Good morning everyone. 
Here's Knighty with your Monday morning optimism.
Okay so first up, I agree with Boone. This was always going to be a rebuilding year, and I think deep down we all knew that. What was confusing however, are the message coming out of the Redskins. Boone mentioned a while back that while the fanbase and the rest of the world recognized that this was a rebuild year with a lot of raw young talent, the Redskins were convinced this was a 'Playoffs or bust' year, especially for Gruden. I feel like if they'd have just come out and either cut Gruden off last year and promoted a young successor, or just extended him and put the message out there that this was a rebuild year, then we'd have accepted it. The losses would still hurt, but these are losses built on lies. I could've accepted growing pains.
In that context running close to the Cowboys and Eagles would have looked better than it currently does.
Our Defense is terrible... but I do believe in three things:
1) It's not as bad as it looks. We've showed flashes of promise, but no consistency. (see point 3) I just want to see what we have when we're complete (see point 2)
2) We're already ravaged by injury on D. I feel like Allen is the heart of that D, and without him out there we drop a level. I also think it'll take players like Moreland and Sweat a while to get up to speed, I would like to see flashes from them though. Without Dunbar and Moreau, and then with DRC hobbled our secondary was down to Norman, a rookie and a Safety being pushed into CB duties. Couple that with no Allen or Brantley, and against a very good O-Line and an offense with excellent skill players, we were exposed.
3) We need to move on from Manusky ASAP. I feel like that is where the weak link is. We're not aggressive defensively and we don't adjust. That's on him. The mistakes on the field are correctable through coaching.. that's on him too. Chicago are coming to town next week, their offense looks terrible. They've managed 1 TD in 2 games so far, hardly a powerhouse. BUT they're likely looking at this game as a coming out party. If they hang 30 on us I truly think it's bye bye Manusky…. and a part of me kinda wants that to happen. You have to hit rock bottom to bounce back right? I want this change made sooner rather than later. If we can get a change in the DC position, and then get our injured players back and play a more aggressive style of D, I think we'll see a turnaround on that side of the ball. See... there is optimism even here!
I can't blame the Offense really for our losses. While not electric, they've done enough to win for us if the Defense pulled it's weight. Keenum has been safe hands so far, and the play calling hasn't been bad. I'd like a little more aggression on short 4th downs sometimes, but was impressed when we got that 4th and 7 yesterday. McLaurin is a break out player, Quinn is starting to look reliable.
Not sure what's going on with Scherff... (I'm not mentioning the Human-Hold-Machine that is Moses!) but the O-line hasn't been as bad as advertised. I think it struggles opening up the run game, but it's not been too bad in pass protection, especially considering the Defenses we've played so far. HUGE test this week against the Bears though.
Couple of other things...
We KNEW that the early schedule was brutal. I was kind of expecting a 1-4 start anyway, figuring we'd lose the Boys, Eagles, Bears and Pats games. So this isn't exactly unexpected for me. Each game brings us closer to a Trent Williams return. Or a trade.
He HAS to come back at some point if he wants this season to count against his contract, so it's inevitable he reports otherwise he goes through the same deal next year. He already has something like 2.5 to 3 million in fines and lost game checks, so how much is he willing to lose is the question? Does he have deep pockets? We'd have assumed AP did considering what he's earned over the years, but he's broke, so who knows how responsible Trent's been with his cash.
And if he does come back it's likely to be at a point where:
a) Our Defense starts to get healthy
b) Our rookies have 5 or 6 starts under their belts
c) Guice is due back
d) our schedule softens
So would this possibly lead to a mid season surge? <<-- Optimism!
OR alternatively I'd hope that the Skins could back down from their stance, admit this is a rebuild year and just trade him for something we NEED. The need for him might start to escalate as the season wears on and injuries start taking their toll on other teams. Imagine a playoff contender like the Saints, or the Rams or someone losing their LT late in the season. What would they give to have TW shore up their Superbowl run? Is that when his demand would be highest?
I'm now in a place where I'm expecting a top 10 pick in the draft. I want to trade Trent and get more draft picks. I want to release Norman. I want Reed to retire. I want to put players like Moses back on the bench where they belong. I want us to draft well next year, especially on the O-Line so that we're solid in the trenches for the near future. I want Manusky gone. All that being true I'd kinda like a fresh start at HC too IF there's a good option, (I don't want us to just promote a young gun because it's in vogue, if he doesn't have the HC chops to back it up!), if not then I'm happy with continuity as long as we do something with the defensive staff! (the Offense doesn't look to be the problem this year and I think will only grow as our rookies settle in and Haskins hopefully blossoms into readiness!)
None of that is out of the realms of possibility and would start us on a solid path for the future.
Yes I know we'll still have Bruce and Dan, but I think we can win in spite of them if the right pieces are in place.
Anyway... long post I know.
Cowboys suck! HTTR!
Here's Knighty with your Monday morning optimism.
Okay so first up, I agree with Boone. This was always going to be a rebuilding year, and I think deep down we all knew that. What was confusing however, are the message coming out of the Redskins. Boone mentioned a while back that while the fanbase and the rest of the world recognized that this was a rebuild year with a lot of raw young talent, the Redskins were convinced this was a 'Playoffs or bust' year, especially for Gruden. I feel like if they'd have just come out and either cut Gruden off last year and promoted a young successor, or just extended him and put the message out there that this was a rebuild year, then we'd have accepted it. The losses would still hurt, but these are losses built on lies. I could've accepted growing pains.
In that context running close to the Cowboys and Eagles would have looked better than it currently does.
Our Defense is terrible... but I do believe in three things:
1) It's not as bad as it looks. We've showed flashes of promise, but no consistency. (see point 3) I just want to see what we have when we're complete (see point 2)
2) We're already ravaged by injury on D. I feel like Allen is the heart of that D, and without him out there we drop a level. I also think it'll take players like Moreland and Sweat a while to get up to speed, I would like to see flashes from them though. Without Dunbar and Moreau, and then with DRC hobbled our secondary was down to Norman, a rookie and a Safety being pushed into CB duties. Couple that with no Allen or Brantley, and against a very good O-Line and an offense with excellent skill players, we were exposed.
3) We need to move on from Manusky ASAP. I feel like that is where the weak link is. We're not aggressive defensively and we don't adjust. That's on him. The mistakes on the field are correctable through coaching.. that's on him too. Chicago are coming to town next week, their offense looks terrible. They've managed 1 TD in 2 games so far, hardly a powerhouse. BUT they're likely looking at this game as a coming out party. If they hang 30 on us I truly think it's bye bye Manusky…. and a part of me kinda wants that to happen. You have to hit rock bottom to bounce back right? I want this change made sooner rather than later. If we can get a change in the DC position, and then get our injured players back and play a more aggressive style of D, I think we'll see a turnaround on that side of the ball. See... there is optimism even here!
I can't blame the Offense really for our losses. While not electric, they've done enough to win for us if the Defense pulled it's weight. Keenum has been safe hands so far, and the play calling hasn't been bad. I'd like a little more aggression on short 4th downs sometimes, but was impressed when we got that 4th and 7 yesterday. McLaurin is a break out player, Quinn is starting to look reliable.
Not sure what's going on with Scherff... (I'm not mentioning the Human-Hold-Machine that is Moses!) but the O-line hasn't been as bad as advertised. I think it struggles opening up the run game, but it's not been too bad in pass protection, especially considering the Defenses we've played so far. HUGE test this week against the Bears though.
Couple of other things...
We KNEW that the early schedule was brutal. I was kind of expecting a 1-4 start anyway, figuring we'd lose the Boys, Eagles, Bears and Pats games. So this isn't exactly unexpected for me. Each game brings us closer to a Trent Williams return. Or a trade.
He HAS to come back at some point if he wants this season to count against his contract, so it's inevitable he reports otherwise he goes through the same deal next year. He already has something like 2.5 to 3 million in fines and lost game checks, so how much is he willing to lose is the question? Does he have deep pockets? We'd have assumed AP did considering what he's earned over the years, but he's broke, so who knows how responsible Trent's been with his cash.
And if he does come back it's likely to be at a point where:
a) Our Defense starts to get healthy
b) Our rookies have 5 or 6 starts under their belts
c) Guice is due back
d) our schedule softens
So would this possibly lead to a mid season surge? <<-- Optimism!
OR alternatively I'd hope that the Skins could back down from their stance, admit this is a rebuild year and just trade him for something we NEED. The need for him might start to escalate as the season wears on and injuries start taking their toll on other teams. Imagine a playoff contender like the Saints, or the Rams or someone losing their LT late in the season. What would they give to have TW shore up their Superbowl run? Is that when his demand would be highest?
I'm now in a place where I'm expecting a top 10 pick in the draft. I want to trade Trent and get more draft picks. I want to release Norman. I want Reed to retire. I want to put players like Moses back on the bench where they belong. I want us to draft well next year, especially on the O-Line so that we're solid in the trenches for the near future. I want Manusky gone. All that being true I'd kinda like a fresh start at HC too IF there's a good option, (I don't want us to just promote a young gun because it's in vogue, if he doesn't have the HC chops to back it up!), if not then I'm happy with continuity as long as we do something with the defensive staff! (the Offense doesn't look to be the problem this year and I think will only grow as our rookies settle in and Haskins hopefully blossoms into readiness!)
None of that is out of the realms of possibility and would start us on a solid path for the future.
Yes I know we'll still have Bruce and Dan, but I think we can win in spite of them if the right pieces are in place.
Anyway... long post I know.
Cowboys suck! HTTR!
