Random Commanders Thoughts

Yikes.

Boone said:

Matt Ryan doesn't play well when pressured. He's honestly one of the most erratic QBs in the league - and by that, I don't mean that he can't look like an All-Pro, because he can. But he looks great one game, and God-awful in others. And those 'others' tend to be when he gets his jersey dirtied and is pressured a lot.

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Makes me wonder why some sites have Ryan rated so high. Sometimes in Top 5.
Right now nfl.com has him at #7 and even says "Based only on his play over the last two seasons, Ryan could make the case to be higher on this list."
Based on what you're saying, there's no way he should be that high, or have those things said about him.

Boone said:

Yikes.

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This is exactly why we spent a high 3rd round pick on a guy projected to be a backup.
So credit the FO for that.

Fear The Spear said:

Makes me wonder why some sites have Ryan rated so high. Sometimes in Top 5.
Right now nfl.com has him at #7 and even says "Based only on his play over the last two seasons, Ryan could make the case to be higher on this list."
Based on what you're saying, there's no way he should be that high, or have those things said about him.

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I'm just giving an opinion. He's having a great 2018 so far. Threw picks in their first 2 games but hasn't had an INT since then and has thrown 15 TD passes already in 2018. But 2017 was a struggle, during which he had his lowest completion rate since 2011, and his lowest average yds/game since his rookie year.

As I said in my previous post - in no way am I arguing he's not a very good QB. I've just seen a lot of games over his career where his level of play drops significantly when he's sacked/running for his life. He thrives with short to mid-range passes, but struggles going downfield. This would be the week that I might forego what seems to be our main priority (containment) and go for max pressure.

The Falcons lost to the Eagles in their opener. Eagles sacked Ryan 4 times and he threw a key pick and fumbled as well. The one area where Ryan is having troubles in an otherwise stellar 2018?

Sack %.

Ryan's at 7.1% on the year, approaching double his career average.

That's good news for us.

I think our defense will struggle against him but prevail in the end

I'm sorry, but if this doesn't literally make you worship Jay Gruden, there's something wrong with you

I was getting ready to post that!

Cooley seemed serious about the challenge and Jay cut him down!

Cooley on the defensive...must've stung good...lol

The Redskins are not a juggernaut team but the next 4 games against Atlanta, Houston, Tampa Bay and Dallas is not exactly murderer's row

These teams can and have been beaten in 2018. Right now, only one has a winning record.

Can someone please tell me again, how does this defense resemble the 85 Bears and 2000 Ravens defenses?

I am excited to be in first place at the halfway point in the season, I am happy to be 5-3. But let's be honest about who we are. We got handled by a very good Atlanta offense, and it wasn't close. Our DL was manhandled by their OL, our secondary got torched too many times, and our LB's did nothing to make up for it.

It's not the end of the world, we still control this division, we still have a schedule that favors us...but can we be real about how good this team, and defense are?

Who said we had a defense of that caliber?

I still have no idea who this team is. I just don't.


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Elephant said:

Can someone please tell me again, how does this defense resemble the 85 Bears and 2000 Ravens defenses?

I am excited to be in first place at the halfway point in the season, I am happy to be 5-3. But let's be honest about who we are. We got handled by a very good Atlanta offense, and it wasn't close. Our DL was manhandled by their OL, our secondary got torched too many times, and our LB's did nothing to make up for it.

It's not the end of the world, we still control this division, we still have a schedule that favors us...but can we be real about how good this team, and defense are?

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I sure can.

We're no better no worse than we have been the last 20 yrs. Still just a pretender and no where near a serious contender.

Think about this: Kyle Shanahan can start a virtual nobody rookie at QB and generate an actual pass offense.

Jay has a 14 year vet and can't even figure out how to get his QB on the same page as his receivers and can't figure out how to use Jordan Reed in the offense.

The defense can't defend any legit pass offense...so if Fitzmagic starts next week, expect another blowout.

I wasn't at the game today...but friends of mine were. They conveyed conversations in the club level that I was thinking this afternoon.

Sorry for piling on folks...but IMO: this franchise never returns to a SB until Dan Synder exits stage left and Bruce "I love mediocrity" Allen follows. Btw....heard today that Snyder's home is up for sale. Portent of things to come?

As for Gruden, I just don't see him as a winning HC. He got the Skins turned around, sorta, but he's got...well...Cincinnati written all over him.

This is almost formulaic.

The same players are getting hurt each year just as the team is gaining some momentum.

It's no one's fault but at some point the team needs to move on from guys like Shawn Lauvao, Chris Thompson and a few others that simply can't hold up for 16 games.

Perhaps the greatest attribute of the Gibbs teams was durability.

Monk's consecutive game catch streak. Darrell Green's 202 consecutive starts.

John Riggins 375 carries with one fumble in 1983.

Monte Coleman's 15 years as a weak side line linebacker. Don Warren's 14 years as a tight end.

Did players get hurt? Of course.

But not the same players every year.

This is the third year in a row the OL all but destructed within a couple of weeks!

In the backfield Thompson, Kelley and Marshall were all hurt again and Thompson for the fourth time in five years.

Down to waiver wire pickups last year you would think the team would have a better plan this year other than having to move Roullier from his natural position and bring in a below
replacement level player like Bergstrom to start whenever someone else gets a hang nail.

And when we look at free agents how about considering their injury history!

God love his competitiveness in trying to get back on the field but Paul Richardson was available in the offseason specifically because he has been hurt for significant stretches in three of his five NFL seasons.

The Seahawks gave their money to Tyler Lockette at WR and decided to let their former #2 pick depart despite his yards per catch average in 2017 being in the top 10.

fansince62 said:

I wasn't at the game today...but friends of mine were. They conveyed conversations in the club level that I was thinking this afternoon.

Sorry for piling on folks...but IMO: this franchise never returns to a SB until Dan Synder exits stage left and Bruce "I love mediocrity" Allen follows. Btw....heard today that Snyder's home is up for sale. Portent of things to come?

As for Gruden, I just don't see him as a winning HC. He got the Skins turned around, sorta, but he's got...well...Cincinnati written all over him.

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HA! I don't know why, but I was expecting to read a post like this. Dan Snyder is a terrible owner. We don't need to rehash all his mistakes. They far outweigh anything he may have done good. But today's loss has nothing to do with Snyder. It has nothing to do with Allen. Today's loss is all about the Falcons players completely outplaying and dominating the Redskins players, and the Falcons coaches outcoaching the Redskins coaches. Dan Snyder nor Bruce Allen had nothing to do with today's outcome. NOTHING. The irony of this post is that I didn't see anyone on here or anywhere else in the universe praising Snyder and Allen for their great ownership and leadership after the last few wins. I mean, if every loss is attributed to those two, then we need to be praising them for having the Redskins in first place and getting the Redskins off to the best start since 2008. It would have been ludicrous to do that though. But as soon as they lose, people want to blame them no matter what.

Look, Snyder's record is what it is. He will be judged for his record which is terrible. Allen is in the same boat. I think we all hope for a day when they aren't with the Redskins. But come on. Have some perspective. Today's game sucked and the Falcons dominated the Redskins. There is plenty to criticize about today's performance. This just isn't it.

Well, let's be honest. The loss of 3 players on the OL was the end.

It's easy to shut down a running game when you are facing a line with a rookie playing for the first time, a center out at guard and a waiver wire guy like Bergstrom starting inside.

Bill Walsh or Belichick couldn't win with the cast of players out there today.

Which brings us back to the front office and HC determined to rely on Lauvao, Thompson, Kelley, Reed, Richardson, etc players who have not shown the ability to stay on the field.

Bulldog said:

Well, let's be honest. The loss of 3 players on the OL was the end.

It's easy to shut down a running game when you are facing a line with a rookie playing for the first time, a center out at guard and a waiver wire guy like Bergstrom starting inside.

Bill Walsh or Belichick couldn't win with the cast of players out there today.

Which brings us back to the front office and HC determined to rely on Lauvao, Thompson, Kelley, Reed, Richardson, etc players who have not shown the ability to stay on the field.

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That sums it up pretty perfectly. Add in some seriously suspect officiating and we were pretty much doomed from the start.


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Boone said:

Add in some seriously suspect officiating and we were pretty much doomed from the start.

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It had to be bad, if you had Morgan Moses, who is usually calm and cool, flagged simply words he spoke, and not something physical he did to an official. And I didn't see the Reed incident, but I saw you mention earlier he got into a similar fiasco.

Two guys who normally keep their cool, and totally lose it on officials' calls ?
Something fishy had to be goin on with the refs

Kel Varnsen said:

HA! I don't know why, but I was expecting to read a post like this. Dan Snyder is a terrible owner. We don't need to rehash all his mistakes. They far outweigh anything he may have done good. But today's loss has nothing to do with Snyder. It has nothing to do with Allen. Today's loss is all about the Falcons players completely outplaying and dominating the Redskins players, and the Falcons coaches outcoaching the Redskins coaches. Dan Snyder nor Bruce Allen had nothing to do with today's outcome. NOTHING. The irony of this post is that I didn't see anyone on here or anywhere else in the universe praising Snyder and Allen for their great ownership and leadership after the last few wins. I mean, if every loss is attributed to those two, then we need to be praising them for having the Redskins in first place and getting the Redskins off to the best start since 2008. It would have been ludicrous to do that though. But as soon as they lose, people want to blame them no matter what.

Look, Snyder's record is what it is. He will be judged for his record which is terrible. Allen is in the same boat. I think we all hope for a day when they aren't with the Redskins. But come on. Have some perspective. Today's game sucked and the Falcons dominated the Redskins. There is plenty to criticize about today's performance. This just isn't it.

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I respectfully disagree. Much as one would like to detach the present from the past, we have had a consistent record of mediocrity or worse since 1992. The same pattern has held throughout the Snyder "era". We have seen other franchises move from bad to very good in comparatively short periods of time.

It all starts at the top. The product on the field and the sidelines is, in the end, the result of decisions made off the field, in the front office, over the course of many years. This is a strategic point. The Redskins are, and have been, poorly led - from the top. I believe the "data" is irrefutable in that respect.

This one game did not magically inspire me to make the quoted post. I have been thinking this for several years now.

Again, it's a strategic point: how do the Falcons, Saints, Patriots, Eagles, etc., etc., get to be better teams who wax the Skins on a given day, who win championships? BETTER FRONT OFFICE. Better vision. Better strategy. Better leadership. Smarter football people. Better decision-making.

Accountability. It all starts at the top - in every organization.

Addendum: praise for the last few wins? Based on what? An injured Rogers? A missed field goal? A Giants team that will find a new QB, couple o-linemen and blast right by the Skins in the next year or two? An offense that has been pathetic since the second half of the first game? Again, while I agree that 5-2 (now 5-3) beats the alternative, it's been ugly and belies the obvious: we get creamed every time by teams with capable QBs and wideouts, our offense got to where it is because of bad decisions by the FO - it relies on an aging RB (i.e., no near to mid-term alternative), a QB with a "do not consume after 2-3 years" label, and backed itself into a corner with no dependable receivers other than Jordan Reid. No, we are what we are because this Front Office is a group of losers. Don't care how nice some of them might be. Don't care if some were former Redskin greats. Every year we are sold a bill of goods because seats have to be filled. And year after year after year, this team never, ever competes with the upper tier - and all too often even the mid-tier. The fans all get excited because individual pieces seem to improve - but the team itself consistently produces the same outcome.

We need to demand better. In any walk of business, and many areas of life, consistent failure results in the top being shown the door. IMO, that needs to happen with the Redskins. Don't know how. But until it does, I think it's a safe wager that we will not see another SB. A once proud franchise has become the Bengals - or worse, in truth. No hope for excellence. No hope for a championship.

To respond to the expected: because once is born into it. Because this franchise was a proud champion at one time. Because the franchise serves the fans and the community - not the other way around.

One of the many problems with Gruden. Every year he ignores the RB situation. Every year he has a stable of scrubs and talks about how great they are in camp and how excited he is to see them play then WHAM, the regular season comes along and they all vanish one way or another. They either get hurt, or suck, or both. And I hate to think where we'd be if they hadn't gotten AP at the last second, but the fact of the matter is that things shouldn't be run that way. I'm not even going to talk about other players we've been waiting for what seems like decades to get healthy and when they finally get on the field, they drop passes that hit them right in the chest, multiple times, cough Doctson, cough. If the team ever wants to win, they have to move on from the mentality of "Well, WHEN they get healthy they'll be really good" with players that have never proven themselves to begin with, because that ain't exactly working out. But hey, what we do works, right?

A couple things. First of all, you guys ARE talking about two different things. While Snyder is absolutely 'accountable' for the franchise's lack of major success, he's not necessarily 'responsible'. I do think there's a subtle difference.

While it's hard to argue with Al's overall conclusion, I do think we are ignoring some factors driving recent history.

1) We've had epic (and that is not too strong a word) injuries the past two years. Blaming the franchise or leadership for that is a real reach. Bulldog does make a solid point in suggesting at some point you have to move on from injury prone players. But which ones? CT has been relatively healthy prior to breaking his leg last year. Despite issues this year, are we really going to move on from him? There are arguments to be made with other players, including Lauvao, Reed, maybe a couple others. But generally, it's not rational to blame the org for what have been the worst spate of injuries we'ved ever had in a 2 year stretch.

2) There are signs of progress. For years we have bemoaned a lack of respect for the rushing attack. This year, we drafted a top RB (again, the move undermined by his immediate season-ending injury), and we struck lightning in a bottle with AP. We have rushed the hell out of the ball this year, with a few exceptions. We are also drafting better than we have in 20 years. Our front office is making reasoned, creative decisions. It can't be denied. We have a major youth movement in progress and we are bringing in talented players.

3) We have avoided (so far) hitting the panic button, and firing yet another coaching staff after 3 years. I know many of you wish we had or would, but of all the factors that have held back the Redskins, continually starting over and showing zero patience with head coaches has been the one that has most held us back. Snyder has been remarkably patient and I hope he continues to be.

I'm mad, I'm disgusted with that loss yesterday, but it's not ALL doom and gloom guys.

Bulldog said:

Well, let's be honest. The loss of 3 players on the OL was the end.

It's easy to shut down a running game when you are facing a line with a rookie playing for the first time, a center out at guard and a waiver wire guy like Bergstrom starting inside.

Bill Walsh or Belichick couldn't win with the cast of players out there today.

Which brings us back to the front office and HC determined to rely on Lauvao, Thompson, Kelley, Reed, Richardson, etc players who have not shown the ability to stay on the field.

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Yeah the minute that we lost Lauvao, with Trent on the sidelines I was like.... Uh Oh!

Then we Moses (temporarily) and Scherff and it was game over.

At that point there was no way we were going to establish the run, and I'm amazed they did as well as they did in Pass Pro in the second half.

What REALLY killed us last night though was those Penalties. Every time we got some momentum, it was taken away by stupid penalties.
Doctson gains 15 on a spectacular catch.... only to immediately give it back on an unsportsmanslike.
And Moses having a pop at the Ref...

I know these are emotional moments in emotional games, but some of those penalties were stupidity rather than in the flow of play.

Where am I on this team?

I think the team has some really solid, really good building blocks. Especially on D. While they are contributing straight away and have our Defense turned around a lot from last year, I still think we're a year away from these young players being able to deliver consistently week in and week out. Case in point Matt Ioannidis. Took him a couple of years, but he finally looks like he's a consistent force. I look at him and wonder just how good Allen and Payne can be a year from now, or two. Our young DB's too. With Swearinger and ClintonDix (if we can resign him) we're set at safety for a change.

On Offense our big ? is if the O line can stay healthy and stay together. I'm starting to feel like we keep Trent and Scherff but need some fresh young blood there.
Guice is back next year, and I wou'dn't put it past us to keep Peterson as insurance. I think Kelley and Perine have had their day here. Bibbs is looking pretty good doing CT type things lately.

Reed and Davis are good at TE, depending how long Davis stays playing for.

Our weak spots to my eye are in the WR corps. Mo Harris looks good lately, Doctson showed something this week with some spectacular catches and a SUCCESSFUL FADE!... but beyond that.... We need a Stud receiver. Other teams seem to have them, some teams more than one, but we've got no one that scares Defenses at all.

We need to be looking for our next QB too. I'm confident Alex will be good enough for us... but he's a stop gap solution.

I think if we can avoid too much injury turmoil over the rest of the season and if our D can learn to be a little more consistent and if our Offense can start turning in at least average performances.... then we can still win the East this year and make the playoffs. Then I'd like an off season where we address our offense in the draft and then I'd like to see what we're capable of next year with Guice back and all our young talent a year further along.

I'm keeping the faith

(As hard as that is admittedly!)