Re: Burner's Burning Questions: News, Grades, Evals, Questions, Regular Season, 2018
Greetings to everyone here in BGO land and greetings to all of our friends on social media. We hope you become a member of the family here.
The jubilation of week one turned into the scorn and disappointment of week two. The fans are suddenly not happy at all. However, our thoughts are also focused on those who were in the path of Hurricane Florence. We hope areas affected can get the help and support that is needed.
Week two is in the books and now we take a look at how the entire team fared against the Indianapolis Colts. The season opened on a high note last week, but it quickly cratered in week two. We will try to make some sense of it all as BBQ hands out grades, evaluations, and questions. Feel free to offer your own grades, evaluations, questions, and opinions.
Let's take a look at week two.
Quarterbacks:
Question: Do we miss Kirk Cousins?
Answer: Another question focusing on the former quarterback? Really? The receivers did Alex Smith no favors on Sunday, but he did look a bit lost against a solid defensive effort from the Colts.
Grade: C-
Running Backs:
Question: What happened?
Answer: They ran into a brick wall and the blocking was horrible. Chris Thompson had a six yard gain on a pass in the second half and somehow turned it into a three yard loss. A player named “Crowder†was the leading rusher.
Grade: D+
Wide Receivers:
Question: Was there anything good from this group on Sunday?
Answer: The uniforms looked nice. There were a couple of solid completions, but not much else.
Grade: D-
Tight Ends:
Question: Does anyone with this unit know how to block?
Answer: Not too much was generated from the tight ends and, yes, the blocking was suspect. Jeremy Sprinkle missed a blitz that seemed almost blatant.
Grade: F
Offensive Line:
Question: What happened to make them megastars one week and megabums the following week?
Answer: They simply did a poor job on Sunday and couldn't handle the pressure against the front four of the Colts. They better find some answers as quickly as possible.
Grade: F
Defensive Line:
Question: What grade would you give their effort against the Colts?
Answer: A failing grade is not right, but an excellent grade is out of the question. They need to get more pressure on the quarterback. Also, this unit needs to be set in their alignment instead of looking clueless when the ball is snapped.
Grade: C
Linebackers:
Question: The good, the bad, and the ugly – which one was it?
Answer: The inside linebackers were solid, but the outside linebackers had issues. Ryan Kerrigan has been absent the first two games of the season and suddenly looks like a forty-year-old retiree out there.
Grade: C+
Cornerbacks:
Question: Did this group look like it lost its way on Sunday or what?
Answer: It looked like a group of keystone cops at times. Simple routes from the tight ends and wide receivers looked easy for the Colts. The corners could not shed blocks on several running plays.
Grade: D-
Safeties:
Question: How did D.J. Swearinger and Montae Nicholson perform on Sunday?
Answer: This was the best unit on the field. Swearinger (two interceptions) was a ballhawk for the entire game and Nicholson was constantly making solid plays. Great all-around effort.
Grade: A
Special Teams:
Question: Are the coaches looking at other placekickers?
Answer: Probably not, but Dustin Hopkins needed to hit that field goal attempt at the end of the first half. It drained the team of any momentum to start the second half. Greg Stroman was not spectacular in his debut, but he made no egregious errors as well.
Grade: C+
Coaching:
Question: What can we say about the coaches for this second game of 2018?
Answer: Offense. The game plan was not executed as planned and there were no effective adjustments made at halftime. Poor play calling on a third and one – a pitch to Chris Thompson nine yards behind the line of scrimmage was ill-advised. Calling for a fade route at the ten yard line was simply wrong. Those plays are typically called inside the five yard line.
Defense. The defense did a respectable job, but was not helped with the debacle that was occurring on offense. There were several times when the defense was not set when the ball was hiked. Great effort on turnovers and keeping the Redskins in the game.
Special teams. A missed opportunity to gain momentum in the second half was quickly diminished with a Dustin Hopkins missed field goal at the end of the first half. Otherwise, this unit was steady.
Grade: C
How would you grade each position and the coaching staff? How do you feel about this team after the first loss of the 2018 season? Will the defense continue with their impressive stats? Are you concerned with the play of the wide receivers? What is going on with Ryan Kerrigan? What are you expecting on Sunday against the Packers? What kind of impact would a victory or loss against the Packers have for the Redskins? On to game three. We'll see you next week with grades, evaluations, and questions.
Hail to the Redskins!
Burner's Burning Questions: Grades, Evals, Questions, Regular Season, 2018
Week Two
Week Two
Greetings to everyone here in BGO land and greetings to all of our friends on social media. We hope you become a member of the family here.
The jubilation of week one turned into the scorn and disappointment of week two. The fans are suddenly not happy at all. However, our thoughts are also focused on those who were in the path of Hurricane Florence. We hope areas affected can get the help and support that is needed.
Week two is in the books and now we take a look at how the entire team fared against the Indianapolis Colts. The season opened on a high note last week, but it quickly cratered in week two. We will try to make some sense of it all as BBQ hands out grades, evaluations, and questions. Feel free to offer your own grades, evaluations, questions, and opinions.
Let's take a look at week two.
Quarterbacks:
Question: Do we miss Kirk Cousins?
Answer: Another question focusing on the former quarterback? Really? The receivers did Alex Smith no favors on Sunday, but he did look a bit lost against a solid defensive effort from the Colts.
Grade: C-
Running Backs:
Question: What happened?
Answer: They ran into a brick wall and the blocking was horrible. Chris Thompson had a six yard gain on a pass in the second half and somehow turned it into a three yard loss. A player named “Crowder†was the leading rusher.
Grade: D+
Wide Receivers:
Question: Was there anything good from this group on Sunday?
Answer: The uniforms looked nice. There were a couple of solid completions, but not much else.
Grade: D-
Tight Ends:
Question: Does anyone with this unit know how to block?
Answer: Not too much was generated from the tight ends and, yes, the blocking was suspect. Jeremy Sprinkle missed a blitz that seemed almost blatant.
Grade: F
Offensive Line:
Question: What happened to make them megastars one week and megabums the following week?
Answer: They simply did a poor job on Sunday and couldn't handle the pressure against the front four of the Colts. They better find some answers as quickly as possible.
Grade: F
Defensive Line:
Question: What grade would you give their effort against the Colts?
Answer: A failing grade is not right, but an excellent grade is out of the question. They need to get more pressure on the quarterback. Also, this unit needs to be set in their alignment instead of looking clueless when the ball is snapped.
Grade: C
Linebackers:
Question: The good, the bad, and the ugly – which one was it?
Answer: The inside linebackers were solid, but the outside linebackers had issues. Ryan Kerrigan has been absent the first two games of the season and suddenly looks like a forty-year-old retiree out there.
Grade: C+
Cornerbacks:
Question: Did this group look like it lost its way on Sunday or what?
Answer: It looked like a group of keystone cops at times. Simple routes from the tight ends and wide receivers looked easy for the Colts. The corners could not shed blocks on several running plays.
Grade: D-
Safeties:
Question: How did D.J. Swearinger and Montae Nicholson perform on Sunday?
Answer: This was the best unit on the field. Swearinger (two interceptions) was a ballhawk for the entire game and Nicholson was constantly making solid plays. Great all-around effort.
Grade: A
Special Teams:
Question: Are the coaches looking at other placekickers?
Answer: Probably not, but Dustin Hopkins needed to hit that field goal attempt at the end of the first half. It drained the team of any momentum to start the second half. Greg Stroman was not spectacular in his debut, but he made no egregious errors as well.
Grade: C+
Coaching:
Question: What can we say about the coaches for this second game of 2018?
Answer: Offense. The game plan was not executed as planned and there were no effective adjustments made at halftime. Poor play calling on a third and one – a pitch to Chris Thompson nine yards behind the line of scrimmage was ill-advised. Calling for a fade route at the ten yard line was simply wrong. Those plays are typically called inside the five yard line.
Defense. The defense did a respectable job, but was not helped with the debacle that was occurring on offense. There were several times when the defense was not set when the ball was hiked. Great effort on turnovers and keeping the Redskins in the game.
Special teams. A missed opportunity to gain momentum in the second half was quickly diminished with a Dustin Hopkins missed field goal at the end of the first half. Otherwise, this unit was steady.
Grade: C
How would you grade each position and the coaching staff? How do you feel about this team after the first loss of the 2018 season? Will the defense continue with their impressive stats? Are you concerned with the play of the wide receivers? What is going on with Ryan Kerrigan? What are you expecting on Sunday against the Packers? What kind of impact would a victory or loss against the Packers have for the Redskins? On to game three. We'll see you next week with grades, evaluations, and questions.
Hail to the Redskins!