Is it time to sit JD?

[Conn]

I don’t disagree with your thesis but (you knew a but was coming, right? 🙂) isn’t it equally as short-sighted to act like this coaching staff is impeachable because they didn’t do well this season?

To me, the difference between the two seasons is significantly dependent upon variables that went in the opposite direction from year 1 to year 2; injuries, schedules, and luck.

Year 3 will go a long way toward telling the true tale.

I definitely see the argument for that, but that’s why I mentioned that even in the golden times last year I had doubts about our coordinators. I didn’t see this season coming of course, because like you said, schedule/injuries/ball bouncing the other way…that stuff all undoubtedly plays a big role. So I’m not so aggressive on it that I’m hammering the guy all the time, but my issues with Kliff go back to last year. And I didn’t hate the hire, I didn’t buy into the “he gets figured out halfway through the season” stuff people were saying when we hired him. I was intrigued even though I knew what he was doing was different than most of the other top minds in the league.

I just developed concerns about his play sequencing, his aversion to using motion and play action similarly to the offensive minds I respect the most, his constant substitutions during hurry-up which allows the D to substitute and keeps us from “catching” them in bad personnel often (which to me defeats part of the purpose of going hurry-up), etc.

I had all these concerns last year but Daniels played out of his mind in clutch situations, in high leverage situations (4th down, RZ, late game)…so a lot of it was camouflaged. Situational playcalls I didn’t actually like, salvaged by insane Daniels plays, etc. And I hoped last year’s success would give Kliff time to adjust and grow and build on it now that he has an obsessive worker at QB to partner with (rather than Kyler Murray), as Kliff’s still a young guy as well, in the grand scheme of a coaching career.

But I’m still seeing the same stuff that worried me last year. So I’m left hoping Daniels is just that damn good. And I know a lot of people like Kliff, so I try not to rail on it all the time. But it goes back to our success last year, it’s not new. For me anyways

 

[Chris]

I definitely see the argument for that, but that’s why I mentioned that even in the golden times last year I had doubts about our coordinators. I didn’t see this season coming of course, because like you said, schedule/injuries/ball bouncing the other way…that stuff all undoubtedly plays a big role. So I’m not so aggressive on it that I’m hammering the guy all the time, but my issues with Kliff go back to last year. And I didn’t hate the hire, I didn’t buy into the “he gets figured out halfway through the season” stuff people were saying when we hired him. I was intrigued even though I knew what he was doing was different than most of the other top minds in the league.

I just developed concerns about his play sequencing, his aversion to using motion and play action similarly to the offensive minds I respect the most, his constant substitutions during hurry-up which allows the D to substitute and keeps us from “catching” them in bad personnel often (which to me defeats part of the purpose of going hurry-up), etc.

I had all these concerns last year but Daniels played out of his mind in clutch situations, in high leverage situations (4th down, RZ, late game)…so a lot of it was camouflaged. Situational playcalls I didn’t actually like, salvaged by insane Daniels plays, etc. And I hoped last year’s success would give Kliff time to adjust and grow and build on it now that he has an obsessive worker at QB to partner with (rather than Kyler Murray), as Kliff’s still a young guy as well, in the grand scheme of a coaching career.

But I’m still seeing the same stuff that worried me last year. So I’m left hoping Daniels is just that damn good. And I know a lot of people like Kliff, so I try not to rail on it all the time. But it goes back to our success last year, it’s not new. For me anyways

Like I said…I mainly agree with you. I’m not at all in the camp of an across the board bait-cutting unlike many here though, at least many of the vocal posters here.

I have multiple concerns, but at the same time don’t think that a blood-letting needs to be administered this offseason. I am more pragmatic, reasonable, and patient about things. If next season resembles this season I expect that I will be much more inclined to support significant change.

 

[DieselPwr44]

And he didn't miss a single game at LSU where we was facing SEC Defenses. I don't know how we get the tag of "injury-prone" from his current sample size.

Are you really comparing college to pro ball?

What's next? He never missed time in middle school ball......

 

[skinsmarydu]

Robert Griffin III in his sleep probably dreams about having the talent, the makeup, and the emotional maturity of Jayden Daniels.

Yeah, since he was training to be an Olympic hurdler when Art Briles asked "Can you throw?"...that's a correct assessment.

 

[clskinsfan]

This is the first year Daniels has missed any starts as a pro

Not true. He missed games last season as well. And he has been hurt in his past 4 starts and unable to finish a game. JD is far more talented than RG3 was. But it doesnt matter if he cant stay healthy.

 

[Riggo44]

Not true.

How many starts did he miss last year?

 

[Primus Porcus]

according to Pro Football Reference he started 17 games

 

[Riggo44]

according to Pro Football Reference he started 17 games

Huh, imagine that...

 

[Chris]

Not true. He missed games last season as well. And he has been hurt in his past 4 starts and unable to finish a game. JD is far more talented than RG3 was. But it doesnt matter if he cant stay healthy.

True. He started all 20 games last season. He left the Carolina game early due to the rib injury and the last game of the season vs Dallas at halftime due to leg soreness. He missed no games though.

 

[Conn]

Not true. He missed games last season as well. And he has been hurt in his past 4 starts and unable to finish a game. JD is far more talented than RG3 was. But it doesnt matter if he cant stay healthy.

You’re incorrect, as others have pointed out. It feels like he missed time because he didn’t finish two games, which is why I mentioned that he did miss a couple quarters directly after what you quoted, which you would’ve seen if you read my entire post before responding, instead of being so eager to correct somebody in the first sentence of a post.

 

[Bulldog]

Of the 2024 draft class Penix and McCarthy have already suffered torn ACLs and we are worried here that a dislocated elbow is indicative of bad omens of harm?

The greatest risk to Daniels is Kliffie Baby riding Daniels coattails and game planning without regard to the long term picture.

Hopefully behind the scenes part of the shutdown decision was a recognition we need to make changes in the offseason and not just on the personnel side.

 

[skinzplay]

Bulldog , right on. Our guy Keim said it was an "organizational decision". I think we know how to interpret that.

 

[Chris]

You’re incorrect, as others have pointed out. It feels like he missed time because he didn’t finish two games, which is why I mentioned that he did miss a couple quarters directly after what you quoted, which you would’ve seen if you read my entire post before responding, instead of being so eager to correct somebody in the first sentence of a post.

To be fair…it was only half of the first sentence. 😉

 

[Faithful Fan]

Yeah and he didn’t miss a game his rookie season. Let’s see how year 3 goes. Quinn was an idiot to rush him back out there vs the Vikings but nothing really surprises me from this coaching staff anymore.

Jayden had a magical rookie year, better than any Washington quarterback in decades, as you said. He slumped his sophomore year and couldn’t stay healthy. Obviously, let’s see how year 3 goes, no question about that, but I don’t share your optimism. Nothing against Jayden really, I’ve just sworn off expecting this team to be good.

DQ surely takes blame for this rotten season, but so does Jayden and every other coach and player. Last year they won as a team, this year they lost as a team, we have plenty of blame to go around.

I don’t think you can blame anybody for injuries, those are accidents, nobody wants them, they just happen. Sure you can mitigate the risk, DQ could use the bubble wrap more, Jayden could run less, but it’s an unfortunate part of the game.

 

[Commander Wraith]

I’m substantially less worried about whether Daniels is injury prone than I am about him being so often put into situations where he needs to make something happen. Obviously every qb faces those situations, but this year in particular, Daniels has faced very high expectations as a young qb with a supporting cast that wasn’t NFL caliber in many ways. An unproven DC who was (seemingly?) awful, a terrible defense, and a poor group of weapons. The early part of the year he had questionable to bad play at LG, RG and RT, combined with an OC that wouldn’t commit to the run and often used his qb as an extension of the run game. All of this with a tough schedule and after DCs had a better idea of how to contain him.

 

[mcdonaldrw]

I have to think that last year the games were won in spite of Kliff instead of because of Kliff. JD and his superman play from last year made up for some seriously questionable play calling.

 

[burgold]

I think we're being a little hard on Kliff. He's generating middle of the league offensive numbers despite playing an entire season basically with a back up QB, one wide receiver, a past his prime tight end, a good running game, and a defense that is going to tilt time of posession way against him every game. It's actually pretty impressive how much juice he rang out of an injured Deebo, Chosen, and other JAGs.

Now, I do think Kliff calls a different game with Jayden in there despite the similar skill sets. I think Kliff's imagination goes wonkier with Daniels in there and he forgets about the quick game, he forgets about the running game too often and he needs a shock collar to remind him to be more disciplined, but he's still pretty good. Likewise, he should have been on Daniels' case more about taking the profit and not trying to be Superman all the time.

 

[Commander Wraith]

I agree burgold. I think he’s very good at scheming, good at key plays - 4th down, red zone, etc - and this year he’s doing it without a ton of help (not that the personnel last year was great). But… he seems to have that ex-qb mindset working against him at times in terms of his approach to the ground game and play call balance, and an occasional lack of game feel - such as the play calling vs the Packers. Overall, I think we could do a lot worse. I just wonder if we could do better. I mean, I know there are better OCs out there, but landing one is a different story.
Really though, similar to an eval of Daniels, I think it starts with a better supporting cast. The Oline’s there now, as well as blocking TEs, but pass catchers and a bad defense are making things a lot harder. Sure wouldn’t hurt to have a good kicking game as well…

 

[BayouBrave86]

Of the 2024 draft class Penix and McCarthy have already suffered torn ACLs and we are worried here that a dislocated elbow is indicative of bad omens of harm?

The greatest risk to Daniels is Kliffie Baby riding Daniels coattails and game planning without regard to the long term picture.

Hopefully behind the scenes part of the shutdown decision was a recognition we need to make changes in the offseason and not just on the personnel side.

This. But because of the injuries too and lack of any real cohesion on the offense to start the year, Kliff probably felt a little forced to utilize Jayden’s legs as much as he could. It was just a perfect storm of bad luck and head scratching decisions this season. I really do like the potential of this offense when fully healthy. That Oline bullied Denver around which makes that Vikings game such a wtf. Onwards and upwards though. Let’s finally get some real playmakers on defense and be active in free agency!

 

[AngryChuckT]

Are you really comparing college to pro ball?

What's next? He never missed time in middle school ball......

In a Power 5 Conference like the SEC, especially the SEC West it is an incomplete but fair comparison. Players get hurt in DI ball all the time and according to the interwebs Power 5 conferences have more injuries.

"While specific, recent data ranking conferences by injury rate isn't readily available from ESPN, studies show football generally has high injury rates, with power conferences like the SEC, Big Ten, and ACC seeing many injuries, and teams like Tennessee (SEC), Rutgers (Big Ten), Oregon, and Clemson (ACC) often topping lists for total injuries or missed time, suggesting these major conferences face significant injury challenges due to play volume and physicality."

But go on with your reductio ad absurdum.