Official Game Thread - Week 4 - Commanders @ Falcons

[Dah-Dee]

Hard to believe that Wagner and Luvu were the only LBs that got snaps on defense yesterday.

No adjustments by defensive coaches to address the big coverage gaps in the middle of the field and on the wings. Wagner and Luvu are too slow to play the 4-2-5. No Magee, no Madrano, no Kaho, all of whom are faster and more athletic than Luvu and especially Wagner.

Why in the hell are we not at least trying to use those guys to give Wagner and Luvu more freedom to to do what they do best, stuffing the box and adding pressure on the QB? Wagner at Mike, Luvu at Sam, one of the younger guys at Will. Maybe we even need to make cover 3 the base defense and use 2 of the younger LBs on the wings with Wagner and Luvu, with Amos and Sainristil at CB and whichever freaking S we can find who actually knows how to play the position.

Point is, what they're doing now is not working, and yesterday was a perfect example of Whitt's seeming inability to make in-game adjustments when that's the case.

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[skinsinparadise]

 

[Ghost of Sarge]

Well, it's early yet, but at least the way they're playing the first quarter of the season it'll end all the ridiculous talk of going to the Super Bowl.

 

[skinzplay]

And as Keim said in his latest podcast, the real problem isn't eye discipline. So Whitt can spare us that bit this week.

 

[Riggo44]

This is ironic, since Grant gets gassed walking up stairs...or even standing up out of his chair.

 

[Dlts20]

DQ talking about needing more stunts and needing to get more pressure on Pennix on his longer developing plays is kinda annoying because you could clearly see that during the game but we made zero adjustments. Whitt is getting a big head about our D line due to the giants and raiders game. This line has no elite pass rushers so they will not get pressure with a 4 man rush against any solid o-line. If they do then great but if not then we need to dial up some blitzes instead of staying with a 4 man rush all game and getting shredded, especially when you couldn't stop the run either

 

[prodigy]

Because Amos didn't leverage health despite age as a bargaining chip negotiating a contract with the expectation of a Top 5 at the position payout. I still love Terry but the opinion has changed a bit and it's actually got nothing to do with the injury and everything to do with the fact that the lack of injuries and explosive plays were his forte. In a single play we saw him get run down from behind and soft tissue damaged that may effect his ability to play. It's a massive knock on his platform that he was different (and I will freely admit that I give him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to preparation).

I'm actually not saying "Told you so" because as i've always believed, we're better with him and I don't want him hurt.... but he didnt do himself any favors.

sure. I only brought up the Amos comparison, albeit not a great one, to contrast the difference between when it comes to injuries between hold outs and non-holdouts. injuries are random sometimes, even soft tissue injuries. if Terry was the type that was a "payday player", i could better understand the criticisms that make the injury out to be terry's fault. I do not subscribe to this. I believe Terry was fully physically ready and prepping. the same thing I said post-signing applies. if there were any slow starts due to being out of sync with Jayden and the rest of the offense, I put that blame solely on Terry (which was the case imo). but this injury? no. bro had his legged yanked on while running close to top speed and lunging for the goal line. this is not a conditioning related injury.

 

[NoCalSkins]

The defense doesn't have an A+ player within any of the units. Bobby Wagner in his prime was, but he just isn't that caliber anymore. You need 2-3 A+ players to anchor the squads because they also make B level players over-produce.

I think Amos is showing a lot of promise, but on an island it is going to be hard for him to really shine.

 

[skinsfan4128]

Couple of thoughts after re-watching game.

-I don't understand how there's no adjustment to having Wagner come out in obvious passing situations. Or, at the very least, adjust the scheme to allow for a backer to come in to cover RB/TE. It's as plain as day they wanted to attack Wagner with Robinson and did with precision. Wagner is one hell of a future hall of famer that can still stuff the run and blitz the QB. But he simply does not have the speed to cover anymore. If we as fans can see it, how in the blue hell does Whitt not?

-Lattimore has been absolutely abysmal since week 1. And that's being nice. I don't know if the repeated injuries have slowed him down/made him more tentative, but it's painfully obvious he is not the same player. Not to mention he's a walking penalty flag (he's particularly grabby that's going to get called every time). Amos is doing a really good job on the other side for a rookie. I think DQ should consider sitting Lattimore, replacing him with Sainristil (who played well on the outside last year), and putting Iggy at slot. Let's see what happens with that combo. And have to get safety figured out, but im willing to wait and see what Savage can do when he gets up to speed with the playback.

-JD5 is likely back this week. Hopefully we can get TM (though i kind of doubt it), Brown, and Bates back. Cosmi should be coming back soon as well, but I doubt in time for Chargers game. Although, we are probably looking at a couple of more weeks before the offense gets clicking the way it did last season.

-Preston Smith better be ready to go this week with injury to JJB. And with free roster spot, what player/position do they bring in?

-I'm not by any stretch sold on Gay, but got to tip my hat to him for a great day at the office. But can he keep this up or is this just a mirage? Nonetheless, he deserves a reprieve from the fans at least this week.

HTTR!

 

[method man]

Couple of thoughts after re-watching game.

-I don't understand how there's no adjustment to having Wagner come out in obvious passing situations. Or, at the very least, adjust the scheme to allow for a backer to come in to cover RB/TE. It's as plain as day they wanted to attack Wagner with Robinson and did with precision. Wagner is one hell of a future hall of famer that can still stuff the run and blitz the QB. But he simply does not have the speed to cover anymore. If we as fans can see it, how in the blue hell does Whitt not?

-Lattimore has been absolutely abysmal since week 1. And that's being nice. I don't know if the repeated injuries have slowed him down/made him more tentative, but it's painfully obvious he is not the same player. Not to mention he's a walking penalty flag (he's particularly grabby that's going to get called every time). Amos is doing a really good job on the other side for a rookie. I think DQ should consider sitting Lattimore, replacing him with Sainristil (who played well on the outside last year), and putting Iggy at slot. Let's see what happens with that combo. And have to get safety figured out, but im willing to wait and see what Savage can do when he gets up to speed with the playback.

-JD5 is likely back this week. Hopefully we can get TM (though i kind of doubt it), Brown, and Bates back. Cosmi should be coming back soon as well, but I doubt in time for Chargers game. Although, we are probably looking at a couple of more weeks before the offense gets clicking the way it did last season.

-Preston Smith better be ready to go this week with injury to JJB. And with free roster spot, what player/position do they bring in?

-I'm not by any stretch sold on Gay, but got to tip my hat to him for a great day at the office. But can he keep this up or is this just a mirage? Nonetheless, he deserves a reprieve from the fans at least this week.

HTTR!

- On Wagner, my guess is because they value having his brain on the field at all times. He looked bad on the Bijan catch and run but PFF gave him a 60+ coverage grade for the game, which is average

- I agree with sitting Lattimore if we don't see an improvement by the Bears game. There is only so much rope they will give him. I think the penalties come from confidence issues. I would say give him some easy matchups but both the Chargers and Bears have good receiving trios. Given his recent struggles with physical receivers like Evans, Brown and London, I shudder to think what Johnston and Odunze will do to him the next couple weeks

 

[Conn]

Good news: McCaffrey, in addition to making plays at WR, is making his mark in the return game

Bad news: this means we had a lot of returns due to being scored on a ton

 

[36ST21]

Well, it's early yet, but at least the way they're playing the first quarter of the season it'll end all the ridiculous talk of going to the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl? Super Bowl??

I'm waiting for a Jim Mora-esque "Playoffs????" rant, myself...

 

[Chris 44]

Good news: McCaffrey, in addition to making plays at WR, is making his mark in the return game

Bad news: this means we had a lot of returns due to being scored on a ton

I think the emphasis by the coaches and the players on special teams is paying off. Izzo doing a great job, scheme wise they are creating some nice holes for the returners to attack.

 

[Die Hard]

A few points:

1. Did anyone see on the TV broadcast when Quinn was being interviewed starting the 2nd half? They posted his HC record when his teams are trailing in the 2nd half. Abysmal. Something like 12-33. Ill be skeptical now moving forward of adjustments.

2. Yes, Matt Gay had his best day kicking for this team. I don’t think it was a coincidence that was on turf and indoors… and then he’s kicking the ball right down the middle rather than barely in the goal posts. Seems like signed the wrong kicker for our home field.

3. The offensive line was putrid in pass blocking. Pressure or sacks on every pass play. Mariota had no time all day… unless he was scrambling. Its too hot or cold with this unit.

4. Amos is the only secondary player sticking to receivers.

5. Im sorry but Im just totally unimpressed by Kinlaw. He’s totally invisible for a man that big and what we pay. Payne and Armstrong are bringing it.

6. Penalties. How is it possible that this team gets flagged twice as much as their opponents every game? Are we the most penalized team in the league? There’d be even more since theyre committing 2 infractions on the same play so often… that one automatically gets declined. 😂

7. Lastly, this game reminded me of the Bucs game last year. It just wasnt going to be our game. Penix was standing in the pocket throwing easy passes yes, but he also threw a lot of difficult passes in the face of pressure - without flinching - and got rid of the ball at the last second… and their receivers made incredible plays on every pass. They weren’t dropping anything. Thats when you know its just not your day.

 

[Riggo44]

6. Penalties.

They seemed to be very one-sided this week. I am still pissed on that non-call on blatant DPI on the deep ball to Moore. It was a BSJ Special.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

5 key metrics from Commanders' meltdown against the Falcons

The lack of depth is starting to become apparent.

riggosrag.com

Interesting tidbit:

6.68: The Commanders wasted another strong performance on the ground, despite the team averaging 6.68 yards per carry. Chris Rodriguez Jr. broke out for a 48-yard run, and Jacory Croskey-Merritt added a 16-yard run of his own. The problem? Kliff Kingsbury waited too long to lean on the running game, with only eight carries the entire first half.

I haven't looked in too much detail at it, but thought that was interesting. There is usually a lot more analysis I'd like to do, like ypc and timing; I can say definitively, I hated the GB gameflow/playcalling, lover Raiders, and thought NYG was "ok" but wasn't enamored. This one, I thought was better than GB but bad. This is not about results, even if it reads that way with what I just wrote; it's about calling run plays situationally including being unpredictable throughout the game. End of game stats are showing closer to 50/50 run/pass, but I have seen a lot of skew in the 4th quarter, especially in Ls, that hide the reality. Rushes aren't being called evenly enough throughout games, even in Ws. That is not winning postseason football when the competiton gets tough. Yes this team squeaked by the Bucs, it beat an injured Lions team, and it got stomped by the Eagles. All in all not a horrible postseason, but I would maintain this style of play with this personnel and playcalling won't get us to the SB which should be the next goal you want/need to reach.

 

[Commander Wraith]

We had 4 first half drives.
1st drive - began with Deebo on an end around for -3. We pass next two plays (understandably) and don’t pick up a 1st.
2nd drive - runs of 3, 48, 2, 0, 1.
3rd drive - begins with intentional grounding, leading to 2nd and 20, not picking up a 1st down, and resulting in a FG (this was after McCaffrey’s long KO return). No runs (understandably).
4th drive - we start the drive with 1:22 left on the clock. 7 yd pass, then 5 yd run for a 1st, then passes of 0, 14 and 11. Incomplete on 1st down, 2 yd run, sack on 3rd and 8.

Long story short, we weren’t running the ball well aside from Rodriguez’ long run and just didn’t have many opportunities to run the ball. I was really frustrated we didn’t commit to the run vs GB, and I don’t trust Kliff to commit to it in general without DQ prodding him. This game though? I feel like he was pretty balanced, it’s just that circumstances didn’t allow for more runs early.

 

[skinsinparadise]

Croskey-Merritt averaged 6.7 a carry against Atlanta

As Sheehan mentioned on his show, they are ranked if I recall 2nd in the league in YPC but only are 17th in attempts.

 

[SkinsNumberOne]

We had 4 first half drives.
1st drive - began with Deebo on an end around for -3. We pass next two plays (understandably) and don’t pick up a 1st.
2nd drive - runs of 3, 48, 2, 0, 1.
3rd drive - begins with intentional grounding, leading to 2nd and 20, not picking up a 1st down, and resulting in a FG (this was after McCaffrey’s long KO return). No runs (understandably).
4th drive - we start the drive with 1:22 left on the clock. 7 yd pass, then 5 yd run for a 1st, then passes of 0, 14 and 11. Incomplete on 1st down, 2 yd run, sack on 3rd and 8.

Long story short, we weren’t running the ball well aside from Rodriguez’ long run and just didn’t have many opportunities to run the ball. I was really frustrated we didn’t commit to the run vs GB, and I don’t trust Kliff to commit to it in general without DQ prodding him. This game though? I feel like he was pretty balanced, it’s just that circumstances didn’t allow for more runs early.

Yes VoR made a similar point, but I think the point of the author of that article is there is no "commitment" to the run.
If you commit, the defense has to adjust. It changes quite a bit. You can run on 2nd and 20 - especially when you have shown you can break long runs. The first drive, why is that understandable? Since we got to 2nd and 13? There is a really big picture too that always alarms me. DCs look at game stats across the full season, and to me, the pattern is very established here. If you don't tend to run (I mean like 1% run) in 2nd-and-13... you are just asking for an all out pass rush. That second's hesitation to check the RB really matters.

Not saying that every drive needs a run or something like that, but this is a pretty well established pattern. Basically, there seem to be (for me and some others, including that author I suppose) too many "situations" that Kliff deems "pass required" - defenses can generally ignore the run threat (except in certain formations where there is a high likelihood) and you will be OK going straight at the QB in terms of pass-rush.

Also, keep in mind - I fully believe Daniels is hurt in part because of this well-established tendency. The pass rush has zero hesitation (I started here with "almost no" but changed to "zero" - why would they hesitate?) in way too many situations, based on the film that is all too easy to understand.