2025 Washington Commanders- All Things Defense

skinsinparadise said:
I noticed on the rewatch how talkative Quinn was in his headset to Wagner. He seemed to be talking nonstop whenever the camera flashed his way. And the enthusiasm on the sideline from him was fun to watch.
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I noticed this in a few clips they showed while between defensive plays. I thought the same as you but also wondered if he was speaking with the other defensive coaches. I say that because I recall DQ in the past saying he was always on the headset listening to the coaching chatter through games.

It is settling to know the D looked so much better after just one week.

Is there a chance DQ gets back some of our IR'd defensive players this season?
 
It’s my understanding that coaches can only communicate with their designated players until 15 seconds remain on the play clock. At that point the system is turned off.
 
DWinzit said:
I noticed this in a few clips they showed while between defensive plays. I thought the same as you but also wondered if he was speaking with the other defensive coaches. I say that because I recall DQ in the past saying he was always on the headset listening to the coaching chatter through games.

It is settling to know the D looked so much better after just one week.

Is there a chance DQ gets back some of our IR'd defensive players this season?
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I really hope your right and it wasn't more of a result of playing the Dolphins as opposed to the Lions.
 
I like this quote a lot from Quinn

Quinn said. “So there’s parts of that where you go through hard things, and you’re like ‘this sucks.’ And then you have a different perspective a year or two later and, ‘You know what, we went through something like this, and this is how we can’t allow it to happen ever again.’”
 
Listening to Logan Paulsen on a podcast evaluating the last two drafts. He like always is super polite and restrained from taking shots -- but he did slip in the mix that he thinks coaching has been part of the issue with the defense.
 
Of course.,when you have a defense that can’t rush the passer and doesn’t pressure blitz and has issues in coverage but continues to play man………the coaching is tone deaf.

You have to scheme to personnel at least until you get the chance to draft and sign players that fit your preferred style.

Amazing how many coaches and coordinators don’t use common sense to help save their jobs.
 
Bulldog said:
Of course.,when you have a defense that can’t rush the passer and doesn’t pressure blitz and has issues in coverage but continues to play man………the coaching is tone deaf.

You have to scheme to personnel at least until you get the chance to draft and sign players that fit your preferred style.

Amazing how many coaches and coordinators don’t use common sense to help save their jobs.
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I think there are a lot of statistics that show that in the first few games of the season, maybe 5 games, maybe even 6 not sure - the team got pressure without blitzing. I don't know that the DL was as bad as people think or make it out to be. We had way more serious issues with how our LBs were used overall, and how our DBs were coached. Then, our DL started getting decimated with injuries, and yes our DL has probably struggled a lot more over the last 2 or 3 games to get pressure (I am assuming, haven't looked at stats).
 
I would prefer to see the two linebacker set be retired as a staple on defense.

It has its place in packages but you can’t stop the run with 6 guys up front on a regular basis.
 
Last year was lightning in a bottle. We made an incredible run with a bunch of JAG wideouts (plus a #2 who thinks he's Jerry Rice). The defense was bad, but the #5-led O was just phenomenal. And Kliff seemingly came back from Thailand on a mission.

What AP needs to figure out is whether this season is an anomaly, or something more systemic with the coaching. We should know by the end of next season whether there's a lot more behind going from 28-3 to a 34-28 SB loss. Another 2 full seasons should provide enough coaching space to evaluate things that have taken place in the decision-making space.

Entrusting Whitt as the DC was terrible decision-making. Thankfully, he moved on. Writing was on the wall all last season that he wasn't up to snuff. It'll be interesting to see who we bring in next year as DC.
 
skinzplay said:
Last year was lightning in a bottle. We made an incredible run with a bunch of JAG wideouts (plus a #2 who thinks he's Jerry Rice). The defense was bad, but the #5-led O was just phenomenal. And Kliff seemingly came back from Thailand on a mission.

What AP needs to figure out is whether this season is an anomaly, or something more systemic with the coaching. We should know by the end of next season whether there's a lot more behind going from 28-3 to a 34-28 SB loss. Another 2 full seasons should provide enough coaching space to evaluate things that have taken place in the decision-making space.

Entrusting Whitt as the DC was terrible decision-making. Thankfully, he moved on. Writing was on the wall all last season that he wasn't up to snuff. It'll be interesting to see who we bring in next year as DC.
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I wouldn't call it a total lightning in a bottle situation. Chances are if we have Jayden Daniels consistently, were having similar results regularly. That's not to say we don't address the opportunities that we all clearly see are out there, but Jayden looks like has the ability to be different. Him being on the field raises the floor, and the Jayden / Kliff connection is a thing. A lot of our issue this season was we didnt get the bounces we got last season. It's not all of it, but it's a part of it. The pendulum tends to swing so while the success of last season shouldn't be something we depend on... it's likely less of an anomaly than than what we've seen this season.
 
Yeah, the kid is truly special. But just like you said, it seemed like all the bounces went our way last season (and thankfully the doinks, too, Mr. Gonzalez :)).
 
method man said:
Since 2023, we have spent a 1st, 3 2nds, a 3rd and a 4th on this secondary. That amount of draft capital for these results is so insane
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We had low accountability in our previous regime. I think in the current regime, we are slow on problem recognition. I think we were blinded by results last year, which is a bad sign at least at the HC level and possibly beyond. However, the buck has to stop at HC in terms of seeing issues with his staff - it is not the GM's job to see issues with OC/DC and their staffs. It has to be at the HC level.

If our coaching staff on both sides is not doing their best with the players they have (in Whitt's case, my read is his scheme was problematic and he had troublingly bad coaches - and the results followed; in KK's case, my belief is that JD made him look really good, but once defenses figured his scheme out he didn't have great answers which is extremely problematic). It leads you to start questioning things you were previously giving benefit of the doubt (Sinnott as a half-back?). Anyway, I think these two seasons have pointed to some issues in hiring in many spots at the coach level. Unfortunate.
 
I said last night that he looks like a much better athlete than anyone in our secondary, maybe besides Amos, now plays way bigger than his size, and is strong at the point of the catch. Last night was one of the best performances I've seen from a corner in a long time.

TB has one of the best receiving cores in the league but none of them could get any separation and almost every play looked like the play above where he was just sticking to them batting the ball himself with force while throwing them to the ground hard. Also had a great blitz. He also stopped a lot of these plays on 3rd and 4th down.

He has 3 picks in his last 4 games. The only game he didn't was when he shutdown JSN in the Seattle win. Tirico said that he hasn't given up a TD in the past 7 games. Collinsworth said that he definitely looks like a first round pick right now.



 
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That video would have been called a PI if he was on our team.
 
I still don’t like the idea of drafting 167 pound corners in the top 15-16 picks.

The Forbes draft selection takes me forward to Newton and how an undersized DT at 290 is drafted high despite having what looks to be rotational skills.

This is a player without any ability to support vs the run. He’s raw, again undersized and without natural instincts for the game.

If he were generating 10-12 sacks a year being moved around then you could perhaps understand the pick but he’s nowhere near that type of contributor.

Bill Parcells always said that talented bigger people beat talented smaller people.

In an age where OL go 320 or more a 290 guy without the ability to read an offense and use his quickness and anticipation to out maneuver opponents is dead meat.
 
Forbes was over-drafted regardless, and obviously especially being taken over Gonzalez who most of us wanted at the time. It was bad process and bad results, live in that moment.

But that initial damage was done by Rivera regardless, we were stuck with the Forbes pick. Mis-evaluating Forbes AGAIN once our current coaches got their hands on him is an entirely different, avoidable crime. And it just made our roster even worse than it already was, tossing a seemingly salvageable player.

Not something that can happen if we want to be good. Self-scouting is where it all begins.
 
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