***OFFICIAL*** Washington Redskins 2011 Off-Season Thread (3 Viewers)

[Sidewinder16]

This isn't specifically Redskins related, but Matt Terl had this link that I'd thought I would share. Matt Bowen writes for the National Football Post (among others, I believe) and he's been breaking out his old notes from when he was a player and sharing "An inside look at game prep from my NFL playing days". Last week he shared his prep notes for Andy Reid and the Eagles. If you like the X's and O's of football, this is a fascinating insight in to how coaches and players prepare each week.

He's thinking of doing Mike Shanahan next.

 

[fatness]

That's really thorough stuff, thanks for posting it.

 

[Marvelous]

I am liking the Redskins again. Colts are not playing particularly well. This game will come down the the final possession.

Final score be somthing like: Redskins 23, Colts 20.

That means the Redskins have some success in keeping the Colts out of the endzone and force a couple of field goals.

 

[Sebowski]

I'm as pessimistic as I was last week. That worked out alright, so I won;t fight it.

Colts roll 34-17

Hope I'm wrong again.

 

[Sylira21]

I'm still boggled that the Skins defense can be dead last in yards allowed and top ten in points allowed.

And unless Freeney and Mathis get hammy problems like Matthews, McNabb could be in for a long day. I'll be a pessimist too.

I'll say Colts, 30-21.

 

[fatness]

I have to say that I'm rooting for Anthony Armstrong and Lorenzo Alexander to have good games again. I like those guys, and they've each added something tangible to the team.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

You have to pick the Colts to win, but I like the 'Skins if they can get hits on Manning.

Wildcard: will a fresh, angry Haynesworth come out and generate pressure himself and/or provide opportunities for others to do so?

 

[Sebowski]

You have to pick the Colts to win, but I like the 'Skins if they can get hits on Manning.

Wildcard: will a fresh, angry Haynesworth come out and generate pressure himself and/or provide opportunities for others to do so?

Not if he is inactive.

http://twitter.com/#!/Jay_Glazer

Hearing that Skins are strongly leaning toward deactivating Haynesworth this game. Unless they make a last-sec change, he'll sit out

Not bc of injury or anything wrong he did. He just missed time this week still dealing w last wk's awful tragedy. This one isn't on him

 

[southeastjerome]

I have to say that I'm rooting for Anthony Armstrong and Lorenzo Alexander to have good games again. I like those guys, and they've each added something tangible to the team.

Definitely. With Rock gone I was worried that this team might lack a little heart, but these guys have been great. Perhaps this is a product of Shanny and the new regime.

 

[southeastjerome]

Feeling a little bit better seeing SD getting clocked in St. Louis right now.

That said, tonight is not the night for the Skins. Colts 20-10.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

Feeling a little bit better seeing SD getting clocked in St. Louis right now.That said, tonight is not the night for the Skins. Colts 20-10.

No way the Colts only score 10 points. They do that, I'll eat Fatness's burnt socks

 

[Eastwood]

Skins can win this game, but INCREDIBLY UNLIKELY we hold the Colts to less than 17-21 points.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

Skins can win this game, but INCREDIBLY UNLIKELY we hold the Colts to less than 17-21 points.

If they play the defense they played in the second half against the Pack, they can definitely keep up. Indy's defense is not impressive.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

Dont think that its right that there sitting Fat Albert!!

Does this make you think he's gonna be traded to the Titans, within the next day and a half?

 

[Nightly Mistake]

Our friends' 1-4 record is an excellent h'orderve for tonight's game.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

Our friends' 1-4 record is an excellent h'orderve for tonight's game.

 

[southeastjerome]

Feeling a little bit better seeing SD getting clocked in St. Louis right now.That said, tonight is not the night for the Skins. Colts 20-10.

No way the Colts only score 10 points. They do that, I'll eat Fatness's burnt socks

I agree, that's why I said 20.

 

[southeastjerome]

Our friends' 1-4 record is an excellent h'orderve for tonight's game.

I'm going to miss Wade though.

 

[ChrisCooleyFan]

I know they ddnt win, but I'm excited in the direction that this team is headed

 

[Nightly Mistake]

I know they ddnt win, but I'm excited in the direction that this team is headed

This is a very physical and mentally tough team that believes when it plays that it can beat anyone. That may not be true, but it's fun to watch and refreshing after so long of seeing the opposite.

 

[Sylira21]

Somehow it's less aggravating to see McNabb wildly overthrow someone than it is to see Campbell get sacked.

Well, they were in it til the end again. I have to say, outside of the Rams game, none of them have been remotely boring. Unlike some of the games last year where it was over way too quick.

Torain looks strong. Banks is worth 10+ yards of field position every possession, compared to ARE.

But the one thing that IS aggravating is the secondary having to play with oven mitts on.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

Somehow it's less aggravating to see McNabb wildly overthrow someone than it is to see Campbell get sacked.Well, they were in it til the end again. I have to say, outside of the Rams game, none of them have been remotely boring. Unlike some of the games last year where it was over way too quick.Torain looks strong. Banks is worth 10+ yards of field position every possession, compared to ARE. But the one thing that IS aggravating is the secondary having to play with oven mitts on.

Those two drops changed the game. With Rogers it goes with the territory though his drop at least occurred during an acrobatic play. Still, that drive ended in Indy's first TD. You couldn't hand the ball to Moore any easier than it was thrown to him, however. I don't believe Moore is known for bad hands, but whatever.Oh, and speaking of Campbell:

I'm not one for blaming one guy but Jason Campbell made it impossible for us to win today.The Redskins raped us in that trade

 

[fatness]

I agree that it's immensely satisfying to see the team competing hard and well. We haven't seen that in so many years here, and it bodes well for the rest of this season and for the future. There is no down side to it. The players believe they can win and they put forth the effort to do so, and it's great fun to watch even when they're overmatched as they were yesterday.That being said, the defense is a big liability. From PFT:

The Redskins now head on the road for two straight games at 3-3 and in third place in the NFC East. Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn. Mike Shanahan has improved the team's overall competitiveness, but the passing game can't put together a complete game. Playing in game after game decided by the last possession is great for television ratings, but it's a recipe to finish 8-8.

Better offensive linemen and receivers are all the passing game needs to improve -- the strategy and effort are there, as is the ability at some positions (QB, TE, LT, RB). But the defense is just a mess. Lots of effort, lots of creativity, but giving up 400-500 yards/game consistently and no defensive line to speak of. That is more than a personnel problem.I can forgive the drops by the defense. They were in position to make the INT's and that gets overlooked. Rogers is a good cover corner and he hits, and if he can't catch a breast as it falls out of a bra at least he's 'in position'. Exciting football to watch, that's for sure. But you sure can see their limits.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

I wonder if Rogers has ever put an eye out when trying to feel up a woman.

 

[fatness]

The problem facing Peyton Manning is that you need to play for the pass and you want to give him different looks. So the Redskins would spent a lot of time shifting before the snap. It did cause problems at times but the reason Indianapolis could run the ball so well is that they caught the Redskins doing too much movement. That left some defenders unable to get to their gaps and Joseph Addai ran a little crazy because of it; he had too many clean holes. As Brian Orakpo said, “You have linebackers and defensive backs going against 315 pounders. You do the math.” Even I can add that one up and if you’re wrong, it’s a mismatch. But that’s the problem; if you play Manning straight up, he hits you with the pass all day. He does what he needs to in order to win.

The Redskins really missed Albert Haynesworth. Jeremy Jarmon was not a good matchup vs. the Colts; he got driven out of his gap too many times. And Vonnie Holliday is a bit small for this matchup. They really could have used Haynesworth’s combination of size and speed. It would have given them someone who could have penetrated some gaps and maybe disrupted more plays.

John Keim --- 5 thoughts on the game

 

[TankRizzo]

The Redskins really missed Albert Haynesworth. Jeremy Jarmon was not a good matchup vs. the Colts; he got driven out of his gap too many times. And Vonnie Holliday is a bit small for this matchup. They really could have used Haynesworth’s combination of size and speed. It would have given them someone who could have penetrated some gaps and maybe disrupted more plays.

John Keim --- 5 thoughts on the game

I really hope they trade Haynesworth today if they're not going to use him.

 

[Sidewinder16]

That being said, the defense is a big liability. From PFT:

The Redskins now head on the road for two straight games at 3-3 and in third place in the NFC East. Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn. Mike Shanahan has improved the team's overall competitiveness, but the passing game can't put together a complete game. Playing in game after game decided by the last possession is great for television ratings, but it's a recipe to finish 8-8.

I'll take it.Did anyone really expect this team to make the playoffs? Six weeks ago this was still basically a 4-12 team. A team whose best win was against an 8-8 team last year, and who had losses to other crappy teams. 8-8 was generally the realistic ceiling for this season. 3 weeks ago, most people were convinced the team would be 1-5 at this point. I don't think there is anything remotely profound about saying this team will probably be average, at best.

I agree with those that say they see promise/potential in this team based on how it's playing. I see it too, and it's exciting. They've shown they can go toe to toe with the best in the league and play competitively for 60 minutes. They can play good teams, even struggle against good teams, and still give themselves chances to win the games. But that just means they're going to win some and they're going to lose some. They are who we thought they were.

 

[TankRizzo]

That being said, the defense is a big liability. From PFT:

The Redskins now head on the road for two straight games at 3-3 and in third place in the NFC East. Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn. Mike Shanahan has improved the team's overall competitiveness, but the passing game can't put together a complete game. Playing in game after game decided by the last possession is great for television ratings, but it's a recipe to finish 8-8.

I'll take it.Did anyone really expect this team to make the playoffs? Six weeks ago this was still basically a 4-12 team. A team whose best win was against an 8-8 team last year, and who had losses to other crappy teams. 8-8 was generally the realistic ceiling for this season. 3 weeks ago, most people were convinced the team would be 1-5 at this point. I don't think there is anything remotely profound about saying this team will probably be average, at best.

I agree with those that say they see promise/potential in this team based on how it's playing. I see it too, and it's exciting. They've shown they can go toe to toe with the best in the league and play competitively for 60 minutes. They can play good teams, even struggle against good teams, and still give themselves chances to win the games. But that just means they're going to win some and they're going to lose some. They are who we thought they were.

It's a new scheme and they don't really have all of the personnel to run it properly, but switching back to the 4-3 is NOT the way to go. Stick it out and keep building, there's plenty of potential, not to mention switching to the 4-3 would make or corner situation look a LOT worse. Haslett has these guys playing lights out, he makes adjustments and all things considered, isn't doing much worse than those Blache teams.

Wait until we get 5+ sacks on Cutler next week

 

[TankRizzo]

...and I want a .gif of that spin move Torrain put on some guy...he was in his arms and just spun in a circle and then ran away. It looked like a video game

 

[MikeApf]

That being said, the defense is a big liability. From PFT:

The Redskins now head on the road for two straight games at 3-3 and in third place in the NFC East. Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn. Mike Shanahan has improved the team's overall competitiveness, but the passing game can't put together a complete game. Playing in game after game decided by the last possession is great for television ratings, but it's a recipe to finish 8-8.

<_< I'll take it.Did anyone really expect this team to make the playoffs? Six weeks ago this was still basically a 4-12 team. A team whose best win was against an 8-8 team last year, and who had losses to other crappy teams. 8-8 was generally the realistic ceiling for this season. 3 weeks ago, most people were convinced the team would be 1-5 at this point. I don't think there is anything remotely profound about saying this team will probably be average, at best.

I agree with those that say they see promise/potential in this team based on how it's playing. I see it too, and it's exciting. They've shown they can go toe to toe with the best in the league and play competitively for 60 minutes. They can play good teams, even struggle against good teams, and still give themselves chances to win the games. But that just means they're going to win some and they're going to lose some. They are who we thought they were.

It's a new scheme and they don't really have all of the personnel to run it properly, but switching back to the 4-3 is NOT the way to go. Stick it out and keep building, there's plenty of potential, not to mention switching to the 4-3 would make or corner situation look a LOT worse. Haslett has these guys playing lights out, he makes adjustments and all things considered, isn't doing much worse than those Blache teams.

Wait until we get 5+ sacks on Cutler next week

Re: the defense. The stated reason they switched to the 3-4 was to create turnovers and give them a chance to win. So far, they are doing that to a greater extent than last year. Three fumbles in the second half vs. the Colts but them in a position to win. Vs. Dallas...fumble wins. Vs. Green Bay...INT in overtime wins. That said, they are not there yet. They need better 3-4 personnel to make this work. However, given the stated purpose that the whole switch was to create turnovers -- since last year they were stout but did not create turnovers -- the switch has shown signs of achieving the stated objective.8-8 this year would be tremendous progress since they really don't have all the personell they need -- they still need more Offensive Lineman, a great Nose Tackle, another Receiver (unless Armstrong is the real deal), but they are on their way it seems...

 

[Sidewinder16]

8-8 this year would be tremendous progress since they really don't have all the personell they need -- they still need more Offensive Lineman, a great Nose Tackle, another Receiver (unless Armstrong is the real deal), but they are on their way it seems...

Agreed. I think I would say that Armstrong is "the real deal" but I don't think that means he's anymore than a #2 WR. Moss needs to be a slot receiver at this point in his career. He's excelling at getting open underneath, and it is so refreshing to see him used properly. I think the team could still use a legit #1 playmaker at WR.OL and DL have been weak spots for years (he says, stating the obvious). We knew the mess Vinny had left and that it would take time to clean up. Getting a franchise LT was outstanding. Improving the OL depth would have be outstanding, too, if that depth didn't have to start. And, looking at the bright side, with a 3-4, you only have 3 positions to upgrade/improve.

 

[fatness]

From Tom Boswell's column:

Rogers's hands are so bad it's amazing he can feed himself.

 

[fatness]

When he capped a 92-yard, 12-play drive down 10 points in the fourth quarter, finding Keiland Williams on the left hash like he found Brian Westbrook in Philly so many Sundays, all the unsightly possessions and passes credited to McNabb were gone. What remained was a franchise player doing everything he could to keep up with Manning, the most magnificent player on the field and, most weekends, in the NFL.

What had to be galling for the faithful, though, was how the Redskins defense - that same porous unit that gave up 170 yards rushing to a lousy running team and 307 yards to Manning - did its job at the end, getting the ball back, down a field goal. And all the McNabb-Shanahan brain trust could do was take 31 seconds to move a net zero yards in four downs, culminating in a deep ball to Anthony Armstrong against a defense that did not give up one single deep ball all night. That play was saved for that moment?

Harsh but true: perhaps the most important weapon McNabb has had the first six games of this season is playing alongside a defense that is knocking everyone out, making his inferior statistical lines often stand up. What do Steven Jackson, Michael Vick, Aaron Rodgers and now Joseph Addai have in common? They either were knocked out of a game or suffered an actual concussion in consecutive weeks by a devastatingly violent defense that almost seems okay with giving up huge chunks of yardage as long as one of the other guys' offensive stars has to be helped off the field at some point.

That visible increase in monster hits - "bringing the pain," linebacker Lorenzo Alexander calls it - has helped conceal McNabb's flaws and given him the possessions and hope he needs to bring a team back from the brink.

Tom wise's column

 

[fatness]

Cooley has a concussion by the way. And Cooley blocked well when I was watching him.

 

[fatness]

1. No excuses for the Redskins – the game was pretty much handed to them and they responded by slapping a ‘Return To Sender’ label on it. They had a chance to intercept Peyton Manning at least four times and came up with none. But the big factor in falling to 3-3, and out of a tie for first in the NFC East, was an inability to capitalize on their takeaways. Indianapolis fumbled three times and the Redskins scored 10 points off those turnovers. The final thing handed to the Redskins was possession with 2:13 remaining after Indianapolis ran only 29 seconds off the clock with three incomplete passes and a punt. The Redskins, though, couldn’t make a first down.

3. Donovan McNabb is getting hit too often and getting hit too hard too often. Granted, the Colts have arguably the best pass-rushing tandem with Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, but it was other Indianapolis players who got their shots in. The opening series of the third quarter illustrated the problem. McNabb was hit on two of his three drop-backs. These hits are going to add up eventually and McNabb will find it tougher to get to his feet.

O'Halloran

 

[Marvelous]

The Redskins really missed Albert Haynesworth. Jeremy Jarmon was not a good matchup vs. the Colts; he got driven out of his gap too many times. And Vonnie Holliday is a bit small for this matchup. They really could have used Haynesworth’s combination of size and speed. It would have given them someone who could have penetrated some gaps and maybe disrupted more plays.

John Keim --- 5 thoughts on the game

I really hope they trade Haynesworth today if they're not going to use him.

It is possible that Haynesworth may not have been mentally ready to play after the death of his half brother. Everyone grieves in their own way. For some, getting back onto the field and clearing the mind would be the best thing. But we all know that Haynesworth thinks differently than most players.I would go easy on Shanahan on not activating Haynesworth. It may have been in Haynesworth best interest.

 

[Marvelous]

That being said, the defense is a big liability. From PFT:

The Redskins now head on the road for two straight games at 3-3 and in third place in the NFC East. Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn. Mike Shanahan has improved the team's overall competitiveness, but the passing game can't put together a complete game. Playing in game after game decided by the last possession is great for television ratings, but it's a recipe to finish 8-8.

I'll take it.Did anyone really expect this team to make the playoffs? Six weeks ago this was still basically a 4-12 team. A team whose best win was against an 8-8 team last year, and who had losses to other crappy teams. 8-8 was generally the realistic ceiling for this season. 3 weeks ago, most people were convinced the team would be 1-5 at this point. I don't think there is anything remotely profound about saying this team will probably be average, at best.

I agree with those that say they see promise/potential in this team based on how it's playing. I see it too, and it's exciting. They've shown they can go toe to toe with the best in the league and play competitively for 60 minutes. They can play good teams, even struggle against good teams, and still give themselves chances to win the games. But that just means they're going to win some and they're going to lose some. They are who we thought they were.

It's a new scheme and they don't really have all of the personnel to run it properly, but switching back to the 4-3 is NOT the way to go. Stick it out and keep building, there's plenty of potential, not to mention switching to the 4-3 would make or corner situation look a LOT worse. Haslett has these guys playing lights out, he makes adjustments and all things considered, isn't doing much worse than those Blache teams.

Wait until we get 5+ sacks on Cutler next week

Re: the defense. The stated reason they switched to the 3-4 was to create turnovers and give them a chance to win. So far, they are doing that to a greater extent than last year. Three fumbles in the second half vs. the Colts but them in a position to win. Vs. Dallas...fumble wins. Vs. Green Bay...INT in overtime wins. That said, they are not there yet. They need better 3-4 personnel to make this work. However, given the stated purpose that the whole switch was to create turnovers -- since last year they were stout but did not create turnovers -- the switch has shown signs of achieving the stated objective.8-8 this year would be tremendous progress since they really don't have all the personell they need -- they still need more Offensive Lineman, a great Nose Tackle, another Receiver (unless Armstrong is the real deal), but they are on their way it seems...

The defense was designed to confuse Manning. They had a chance to intercept 3 passes in the first half. I suspect that almost never happens to Manning. So in that regard, the defensive scheme worked, for a while.

 

[RedskinsFan]

Seriously?

Look at it this way. We were 4-12 last year. One more win and we equal that. Now check out the teams we've been playing to get to 3-3:

Cowboys (Total offense rank #3 league)

Texans (Total offense rank #5 league)

Rams (Total offense #20 league)

Eagles (Total offense #4 league)

Packers (Total offense #13 league)

Colts (Total offense #2 league)

We've played the #2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 20 ranked offenses in the league so far this year. Of course you are going to struggle with this type of schedule. We have won 3 of these games and every single game has come down to the last play of the game. If the defense was the problem how does that happen every week?

The defense is doing a great job and should ease up going forward. The remaining schedule is (total offensive rank):

Bears (29)

Lions (14)

Bye

Eagles (4)

Vikings (25)

Giants (7)

Titans (26)

Bucs (23)

Cowboys (3)

Jaguars (22)

Giants (7)

The only top 10 offensive team we play the rest of the year we haven't beaten is the Giants. The defense was given a very tall order and responded great. What exactly do you expect from a 4-12 team? Look inside the defensive numbers and tell me if this looks like a last ranked defense

tied for 11 in sacks

tied for 2nd in forced fumbles

tied for second in defensive TD's

tied for 3rd in fumble recoveries

second in total tackles

second in pass defensed

19th lowest in points allowed

The one thing we can't do well is get INT's but this to me shows how you can't trust team defense stats. Florio is a damn fool to write this crap

"Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn"

Excuse me? In the past two years when we needed a stop did we ever get one? How can this possibly be true? We are giving up yards but keeping some of the very best offenses from scoring. The defense is playing much better then they did under Jim Zorn and Greg Blache. Bend don't break is working. We would not be 3-3 today if the defense was playing worse. But because it's the Skins no one will give them credit.

 

[Marvelous]

My thoughts on the game:

1. Manning was simply awesome. The Redskins were disguising defenses and had all these exotic alignments. Manning read the defense and for the most part, call the right play and threw the right receiver to exploit the a weakness in the coverage/alignment. Also, I had never seen team play at such a breakneck speed, even in the two minute drill. They were at the line 10 seconds after the previous play ended and frequently had the play off 5-7 seconds after that. No need for a 40 second clock for the Colts.

2. On offense, I saw a lot of plays where something is made of nothing. Torain once was caught two yards in the backfield, somehow breaks the tackle and gets a two hard gain. McNabb is virtually sack and was able to dump the ball off (I think the Williams), who picks up 8 yards.

3. McNabb is very good at escaping the pass rush. And we get to see it many, many times every week.

4. I think the Redskin run game is coming together. Torain looked good. And the holes are getting bigger and more consistent. Granted, the Colts don't have a good run defense, but progress is progress.

5. On the last offensive play, with 20+ seconds left, McNabb throws deep to Galloway and is intercepted. Collinsworth mentions that if the DB ends up tipping rather than catching the ball, Galloway could go for a TD. Also, if the DB misses it completely, Galloway has the TD. The pass was well thrown. If Galloway could just get another half step on the defender, it could have been a really big play.

 

[RedskinsFan]

My thoughts on the game:1. Manning was simply awesome. The Redskins were disguising defenses and had all these exotic alignments. Manning read the defense and for the most part, call the right play and threw the right receiver to exploit the a weakness in the coverage/alignment. Also, I had never seen team play at such a breakneck speed, even in the two minute drill. They were at the line 10 seconds after the previous play ended and frequently had the play off 5-7 seconds after that. No need for a 40 second clock for the Colts.

How many times have you ever seen Payton Manning get the football with under 3 minutes to play with the lead and the opposing team not spend a single time out and get the ball back before the 2 minute warning because the defense forced Manning into three straight incompletions and even forced him to use his timeouts? Like the announcer said, that was the perfect possible 3 and out when it was needed against the best QB in the game today. Our problem is not the defense

 

[Marvelous]

Seriously?

Look at it this way. We were 4-12 last year. One more win and we equal that. Now check out the teams we've been playing to get to 3-3:

Cowboys (Total offense rank #3 league)

Texans (Total offense rank #5 league)

Rams (Total offense #20 league)

Eagles (Total offense #4 league)

Packers (Total offense #13 league)

Colts (Total offense #2 league)

We've played the #2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 20 ranked offenses in the league so far this year. Of course you are going to struggle with this type of schedule. We have won 3 of these games and every single game has come down to the last play of the game. If the defense was the problem how does that happen every week?

The defense is doing a great job and should ease up going forward. The remaining schedule is (total offensive rank):

Bears (29)

Lions (14)

Bye

Eagles (4)

Vikings (25)

Giants (7)

Titans (26)

Bucs (23)

Cowboys (3)

Jaguars (22)

Giants (7)

The only top 10 offensive team we play the rest of the year we haven't beaten is the Giants. The defense was given a very tall order and responded great. What exactly do you expect from a 4-12 team? Look inside the defensive numbers and tell me if this looks like a last ranked defense

tied for 11 in sacks

tied for 2nd in forced fumbles

tied for second in defensive TD's

tied for 3rd in fumble recoveries

second in total tackles

second in pass defensed

19th lowest in points allowed

The one thing we can't do well is get INT's but this to me shows how you can't trust team defense stats. Florio is a damn fool to write this crap

"Their defense looks worse on the whole than it did under Jim Zorn"

Excuse me? In the past two years when we needed a stop did we ever get one? How can this possibly be true? We are giving up yards but keeping some of the very best offenses from scoring. The defense is playing much better then they did under Jim Zorn and Greg Blache. Bend don't break is working. We would not be 3-3 today if the defense was playing worse. But because it's the Skins no one will give them credit.

Yards allowed is only one metric for measuring a defense and it is a pretty poor one. Last years defense was seriously over-rated because the did not give up a lot of yards. I don't think offenses considered that defense particularly great or intimidating.

If you use only one stat to measure a defense, it should be points allowed. I posted earlier that I was not sold on the Redskins defense because of the yards allowed, but if they held the Colts to 20 points or less, I would be a believer.

They held the Colts to 27 points in a game that I thought Manning was absolutely spectacular. I am still not convinced, but maybe they can be a decent defense with all the yards allowed.

Also remember, this year's Redskins really are rebuilding. The offense and defense are works in progress.

 

[Marvelous]

My thoughts on the game:1. Manning was simply awesome. The Redskins were disguising defenses and had all these exotic alignments. Manning read the defense and for the most part, call the right play and threw the right receiver to exploit the a weakness in the coverage/alignment. Also, I had never seen team play at such a breakneck speed, even in the two minute drill. They were at the line 10 seconds after the previous play ended and frequently had the play off 5-7 seconds after that. No need for a 40 second clock for the Colts.

How many times have you ever seen Payton Manning get the football with under 3 minutes to play with the lead and the opposing team not spend a single time out and get the ball back before the 2 minute warning because the defense forced Manning into three straight incompletions and even forced him to use his timeouts? Like the announcer said, that was the perfect possible 3 and out when it was needed against the best QB in the game today. Our problem is not the defense

That was an absolutely huge stop by the defense. Last year's defense could never come up with a big stop, despite its defensive ranking.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

My thoughts on the game:1. Manning was simply awesome. The Redskins were disguising defenses and had all these exotic alignments. Manning read the defense and for the most part, call the right play and threw the right receiver to exploit the a weakness in the coverage/alignment. Also, I had never seen team play at such a breakneck speed, even in the two minute drill. They were at the line 10 seconds after the previous play ended and frequently had the play off 5-7 seconds after that. No need for a 40 second clock for the Colts.

This was the fundamental difference in the game and the reason why the Colts were plain flat better. All the other stuff (dropped INT's, etc.) was just opportunism that was lost.What was most impressive to me is that Manning started that hurry-up offense in direct response to the obvious defensive strategy which was to rely upon extensive pre-snap movement and substitution of players to confuse him and defeat his notorious pre-snap audibles and adjustments. He made this switch after one series. That's masterful QB play. It doesn't get any better than that. I marveled at its excellence even as it resulted in the defense on my team getting carved up. You saw QB play as good as any in the history in the NFL last night, I mean that. That's just tremendous.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

Yards allowed is only one metric for measuring a defense and it is a pretty poor one. Last years defense was seriously over-rated because the did not give up a lot of yards. I don't think offenses considered that defense particularly great or intimidating.

Yup. Part of last year's defensive "excellence" using this metric is that the offense continually turned the ball over leaving a short field for the opposing offense. Our defense "only" allowing a 30-yard drive often meant that they were "stopped" by reaching the end zone.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Our problem is not the defense

I agree and disagree. The defense has it's moments and has generally done well keeping good offenses out of the endzone. But they are far from perfect, having their fair share of flaws/weaknesses/problems.

 

[Nightly Mistake]

Our problem is not the defense

I agree and disagree. The defense has it's moments and has generally done well keeping good offenses out of the endzone. But they are far from perfect, having their fair share of flaws/weaknesses/problems.

Yes. They hit hard and seem to make key stops and generate turnovers and even QB pressure*, but their bend but don't break approach and the resulting time of possession disparities result in them tiring and prevent the offense from getting extra possessions. I also don't like the run defense which is a big part of that yardage given up.*When exactly will the refs start calling the holding penalties for Orakpo? He's getting held on just about every play, and it's not hard to see given that he's usually an outside rusher. It's ridiculous and I wish Shanny would say something.

 

[RedskinsFan]

My thoughts on the game:1. Manning was simply awesome. The Redskins were disguising defenses and had all these exotic alignments. Manning read the defense and for the most part, call the right play and threw the right receiver to exploit the a weakness in the coverage/alignment. Also, I had never seen team play at such a breakneck speed, even in the two minute drill. They were at the line 10 seconds after the previous play ended and frequently had the play off 5-7 seconds after that. No need for a 40 second clock for the Colts.

How many times have you ever seen Payton Manning get the football with under 3 minutes to play with the lead and the opposing team not spend a single time out and get the ball back before the 2 minute warning because the defense forced Manning into three straight incompletions and even forced him to use his timeouts? Like the announcer said, that was the perfect possible 3 and out when it was needed against the best QB in the game today. Our problem is not the defense

That was an absolutely huge stop by the defense. Last year's defense could never come up with a big stop, despite its defensive ranking.

Yet the expert thinks this defense is much worse then last years I agree with you. We never make that happen last year.

 

[RedskinsFan]

Our problem is not the defense

I agree and disagree. The defense has it's moments and has generally done well keeping good offenses out of the endzone. But they are far from perfect, having their fair share of flaws/weaknesses/problems.

Yes. They hit hard and seem to make key stops and generate turnovers and even QB pressure*, but their bend but don't break approach and the resulting time of possession disparities result in them tiring and prevent the offense from getting extra possessions. I also don't like the run defense which is a big part of that yardage given up.*When exactly will the refs start calling the holding penalties for Orakpo? He's getting held on just about every play, and it's not hard to see given that he's usually an outside rusher. It's ridiculous and I wish Shanny would say something.

Last night with 3 minutes to play the Defense playing against Payton Manning when he's playing great cause a punt with 2 minutes left on the clock and give the ball to the offense. We score a TD in that drive and we win. The offense doesn't score and turns the ball over to the Colts with 2 minutes to play. Again the defense makes a stop and gives our offense the ball with time on the clock. A tired defensive theory like you described doesn't cause two punts in less then 2 minutes do they?I'm not saying that we have a great defense but I am saying that in today's NFL it's difficult for me to expect more from a unit. Last game they gave the offense 2 possessions in the final 3 minutes of the game. The Dallas game they scored our only TD that won the game. In the Eagles game they knocked out the starting QB. In the Packers game they did the same thing and got the turnover which led to the winning FG attempt. Yes they give up points and yes they give up yardage. However you have to look at who we've played this year to really see how they've done and over all they've been playing great. It's a work in progress but I am much more concerned with the offensive line then I am the defense. The defense is playing good, the offensive line isn't. On both of those posessions we lost it because we couldn't protect McNabb. If we can't protect him then he's going to get injured eventually. If our line protected McNabb better we likely win last night. For all of the heat the defense is taking I don't think it's justified.

 

[southeastjerome]

I don't think any impartial Redskins fan truly thought they would win this game. There is a lot of room for improvement, but some positive to take from this too:

- Trent Williams did a very good job on Freeney. He continues to be the real deal.

- Anthony Armstrong showed well again.

- Ryan Torain was great, the oline did a good job but he got a lot of yards after contact. This was the Colts infamous run d though.

- The Colts pass blocking dominated and Orakpo still found a way to get in there a make a play on the QB with the strip sack.

 

[Sidewinder16]

Another way to look at where this team is at:

It's 1-0 against 1-4 teams (Dallas)

It's 1-1 against 3-3 teams (St. Louis, Green Bay)

It's 1-2 against 4-2 teams (Houston, Philadelphia, Indianapolis)

I'm well aware of the small sample size and disparities in strength of schedules, etc., but given they have a 3-3 record themselves, this team is essentially beating the teams they should beat, splitting games against teams roughly equal to them, and, even though they are losing more games than they are winning against teams better than them, they are playing those teams close enough to have legitimate shots at winning those games.

Despite their weaknesses and flaws, this team has already taken great strides in improving and have jumped to a completely different track than the one they were on with Snyderatto running the show. Personally, I'm completely satisfied with that at this stage of ShanAllenhan's tenure.