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ESPN--Riddick: Redskins' Passing Game Is Simple

McD5

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ASHBURN, Va. -- If Louis Riddick was an advance scout, he knows what he would tell his coaches about the Washington Redskins' offense: Get them to third down.

"Take away the play-action game from them and we have them right where we want them," said Riddick, who was a scout and also the director of pro personnel with both the Washington Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. "You know you can rush against that offensive line and [Robert Griffin III's] ability as a passer in a traditional sense has not reached a level where you're that worried about it."

But he also termed their offense simple.

Here's why: "Most of their big plays come off max protect on first down, usually play-action two-man routes. You see the fake zone read, stand up and throw down the field to the deep cross or a deep post on the outside. That's where a lot of their big plays are coming from. When they get to third down, they become a more conventional passing team, not relying on play-action and not relying on pulling the ball off in the zone read. RG III is very much a half-field read, one-to-two-I'm-out-of-here type passer. He's not a dynamic full-field reading passer that is making the decisions the way you see Philip Rivers or the way you see Aaron Rodgers do. He's not that type of passer. He's just not. Compounding it is the fact that their line is not built to be a dropback pass-protect line. They need the benefit of play-action, where the defensive line must play the run first and convert to the pass rush. When a defensive line can tee off and rush the passer, they have one guy who can pass protect and that's Trent [Williams]. They're simple in the fact that you know what's coming on first down with play-action and what the route combinations will be."


NFL Riddick: Redskins' passing game is simple - ESPN
 
I think the piece isn't really far off to be honest. If we can put up big yardage with a simple offense, whats wrong with that ? We all agree for the most part the O line cant pass protect to save Roberts life, and if you come after him on third down passing, and he's getting gobbled up most of the time.
 
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I think the piece isn't really far off to be honest. If we can put up big yardage with a simple offense, whats wrong with that ? We all agree for the most the O line cant pass protect to save Roberts life, and come after him on third down passing, and he's getting gobbled up most of the time.

Not far off at all. That's a pretty respected author, and I don't think he's being negative.

It would be nice if we had a few more routes on first and second, and if we didn't have to become so traditional on third.

We can probably do more on third downs later in RG3's career.
 
I hope your next team treats you better than this one.

But you aren't a Skins fan anymore. You are Florio, Wise, and every other hateful troll out there that is just waiting to jump on us as soon as they can.

Only difference; nobody outside of this board will care about what you have to say. You wont make a penny as a troll columnist, and soon nobody here will engage with you.

Please just go already. Find a team to root for. Be well and enjoy life. But you offer us hateful and negative posts while making threads about abandoning the team.

Here:
snickers__64666_zoom.jpg
You really need one......
 
ASHBURN, Va. -- If Louis Riddick was an advance scout, he knows what he would tell his coaches about the Washington Redskins' offense: Get them to third down.


Prior to today the Redskins were 4th in the league in 3rd down efficiency.
 


Prior to today the Redskins were 4th in the league in 3rd down efficiency.

I'm not a stats guy, but I'd venture a guess more third conversions were running then passing
 
I'm not a stats guy, but I'd venture a guess more third conversions were running then passing

Griffin has thrown 96 passes on third down. 42 of them have been completed for a first down. That makes his first down percentage when throwing the ball about 43 percent.

That alone, not including any running plays, would put the Redskins at eighth in the league in third down conversion percentage.

Well, before today anyway. Today the Redskins were 8-17 (47%) on third downs. That would actually improve their overall percentage for the year (46%). Don't know the run/pass breakdown though. But I think it's probably negligible. I don't think our problem is that we have this unusual inability to convert on third down. Not this year.
 
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Also, Griffin's passer rating on third down is better than his rating on first or second. First down is by far his worst, which doesn't at all fit in with the narrative that getting Griffin to third down renders him ineffective.
 
Maybe Riddick meant keep them from third down. ;)
 
Griffin has thrown 96 passes on third down. 42 of them have been completed for a first down. That makes his first down percentage when throwing the ball about 43 percent.

That alone, not including any running plays, would put the Redskins at eighth in the league in third down conversion percentage.

Well, before today anyway. Today the Redskins were 8-17 (47%) on third downs. That would actually improve their overall percentage for the year (46%). Don't know the run/pass breakdown though. But I think it's probably negligible. I don't think our problem is that we have this unusual inability to convert on third down. Not this year.

I not going to argue that... It just seems if you want to beat us, throw the house at us when passing.
 
Miles I haven't been through the play-by-play to check 3rd down conversions but from ESPN's box score we had 23 1st downs, 10 passing, 11 rushing, and 2 from penalties.
 
Griffin has thrown 96 passes on third down. 42 of them have been completed for a first down. That makes his first down percentage when throwing the ball about 43 percent.

That alone, not including any running plays, would put the Redskins at eighth in the league in third down conversion percentage.

Well, before today anyway. Today the Redskins were 8-17 (47%) on third downs. That would actually improve their overall percentage for the year (46%). Don't know the run/pass breakdown though. But I think it's probably negligible. I don't think our problem is that we have this unusual inability to convert on third down. Not this year.

Also, Griffin's passer rating on third down is better than his rating on first or second. First down is by far his worst, which doesn't at all fit in with the narrative that getting Griffin to third down renders him ineffective.

It simply means that we are padding the stats in the fourth quarter in many games - just like we did today and the first time these two teams met earlier in the season. That's all it means. It feels very Jason Campbellish.
 
It simply means that we are padding the stats in the fourth quarter in many games - just like we did today and the first time these two teams met earlier in the season. That's all it means. It feels very Jason Campbellish.

Well then the article should be about that then.

Fact is, third down's not a bad down for Griffin this year.
 
The reason our passing game is simple is because it's week 11 and we're still running a training camp offense. Because that's what teams do when nothing is working. It's hard to expand your playbook when you can't do basic stuff right. Playbooks build on each other, like taking math in school, if you can't get past algebra you can't do calculus; one relies on the other.

This has been talked about before. Odds are most teams in the 0-3 win range going into next week have predictable offenses. They probably can't open up the playbook either. It's the problem with starting out so crappy, most teams are opening up their playbooks while you're still working on basic stuff.
 
All I know: if it's third and long and I need a speedy receiver with glue-like hands.....I'm going to Paulsen!!!
 
We may have a simple passing attack. Years ago the Packers had a simple running game under Lombardi. The Packers didn't care because they out executed the opposition. Our players (for whatever reason) are executing the plays.
 
maybe it's time to admit the obvious:

we have an improved roster compared to previous regimes since 1992. compared to other teams we play, our roster, well, *ucks. we're getting beaten by teams like the Vikes who are subsequently creamed by talented teams like the Seahawks. this takes us directly to the FO: the whole set of folks responsible for building this team. we are sold a bag of marketing lies every year on how the talent is there, how we are truly competitive, how we have improved. the reality is easily observed on the field. what is doubly *amning is how quickly other teams seem to turn things around. the truth is this franchise has been a bottom dweller for 20+ years. a proud franchise…true dat. but basically among the worst….a laughing stock….for two decades.

one has to wonder: are the right people in place to actually build a winner. the evidence, year after year, suggests NOT. but we fans ride the hope train season after season after season. what are the core problems with this organization that keep it from becoming competitive…let alone a consistent winner? what is it that - in the broad scheme of things - makes this franchise consistent losers?
 
Well, there's only been a few constants through those years.

One of them is Dan Snyder.
 
It's kind of funny that so many expect Washington to put out a top tier product after the cap penalty levied over the past two seasons. Even the boobs in the booth yesterday brought up the subject, and had a graphic up with the players Philly had accounting for 18K in cap. It was like 6 or 7 key starters. Multiply that by two, and that leaves us with jack **** to build with.

Some say that's Snyders fault. Me, I see don't it that way. There's an old saying.... you can't make chicken salad out of chicken **** and if you do, nobody is going to swallow it.

If we were winning right now, Shanny would be a god instead on the hot seat for making a team with few top tier players win. He's had chicken **** to work with, so why the great surprise when we're up and down.
 
Pete, that's a great reminder for me, personally. Thanks for posting that.

My frustration stems from the concern I have that I don't like to admit often. I am concerned that with mostly the same players, we seemed to hit some sort of rhythm last year, and weren't able to build on it. Why have we not been able to build on that success? Certainly Robert's injury and the cap penalty are huge. But by this point, the injury should not be as big a concern, should it? If those with medical backgrounds tell me otherwise, I will gladly defer to their knowledge and experience, but from where I sit, he looks physically light years better than he did at the start of the season. It looks like to me that we can't even build week to week.

From my seat, it looks like there are massive problems on all three sides of the ball. The cap penalty vanishing will certainly help, but I am not convinced it will solve all that ails us. It's discouraging. The unspoken concern is Robert's effectiveness. That last pass yesterday was as bad a pass as I have even seen. Just. Awful. Can you imagine if Romo throws a ball like that? Oy. Has the league figured out our offense?
 

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