Random Commanders Thoughts

We are almost a month away from January 8th. The end of Snyder’s influence on this franchise.

It will be just under 25 years. A quarter of a century. He did his best to kill the team.

The next month we may see some of the worst football we have ever seen. I’m not counting anything out. Blowout losses to the Rams and Jets. Yes even the Jets. 30 point Vegas spread against San Fran. It’s all possible.


Just got to make it 4 more weeks.
Then we can exhale.
 
Solitary Man said:
We are almost a month away from January 8th. The end of Snyder’s influence on this franchise.

It will be just under 25 years. A quarter of a century. He did his best to kill the team.

The next month we may see some of the worst football we have ever seen. I’m not counting anything out. Blowout losses to the Rams and Jets. Yes even the Jets. 30 point Vegas spread against San Fran. It’s all possible.


Just got to make it 4 more weeks.
Then we can exhale.
Click to expand...
If you think about it, Snyder did kill this team. There are no Redskins anymore.
 
Yesterday's conversation got me thinking about Tua. I remember not long ago that Tua was considered a bust and the Dolphins were unsure if they wanted to re-sign him. His first couple of years under a defensive head coach had him looking "meh." It was only after McDaniels was brought aboard and they redesigned the offense (and accumulated weapons) that Tua became a star again.

Seems to me that could be the situation we're looking at. No QB really has shone in the Rivera era. Under Turner, the QB had to fit within the scheme instead of building a scheme out from what the QB did well. It's hard to tell with Bienemy where that would lead. Howell has grown, but there are clear deficiencies in talent and play calling.

So back to Tua, if we get the coach right it's not hard to imagine a jump in production. We have plenty of speed on offense (Terry, Curtis, and Jahan are all fast. So is Gibson) despite our inability to generate splash plays. Those missing big plays feels like something that's correctable with a better coach, Howell growing, and the development of a line. Remember, in Tua's first two years, he struck for 1,800 and 2,600 yards with 11 and 16 TDs respectively. Under McDaniels that grew to 3,500 and 3,600 (with four games to go) and 25 TDs. So scheme really does matter. So does protection, health, and talent.
 
Neophyte said:
So we are saying we have to go get McDaniels?

Cool. I'm in.
Click to expand...


to be fair, there are only 32 NFL HC jobs, which means every team should be pushing to find their "McDaniels" because it's such a limited number of positions, you can't tell me there aren't 32 'perfect' HC candidates in the entire world. No i'm not saying 32 teams should be looking for the next McDaniels, but they all should set the bar high enough with expectations, that they dont 'settle' either.
 
Neophyte said:
So we are saying we have to go get McDaniels?

Cool. I'm in.
Click to expand...
Yep. But what I'm really saying is that a player who was so-so and almost run out of the league due to concussions is now totally viewed in a new light. Those who want to cast judgment on Howell and view him as a finished product ought to take note of how players metamorphosize in different systems.

A different way to think of it. Jerimiah Trotter was a star with the Eagles. He came here and played like a bum. When he returned to the Eagles he became a star again.

I think more than in any other sport, scheme and coaching matters and talent can be a function of fit or adaptation.
 
Sorry, burgold. I should have been more clear.

I was aiming at your third paragraph where you described what we have on offense and likely what those guys need. To me, it read like the perfect group of skill position players for McDaniel to turn into...well...the Miami offense. :)
 
The point made about Tua was that he was a disappointment due to consecutive injuries, NOT because his performance on the field showed he was a bust.

Those are two different things. You can't control most injuries.

But when you are a team like the Jets and draft Sam Darnold #3 overall and Zack Wilson #2 overall then you know the team has a front office problem.

Zack Wilson couldn't play from the get go. He has size and a strong arm, but the game is fast for him and it doesn't appear he has the processing skills to manage the offense on the field.

Aaron Rodgers said Wilson did well in the offseason program and understood the offense very well. He expected Wilson to play better.

But in the end result the same Wilson showed up to play in 2023.
 
Starting to wonder if McLaurin isn't one of the players pissing and moaning about EB in the background. He's awfully prominent in that article. He's been billed as the consummate Redskin and glorified inside and outside of the building almost from the moment he was drafted. You have to wonder if Bienemy's clear distaste for coddling any player hasn't been especially hard for McLaurin to adjust to.
 
I really wouldn't blame him if he was upset. EB does not seem to have any rhythm to his offense or help get him any protection to allow big plays to happen.
 
I read the article when it was posted, I just happen to be on the ESPN website reading about Patrick Kane's return to the NHL and I saw it flash.

A number of points made it home in my opinion .

1. The players and coaches in Washington are outworked by their counterparts on other teams and a culture of losing has taken hold so that everyone in the building THINKS they are working hard 100% of the time when in reality (as Magic Johnson has noted) - the level of preparation and competitiveness on Sundays shows the work that is being put in isn't enough.

A 53 man team with some talent doesn't prepare and focus 100% during the week and then go out and lose 45-10 and 45-15 in consecutive games.

The players knew after the Seattle game that the thought of the playoffs was over and that the final nail was in the coffin in terms of major changes to come. Players are playing not to get hurt because a lot realize they will not be here in 2024.

2. Ron Rivera since taking over in 2020 has not been the kind of coach he was in previous stops in the NFL. The 'old' Rivera we saw in his first several years in Carolina and his stint with Andy Reid in Philly before that as DC is gone forever. In his place, we have a 60 year old coach that has mellowed out and is now in the twilight of his career. I think this stop has been about rewarding coaches and front office people that were loyal to him in Carolina and also 'doing the right thing' in terms of his relationships with the media and fellow NFL executives and coaches. He was not going to be in the building working on game plans 12-15 hours a day and didn't really expect anyone else to either.

He has only fired coaches like Turner and Del Rio when the pressure was starting to build on HIM to answer for failures on either side of the ball. Otherwise he was 'good to go' with who is on the staff and who is in the front office.

3. About Bieniemy and Howell and the support they are receiving, the comments here from Washington players about him working them too hard and not respecting their time-off are laughable considering a snippet I heard on WFAN this past week. As many of you know, I have had issues with Jay Gruden on the radio in the past and I thought his segment often lacked any real bite.

But the session this past week Gruden finally delivered home an accurate and telling assessment (I am paraphrasing here):

In watching the game Gruden said in response to a question from the hosts about Howell - 'No, it's not a case of Howell holding the ball too long because he can't read coverages or make decisions - these receivers just weren't getting open. McLaurin and Dotson lost their matchups with Jalen Ramsey and the Miami defensive backs.'

When asked about the scheme and Bieniemy's ability to use alignments to create favorable matchups, Gruden responded - 'Well, right now you can see that the offense is somewhat limited in what they can run for Sam. Those tackles are getting pushed back pretty quickly off the ball. You can't take advantage of coverages down the field when there is chaos every time the quarterback drops back to pass.'

Gruden's final comments were to the effect that 'while I know there were players on the team overall that were out there trying to do their best, at times it looked like on offense that Sam was running around and trying to stay competitive when some others were simply looking around at him.'

So, at least in the context of the Miami game, the offensive line and the wide receivers were not able to execute their assignments and that was a large contributing factor to the offense's ability to score only twice in sixty minutes.

If McLaurin or any of the other players HAS to have Tuesday as the off day instead of Monday (as Bieniemy decided) and can't focus and perform with a change in schedule then perhaps we need to move on from him/them.

Those players are definitely too soft to build with for the future.
 
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Rivera will find a way to give up 40
 
Kel Varnsen said:
Bet the over. This defense can’t stop anyone.
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I don't know. I bet the defense gets more QB pressures this week than any other game.
 
Cap could exceed $240 Mil according to Rappapport

 
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