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Congratulations Greg Manusky, New Defensive Coordinator!

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The Redskins have decided to elevate Linebackers coach Greg Manusky to serve as their new Defensive Coordinator, replacing ousted Joe Barry as leader of a sub-par porous Redskins defense for the past 2 years.

Word on Manusky assistants is not forthcoming. It will be interesting to see how this in-house promotion works out. The good news is, while there is no doubt Manusky will look to put his own stamp on his first NFL defensive scheme, this promotion means more continuity and less overt change for the existing players.

Here's what we know about Manusky...


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Born in Dallas, Pennsylvania on 8/12/66 (50 years of age)

Attended Colgate University where he played football.

(Courtesy of Wikipedia) Manusky was the linebackers coach for the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers before he became the defensive coordinator of the San Francisco 49ers in 2007. Following the 2010 season, 49ers head coach Mike Singletary was fired by the team. Former Stanford University head coach Jim Harbaugh replaced Singletary. Harbaugh gave Manusky permission to interview with other teams, and Manusky quickly lined up interviews with three teams: the Chargers, Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. Manusky ultimately accepted the defensive coordinator job with the Chargers, with whom he had previously worked as a linebackers coach.[1] He was fired following the 2011 season on January 5, 2012.[2] The Indianapolis Colts hired him as defensive coordinator the next month. He was fired from the Colts on January 5, 2016. On January 22nd of 2017, Greg Manusky was promoted from OLB coach to Defensive Coordinator for the Washington Redskins.
 
So, the obvious thing here is that Redskins fans will spend some time hand-wringing and agonizing over how the Redskins are incapable of attracting a top tier DC here because we are evil incarnate and the most inept franchise and staff in the NFL. My take is that things are never as clear, obvious, or simple in reality than they are for fans. We simply can't know what all went down here (that's not to say there's anything wrong with conjecture and theorizing - let's face it, that's part of why we're all here :)).

The positives with Manusky - the aforementioned continuity, his youth (if he works out, he could be our DC for a long time), players I would assume love and respect him (and may have had a hand in his promotion?), and there's no book on him (opposing offenses will have no idea what to expect). He's going to want to be very aggressive coming in his schemes and playcalling as he knows a lack of aggressiveness got Joe Barry fired. And he's likely going to see a major talent infusion coming, especially since we went with a novice DC so there will be a greater imperative to 'give the guy some help' than might be the case with an experienced, proven DC.

The negatives? We don't know if this guy can handle the DC position. It's that simple.
 
Good job for Manusky. Nowhere to go but up.
 
So, the obvious thing here is that Redskins fans will spend some time hand-wringing and agonizing over how the Redskins are incapable of attracting a top tier DC here because we are evil incarnate and the most inept franchise and staff in the NFL.

My take is simpler. If I'm a top tier DC I'm not taking the position for a team that is talent poor on my side of the ball, and to work for a coach that very well may be on the hot seat in a year.
 
Can't argue Chris. If the Redskins believe in Gruden, savvy move was to extend him and then fire Barry. Of course, the other explanation would be that the executive team just isn't all that bright :)
 
Doesn't his years as DC from 2007-2015 give them something ?

My bad Fear. I didn't even read his bio. I confess (and obviously) I'm not well-read on his history. Had forgotten he has done this job for another team. Guess we need to go back and look at how he did during that stretch?
 
Can't argue Chris. If the Redskins believe in Gruden, savvy move was to extend him and then fire Barry. Of course, the other explanation would be that the executive team just isn't all that bright :)

Extending Gruden wouldn't have hurt with Cousins either.
 
My bad Fear. I didn't even read his bio. I confess (and obviously) I'm not well-read on his history. Had forgotten he has done this job for another team. Guess we need to go back and look at how he did during that stretch?

Im sure Bulldog is already on it. ;)
 
In San Fran, McCloughan was the GM.

2007 49ers Defense
Points - 20th
Yards - 25th

Mike Nolan HC, replaced by Mike Singletary before seasons end
2008 49ers Defense
Points - 23rd
Yards - 13th

2009 49ers Defense
Points - 4th
Yards - 15th

Jim Tomsula takes over as HC from Singletary
2010 49ers Defense
Points - 16th
Yards - 13th

Jim Harbaugh hired and brings in Vic Fangio as DC.

Manusky hired to be Norv Turner's DC in San Diego (Joe Barry was there too btw).

2011 Chargers Defense
Points - 22nd
Yards - 16th

In 2012, Turner replaces Manusky with John Pagano at DC. This was the year everyone thought Turner and AJ Smith would both get fired. Instead the Chargers gave them another year, but fired Manusky (who had taken over a #1 defense of Ron Rivera) and saw it decline during the 2011 season. Manusky hired by Chuck Pagano as Colts DC. Not sure which happened first.

2012 Colts Defense
Points - 21st
Yards - 26th

2013 Colts Defense
Points - 9th
Yards - 20th

2014 Colts Defense
Points - 19th
Yards - 11th

2015 Colts Defense
Points - 25th
Yards - 26th

Pagano replaces Manusky after 2015 season by Ted Monachino, as the defense was inconsistent during Manusky's 3 year stretch. Keep in mind though, the Colts notoriously ignored defense in the draft and FA. Manusky comes to Redskins as Linebackers coach until today.

So basically, you're looking at 2 firings and one release due to a head coaching change and purge. The defense improved overall pretty steadily in San Fran. Some might chalk some of that improvement up to the influence of Singletary while he was there, hard to say. I don't think you can draw any conclusions from 1 year in San Diego either way. And his Colts defenses improved consistently until his last season.

Draw your own conclusions.
 
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I took his Defensive Rankings for the 9 years he coached them, added them all up, to come up with an average.
So if you take his rankings based on average total yards per game (25th, 13th, 15th, 13th, 16th, 26th, 20th, 11th, 26th), his defenses had an average overall NFL rating of 18th.

Pretty average.
But compared to Joe Barry, who was 28th in both of his years in Washington, a definite improvement.
Over 9 years, Manusky never dropped down to Barry's 28th.
Just keep in mind, this is only looking at yards, not points allowed.
 
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I'm not sure there's much statistical validity in averaging average ranks, but there's no law against it :)

I actually think looking at rankings even from season to season is challenging, since rosters change, supporting staffs change, opponents played (and how tough any given years schedule is) change.

But I think there are 2 things to take solace in. First of all, Manusky's history eclipses anything Joe Barry has ever put in the books. Secondly (and with the caveat that it's tough to draw definitive conclusions just from a look at yearly defensive rankings as just described), Manusky's defenses *generally* got better from year to year.

Hey, truth is, we have no idea whether this will turn out to be a major turnaround, a mild upgrade, or more middling disappointment just with someone else's name attached to it. Time will tell and that's really all we know.
 
A little Manusky-related gem circa 1989 from the Washington Post:

CALL OF WILD COMES EARLY FOR MANUSKY

By Tom Friend July 26, 1989

CARLISLE, PA., JULY 25 -- After taking an invigorating jog Monday, middle linebacker Greg Manusky happened to be home -- feet up -- watching Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs complain about the 80-man roster on the 6 o'clock news. Ten minutes later, the phone sounded. (Veteran Redskins Rule No. 1: Never answer calls the week before training camp, unless you conveniently have a wife and/or answering machine to screen them.) Manusky picked up.

On the line was the Redskins' director of pro player personnel, Kirk Mee, who was here in Carlisle and told Manusky the team needed him in training camp today, that one linebacker had been cut and another injured. (Veteran Redskins Rule No. 2: If coaches have told you not to report early with rookies, tell them you're going out of town fishing, so they don't even think of calling). Manusky agreed to come, then hung up and drove over to lament with his buddy, veteran defensive tackle Dean Hamel, who has a wife and an answering machine. Said Hamel: "You sure that wasn't Russ Grimm messing with you? How do you know it was Kirk Mee? Maybe this is a hoax."

Manusky phoned Redskins guard Grimm, whose wife Karen naturally answered. When Grimm shimmied up to the phone, he was laughing. "Why you laughing?" Manusky asked. "Because I'm watching the Disney Channel with my kids," Grimm snapped. "Then you aren't playing a joke on me?" "No." Manusky next called Mee in Carlisle. "I just wanted to make sure it was you who wanted me up there early," the linebacker said. Mee said yes. So Manusky, who was supposed to go fishing with Grimm today, instead motored into Carlisle by 8 a.m. for this morning's practice.

"What're you doing here?" asked linebacker coach Larry Peccatiello (Manusky didn't know Peccatiello requested that Mee call him). "Oh well, you might as well work out." Grimm, whose wife again answered calls to their home today, said there's a moral to this story: "Greg just made a rookie mistake. Where was his answering machine? If Kirk Mee called my house? My wife would've said I was out running five miles and I'd be back in a half an hour." Actually, Manusky now will get a half-a-week head start on incumbent middle linebacker Neal Olkewicz. Olkewicz, 32, seems to battle some newcomer each training camp; last year, it was Markus Koch trying to move from defensive end, and now it's Manusky, a special teams daredevil.

"I'd like to think Greg's challenging for a starting spot," Peccatiello said. "I guess everyone always puts the finger on Neal, trying to move him out, but . . . when the dust clears, a lot of things change, but not Olky." Manusky (pronounced Mun-usky) wasn't activated off injured reserve last season until the 10th week, when he was told to spearhead kickoff coverage. He made 10 total hits in six weeks, though the team wonders now if he has the girth and speed to be a full-time middle linebacker. Known as an eccentric type, he was called "goofy" today by Gibbs.

"Goofy? The cartoon character Goofy? I'm not that guy," Manusky said. "I guess I get pumped up to play. If it means getting up for a game, I'll be goofy. "Football, man, that's the best thing in life. To me, it is."

At Colgate, he'd grow a beard and then shave half of it, leave half. "I guess that's goofy," he said. Ferocious football players such as he tend to find their way into fights. "I tell you, I haven't gotten in a fight in eight years. Man, I don't try to get in fights . . . My last one? Probably 11th grade. I think the guy beat me up. I was small."

Too small even to get recruited by Penn State, which was his childhood dream. The irony is that one of the new Redskins he's competing with at middle linebacker is former Penn State star Don Graham, who tipped the 1987 pass that teammate Shane Conlan intercepted to save the national championship game against Miami. "Oh, I don't hold anything against Penn State," Manusky said.

Signed as a free agent in 1988, Manusky -- in a rare rookie achievement -- was befriended last season by most of the cynical Redskins veterans. "Ah, he's a good guy," Grimm said. "He's fun, a nut. Plus, he's a bachelor and has all the married guys over to play cards; it gets us out of the house." Likewise, Manusky noticed this year's rookie quarterback Jeff Graham was spending his offseason at a Virginia hotel, so he invited Graham to stay at his place. "What's he like?" Graham said. "He wasn't too fond of cats. Some were living under his house, and he got a little upset. He put 'em in a box and put 'em down the street."

One of his more important acquaintances is with Redskins strength coach Dan Riley, who first had Manusky looking Godzilla-like with a weight training program and then eased him into a jog/sprint program that lowered his body fat. Manusky will never be more ready to push Olkewicz, though Don Graham and a rookie draft pick from South Carolina, Kevin Hendrix, are fast challengers as well. Together, Riley and Manusky coached a Little League baseball team this spring and summer. Their Cardinals went 16-2, and Manusky said he'd get more "pumped up" for the games than the 10-year-olds. He currently is threatening to give himself a mohawk haircut before training camp concludes. "Why? Because it's camp," he said. "You're supposed to do wild stuff at camp." Which may explain the hat he's wearing on his way from practice. It's a straw fedora, with a tear in it.
 
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I loves me some Manusky. I remember him fondly from his playing days. He was a madman, a baller, crazy......and made plays. High motor that wouldn't quit, overachieved and played bigger than he was. He had exactly what you want in a linebacker. And he loves to get after the quarterback. I am thrilled by this hire and can't wait.
 
The continuity aspect is welcome. Don't really care much about the when's, or why's, or what if's.

He's our DC now. All I want is for him to be successful here.

He won't have to shoulder the burden of high expectation, either.

Attack! Attack! Attack!
 
Well, one thing's for sure.

Being in Indianapolis, Manusky is used to seeing what he has to deal with in inheriting this unit. The Colts gave him very limited talent and asked him to make lemonade out of lemons.

Colts draft picks on defense like Bjorn Woerner ended up as busts. The team spent money in free agency on guys like D'Quell Jackson and Laron Landry that at that point had one foot out of the league.

Ryan Grigson was one of the worst GM's in the league and somehow lasted all this time until recently getting fired in 2017.

Hopefully, here McCloughan is smart enough to avoid the inevitable pull of Gruden to fall in love with a running back (Dalvin Cook) or other offensive 'play-maker' in the draft and focus on the defense.
 
From your lips to God's ears Bulldog :)
 

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