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Random Commanders Thoughts

I'm somewhere in the middle Boone. I don't see a team that is fired up - you can tell. But I do see certain players who clearly bust their butts (garcon, reed, morris, young, kerrigan). I see a QB who is simply not having a good year, but is getting his arse beaten into the turf almost every play and gets back up and makes a full effort the next play. this team is not protecting its most valuable asset. something is clearly wrong here.

putting talent aside, what is disturbing is the little dumb stuff that keeps happening. I'm with T in having reached my limit on that after all these years. and he's right, I stop watching once I know I have hit the "seen this before" threshold. sorry diehards - after 50 years it's more a self preservation move than anything else. not bandwagon. not false support. just common sense. it's time for all of us to regroup…recharge. for me, that means taking a break, dealing with some other challenges, and getting back into it emotionally once this season is over.
 
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I keep hearing people say that it's a dysfunctional organization - and I am not sure that's really true. There are reports of tension and conflict - and there is always going to be some of that when you are 3-7. I don't know that our stepping back this year (especially given some of the unusual circumstances that have contributed to our lack of success this season) equals a dysfunctional organization. Of course, I'm not listening to the DC sports media spewing conspiracy and venom 24/7. I heard Dan Lebotard on ESPN spewing last evening - he felt that RG3's comment about the Eagles 'knowing what was coming' in the first half was some huge intentional throwing of the coaching staff under the bus. I didn't read it that way at all and it's shocking to me when people take a comment like that which could be almost innocuous and turn it into the team imploding and there being a war between coaches and players. I think our world view is pretty skewed from some of the dysfunctional stuff we've seen over the years, but I don't think the lockerroom or culture is in anything like the horrible shape a lot if folks are implying it is. Of course no one except the folks involved know for sure, but mostly I see a team that's not playing well but that still appears to be fighting and mostly supporting one another.

This is just my opinion - but there have been quite a few people (here, among other places) pointing out problems dating back to early in the offseason, we've been saying that these were things to look for, that there might be something to this, that there might be more to these sporadic quotes, that individually you can easily write them off as poor word choices or frustration or whatever but that when you combine them all, given Griffin's intellect, they start to paint a picture. We said they were things worth noting and keeping an eye on. Well, here are - at 3-7. Rumors of the coaching staff being on their way out the door, rumors of Griffin not being happy, players being put on the inactive squad when they're healthy, players speaking out about coaches (directly in the case of Keith Burns or indirectly in others)...

I sure hope you're right that it's all just media drummed up controversy. That these quotes are being taken out of context. That the picture a few of us has have been saying exists is just us being negative, or haters, or being brainwashed by dumb media people, or whatever it is you and everyone else here thinks of it.

Ultimately we'll know what the real answer is if Shanahan gets to be the coach next year or not. If he's not here then it's crystal clear what is going on - a 22 year old is calling the shots behind the scenes. Those of us that have been pointing towards tension, signs of a power struggle, and problems between the staff and our new star player will have been right.

I'm sure many people will be able to justify the move. I, however, will see an organization basing its head coach on the opinions and feelings of a 22 year old with less than 32 games experience because he's a valued marketing figure of the team, and to me that's the definition of the type of dysfunction that brought us to the point where no one wanted to be the coach of this team in 2008.
 
by the way, if anyone's gut reaction to my last post is that i'm being way over the top, reactionary, emotional, delusional, etc. you could 100% be right. you probably are.

my posts and thoughts on the team are fueled 100% by anger and frustration right now. i haven't been this angry since some really screwed up things went on with some extended family of mine; years ago. this team is at a crossroads to me - it's either back to business as usual or it's committing to being a competently run football organization. all i keep reading and hearing suggests that we're way more likely to choose back to business as usual, and that just infuriates me.
 
I'm sure many people will be able to justify the move. I, however, will see an organization basing its head coach on the opinions and feelings of a 22 year old with less than 32 games experience because he's a valued marketing figure of the team, and to me that's the definition of the type of dysfunction that brought us to the point where no one wanted to be the coach of this team in 2008.

not sure I'd go that far T. I think Shanahan was truly burned/cornered by how things ended up in the Seattle game. Robert insisted on coming back early - even though the rational side of all of us knew that was not a good idea. Shanahan, given last season's ending, wasn't empowered enough to do what we all know, perhaps retrospectively, should have been the plan. Pure speculation on my part.

Again…aside from a roster that simply isn't competitive……I think a lot of what has transpired was built into the equation the moment this whole dynamic began to play out. no matter what is going on behind the scenes…this defense is horrendous and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. more years of fan suffering or can this be done swiftly?
 
I sure hope you're right that it's all just media drummed up controversy. That these quotes are being taken out of context. That the picture a few of us has have been saying exists is just us being negative, or haters, or being brainwashed by dumb media people, or whatever it is you and everyone else here thinks of it.

Ultimately we'll know what the real answer is if Shanahan gets to be the coach next year or not. If he's not here then it's crystal clear what is going on - a 22 year old is calling the shots behind the scenes. Those of us that have been pointing towards tension and problems between the staff and our new star player will have been right.

I'm sure many people will be able to justify the move. I, however, will see an organization basing its head coach on the opinions and feelings of a 22 year old with less than 32 games experience because he's a valued marketing figure of the team, and to me that's the definition of the type of dysfunction that brought us to the point where no one wanted to be the coach of this team in 2008.

I didn't say anything close to what you are attributing to me. 'Dysfunction' is a subjective assessment, not an objective status. Hiring a head coach with no experience, pulling in coordinators out of retirement bingo games, then humiliating them when they fail - THAT'S dysfunctional. Sending 100 gallons of vanilla ice cream to your DC's home to send a message - THAT's dysfunctional. And I never said, here or anywhere else that there are no issues. Even if there weren't previously at 3-7 the pressure is so intense there are going to be cracks showing in the foundation. All I've ever stated is that I believe a lot if the turmoil is overblown by people who's job it is to find controversy and keep it going for as long as possible, particularly when owner of said team is hated and has made numerous enemies.

I agree with you that if Snyder blows it up, that'll mean exactly what you ( 'and others') think it means. I'd be disappointed to see it. But I don't think that's going to happen. And I think calmer and more rational heads than ours will make some good decisions that right the ship.
 
I didn't say anything close to what you are attributing to me. 'Dysfunction' is a subjective assessment, not an objective status. Hiring a head coach with no experience, pulling in coordinators out of retirement bingo games, then humiliating them when they fail - THAT'S dysfunctional. Sending 100 gallons of vanilla ice cream to your DC's home to send a message - THAT's dysfunctional. And I never said, here or anywhere else that there are no issues. Even if there weren't previously at 3-7 the pressure is so intense there are going to be cracks showing in the foundation. All I've ever stated is that I believe a lot if the turmoil is overblown by people who's job it is to find controversy and keep it going for as long as possible, particularly when owner of said team is hated and has made numerous enemies.

I agree with you that if Snyder blows it up, that'll mean exactly what you ( 'and others') think it means. I'd be disappointed to see it. But I don't think that's going to happen. And I think calmer and more rational heads than ours will make some good decisions that right the ship.

I'm with you Boone. I think this team is a lot closer then people realize. Losing seasons have ugly heads, and this one is at the forefront.
 
I disagree that if Shanahan is fired its a crystal-clear sign that Griffin is calling the shots. I think it would be a sign of Snyder's impatience more than anything, and the fact that Griffin is getting killed week to week.
 
I didn't say anything close to what you are attributing to me.

Well it was the general consensus during the offseason when people brought up Griffin's comments, interviews, his dad's comments, and rumors about the relationship between the staff and Giffin being strained. And you were certainly in the group of people saying we were missing the mark and buying into drummed up controversy. I can't remember who said exactly what, so I just threw it all out there, I didn't mean to attribute any or all of that specifically to you, just painting in broad strokes (yeah, i know, never smart... ;) ) In general 99% of the fanbase was criticising those of us who brought those things up. We were told we were buying into bull**** reporting used to drum up controversy. I believe someone here specifically said that those people have jobs because of people like me, that their work is geared towards people like me, the few of us that said anything took a lot of shots from the majority for speaking up about it.

I seriously hope you're right. I just have no faith in Snyder to do the smart thing. To me, the only thing that would keep him from firing Shanahan is the cost, which Shanahan admittedly did on purpose with his contract, because he knew it would take 5 years to get this thing right. It's entirely possible that Snyder has sincerely changed. This is going to be his first test, we'll see how he does.
 
but we have coaching issues. we all get pissed off at offensive, defensive, and special teams calls several times a game. whether or not it means to get rid of some I dont know. but this 800lb gorilla is not going anywhere unless we start addressing it now.

I honestly believe in my heart of hearts, that this cap penalty is a big part of the meal that's feeding this 800lb gorilla. I know there have been struggles with playcalling, and/or questionable decisions, but something is missing, and that's the only tangible thing I can point at. It's a legit disadvantage compared to our competition. Coaching or not, when you're on a different level, playing by different rules then your competition, you're going to struggle.
 
by the way, if anyone's gut reaction to my last post is that i'm being way over the top, reactionary, emotional, delusional, etc. you could 100% be right. you probably are.

my posts and thoughts on the team are fueled 100% by anger and frustration right now. i haven't been this angry since some really screwed up things went on with some extended family of mine; years ago. this team is at a crossroads to me - it's either back to business as usual or it's committing to being a competently run football organization. all i keep reading and hearing suggests that we're way more likely to choose back to business as usual, and that just infuriates me.

Just curious - how does your current anger and frustration compare to the years of Norv, Spurrier, and Zorn ?
 
I honestly believe in my heart of hearts, that this cap penalty is a big part of the meal that's feeding this 800lb gorilla. I know there have been struggles with playcalling, and/or questionable decisions, but something is missing, and that's the only tangible thing I can point at. It's a legit disadvantage compared to our competition. Coaching or not, when you're on a different level, playing by different rules then your competition, you're going to struggle.

Yeah. As Elephant has said several times, if we don't win the Division Title next year, especially considering the putrid nature of the division this year, Shanny's out of excuses with me. Even if Griff gets injured again for a period of time, Shanny drafted Cousins for a reason, so I doubt I would be interested in any excuse.

Having said all that, if the team falls apart down the stretch of this year (which I think is unlikely to happen), I think you have to strongly consider making a change.
 
You know I trust you...and believe you. I just think the coaches (especially Kyle) is a big issue here as well



Agreed, the cap penalty is the ONLY thing holding us back, but I think we have a dynamically different situation with a full cap.. it's all part of the pie, cant really look at 1 thing and say it's the ONLY problem at all.
 
not sure I'd go that far T. I think Shanahan was truly burned/cornered by how things ended up in the Seattle game. Robert insisted on coming back early - even though the rational side of all of us knew that was not a good idea. Shanahan, given last season's ending, wasn't empowered enough to do what we all know, perhaps retrospectively, should have been the plan. Pure speculation on my part.

Again…aside from a roster that simply isn't competitive……I think a lot of what has transpired was built into the equation the moment this whole dynamic began to play out. no matter what is going on behind the scenes…this defense is horrendous and needs to be rebuilt from the ground up. more years of fan suffering or can this be done swiftly?

Oh yeah, based on the reports coming out (from the people I trust, not just any report) that injury and how it was handled was the start of the tension. Griffin thought the coach wasn't taking enough responsibility, Shanahan thought Griffin was the responsible party because he lied to him (which there's video/audio of him lying.)

The rest of what is going on with the team would be considered normal/understandable. Sometimes changes don't work, sometimes you just have a bad year. Is the defense a failed experiment or does it just need some attention to personnel it hasn't gotten? That can be debated over and over, either way something has to change. Special teams is a complete disaster, and we can all blame Burns but they weren't a shining star of competence last year either with all the blocks. Again, personnel issue or coaching? Doesn't matter, something has to change.

Maybe I'm just buying into the media crap but I was one of the people to first pounce on the crap going on in the offseason, when most of the media was ignoring it or downplaying it, so I'm not really sure if I'm just buying into something other people are selling or if I'm realizing the fears I had months ago.

Either way my opinion, much like my political opinions, matter not in the grand scheme of things. Time will tell what the real situation is. In the meantime this is painful to watch for me.
 
Just curious - how does your current anger and frustration compare to the years of Norv, Spurrier, and Zorn ?

In the Norv and Spurrier years I was not nearly as attached to the team. I went to some games with my parents, but I was of an age that I just had a lot of other things going on or was just way too young. 1994 to 2003 I was 9 years old to 18 years old. :)

Zorn, my anger was what it was now. You have to remember how we got Zorn... Snyder went out and hired him to be an OC before picking a HC, and no one in the league would agree to coach this team. The 2nd most valuable franchise in the NFL (at the time) couldn't find a single person willing to be a coach for this team. We had to interview Jim Fassel. Twice. Zorn was promoted to defacto HC and essentially went from being a QB coach to HC, OC, and QB coach. A friend of mine that works for the redskins (and has for a long time) came up to me one day and said "He's just doing too much. He can't possibly succeed. He's trying to do 3 jobs all by himself." Then came the public shaming by that **** stain Snyder that Zorn didn't deserve.

The whole thing ended with those of us going to games being banned from bringing in signs because all the signs said really derogatory things about Snyder and Ceratto. Any of you guys that were members of ES at the time remember the letter drive? The coordinated effort to flood redskins park with letters about how dysfunctional the organization was? I do...

I also remember sitting in the stadium chanting "FIRE VINNY" during a prime time game with thousands of other fans towards the end of 2009.

My anger now is only slightly more than then because of the fact that I find myself back in that same place so quickly. I thought Allen and Shanahan coming in here, the drafting of Griffin, the acquisition of players, were all signs of us turning the corner as a franchise, determined never to look back. 4 years later, same damn spot.

But, I'm probably way, way over reacting. I hope so.
 
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Maybe I'm being too patient, but to speak on the "grand scheme of things" I guess I'm less aggressive about it because I have a hard time believing we're going to see an over-night fix. It's going to take time to fix the franchise..
 
The cap penalties didn't prevent Jarvis Jenkins from being an impact player at DE. They didn't consign another high pick in LeRibeus to being a 16 game spectator for the second year in a row.

The cap penalty also didn't make us trade for McNabb or sign Josh Morgan or Brandon Meriweather.

Shanahan appears competent on personnel because he is hit or miss while Cerrato was almost all miss.

But hit or miss is not a high enough standard.

Shanahan said yesterday that Josh Morgan had pro bowl ability.

Really? Based on what - speed, route running, great hands?

Other than being a good blocker he seems very average to me.
 
The cap penalties didn't prevent Jarvis Jenkins from being an impact player at DE. They didn't consign another high pick in LeRibeus to being a 16 game spectator for the second year in a row.

The cap penalty also didn't make us trade for McNabb or sign Josh Morgan or Brandon Meriweather.


Jenkins/McNabb... I agree... Morgan/Meriweather, I believe they are directly involved. Without the cap penalty, we don't get Morgan because we have Royal/Jackson, and if we could have signed a starting FS, we could have cut ties with Meriweather a long time ago.
 

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