Random Commanders Thoughts

My neighbor Redskinskinfan just brought me cookies and this beauty!

20251101_173358.jpg
OP OP
 
As I was passing out candy last night, for the first time in YEARS, I saw a bunch of kids dressed up as Commanders. Several JD5's and a few Terry's.

Warmed my heart.

I was wearing a Commanders hoodie while passing out candy, and anybody sporting commanders colors got an extra piece of candy.

One Cowboy kid came up, and I threatened not to give him any. But then I did, because well, the rest of his life as a fan is going to suck and he doesn't know it yet, so why not give him candy on Halloween.
 
One thing that used to happen with Ron Rivera and Scott Turner - RR would say things like, "we need to run the ball more" and Scott would do whatever, the ball would be run like 10 times. That would happen many times in a season.

Today on the radio, they played Quinn's presser and he made a big point of talking about how 1 or 2 yard runs were needed to get LBs to cheat forward. He made the point that when the running game is not working, it is still important. This concept was actually in a LOT of articles last week about Kubiak's offense. It was also asked of Kliff - why he doesn't run much, and his answer was "we are very efficient" - basically saying he likes his ypc to be high. That's the exact opposite of what DQ is saying today, and the exact opposite of a lot of offensive philosophies that have a lot of success in the league.

It smelled a lot like the RR and Scott Turner disagreements of the past. We heard it last year as well, DQ said a lot of little hints about wanting to run more, and Kliff also had that weird presser where he admitted he "forgets to run" sometimes.
 
Another reason why you want to have an offensive HC. Especially when you have a defensive HC and the defense is equally as bad as the Bengals defense. I bet McVey and Shanahan have none of these play calling problems. And they also have good defenses.
 
SkinsFTW said:
Another reason why you want to have an offensive HC. Especially when you have a defensive HC and the defense is equally as bad as the Bengals defense. I bet McVey and Shanahan have none of these play calling problems. And they also have good defenses.
Click to expand...
HCs really don’t need to be offensive in my opinion. Macdonald is going to be a good one, I think, but it is because he knows how to hire and delegate. That’s the skill you need to succeed.

He went to Kubiak this year as OC. Being an effective verbal communicator makes a huge difference as an HC. Quinn is good; from what we fans can see, in my opinion- Macdonald is better. Less fluff and more substance.

I think DQ knows what he is doing too, don’t get me wrong, but organizational/philosophical details really matter. Macdonald has a few interviews where he talks about limiting “coach speak.”

The situations are different. Nothing is perfect. Just sharing my opinion on observables at this stage.

If DQ gets an OC that matches his philosophy it would be better for him. To me, though, there is a hiring issue there that can be fixed. He needs to interview people well.

When RR got rid of Scott, he and Mayhew talked about how their running identity would be established. Then they hired Eric Bienemy. Uhhhh. So some people are just really bad at hiring good people for their orgs. Bad quality in an HC.
 
I think one of the best things that could happen to Quinn this offseason (assuming he already fires Whitt on his own) would be if the Kliff question is removed from his equation by a great college program offer (I do not think Kliff will be a hot HC candidate in the NFL). Mike McDaniel worked for Quinn under Shanahan in ATL, and they have a good relationship. McDaniel credits Quinn with helping him get sober and teaching him to be a professional. Say what you will about McDaniel the meek HC, but he’s famously a great communicator with his players, famously fixed Tua’s broken confidence for a few years, and can call a hell of a multiple run game (and build a passing game outward from there). And Daniels is way more of a weapon than Tua, who is like an anchor on their offense. I think it could be the perfect fit, if McDaniel is fired at the end of this season.

But it requires Quinn to be okay starting over on offense. Kliff isn’t really part of any current established coaching tree in the NFL so his language is not common and that’s what Jayden & Co have been learning for two years. It worries me and makes me fear that in an attempt to maintain continuity for our young QB (usually a positive) we’ll hire a lackluster assistant from within rather than interview and hire the absolute best and brightest if we have an opening at OC.

Edit: another positive from this total hypothetical would be that AP spent years scouting players to fit the Shanahan scheme that McDaniel branches from. Just saying
 
Last edited:
I don’t think their personnel moves have been great but I think the coaches are also not fielding the best team for a given day. I can’t figure it out.

Daniels has the most hits in the NFL in the last two games, coinciding with playing two aggressive defenses yes, but also with the return of Cosmi.

Is it possible that Cosmi needed more time to shake the rust off?

Is it possible that Noah I would make the secondary look better?

Is it possible the egregious, technique based issues we see repeatedly (is it too many? I don’t have league numbers to compare) are a sign of coaching issues and Donatell needs to be looked at?

Our OL is healthy. Is it possible our OL coach needs to be looked at? What about Coleman?

I ask a lot of questions when analyzing things, I think that’s normal. You kind of rate how concerning your questions are though, and for me most of these are pretty concerning. I don’t get it. Probably the last two are my least concerning only because I can guess a bit- but I do see teams sub in guys like Coleman when things aren’t working. Coleman and Noah both played a ton of big minutes last year. Now inactive. Seems strange given the performance of their respective units.
 
Washington needs to settle the running back room and get a bell cow back so that Daniels only has to run on critical downs and when scrambling from the rush.

With his frame he is not going to survive a gameplan where he is averaging 10-12 rushes a game as he did in games last year. That's just not sustainable.

Daniels is not Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson in terms of physical size and strength. That should be obvious to any coach or GM hoping to hold onto his job long-term.

Protect the QB, even from himself, is Job #1.

We also need to re-evaluate our WR and TE rooms and come up with new solutions. We need a young TE that can contribute in the passing game down the field. We don't have that and have to stop ignoring that fact.

The wide receiver group needs to get younger and faster. Deebo should NOT be resigned at age 30. He gains yardage in the short to intermediate zone that a TE traditionally does in most offenses, so getting a TE solves the need to carry a WR that plays like a TE. Part of it with Deebo is his physical style has come at the cost of many injuries over the years and this year as well already.

We need to replace not only Deebo but Noah Brown who is basically a walking injury report. Luke McCaffrey makes the occasional big play but a second year guy that with injuries to the top starters goes out with 11 catches for 150 yards total is just not the answer.

I liked the Treylon Burks signing and hope the low risk/potential high reward outcome swings our way. As a team with little serviceable younger depth we need Adam Peters to make more of these types of moves, picking up players with physical talent and cycling them through our system to see if they can contribute here in a way they couldn't in previous stops.

We should be watching practice squads and move to acquire a young WR or RB that may be deserving of a shot in a lost season for Washington - especially guys caught on teams behind a top back or full stable of rushers.

In other words, we need to be AGGRESSIVE and CREATIVE.

The defense as others have mentioned I am not going to spend a lot of time on now as it is apparent we need a complete refresh, with a commitment to use high draft picks to acquire a pass rusher that can set the tone and infuse more speed and athleticism into this unit. The coaching is uninspired to say the least with Whitt.

The performance of the defense against Seattle was pathetic. Not only don't we have enough personnel on that side of the ball, but we have no intention of going down fighting. Instead we sit back and allow quarterbacks to pick us apart.

I remember Parcells taking over the 1-15 Jets and running the team to 10-6, one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history to that point.

One thing he did was recognize he didn't have the back seven to cover deep consistently so he pushed the button on the pass rush and continually overloaded the line to blitz and force passers to get the ball out quick or take the hit.

When asked if that was a risky strategy he laughed and remarked that 'we are trying to stay alive and in the race here'.
 
Bulldog said:
Washington needs to settle the running back room and get a bell cow back so that Daniels only has to run on critical downs and when scrambling from the rush.

With his frame he is not going to survive a gameplan where he is averaging 10-12 rushes a game as he did in games last year. That's just not sustainable.

Daniels is not Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson in terms of physical size and strength. That should be obvious to any coach or GM hoping to hold onto his job long-term.

Protect the QB, even from himself, is Job #1.

We also need to re-evaluate our WR and TE rooms and come up with new solutions. We need a young TE that can contribute in the passing game down the field. We don't have that and have to stop ignoring that fact.

The wide receiver group needs to get younger and faster. Deebo should NOT be resigned at age 30. He gains yardage in the short to intermediate zone that a TE traditionally does in most offenses, so getting a TE solves the need to carry a WR that plays like a TE. Part of it with Deebo is his physical style has come at the cost of many injuries over the years and this year as well already.

We need to replace not only Deebo but Noah Brown who is basically a walking injury report. Luke McCaffrey makes the occasional big play but a second year guy that with injuries to the top starters goes out with 11 catches for 150 yards total is just not the answer.

I liked the Treylon Burks signing and hope the low risk/potential high reward outcome swings our way. As a team with little serviceable younger depth we need Adam Peters to make more of these types of moves, picking up players with physical talent and cycling them through our system to see if they can contribute here in a way they couldn't in previous stops.

We should be watching practice squads and move to acquire a young WR or RB that may be deserving of a shot in a lost season for Washington - especially guys caught on teams behind a top back or full stable of rushers.

In other words, we need to be AGGRESSIVE and CREATIVE.

The defense as others have mentioned I am not going to spend a lot of time on now as it is apparent we need a complete refresh, with a commitment to use high draft picks to acquire a pass rusher that can set the tone and infuse more speed and athleticism into this unit. The coaching is uninspired to say the least with Whitt.

The performance of the defense against Seattle was pathetic. Not only don't we have enough personnel on that side of the ball, but we have no intention of going down fighting. Instead we sit back and allow quarterbacks to pick us apart.

I remember Parcells taking over the 1-15 Jets and running the team to 10-6, one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history to that point.

One thing he did was recognize he didn't have the back seven to cover deep consistently so he pushed the button on the pass rush and continually overloaded the line to blitz and force passers to get the ball out quick or take the hit.

When asked if that was a risky strategy he laughed and remarked that 'we are trying to stay alive and in the race here'.
Click to expand...

I agree that not cheaping out on the RB position again and grabbing a bellcow is a must. There are a lot of cost effective bellcows who are set to hit FA this offseason. On TE, the only young TEs of note who will hit FA are Pitts and Otton (I think it is a lock Likely resigns with the Ravens). I'd rather have Njoku and Andrews over those guys even though next year will be the age 30 year for each.
 
I'm pissed for an entirely different reason.
This entire disaster has been nationally televised. We're playing our (I think) 3rd "Game of the Week", not to mention the Sunday nights and Monday nights, against some of the NFL's best teams.
We're gonna be IN MADRID, that country's first intro to the NFL, and we're the team of our Nation's capital...all of our flaws will be on full display at 9:30am.
Then there's X-mas.
This entire schedule has sucked, sheesh.
The NFL gods put JD5 on a train to hell, so I can't put the whole blame on our team, it's FO, coordinators, or anyone else.

Just my pennies.
 
The alternative view is that the NFL schedule makers saw an ascending young QB, an ascending franchise that could be a pillar of the league, and gave us the chance to become the most exciting and popular team in the world this year. And we let THEM down through a combination of our FO mistakes, coaching mistakes, player mistakes, injuries, and just pure variance, squandering it.
 
In some ways I find this article a little maddening.
In it, you see Kliff talking up CRod especially after the last game.
The author also incorrectly says CRod got a bunch of yards in the second half. Not so; he was arguably the main component in the TD drive in the second QUARTER. Then Kliff took him out. Because he's Kliff.

Now Kliff is talking him up after we got crushed. Because, you know... Kliff. It shouldn't take this long to be flexible. You already have the flex to play him in the game (which is good). When you can see a "hotter hand" - I don't know the argument to go to the "cold hand" after that. This is the kind of thing that always causes problems when you don't have a clear lead, or you have a guy you really want as your lead but he struggles. My issue here is, in our situation, you can't beat around the bush. These losses HURT. It just doesn't seem like we are doing the obvious better things that are sometimes staring us in the face. Not saying we would win, but I want to feel the coaches are giving the players their best shot.

commanderswire.usatoday.com

Kliff Kingsbury makes his point clear regarding Commanders' run game struggles

Did Kliff Kingsbury hint at more opportunities for this Commanders RB?
commanderswire.usatoday.com
 
In the Seattle game Chris Rodriguez totaled 12 carries for 65 yards.

1st half- 4 for 24 6.0 ypc
2nd half- 8 for 41 5.12 ypc
 
^^^ but they have a DVD player under the TV there.

Oh and that kids right upper arm is missing.
 
On his last few podcasts, Keim was so on the money. One of the things he noted was that you have up decide whether you're going to focus on rotational players, depth players or impact players. He said you need more impact players, and when you get 'em, you play 'em. The team does have impact players that are too often limited by coaches keeping them in rotation instead of letting them do their thing (and coordinators not using them in ways that allow the team to reap the benefits of their skill sets). To me, seems he's pointing to the coaching staff, not AP
 
skinzplay said:
On his last few podcasts, Keim was so on the money. One of the things he noted was that you have up decide whether you're going to focus on rotational players, depth players or impact players. He said you need more impact players, and when you get 'em, you play 'em. The team does have impact players that are too often limited by coaches keeping them in rotation instead of letting them do their thing (and coordinators not using them in ways that allow the team to reap the benefits of their skill sets). To me, seems he's pointing to the coaching staff, not AP
Click to expand...

Which impact players currently healthy enough to be active are being used in a rotation?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 72) Show all

Help Users

You haven't joined any rooms.

    You haven't joined any rooms.
    Top