelete, and I don't think he's appreciably slower than DJax, however he lacks the nuances to his game that WR's who have spent the majority of their life actually playing the position, vs converting. It's very apparent that he's still well down the learning curve concerning route-running concepts and the on-field geometry involved in making a play work. Speed, quickness and spacing are so important in an NFL offense - I think it's fairly obvious that Pryor is still 'thinking' himself through his routes, rather than just running them with the speed that reps and reps and reps and reps bring, and that's only going to come with time and practice. Plays aren't going to work, and it's not helping Kirk at all, if guys (Pryor, and I love him, but it's a fair, constructive criticism) aren't where they're supposed to be...and by that, I mean spacing, which is one of the most under-appreciated concepts that the casual fan just isn't aware of it's importance. There were multiple occurrences Sunday, where incorrect spacing prevented Kirk from delivering accurate balls. That's not on Kirk, and plenty of people don't know enough about football to know that, and blame the wrong party. At least Pryor is passionate, and he's a hard, dedicated worker. In time, it will come, but for now he's not nearly a finished product. Unfortunately, much of that learning has to occur at game speed, which is impossible to replicate in practice, so we're kinda stuck with waiting it out. O-line not doing Kirk any favors either. Kirk is far from blameless, but there's a lot of blame to go around, between coaches, scheme and players that all contributed to that poor offensive showing on Sunday. It's a long season. Just have to keep repping, and hoping much of what needs to be committed to muscle memory happens sooner than later. The sooner that happens, I think we'll see the offense improve across the board...but our schedule is one tough row to hoe between now and then. Tough spot to be in. Tough spot, indeed.

 
fatness said:
One good thing from Sunday's offensive performance was the lack of unsuccessful fades in the end zone.

/trying to find bright spots here
Click to expand...
I actually played Doctson as a punt in some DFS stuff because I just knew there would be a good dozen or so fade attempts. It was nice not to be right about that in reality.  

 
Galette didn't play a ton, but thought he made his presence known. On 16 snaps, he had two QB hits and a sack nullified by Ryan Anderson not knowing where the LOS was.

 
Just put 23 tickets to the Rams game on my credit card. Rented a 56 seat party bus to get up there. There should be 35 or so of us together in an endzone section, but I didn't want to front all that money. Nervous enough getting those 22 to pay up right now :lol:  

Pretty stoked. Great group of Skins fans here in San Diego. And I've never been to the L.A. Coliseum either. That'll be worth something. We'll be doing the same for the Chargers game in December too. That one should be interesting. NFL in a 27k seat soccer stadium. Chargers are so stupid for moving. 

 
Sebowski said:
Just put 23 tickets to the Rams game on my credit card. Rented a 56 seat party bus to get up there. There should be 35 or so of us together in an endzone section, but I didn't want to front all that money. Nervous enough getting those 22 to pay up right now :lol:  

Pretty stoked. Great group of Skins fans here in San Diego. And I've never been to the L.A. Coliseum either. That'll be worth something. We'll be doing the same for the Chargers game in December too. That one should be interesting. NFL in a 27k seat soccer stadium. Chargers are so stupid for moving. 
Click to expand...
How much did that cost you?

 
Fred Smoot isn't subtle.

“We cannot let Kirk off the hook with this,” Smoot said. “It starts with him, and he starts slow every year. People don’t understand: sometimes you’ve got to look at the package for what it is. We’re talking about a quarterback that demands $20 million-plus a year, that hasn’t won a playoff game, bad in the red zone, throws for four or five thousand yards but can’t complete and end drives. He’s also [29] years old.”
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“You wonder why we ain’t got no identity on offense? Because he doesn’t have an identity,” Smoot said. “What, he’s a late-quarter stat hound? He’s a completion guy that can’t throw outside the numbers? He’s a guy that cannot get in the end zone? Look at the numbers in the red zone last year! That’s decision-making. When the field gets small, it’s all about pulling the trigger. And right now, if I compare his weapons to the weapons of Aaron Rodgers or the weapons of [Derek] Carr, he has the better weapons.  He’s had the better weapons the last three years. And we’ve [won] no playoff games. And everybody gives him the benefit of the doubt, because we ain’t had no quarterback since Sonny Jurgensen.”  
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I hope some of that bolded stuff changes this year.

 
Regarding the team starting slowly, Smoot:

We’ve started slow the last three years out of the gate, we’ve lost the opening game. And I think it has a lot to do with the training camp, the glorified pillow fight, and I think it has a lot to do with the way we practice, and the way we come out of the gate. …

“Greg Manusky, the defense has his identity: Nasty, get after it, if we make mistakes we’re gonna make them 100 miles per hour,” Smoot said. “And the offense has Coach Gruden’s personality: kind of nonchalant.”
Click to expand...

 
ESPN 30 For 30 aired two Redskins episodes tonight. One about the 1987 replacement players. The second, an interesting story about how the US Marshalls used a fake ticket-winning scam to get a bunch of wanted felons in the same room to arrest them. Today, Redskins tickets aren't enough in demand for something like that to work.

If you didn't watch tonight, catch a rerun or watch online. Probably will be on Watch ESPN app. 

 
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MikeApf said:
Predictions for week 2?
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If we had a fierce pass rush I'd predict a win by 14. We don't. I figure a loss by 7 points or so.

Doctson has more "hamstring issues" by the way.

I think the passing game's going to be a struggle all year, and won't bail the team out of games like it did last year. I don't think Doctson is going to play much if at all. I think it's a matter of time til Reed's out; he's playing with a broken bone after all. Pryor is still learning parts of playing WR, and I just don't think much of Ryan Grant. Crowder's going to be covered better than he was last year.  So that leaves the running game to bail them out of offense, and nobody's ever accused Jay Gruden of liking to run the ball or of understanding running the ball.  Defense is going to be better than last year, but they'll be on the field more than last year.

 
crusty crab said:
I have a sinking feeling that McVay is going to end up looking like the better head coach in this one. Hope I'm wrong.
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...and short term (this week) I don't think it's ever good to play a team that just poached one of your coaches.  They'll know every weakness you have. 

 
fatness said:
If we had a fierce pass rush I'd predict a win by 14. We don't. I figure a loss by 7 points or so.

Doctson has more "hamstring issues" by the way.

I think the passing game's going to be a struggle all year, and won't bail the team out of games like it did last year. I don't think Doctson is going to play much if at all. I think it's a matter of time til Reed's out; he's playing with a broken bone after all. Pryor is still learning parts of playing WR, and I just don't think much of Ryan Grant. Crowder's going to be covered better than he was last year.  So that leaves the running game to bail them out of offense, and nobody's ever accused Jay Gruden of liking to run the ball or of understanding running the ball.  Defense is going to be better than last year, but they'll be on the field more than last year.
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I read where last week the Redskins ran 17 times and threw 40 -- and this was in a game that was CLOSE THE ENTIRE GAME!  That's more than just situational play calling...that's either no confidence in or outright aversion to the running game.

BTW, I'd cut Doctson today and bring up Harris, who I personally think has potential.  How many guys started off with the kind of ongoing injuries as Doctson then all of a sudden snapped out of it to be a 16 game / year player.  I think that dude will never contribute.

Holding out hope for a win, and will certainly be watching and cheering, but am worried...

 
MattFancy said:
I have no idea. Rams probably aren't as good as they looked last week against the hapless Colts. Skins offense can't be as bad as it looked last week against the Eagles. We need this game more.

Skins 24

Rams 20
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I hope you are right.  I think you are correct in the sense that the Rams looked better than they were vs. the quality of the opponent.  As for the Skins offense, I have a sinking feeling we *may* be that bad.  :-(  That said, our defense has to rise up and really put pressure on Goff..knock him down, rattle him...try to get him to make Cousin-esque mistakes.  Then on offense Gruden needs to run it more than 17 times this game.  He acts like there is a rule that if you gain 2 yards you can't try to run it again, but coaches do that all the time with better results than just chucking it downfield in desperation 10 feet over the reciever's head...

Am hoping for a win but am worried.

As for my prediction...I predict I will consume alcohol on Sunday during the game...

 
?

Snyder has finally done it.  Finally completely beaten the fan base down.  I have followed the team since I was a kid in the 70s and I have never seen the fanbase so defeated.  That's not a judgement by the way...the fans are just responding rationally to what they've been given.

 
MikeApf said:
?

Snyder has finally done it.  Finally completely beaten the fan base down.  I have followed the team since I was a kid in the 70s and I have never seen the fanbase so defeated.  That's not a judgement by the way...the fans are just responding rationally to what they've been given.
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I think the biggest reason fans are so apathetic now is also due to the recent successes of the Caps, Nats and Wizards.

They were all pretty bad fairly recently but have rebuilt themselves to be competitive.  

 
I just remembered something: Wade Phillips is the Rams defensive coordinator.

Ouch. He's a better DC than Gruden is an OC.

 
MikeApf said:
I read where last week the Redskins ran 17 times and threw 40 -- and this was in a game that was CLOSE THE ENTIRE GAME!  That's more than just situational play calling...that's either no confidence in or outright aversion to the running game.

BTW, I'd cut Doctson today and bring up Harris, who I personally think has potential.  How many guys started off with the kind of ongoing injuries as Doctson then all of a sudden snapped out of it to be a 16 game / year player.  I think that dude will never contribute.

Holding out hope for a win, and will certainly be watching and cheering, but am worried...
Click to expand...
Isaac Bruce?

 
Frequently when a team looks really good one week like the Rams, there is a let down the following week.  Frequently when a team looks bad, they play better the following week.  It has to do with the randomness of the NFL and regression to the mean.

I still have a bad feeling about the Redskins this week.  It is based on McVay possibly being the wonderkind coach and Gruden not.

 
Sebowski said:
And he hates Jay. From what I gather/maybe made up. 
Click to expand...
Remember this?

When Jay was the offensive coordinator in Cincinnati and I was with the Texans, I faced the Bengals twice in the playoffs, after the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and beat them both times—31–10 and 19–13. I felt he knew my credentials and might have been impressed with the things we were able to do in the previous three games in which we had beaten the Bengals, including one game during the regular season.

We watched a lot of tape of the Texans’ games versus his offense. It seemed to me a lot of the plays were of when Cincinnati did well. Most of the interview was about that. I thought we should have talked more about philosophy, technique, concepts, and my record, but he was the one interviewing me.

After the interview I told Wes of my disappointment. I felt Jay didn’t have as much regard for my coaching as I’d hoped he would. He ended up hiring Joe Barry, a friend of his, to be defensive coordinator.
Click to expand...

 
First half when they were running the ball they looked like the team that everyone in DC wants.  

Need to get Kelly back soon and use that as blueprint going forward...

 
rascal said:
So if Rob has a fractured rib, how long will he be out?  Oh, and wtf is up with cousins?
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Cousins looks like he is being exposed a little without Garçon and Jackson.  I think he's an average QB but not the guy who lifts everyone around him up.

That's why I think we need to keep running the ball and playing good defense.  We have a better chance winning when we don't put it in Cousins' back

 
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/with-dedication-jay-gruden-successfully-strays-from-character/2017/09/17/be5a4e7c-9bd8-11e7-8ea1-ed975285475e_story.html?utm_term=.fcde0e895da4

key stat:  Washington ran the ball 39 times for 229 yards and 2 TDs. Compare that to 17 runs vs the Eagles.  

When they drove to the RedZone after Gurleys fumbled KO return, they could have run for another but Gruden couldn't help himself and called two fades in a row -- both unsuccessful of course.

It will be interesting to see what they do against the Raiders.  The Raiders can score points and should be favored.  I'd like to see us try to run it and keep possession of the ball some.

I still don't think we're a great team and it'll be a long shot to finish the first quarter of the season 2-2, but you have to think that our shot is going to be ball control vs. two afc west opponents who can score 

 
Rely on running game.

Take lead and control of game.

Fade.

Fade.

Lose control of game.

Lose lead.

Rely some on running game on last drive.

Take lead.

Win

 
Had such a great time today. Huge Skins tailgate. L.A. Coliseum was fun. Just feels like a part of history. I couldn't believe how many times we ran the ball. It was awesome to see that. Especially since it was working. Easy to commit to something that's working. I live end zone seats. Docston was singled up so many times. Looked like they were daring Kirk to go his way almost. And he didn't. Crowd was cool. Lots of us. Lots of them. They were loud when they were doing well. We were loud when we were. Our section knew HTTR word for word by the end. All friendly fire. Good people good times. 

 
Sebowski said:
Had such a great time today. Huge Skins tailgate. L.A. Coliseum was fun. Just feels like a part of history. I couldn't believe how many times we ran the ball. It was awesome to see that. Especially since it was working. Easy to commit to something that's working. I live end zone seats. Docston was singled up so many times. Looked like they were daring Kirk to go his way almost. And he didn't. Crowd was cool. Lots of us. Lots of them. They were loud when they were doing well. We were loud when we were. Our section knew HTTR word for word by the end. All friendly fire. Good people good times. 
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Knew you going was our secret weapon.  You got tix for the Raiders game yet? :D

 
Good to see them bounce back and get the win. The running game was firing on all cylinders for once. Thompson looks like a different player so far this season.

I guess we'll see more of Perine for the next few weeks until Rob is healed up.

Cousins hasn't looked sharp at all. Hard to say if it's him or the WRs.

Defense definitely looked improved from last season. Have liked what I've seen so far.

 
fatness said:
Rely on running game.

Take lead and control of game.

Fade.

Fade.

Lose control of game.

Lose lead.

Rely some on running game on last drive.

Take lead.

Win
Click to expand...
The two fades in a row -- at a time when they couldn't stop us on the ground -- was almost like a bad parody one of us would come up with.  

I think at least one was to Josh "Sore Hammy" Doctson too.  That's what makes the joke even more surreal...

 
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Sebowski said:
Forgetting someone? 
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I don't think so. I don't think Perine qualifies as a hero. He was just a guy, who gained just enough to keep some drives alive. A big step forward for him, one I'm glad to see, but not a hero. Not Crowder either, though he made some critical catches. Might be someone I'm forgetting?

Those 2 straight fades were ridiculous. Glad we won or I'd be irate about them.

Thanks for guaranteeing the win for us BTW.

 
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