2025 Washington Commanders- All Things Offense

[burgold]

I want to flip the evaluation equation a bit. I think the remainder of the season should be to assess the assistant coaches.

Can Whitt scheme up a winning scheme or call a good game? Can the DBs coach or the LBs coach teach the pups. How about the WR coach? I want to see our pups there marketing a few big strides too.

Can the OL coach maximize the talent of what should be a pretty good group?

This doesn’t mean bench everyone, but it does mean watching if the communication improves, the tackling improves, and when the pups do get their chances do they flash often enough to replace the player s and JAGs ahead of them.

 

[burgold]

And frankly, some of our best vets look like they either need some coaching help or scheme help.

 

[Conn]

Kliff needs to get comfortable randomly pulling something out of his bag. Like under center looks

 

[bird_1972]

This season is a writeoff as far as winning goes. Now’s the time to focus on player development (coaches)… through giving players more opportunities and experimenting with play-calling.

And from a GM POV, start trading players that aren’t going to be here next year. As many as possible.

For draft picks, if possible.

The "sign over the hill vets on one year contracts to take advantage of JD's rookie contract" experiment has failed. Let's do it the right way and rebuild this team with youth.

 

[Die Hard]

Kliff needs to get comfortable randomly pulling something out of his bag. Like under center looks

That’s what I was saying. Start experimenting with some game planning. Start featuring new/different players. Give them opportunities to sink or swim. We need to see what we have and what we need.

Going 10-7 and missing the playoffs doing the same thing accomplishes nothing.

 

[Die Hard]

And frankly, some of our best vets look like they either need some coaching help or scheme help.

It’s amazing how opposing OC’s can scheme receivers wide open… and our guys have to consistently win contested catches.

Except that fake WR screen to Luke last week… that was brilliant. About time Kliff used a progression call.

 

[Conn]

For draft picks, if possible.

The "sign over the hill vets on one year contracts to take advantage of JD's rookie contract" experiment has failed. Let's do it the right way and rebuild this team with youth.

This is skewed by us having so many open snaps due to roster turnover, but we have the most draft pick snaps from the 2024 + 2025 drafts across the entire league the last two seasons. Meaning since AP got here, despite his trades, he’s the GM getting the most draft pick snaps across the entire league. We are mostly being carried by our youth, we just have some high profile older guys

 

[Die Hard]

The team is 3-3 against the easiest part of its schedule… can’t stop anyone on defense… cant rush the passer… cant get turnovers… and injuries are piling up. The kicker is unreliable and the HC has lost his fearlessness.

If you need to wait until the season ends to see this team isnt a legitimate contender… thats your choice.

 

[HOF44]

The team is 3-3 against the easiest part of its schedule… can’t stop anyone on defense… cant rush the passer… cant get turnovers… and injuries are piling up. The kicker is unreliable and the HC has lost his fearlessness.

But we got a full tank of gas, half a pack of cigarettes, it’s dark... and we’re wearing sunglasses​

 

[burgold]

The team is 3-3 against the easiest part of its schedule… can’t stop anyone on defense… cant rush the passer… cant get turnovers… and injuries are piling up. The kicker is unreliable and the HC has lost his fearlessness.

If you need to wait until the season ends to see this team isnt a legitimate contender… thats your choice.

... and part of the failing was a choice.

They believed if they could get more beef up front to play the run better on defense then they could scheme up enough pass rush to get by. Now, while the run D is a little better, the pass D still stinks despite three (on paper) good corners. So, their decisionmaking is part of the problem. Doesn't help that injuries really beat us up at safety and wide receiver. Still, I wish we would start Luke or Lane over Christopher Moore. Even if Moore is marginally better now, he doesn't have any pop, drops too many passes, and should be an emergency receiver/special teamer. Luke and Lane at least have potential to groom.

 

[Conn]

Idk. Last year’s team wasn’t last year’s team at this point in the season, though we’d certainly shown more balls on 4th down up to this point so the spunk was there.

But despite everything I’m not ruling out a run. Daniels is capable of getting that hot, if he gets a guy or two back healthy. The D is what it is, but it was last year too. I’m not ready to give in to the negativity yet despite agreeing that we clearly aren’t a talented team or in our SB window yet.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not happy with the roster or the staff, I do want to see them getting the younger guys more snaps, targets, and I want them to try new things and evaluate what they have. I’m just not prepared to say that that’s the only value this season can have.

One of their failures feels like it was thinking after last year, the culture was changed and built. How they fight through the rest of this year is going to set the stage for what’s to come, so they need to keep building that culture. It’s not looking very resilient right now, most of the leaders will be retiring after this season, so what’s next? That’s a problem and they clearly haven’t “arrived” like they thought.

 

[burgold]

Watching a little bit of the Chiefs right now. Maholmes is certainly a different QB with his receivers back. Probably is a reasonable parallel to our offensive woes. It really is hard when you have one receiver, an aging/old tight end, and a running back. Would Daniels be Maholmes with Terry, Noah, and Ekeler on the field? Who knows? But he and this offense would be a lot better.

Would the defense be better with Harris? Maybe a bit, but not that much.

 

[Conn]

 

[Die Hard]

The offensive line was definitely much better at pass protection than run blocking yesterday. It might have been their best pass pro of the season. Were they perfect? No. There were a couple of plays by Conorley and Badaiz where there let their man run right by them straight to the QB. But when they were blocking… it was a clean pocket for as long as I can remember any Skins QB having.

Our QBs are holding unto the ball too damn long.

And Mariota needs to learn how to throw the ball away. He takes very bad sacks.

 

[Boone]

2nd and 3rd tier WRs who can't get separation will do that to a QB.

 

[Die Hard]

And I’m all aboard the Jayden train… so don’t misinterpret this post.

But he’s been mid this year. His running and his passing.

He’s been over-throwing receivers… he’s been thowing behind receivers… he’s been throwing really short (in the dirt). He’s not hitting receivers in stride for YAC yards. He’s making bad reads and throwing to well-covered receivers.

And it doesn’t help that when he actually throws a good pass… his receivers lead the NFL in drops.

He’s taking too long in the pocket… his processing reads has slowed up. Like he’s trying to process too much… so he’s missing good windows to pull down and run.

Even his TD run yesterday was a fumble.

This has just been a bad year for everybody… that’s why I threw in the towel early. These types of seasons happen.

Unlike other seasons though, Im not cancelling my NFL Sunday Ticket. Jayden is still worth the price of admission.

 

[Die Hard]

2nd and 3rd tier WRs who can't get separation will do that to a QB.

Luke was open at the end. Chris Moore was open. Ertz was totally open. Each on different passes throughout the game.

Even Robbie Chosen was open and caught a couple of passes.

Yes, they’re not completely open all the time… because no one is.

The QB’s are just misfiring.

 

[Boone]

Definitely Die Hard. The thing is, just like last year, it was going to take time for our offense (specifically Jayden and the WRs) to 'get in sync' due to almost no live action playing time. Then you immediately add in injuries to almost every offensive skill position players and now you have to try to build a cohesive unit with a whole other set of players.

It makes it very hard.

 

[Boone]

Luke was open at the end. Chris Moore was open. Ertz was totally open. Each on different passes throughout the game.

Even Robbie Chosen was open and caught a couple of passes.

Yes, they’re not completely open all the time… because no one is.

The QB’s are just misfiring.

I think that's an oversimplification but I get that those players aren't incompetent and that there are opportunities there. It's still not the same as having Terry and Deebo and Noah Brown and Ekeler out there - guys Jayden knows well, can anticipate their actions, and trusts. Not making a mistake and being perhaps overly cautious is a bigger factor when a QB doesn't have 'his guys' out there. That's all I'm saying.

 

[HOF44]

To me JD has been big on trust. He trusts you to be where you’re supposed to be he lets it rip on the read before the break. If he doesn’t trust that you usually don’t get the ball. My theory is due to injuries he’s forced to throw to guys he’s not developed any trust with. This leads to holding the ball till the break to verify the dudes going where he expects him to go. But this leads to more pressures and then rushed throws effecting accuracy. But I’m just a message board hack so what do I know???