third and forever... deja vu

[burgold]

I know it's pre-season, but we have a history of allowing these. Tonight, we allowed two more third and forevers to be successful. One we were bailed out on because of a recovered fumble, but I'm extremely worried when I see a team not learn its lessons. I don't think I've ever seen a team give up 3rd and twenty something as regularly as the 'skins do. That play should almost never happen. I think the 'skins have about a fifty percent failure rate.

Now, like anyone who watched John Madden growing up I learned to hate the prevent defense, but there is something about Haslett's nature which is just so hyper agressive that he allows these plays and allows them to be made easily. I understand cornerbacks being on an island, but why not an island chain every so often... and keep them in the same hemisphere as the team's playmakers?

Other than that, I thought we played sloppily yesterday. Way too many missed tackles and guys waiting for the other guy to make the play. Too many times we had guys surrounded in the running game and the short passing game in which they escaped for a big gain. It makes me wonder if the D was too full of itself.

On the qb stuff, just because how can a thread exist without mention of our qb situation. I was actually kind of glad to see RGIII struggle and make mistakes. The first game was too easy for him. It's good that he got an ugly fumble yesterday and some moments on tape that can be criticized. Like most, I was pleased to see Cousins play well. No, there's no qb controversy, but it does appear that he can be a good player. That's important esp. when your D... which should be the backbone of the team likes giving up backbreakers.

The inability of our D to force a punt at third and 21 or to make the gimme interceptions will mean that we can never put a team away. With an o line as weak as ours that's a very dangerous thing.

Lastly, we had thirty six million reasons that we couldn't upgrade the lines or the secondary and it kind of shows. I thought the line looked better the previous week with the rooks getting earlier burn. We'll have to find some combo that works because even though we were unfairly hamstrung by a crooked league, the games still have to be played.

It was only one pre-season snapshot, but some of the images were ones we've seen before and that is something to be concerned about.

 

[Goaldeje]

The only thing that worried me about the D last night was the missed tackles. You can't blame that on the preseason. Well, the injuries too, of course. If Rak misses time in the regular season, that severely hampers our D. Opposing teams will be able to key in on Kerrigan to stop him.

Anyway Burgold, I agree it is frustrating to see teams convert the long ones, but we just don't know if Haslett was isolating DB's to see how they would respond, or using different schemes than he would regularly use or what. It's hard, but I try not to read too much into these exhibition games. Like I said, the poor tackling concerns me, but not much else right now.

Now, if the regular season starts and this happens consistently, then yeah, get me a pitchfork.

 

[burgold]

I don't disagree, but it does seem like this is a pattern and one that the Redskins' D and coaches should be too aware of. This is how they got burned over and over again. It's like practicing Einstein's definition of insanity.

 

[Henry]

I hate to be dismissive but its preseason. Who knows what we were working on or they were working on or what. Im much more concerned with Orakpo's status at this point.

It was good to see Bob get knocked around a bit. I suspect he'll get a lot of that in the regular season and he needs to learn how to run out of bounds now rather than later.

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[burgold]

Maybe, but it's also possible that Haslett's become extremely predictable and a predictable game caller is very easy to counter esp. if you don't have Darrell Green on one side and Champ on the other.

I hope you are right, but it seems like I've seen that call too many times in live situations when it matters under those same conditions. It's like Grossman's "F it! I'm going deep!" mentality. Haslett loves throwing the kitchen sink.

 

[Henry]

Burg, I think you are remembering what you want to remember. While we generally sucked as a team we weren't that bad on third down last year. 37.4 percent, 16th in the league.

Could we be better? Sure. But I don't think we'll see that in the preseason either way.

 

[burgold]

Burg, I think you are remembering what you want to remember. While we generally sucked as a team we weren't that bad on third down last year. 37.4 percent, 16th in the league.

Could we be better? Sure. But I don't think we'll see that in the preseason either way.

You may be right, Henry. I wonder if anyone breaks down the stats for the success rate of 3rd and over 20. That's where I seem to remember us failing more than is reasonable. We were actually pretty good at 3rd and six or third and eight or even third and two. However, we seemed to give up third and a mile an awful lot.

 

[Lanky Livingston]

I could be wrong, but I think football outsiders analyzes 3rd downs by distance.
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[Boone]

I agree that it's tough to tell in the pre-season. We ran a LOT of blitzes last night, particularly on 3rd down. I don't know that we gamble so much when games count but time will tell. I will say that I think our propensity for giving up the huge gain on 3rd down (if statistically, we really do give them up more frequently than most NFL squads) may be partially do to the gambling nature of our DBs. D Hall is particularly guilty of, instead of just trying to cover his guy and get the ball on downs, trying to make 'the big play' and having it bite him in the ass. The relative small size of our secondary also makes us prone to leaping grabs from the larger WRs out there.

 

[fansince62]

no pass rush from the down line = burned up secondary. Rak/Kerrigan don't collapse the pocket...the interior line does. and we haven't had consistent strength in that department for years. Cutler could have ordered carry-out last night and waited for delivery he had so much time.

 

[fansince62]

I agree that it's tough to tell in the pre-season. We ran a LOT of blitzes last night, particularly on 3rd down. I don't know that we gamble so much when games count but time will tell. I will say that I think our propensity for giving up the huge gain on 3rd down (if statistically, we really do give them up more frequently than most NFL squads) may be partially do to the gambling nature of our DBs. D Hall is particularly guilty of, instead of just trying to cover his guy and get the ball on downs, trying to make 'the big play' and having it bite him in the ass. The relative small size of our secondary also makes us prone to leaping grabs from the larger WRs out there.

wait a minute now...I thought we settled the matter at BGO about 2 years ago that big receivers were not the trend and were not a necessity!!!!

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

I would rather we blitz on third down than play some lame zone where Hall gets no help and they convert. that was the problem last year and the year before.

 

[burgold]

You must've missed the Dallas games

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

you mean the one where Hall was in some weird off man or zone and had no help over the top and we got no pressure, TWICE?

 

[Neophyte]

But we did get pressure, Ryman. Both times. And both times Romo's improvisation beat us when we failed to finish.