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***OFFICIAL*** Washington Commanders Thread (4 Viewers)

dgreen said:
It is reportedly for missing a test rather than failing a test. 
I wonder what the context was for missing the test.  Forgot?  Avoided?  If he actively avoided it, you have to figure he had done something he shouldn't have.  His first suspension was due to marijana, btw.  Sad with everyone taking HGH and everything else to give you a competitive edge, big Trent will probably sit for smoking a bowl.   Wait til the offseason, man.   SMH.

 
This team could so easily have 1 loss vs the Steelers. And if you look at all the divisions in the NFC, the Skins have a better record than everyone for the wildcard spot

 
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Looking at this stretch -- Minn, GB, and Dallas -- many of us thought that maybe this would be the stretch to do the Redskins in, after not finishing off some winnable games vs. Detroit and Cincinnati. But we faced a reeling Minnesota team who had lost three straight.  And now we face a reeling Green Bay team who has lost three straight and who was absolutely schellacked by Tennessee today.  Before the season, I would have pegged these two games as losers for sure. But the fates have arranged it to give the Redskins a chance to steal those two games now. DOn't get me wrong.  It's the Redskins we're talking about here, so we coudl go out and get our doors blown off next week.  But (in Dumb and Dumber voice), "I'm just saying we have a chance."

I don't have a great feeling about the Cowboys game on the road, so this makes Green Bay at home huge.  If we can somehow steal a win, I actually do like our positioning for a Wild Card bearth down the stretch.

Today wasn't pretty, and they almost gave it away, but they did fight hard and find a way to win at the end.  Give them credit for not laying down and dying at least...

 
I missed this game. How did the line look without Trent? Kelly look legit? Did the Vikings scheme Reed out? 
Line played well. Good run blocking and protected Cousins well. Kelley made some runs I don't think Jones would have made. Turned -2 yard runs into 3 yard gains. Turned 4 yard runs into  7 yards. Showed some good jukes. Not sure what happened to Reed, Davis, and Crowder in the second half. As we keep hearing from Cousins, he just goes where his reads take him, so I'm guessing Minnesota changed something up. 

Overall, played pretty well.  Offense, once again, moved the ball all day but struggled to get TDs at times. Defense was good most of the day, except for an ugly three straight drives in the 2nd quarter where Minnesota had three straight TDs. The rest of the game, they shut them down. A strong pass rush on the final three plays put the game away (because the offense couldn't put it away themselves). 

 
Looking at this stretch -- Minn, GB, and Dallas -- many of us thought that maybe this would be the stretch to do the Redskins in, after not finishing off some winnable games vs. Detroit and Cincinnati. But we faced a reeling Minnesota team who had lost three straight.  And now we face a reeling Green Bay team who has lost three straight and who was absolutely schellacked by Tennessee today.  Before the season, I would have pegged these two games as losers for sure. But the fates have arranged it to give the Redskins a chance to steal those two games now. DOn't get me wrong.  It's the Redskins we're talking about here, so we coudl go out and get our doors blown off next week.  But (in Dumb and Dumber voice), "I'm just saying we have a chance."

I don't have a great feeling about the Cowboys game on the road, so this makes Green Bay at home huge.  If we can somehow steal a win, I actually do like our positioning for a Wild Card bearth down the stretch.

Today wasn't pretty, and they almost gave it away, but they did fight hard and find a way to win at the end.  Give them credit for not laying down and dying at least...
I'm in the mood to whine about something new today, so ...

How the hell do the Cowboys get a 1 PM home game on the weekend before the Thanksgiving game while we play the Sunday night game and then have to travel? That seems like a bit of a screw job.  At least give us the extra seven hours of recovery.

 
I'm in the mood to whine about something new today, so ...

How the hell do the Cowboys get a 1 PM home game on the weekend before the Thanksgiving game while we play the Sunday night game and then have to travel? That seems like a bit of a screw job.  At least give us the extra seven hours of recovery.
Oh yeah, it totally sucks.

What's more, Dallas' game this week vs. Baltimore is in Dallas, so they won't even have to travel this weekend.

I'm sure it wasn't an intentional screwjob, but sucks just the same.

Anyway, I'm of the mind that the Green Bay game is actually bigger.  I think Wild Card a more realistic goal at this point, and a victory vs. Green Bay would not only give us another win but would push down another potential wild card team...

 
I'm in the mood to whine about something new today, so ...

How the hell do the Cowboys get a 1 PM home game on the weekend before the Thanksgiving game while we play the Sunday night game and then have to travel? That seems like a bit of a screw job.  At least give us the extra seven hours of recovery.
Keep in mind that years ago The Thanksgiving Day game was thought of as awful.  Jones pushed to get the game to Dallas and Detroit agreed because they weren't very good and ratings started to improve (not dissimilar to Jacksonville's London games).  The league seems to have always tried to give a little help to Dallas and Detroit over that week (Detroit had a bye last week), nowadays with all of The Thursday Night games that little finagling is unnecessary.

 
Keep in mind that years ago The Thanksgiving Day game was thought of as awful.  Jones pushed to get the game to Dallas and Detroit agreed because they weren't very good and ratings started to improve (not dissimilar to Jacksonville's London games).  The league seems to have always tried to give a little help to Dallas and Detroit over that week (Detroit had a bye last week), nowadays with all of The Thursday Night games that little finagling is unnecessary.
Why? Seems like the Thanksgiving game would always be advantageous to Dallas and Detroit.  The team they play on Thanksgiving is usually also on short rest, but they have to sneak in travel during that short week as well.  And then the following week they're generally playing a team that's had less rest than they have.  I'd sign up for that any time.

 
Why? Seems like the Thanksgiving game would always be advantageous to Dallas and Detroit.  The team they play on Thanksgiving is usually also on short rest, but they have to sneak in travel during that short week as well.  And then the following week they're generally playing a team that's had less rest than they have.  I'd sign up for that any time.
At the time was thought that Thanksgiving would net low attendance (keep in mind this was before the TV deals got ridiculous).

 
Why? Seems like the Thanksgiving game would always be advantageous to Dallas and Detroit.  The team they play on Thanksgiving is usually also on short rest, but they have to sneak in travel during that short week as well.  And then the following week they're generally playing a team that's had less rest than they have.  I'd sign up for that any time.
Personally, I think the "tradition" that always awards this game to Dallas and Detroit is ridiculous.  It's a legitimate point you are making about the very real competitive advantage it gives the home team on a short week. The league makes a big flap about competitive balance and integrity, so I don't see why they let "tradition" get in the way of "fairness."  

Fine, do three games on Thanksgiving,but just rotate it like you do with the other Thursday night games so there is some sort of balance achieved.

 
 I'm so sick and tired of everybody that's under 30 years old who wants to change everything because it doesn't suit their particular needs or views. 

 Cowboys got Thanksgiving day every year because nobody else wanted it.  Being forward thinkers they agreed to take the game, but only if they got to host the game every year. The league agreed and then decades later people get to whine and complain about it. 

So suck on it and like it.

 
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 I'm so sick and tired of everybody that's under 30 years old who wants to change everything because it doesn't suit their particular needs or views. 

 Cowboys got Thanksgiving day every Thursday because nobody else wanted it.  Being forward thinkers they agreed to take the Thursday, but only if they got to host the game every year. The league agreed and then decades later people get to whine and complain about it. 

So suck on it and like it.
Jerry Jones was very shrewd making sure after he signed up for the first one The Cowboys we're always guaranteed to have The Thanksgiving Game.  Khan has basically taken Jones's strategy for Jacksonville in London.

 
STEADYMOBBIN sure does spend a lot of time in Redskins threads. I think he's scared to admit he's switched sides.

 
STEADYMOBBIN sure does spend a lot of time in Redskins threads. I think he's scared to admit he's switched sides.


I watch two games every week. I actively root against the skins and I root my Cowboys on.

One of the reason I do check in here is because you guys are for the most part, knowledgeable Redskin fans. I only know maybe 2 Redskins fans here locally who know more then 5 guys on the team.

 
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Keep in mind that years ago The Thanksgiving Day game was thought of as awful.  Jones pushed to get the game to Dallas and Detroit agreed because they weren't very good and ratings started to improve (not dissimilar to Jacksonville's London games).  The league seems to have always tried to give a little help to Dallas and Detroit over that week (Detroit had a bye last week), nowadays with all of The Thursday Night games that little finagling is unnecessary.
Wtf?  This is just wrong. The Loins have been playing Thanksgiving Day games since 1934

"When the Thanksgiving games resumed in 1945, only one game would be played each year (except 1950 and 1952), and only the Lions would have a permanent Thanksgiving game."

The Cowboys got theirs in '66 and actually lost it for a while in the '70s. They didn't get a permanent game again until 1978. 

 
Home team controversy

It has remained a tradition for Dallas and Detroit to host the afternoon games dating back several decades. However, in recent years, other teams have expressed interest in hosting Thanksgiving games. Lamar Hunt, the former owner of the Chiefs (who had hosted Thanksgiving games from 1967–69 as an AFL team prior to the merger), lobbied heavily in favor of his team hosting a game on the holiday. When the NFL adopted a third, prime time game, the Chiefs were selected as the first team to host such a contest.

The host issue came to a head in 2008, focusing particularly on the winless Lions. Going into the game, Detroit had lost their last four Thanksgiving games, and opinions amongst the media had suggested removing Detroit and replacing them with a more attractive matchup.[22][23] The team also required an extension to prevent a local television blackout.[24] The Lions were routed by Tennessee 47–10, en route to the team's 0–16 season.[25] NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that the Lions would stay on Thanksgiving for the 2009 season, but kept the issue open to revisit in the future.[26][27]

Conversely, the Dallas Cowboys, who typically represent a larger television draw,[28] have had much fewer public calls to be replaced on Thanksgiving. One issue that has been debated is a perceived unfair advantage of playing at home on Thanksgiving.[29] The advantage is given in the form of an extra day of practice for the home team while the road team has to travel to the game site. This is true for most Thursday games, but with the night games, the visitor can travel to the game site after practice and hold the final walk-thru the following morning.

With the introduction of the prime time game, which effectively allows all teams in the league an opportunity to play on Thanksgiving, along with the introduction of year-long Thursday Night Football ensuring all teams have one Thursday game during the regular season (thus negating any on-field advantages or disadvantages to being selected for Thanksgiving), the calls for Detroit and Dallas to be removed have curtailed.

 
With the introduction of the prime time game, which effectively allows all teams in the league an opportunity to play on Thanksgiving, along with the introduction of year-long Thursday Night Football ensuring all teams have one Thursday game during the regular season (thus negating any on-field advantages or disadvantages to being selected for Thanksgiving), the calls for Detroit and Dallas to be removed have curtailed.
First of all, I don't really care that much.

Second of all, this still does not address the fact that Dallas is assured of being the HOME team every Thanksgiving, and thus ALWAYS gets the advantages mentioned in the article.  While it's true that all teams can play a prime time Thursday match up, those teams alternate being home and away, while Dallas is ALWAYS home.

But hey, I can see why you are sensitive to the fact that the NFL would do something to unfairly help your team.   :P

 
 I'm so sick and tired of everybody that's under 30 years old who wants to change everything because it doesn't suit their particular needs or views. 

 Cowboys got Thanksgiving day every year because nobody else wanted it.  Being forward thinkers they agreed to take the game, but only if they got to host the game every year. The league agreed and then decades later people get to whine and complain about it. 

So suck on it and like it.
Dude, side note I am not under 30.  Cripes, I may be old enough to be your Dad, or your older brother.   :D

Other than that, I don't got to like anything and I sure don't have to suck on it.   :yucky:    Time to "drain the swamp" with these unfair traditions, I say!   :lmao:

 
Dude, side note I am not under 30.  Cripes, I may be old enough to be your Dad, or your older brother.   :D

Other than that, I don't got to like anything and I sure don't have to suck on it.   :yucky:    Time to "drain the swamp" with these unfair traditions, I say!   :lmao:
You just worry about keeping the Redskins name, pops! ;)

 
We don't have it that bad. Sure, it's a short week following a Sunday night game, but from a long view perspective, we played a morning game in London, then had our bye week, then will have played 2 straight at home (Vikings, Packers) prior to Thanksgiving at Dallas. From an NFL standpoint, that's a fairly easygoing 4-week stretch with a lot of classroom time, practice, rest and recovery built in, heading into the Cowboys game. Packers, right now, aren't the team that beat us at home last year in the Playoffs, and this should be considered a winnable game if we play like we've been playing in recent weeks, and they do, too. We have momentum and revenge factor on our side, and if we can manage to win and avoid the injury bug, the 'skins should be in a very positive state of mind, brimming with confidence, and be carrying some serious momentum into the Cowboys matchup. Those are the kind of things that can balance out the fatigue factor of playing Sunday night, traveling and playing again on Thursday.

Unfortunately, we're far from a complete Team, and losing Sunday night and again on Thursday is every bit as likely a possibility for our fellas...

 
Dallas has won 9 in a row, beginning with a win in DC thanks to a 4th quarter Cousins INT.

NY has won 5 in a row.

Redskins are 6-1-1 in the last 8.

 
Great win tonight.  Too tired to write very much but some scattered thoughts:

1.  When is the last time we looked so good in prime time!

2.  When is the last time we pulled away at the end and put the game away instead of sweating it out until the final 30 seconds!

3.  What about Kirk Cousins dropping bombs to his receivers into that wind that Collingsworth was saying was impossible to throw into.  I think we are going to have to pay him.  I don't think you are going to be able to play "moneyball" and let him walk.  

4.  What about Fat Rob showing some breakaway burst?

5.  Just one win but with Dallas coming up, we absolutely HAD to have that win in order to stay relevant in the playoff hunt.  Here's who we have coming home:  Dallas, Arizona, Philadelphia, Carolina, Chicago, Giants.  Can we scare up 4 more wins from this list?  I'd say 3 more wins POSSIBLY gets us in but 4 wins would definitely get it done.

I think the most encouraging thing to me about the win is how we put the game away in the 4th, after the 4-1 play.  Of course I know GB's defense was horrid, but we still needed to make the plays.  

This was a step in the right direction and I really hope this team gets rewarded with a playoff chance at the end of the year...

 
Dallas has won 9 in a row, beginning with a win in DC thanks to a 4th quarter Cousins INT.

NY has won 5 in a row.

Redskins are 6-1-1 in the last 8.
So much for the "NFC Least" huh?  It is entirely possible that all three of these teams go to the playoffs...and the Eagles don't "suck" either...

 
3.  What about Kirk Cousins dropping bombs to his receivers into that wind that Collingsworth was saying was impossible to throw into.  I think we are going to have to pay him.  I don't think you are going to be able to play "moneyball" and let him walk.  
CSN has video of Cousins yelling "How do you like me now!" to McCloughan as he walked off the field tonight.Yeah, it was a banged up GB secondary, but Cousins did what he needed to do. 6 more games - and hopefully more - to make himself even more money. I hope he makes it an easy decision for the team.

5.  Just one win but with Dallas coming up, we absolutely HAD to have that win in order to stay relevant in the playoff hunt.  Here's who we have coming home:  Dallas, Arizona, Philadelphia, Carolina, Chicago, Giants.  Can we scare up 4 more wins from this list?  I'd say 3 more wins POSSIBLY gets us in but 4 wins would definitely get it done.
@ Dallas we're definite underdogs. Other than that, though, favored every game going forward? Since Arizona and Philly are road games, I can see being slight underdogs in those games but I can also see being the favorite.

A win Thursday would obviously be HUGE. Could cut the division lead down to 1.5 games.

 
CSN has video of Cousins yelling "How do you like me now!" to McCloughan as he walked off the field tonight.Yeah, it was a banged up GB secondary, but Cousins did what he needed to do. 6 more games - and hopefully more - to make himself even more money. I hope he makes it an easy decision for the team.

@ Dallas we're definite underdogs. Other than that, though, favored every game going forward? Since Arizona and Philly are road games, I can see being slight underdogs in those games but I can also see being the favorite.

A win Thursday would obviously be HUGE. Could cut the division lead down to 1.5 games.
I am not getting my hopes up for a win on Thursday, but anything is possible.  I actually do think that our offense is potent and that we can score on Dallas.  What worries me though is stopping Elliot.  We have definitely gotten better tackling but I just don't see our defense yet as a nasty force that strikes fear into teams.  I also note that we struggle when QBs scramble (even Stafford broke long runs against us...and so Dak is capable of making us pay.).  That said, we can score so anything is possible...maybe put up a bunch of points and hope to get a few turnovers to turn the tide...

 
One more thing I forgot to mention:  Ty Nsekhe.  Can't believe it's going down this way but he's been a more than adequate replacement for Trent Williams.  GM Scot has done a good job supplying backups that can fill in when needed...

 
Cowboys secondary is beat up and missing several guys. Skins should be able to score and Chris Baker and Francois will get your defense hyped up.

Im actually worried about this one. Good luck fellas.

 
Good game even though GB D is awful.  It was one we had to have if we were going to remain competitive.  Dallas will be tough though.

 
Awesome game. Was super cold, but worth being up late and cold when they get the victory.

I've been slow to jump on the Cousins bandwagon, but I'm all in now. Pay the man!

 
Not sure what the top highlight was from Sunday night:

1) "How do you like me now?!?!"

2) Dan Snyder dancing

3)  Cousins with the fake gut punch to the ref after TD

 
Not sure what the top highlight was from Sunday night:

1) "How do you like me now?!?!"

2) Dan Snyder dancing

3)  Cousins with the fake gut punch to the ref after TD
I vote for "Fake Gut Punch" because it really looked like he was going to nail him right in the nads.  I think the ref even winces and puts his hands down.  Totally shocked the NFL didn't fine Cousins and suspend him for 4 games to uphold "league integrity" :D

ETA:  here is that nad punch vid for anyone who hasn't seen it:

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2016/11/21/13700644/kirk-cousins-punch-ref-balls-washington-packers-sunday-night-football-nfl

 
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I vote for "Fake Gut Punch" because it really looked like he was going to nail him right in the nads.  I think the ref even winces and puts his hands down.  Totally shocked the NFL didn't fine Cousins and suspend him for 4 games to uphold "league integrity" :D

ETA:  here is that nad punch vid for anyone who hasn't seen it:

http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2016/11/21/13700644/kirk-cousins-punch-ref-balls-washington-packers-sunday-night-football-nfl
I think he did something similar last year, but I don't remember exactly what it was or what game it was. Maybe it was something like running up to a ref trying to give him the double high fives?

 
I think he did something similar last year, but I don't remember exactly what it was or what game it was. Maybe it was something like running up to a ref trying to give him the double high fives?
Oh yeah, I remember.  I think he gently held the ref's head in his hands...looked like he was getting ready to kiss him or something.  Pretty funny.  I found the video...here it is:  

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000609334/Kirk-Cousins-and-referee-get-on-the-same-page

 
I'm bored and went over to lurk on the redskins message board. I used to frequent that thing, well, frequently. Any who.... Someone on there won an auction and spent time with Scot. Thought you guys might dig what he said. I'll put the posts in spoilers:

http://es.redskins.com/topic/407373-scott-mccloughan-honest-evaluation-and-contract-renewal/?page=3#comment-10779118

I was thinking about where to launch this but I figured this is a good starting point.  I won an auction which had me meet Scot McCloughan.  And I spent 2 hours with him last Friday and I learned a lot. I peppered him with questions. It was amazing.  He was a super cool dude.  And he took some of the mystery out of the operations for me.  It was clear to me listening to him -- he's last say on personnel even if others disagree.

Just some tidbits for those interested.  The typical day for him is 6:30 am to 8 pm.   2 things that surprised me a little about what he does in a typical week -- he does a lot of help on film study in preparation for the week's game, watches practice on film, etc.  He actually does find the time to watch in person college football during the season.  Just for fun, I threw some players at him for the upcoming draft, and he had something to say about everyone of them -- many of whom he's already seen play in person.   I left it thinking it would be an understatement to say we are in good hands.   This dude is Rain Man savant level in terms of knowing college players.  I always thought it was comical that a few stragglers on the board challenge Scot's acumen on the draft for choosing this guy over that guy -- and spending some time with him, it makes that all seem even more absurd.  I don't care how many times we watch player such and such on NFLbreakdown.com -- its a fraction of what he knows if even that.   I asked him when does he go full gear on the draft -- he told me he's been full gear on the draft for quite some time already and already has a strong handle on the top 60 players in the draft.  

Is Scot getting the type of players Jay wants?  Yes and No.   But mostly, yes.  He talked to me about overruling Jay at times on personnel when it came to the draft. He says they have their share of disagreements.  But by and large he aims to please.  And he considers Jay in his own right a good evaluator.  On threads, I often see two points of view about Scot and Jay.  1.  Scot loves Jay as a HC, that's his dude through thick and thin.  And for those who love Scot and don't like Jay, deal with the reality of this marriage.  2.  Scot is so more competent than Jay -- and some day Scot will fire him and get his guy to be HC.    

I didn't get the vibe that other point is right on the money outside of Scot really digs Jay as a person and if I had to pick a position I'd go with pro Jay.   After spending time with him and asking him many questions, I just didn't get the vibe that Scot is the type who easily gets infatuated (with some exceptions ala some players like Scherff) with anyone whether its a coach or player as to performance.   He's looking to improve everywhere and no one is totally safe in that regard. 

The thing though I took more than anything from meeting him is what a cool guy he is.   I met him with my kids -- he was super cool with them, showed us around Redskins Park.   He was so forthright and easy going.   I can see why one of his niches is reading into player's motivations and digging into their personality.  The dude oozes charisma.  And to me he comes off so frank (think of the opposite of Shanny who plays politics) that its disarming -- where I can see players reciprocating in kind.

Among his draft picks he thinks Scherff, Crowder, Cravens are pro bowl to be studs.  Doctson, too. And for a guy who hasn't been here long -- he's very into this team and its history.  Got him going on stuff like Dallas fans in the DMV, etc.  But yeah he comes off like us as if he's been a fan of this team forever (even though that's clearly not the case).  He talked about ultimately winning the Superbowl and when he said it, he said it with resolve -- it didn't come off like hollow feel good rhetoric.

Edited November 16 by Skinsinparadise

-----------------------------

I thought about posting on here before the meeting but I figured the dude might be so busy, that I'd have him for just 15 minutes and he'd go Shanny on me with boiler plate talk -- if Scot went in that direction, I'd have understood.    But instead I ended up talking to him for almost 2 hours.  I got some drift of what he's thinking about the draft -- and sorry to tease on that front but he told me to keep that part of the conversation quiet.  Obviously, he doesn't know who he's going to draft, yet.  But I peppered him about some college players and positions and I got his current take.   I'll just say what I learned on this front wouldn't shock anyone.   But the dude was so cool about it, I'll honor keeping what he told me stays in the room to stay in that room.

We do have 10 picks in the draft.  I heard Scot say this months ago and I asked him how considering the Carrier trade -- he told me the Carrier trade had a provision about playing time so if Carrier doesn't end up playing much this season they will get a 7th rounder in return for the 5th.   

Some things that I learned that I either wasn't sure of, didn't know at all or just suspected.  Doctson's injury is real.  He isn't faking it or its that he just can't deal with the pain as Cooley likes to say.  The truth is the opposite according to Scot.  Doctson didn't tell the staff about his pain and the injury, he wanted to play through it hence it worsened.  It's not a chronic injury, it will heal.  Scot say Doctson = Dez Bryant.   Spaight could ultimately be a good one.  Cravens might end up landing at strong safety.    He likes the O line, he doesn't think its far from Dallas -- thinks Scherff is on the way of being All Pro. 

He loves the chemistry of the team.  He thinks they are about to go on a run this season.  He thinks they should have won every game outside of the first one -- attributes it to bad luck.   I got the vibe (though he didn't flat out say it) that he thinks they are 1-2 years away from a serious Superbowl run. 

But the biggest take away from me is his personality -- he is an easy going, likes to have fun kind of guy.    Our conversation veered to twitter and I joked with him that I've only been blocked once in my life and that was from Will Compton.  I sent Compton a link to a NY post article that lionized the Giants and trashed the Redskins.  I gather Compton thought I was a Giants fan egging him on versus me sending him the article as a motivational tool -- so Compton blocked me.  Scot thought it was hilarious so he called Compton over and made me explain the story to him, Compton thought it was funny and then shook my hand.  

But yeah hanging out with him felt like hanging out with a college buddy you've known for years -- because he's so loose and doesn't take himself seriously.  Some here have wondered if all the adulation might go to his head once he landed here -- but I didn't get that vibe even a little.  From a personality stand point, it was like talking to anyone on these threads like we are partners in crime -- that of all things was the surreal part of the experience.  Even though he knows 50,000 times more on any football subject than I do -- he took every point I gave and question seriously.  

And I can see that's probably why he's so good at reading into personalities and finds the Richard Sherman types because you feel like opening up in kind.   So I hit with him some of my thoughts including my worry about them playing GB on prime time TV at home -- he chuckled to that and said look we are changing the culture around here.  I told him I frequently go to extremeskins and just about all of us trust him implicitly -- we argue here but at the end we say look if Scot goes in a different direction, we trust him, we want whatever Scot wants. (I know we have some stragglers here who don't think that way but most of us do)  Scot laughed and said, great to know, but he has a lot of good help, too on that front -- that's when he kicked in that Jay has a good eye for talent.  

I'll think about if anything else hits me but those are my initial thoughts.    The best thought I came out of it with is that this dude is going to get it done.  It's kind of a cliche to say but yeah seeing his personality up close -- he turned from jocular to serious in a hurry when it was about making this team a Superbowl winner -- his determination is so palpable that I left with no doubt.
 
I'm bored and went over to lurk on the redskins message board. I used to frequent that thing, well, frequently. Any who.... Someone on there won an auction and spent time with Scot. Thought you guys might dig what he said. I'll put the posts in spoilers:

http://es.redskins.com/topic/407373-scott-mccloughan-honest-evaluation-and-contract-renewal/?page=3#comment-10779118

I was thinking about where to launch this but I figured this is a good starting point.  I won an auction which had me meet Scot McCloughan.  And I spent 2 hours with him last Friday and I learned a lot. I peppered him with questions. It was amazing.  He was a super cool dude.  And he took some of the mystery out of the operations for me.  It was clear to me listening to him -- he's last say on personnel even if others disagree.

Just some tidbits for those interested.  The typical day for him is 6:30 am to 8 pm.   2 things that surprised me a little about what he does in a typical week -- he does a lot of help on film study in preparation for the week's game, watches practice on film, etc.  He actually does find the time to watch in person college football during the season.  Just for fun, I threw some players at him for the upcoming draft, and he had something to say about everyone of them -- many of whom he's already seen play in person.   I left it thinking it would be an understatement to say we are in good hands.   This dude is Rain Man savant level in terms of knowing college players.  I always thought it was comical that a few stragglers on the board challenge Scot's acumen on the draft for choosing this guy over that guy -- and spending some time with him, it makes that all seem even more absurd.  I don't care how many times we watch player such and such on NFLbreakdown.com -- its a fraction of what he knows if even that.   I asked him when does he go full gear on the draft -- he told me he's been full gear on the draft for quite some time already and already has a strong handle on the top 60 players in the draft.  

Is Scot getting the type of players Jay wants?  Yes and No.   But mostly, yes.  He talked to me about overruling Jay at times on personnel when it came to the draft. He says they have their share of disagreements.  But by and large he aims to please.  And he considers Jay in his own right a good evaluator.  On threads, I often see two points of view about Scot and Jay.  1.  Scot loves Jay as a HC, that's his dude through thick and thin.  And for those who love Scot and don't like Jay, deal with the reality of this marriage.  2.  Scot is so more competent than Jay -- and some day Scot will fire him and get his guy to be HC.    

I didn't get the vibe that other point is right on the money outside of Scot really digs Jay as a person and if I had to pick a position I'd go with pro Jay.   After spending time with him and asking him many questions, I just didn't get the vibe that Scot is the type who easily gets infatuated (with some exceptions ala some players like Scherff) with anyone whether its a coach or player as to performance.   He's looking to improve everywhere and no one is totally safe in that regard. 

The thing though I took more than anything from meeting him is what a cool guy he is.   I met him with my kids -- he was super cool with them, showed us around Redskins Park.   He was so forthright and easy going.   I can see why one of his niches is reading into player's motivations and digging into their personality.  The dude oozes charisma.  And to me he comes off so frank (think of the opposite of Shanny who plays politics) that its disarming -- where I can see players reciprocating in kind.

Among his draft picks he thinks Scherff, Crowder, Cravens are pro bowl to be studs.  Doctson, too. And for a guy who hasn't been here long -- he's very into this team and its history.  Got him going on stuff like Dallas fans in the DMV, etc.  But yeah he comes off like us as if he's been a fan of this team forever (even though that's clearly not the case).  He talked about ultimately winning the Superbowl and when he said it, he said it with resolve -- it didn't come off like hollow feel good rhetoric.

Edited November 16 by Skinsinparadise

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I thought about posting on here before the meeting but I figured the dude might be so busy, that I'd have him for just 15 minutes and he'd go Shanny on me with boiler plate talk -- if Scot went in that direction, I'd have understood.    But instead I ended up talking to him for almost 2 hours.  I got some drift of what he's thinking about the draft -- and sorry to tease on that front but he told me to keep that part of the conversation quiet.  Obviously, he doesn't know who he's going to draft, yet.  But I peppered him about some college players and positions and I got his current take.   I'll just say what I learned on this front wouldn't shock anyone.   But the dude was so cool about it, I'll honor keeping what he told me stays in the room to stay in that room.

We do have 10 picks in the draft.  I heard Scot say this months ago and I asked him how considering the Carrier trade -- he told me the Carrier trade had a provision about playing time so if Carrier doesn't end up playing much this season they will get a 7th rounder in return for the 5th.   

Some things that I learned that I either wasn't sure of, didn't know at all or just suspected.  Doctson's injury is real.  He isn't faking it or its that he just can't deal with the pain as Cooley likes to say.  The truth is the opposite according to Scot.  Doctson didn't tell the staff about his pain and the injury, he wanted to play through it hence it worsened.  It's not a chronic injury, it will heal.  Scot say Doctson = Dez Bryant.   Spaight could ultimately be a good one.  Cravens might end up landing at strong safety.    He likes the O line, he doesn't think its far from Dallas -- thinks Scherff is on the way of being All Pro. 

He loves the chemistry of the team.  He thinks they are about to go on a run this season.  He thinks they should have won every game outside of the first one -- attributes it to bad luck.   I got the vibe (though he didn't flat out say it) that he thinks they are 1-2 years away from a serious Superbowl run. 

But the biggest take away from me is his personality -- he is an easy going, likes to have fun kind of guy.    Our conversation veered to twitter and I joked with him that I've only been blocked once in my life and that was from Will Compton.  I sent Compton a link to a NY post article that lionized the Giants and trashed the Redskins.  I gather Compton thought I was a Giants fan egging him on versus me sending him the article as a motivational tool -- so Compton blocked me.  Scot thought it was hilarious so he called Compton over and made me explain the story to him, Compton thought it was funny and then shook my hand.  

But yeah hanging out with him felt like hanging out with a college buddy you've known for years -- because he's so loose and doesn't take himself seriously.  Some here have wondered if all the adulation might go to his head once he landed here -- but I didn't get that vibe even a little.  From a personality stand point, it was like talking to anyone on these threads like we are partners in crime -- that of all things was the surreal part of the experience.  Even though he knows 50,000 times more on any football subject than I do -- he took every point I gave and question seriously.  

And I can see that's probably why he's so good at reading into personalities and finds the Richard Sherman types because you feel like opening up in kind.   So I hit with him some of my thoughts including my worry about them playing GB on prime time TV at home -- he chuckled to that and said look we are changing the culture around here.  I told him I frequently go to extremeskins and just about all of us trust him implicitly -- we argue here but at the end we say look if Scot goes in a different direction, we trust him, we want whatever Scot wants. (I know we have some stragglers here who don't think that way but most of us do)  Scot laughed and said, great to know, but he has a lot of good help, too on that front -- that's when he kicked in that Jay has a good eye for talent.  

I'll think about if anything else hits me but those are my initial thoughts.    The best thought I came out of it with is that this dude is going to get it done.  It's kind of a cliche to say but yeah seeing his personality up close -- he turned from jocular to serious in a hurry when it was about making this team a Superbowl winner -- his determination is so palpable that I left with no doubt.
Great read!! 

 

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