2025 Washington Commanders- All Things Defense

[Riggo44]

 

[Dlts20]

I just wrote this in the playoffs thread:

Still wish that we could've seen Baltimore. The Steelers are horrible. This Texans defense has been insane all year. They can truly win games strictly on defense. It's crazy to watch this knowing how old, slow, and horrible we are on that side.

It also is starting to bother me watching Demeco Ryan, Vabrral, McDermott, and McDonald be HCs while seemingly still running the defense and making them dominant while DQ has seemingly been pretty hands off until he was forced to do more.

If I'm hiring a HC, I still would rather it be someone who runs the offense or defense. There are some exceptions but for us to be so bad on D after we hired a DC to be our HC while he is being pretty hands off at the same time is kinda annoying after watching these other teams having dominant defenses with their defensive HC.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

I just wrote this in the playoffs thread:

Still wish that we could've seen Baltimore. The Steelers are horrible. This Texans defense has been insane all year. They can truly win games strictly on defense. It's crazy to watch this knowing how old, slow, and horrible we are on that side.

It also is starting to bother me watching Demeco Ryan, Vabrral, McDermott, and McDonald be HCs while seemingly still running the defense and making them dominant while DQ has seemingly been pretty hands off until he was forced to do more.

If I'm hiring a HC, I still would rather it be someone who runs the offense or defense. There are some exceptions but for us to be so bad on D after we hired a DC to be our HC while he is being pretty hands off at the same time is kinda annoying after watching these other teams having dominant defenses with their defensive HC.

Well, he is our second "hands off" HC as well. RR fashioned himself the same way.

The way a lot of these other guys work is sort of like a percentage though, I think many of them just vary how much they get involved. You get a guy like Andy Reid, it's kind of his offense. I think with these other defensive HCs you list, yes, their fingerprints are there. For sure. I don't think they have this need to be 100% off, or 100% on though, I think they just make sure it's humming.

That's where DQ truly failed these 2 years. We all saw it. The defense had problems in 2024. Yet, here we are. That was a fire-able offense, even with the *results* of 2024 - because process matters. Sitting there and watching that bad defense, and not doing more to *make sure* we got better there... and then replacing Whitt mid-horrible 2025 season... that's a LONG time of theoretically overseeing a defense that wasn't good.

We are on the outside, and we are not professionals. We could still see problems in 2024 and 2025. It took far, far too long for DQ to act on something that he clearly should have been able to see if he had his eyes on the prize. It just felt very similar to RR in that way, as if he was just managing the coordinators, and we just have to wait their growing pains out - he can't interfere with their on-the-job training, we have to just sit and watch the train wreck.

Now - on the bright side - DQ made the move to dump both of his coordinators now, and now there is a lot more talk about how collaborative DQ wants the relationship with his coordinators to be. I mean, he WAS talking to KK about rushing the ball (and I think that got him "mutually released" - KK didn't want to work on the things DQ felt strongly about). So - that *is* a significant measurable difference. What I can't figure out is - how did he not get the "collaboration" he needed from Whitt and staff? I guess he did, and they just couldn't figure it out together? There's something weird in the middle of that story.

 

[Commander Wraith]

Defensively, my guess is there were multiple factors at play, making it harder for Quinn to isolate (and put blame on) Whitt’s performance.
Scheme, position coaches and how they coach players within the scheme/gameplan, playcalling, personnel talent, player execution and injuries all play into defensive performance.

A couple examples:
1. Lattimore losing on crossers coming off a wr in motion. We could blame this on Lattimore or the scheme, but if this was supposed to be passed off (as we saw occur after a few such losses), maybe it was player’s not communicating properly. But, does that fall on the players? The position coaches? Or maybe this was a byproduct of Whitt attempting to simplify things for the players, which opens a whole new can of worms in terms of laying blame.

2. Wagner in man coverage vs a back on a wheel route. Scheme is the obvious culprit (not Wagner’s fault he’s not that guy) or perhaps bad luck w/ playcalling, but if this was on a blitz that should have gotten home before Wagner was beaten, where does the fault really lie?

Point being, I think from a fan perspective, it was easy to lay blame on Whitt, but I think for Quinn, having so much more information on those types of situation might (ironically) make it harder to cast blame. Again, just a guess on my part, and I’m not trying to absolve Quinn or Whitt, just trying to make sense as to why it played out the way it did.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

Defensively, my guess is there were multiple factors at play, making it harder for Quinn to isolate (and put blame on) Whitt’s performance.
Scheme, position coaches and how they coach players within the scheme/gameplan, playcalling, personnel talent, player execution and injuries all play into defensive performance.

A couple examples:
1. Lattimore losing on crossers coming off a wr in motion. We could blame this on Lattimore or the scheme, but if this was supposed to be passed off (as we saw occur after a few such losses), maybe it was player’s not communicating properly. But, does that fall on the players? The position coaches? Or maybe this was a byproduct of Whitt attempting to simplify things for the players, which opens a whole new can of worms in terms of laying blame.

2. Wagner in man coverage vs a back on a wheel route. Scheme is the obvious culprit (not Wagner’s fault he’s not that guy) or perhaps bad luck w/ playcalling, but if this was on a blitz that should have gotten home before Wagner was beaten, where does the fault really lie?

Point being, I think from a fan perspective, it was easy to lay blame on Whitt, but I think for Quinn, having so much more information on those types of situation might (ironically) make it harder to cast blame. Again, just a guess on my part, and I’m not trying to absolve Quinn or Whitt, just trying to make sense as to why it played out the way it did.

My problem is, if you are DQ, it is within your power to observe practices. To dip your feet into the prep and see issues as they form or at least soon after. It just felt like the internal “feedback loop” was slower than it should have been.

Faster than RR but that is a horribly low bar.

 

[Chris]

 

[burgold]

I have a suspicion that Joe Whitt is actually a great secondary coach. He certainly worked magic in Dallas. The guy just wasn't a DC.

 

[Chris]

I’m surprised by the Asst HC designation.

 

[Conn]

I’m surprised by the Asst HC designation.

Longtime McCarthy guy, they may be closer than we realize. I’m a little surprised just because he didn’t seem like much of a motivator while here, but it’s possible he’s a really organized guy in the coaches’ offices and meeting rooms which is where an Asst HC really shines on some teams.

 

[KDawg]

Longtime McCarthy guy, they may be closer than we realize. I’m a little surprised just because he didn’t seem like much of a motivator while here, but it’s possible he’s a really organized guy in the coaches’ offices and meeting rooms which is where an Asst HC really shines on some teams.

It's also possible he wasn't the full issue... We'll see. I think he certainly holds at least part of the blame.

 

[Conn]

It's also possible he wasn't the full issue... We'll see. I think he certainly holds at least part of the blame.

For sure a possibility. Since he was allegedly given almost total autonomy for about 25 games here, it feels like he just doesn’t have what it takes to run a full defense and call plays. But then, our secondary once again had poor communication and looked terrible and that’s apparently his money spot, so idk at all what to think.