Gameday thread - Redskins Vs. Browns

[HEROHAMO]

I feel bad for Paul he worked his tail off.

I must have missed the memo. What in the world happened to Jordan Reed? Is he hurt again?

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Hami "tightness"

[riggofan]

Consensus on Rg?

Not bad not great. I agree completely with OldSchool's comment: "Griffin didn't play long enough to have a real opportunity to demonstrate much improvement."

I just don't get that. I think Griffin needs to play. Not to show us all that he can play, but to go out there and get his confidence. Let him go out there and light up the #2s. Go 9 for 9 and TD.

[riggofan]

I'm still bothered by the Cousins situation. Nothing against Griffin, its just hard to watch Cousins go out there and demonstrate that he can run this offense so well. Very hard not to wonder what he would capable of if he was the guy they were investing in and bringing along.

I still think it was a big mistake not to make this an open competition. If next week we had Cousins starting and playing against the first team, RGIII playing next against the #2s, wouldn't it be better for everyone to evaluate those guys fairly?

I don't know...

[Deadskins]

Cousins had a great night and the offense looks much more fluid and impressive when Kirk is running it. I don't think the battle for backup spot has been won but Kirk improved his position tonight. We've seen him light it up before in preseasons games and he was sharp. The offense looks more varied and dynamic when he plays and it seems they open up the playbook more with Kirk under center. Maybe the Skins don't feel comfortable calling bootlegs when Robert is playing after his ankle injury last season and his propensity to take shots. Whatever the case the offense looked multifaceted and very effective with Cousins. He made a number of good throws. I only saw two miscues. He hade trouble with a snap and missed his receiver in the Endzone. After what appeared to a poor exchange he rush to get his throw out was wide by a yard. They picked up TD on a running play. He also took a shack in the red zone. He got bailed out with a long field goal.

Not just any running play; it was a gimmick offense, backyard, read option. Just saying.

[SkinsJock]

Cousins had a great night and the offense looks much more fluid and impressive when Kirk is running it. I don't think the battle for backup spot has been won but Kirk improved his position tonight. We've seen him light it up before in preseasons games and he was sharp. The offense looks more varied and dynamic when he plays and it seems they open up the playbook more with Kirk under center. Maybe the Skins don't feel comfortable calling bootlegs when Robert is playing after his ankle injury last season and his propensity to take shots. Whatever the case the offense looked multifaceted and very effective with Cousins. He made a number of good throws. I only saw two miscues. He hade trouble with a snap and missed his receiver in the Endzone. After what appeared to a poor exchange he rush to get his throw out was wide by a yard. They picked up TD on a running play. He also took a shack in the red zone. He got bailed out with a long field goal.

Not just any running play; it was a gimmick offense, backyard, read option. Just saying.

what he said ...

[OldSchool]

I'm still bothered by the Cousins situation. Nothing against Griffin, its just hard to watch Cousins go out there and demonstrate that he can run this offense so well. Very hard not to wonder what he would capable of if he was the guy they were investing in and bringing along.

I still think it was a big mistake not to make this an open competition. If next week we had Cousins starting and playing against the first team, RGIII playing next against the #2s, wouldn't it be better for everyone to evaluate those guys fairly?

I don't know...

That isn't going to happen. Gruden isn't going to get fired bucking Snyder this year anyway. We'll see Cousins on the field with the 1's if Griffin keeps taking hits like last night but I don't think Gruden is going to buck Snyder. Maybe with more reps next week we'll see more from Griffin.

I agree with you when you watch Cousins run things it looks so natural even easy. He understands what he is supposed to do and is able to do it on time. Reading the field and executing on time is the essence of Gruden's WCO and Cousins looks tailor made for it. I was impressed with one play where it was evident he was calling an audible and adjusting protections before the snaps like a real NFL quarterback.

I don't know if they can fix Kirk's interception problems and he could become an effective play maker down the stretch in a big games. His many performances like last night give an optimist hope that his meltdowns against the Giants, Cardinals and others were just the bad quarters a new starting quarterback needs to work through during the maturation process. Perhaps Kirk's critics are right and Cousins is already at his ceiling but for me it is much easier to envision Cousins fixing his problems than it is to imagine Griffin mastering the list of things he was not yet learned.

Maybe neither of them will become a quality starter in the NFL. Barring Griffin getting hurt this year we will never know in DC if Cousins is fixable because he will leave after this season to find out with a team who will offer him an open competition for the starting job. Maybe he has it and maybe he doesn't but he believes it and I think some other teams will be will offer him an open competition to find out.

[SkinsJock]

If Snyder is influencing the QB situation here AT ALL then it really does not matter who plays QB or any position

[StorminMormon86]

I'm still bothered by the Cousins situation. Nothing against Griffin, its just hard to watch Cousins go out there and demonstrate that he can run this offense so well. Very hard not to wonder what he would capable of if he was the guy they were investing in and bringing along.

I still think it was a big mistake not to make this an open competition. If next week we had Cousins starting and playing against the first team, RGIII playing next against the #2s, wouldn't it be better for everyone to evaluate those guys fairly?

I don't know...

I agree 100%. Should be an open competition. And I would have liked to have seen Griffin play longer with the #2 team.

But I was listening to 980 this morning, and they had a theory as to why Cousins was playing with the #2's (for as long as he did)...it was because hey knew he runs the offense well, and that he'd be the best QB to play while the coaches evaluate the younger guys on offense.

It almost seemed to me like the offense was handcuffed with the play calling until the 2 stringers came in.

[riggofan]

I agree 100%. Should be an open competition. And I would have liked to have seen Griffin play longer with the #2 team.

Its just very frustrating. Given what's happened the past two years, I can't see any legit reason why there hasn't been an open competition. And if its not going to be a competition, then I would expect to see RGIII come out there playing head and shoulders above the other two. It just feels like Snyder is still calling the shots on this one, no matter what lip service we've been hearing.

In more upbeat news from the game last night, I was really psyched to read this observation from the WashPost today:

Preston Smith recorded a team-high six tackles (two for a loss), a sack and an additional hit on the quarterback.

Note that he did that in place of and without the help of Ryan Kerrigan. nice!

Btw Martrell Spaight looked pretty freaking good last night too.

[StorminMormon86]

The one positive I've taken from the QB competition for the 2nd string is at least Kirk put some distance between himself and McCoy.

[oj]

What is going on with the Special Teams? I just don't get it, we have a guy that nails 52yd field goals and barely gets it to the endzone? This is the 2nd or 3rd year, there was talk of a kickoff specialist. Something needs to be done, returners are too good to be putting the ball in their hands and them knowing they'll get it.
Alf looks bigger, he looks like he can do some serious pounding and, like Riggo, own the 4th quarter.
Shame about Garcon dropping the pass, that hurt Bob. It looked to me like Bob had a little hitch in his giddyup when he started to drop back for that pass, it might've been some turf stuff. I was scared to death everytime Cousins touched the ball, he played great and I do love how the offense works when he is in there. He has potential. McCoy didn't have much to work with, I think he is better than what we saw and he did a good job.
I didn't understand the bit about Murph being in for Kerrigan. I thought he and Kerrigan are the starters, they didn't move him over to the other side for just that game did they? That one cornerback was right there on a number of plays, he likes being around the ball, I thoink he was the one that Scott brought.
Other than Special Teams we played good.

[OldSchool]

If Snyder is influencing the QB situation here AT ALL then it really does not matter who plays QB or any position

I'm on the SM bandwagon almost as much as you and the performance of the his drafts last night was good to see. That said, I can't imagine any attentive Redskins fan really believing Gruden is playing Griffin by choice. Nor would I think SM or any other GM would consider Griffin a good fit for Gruden's WCO that demands reading the field quickly and timing. We have yet to see Griffin demonstrate any significant evidence of aptitude to execute a WCO.

Snyder hired Gruden hoping he'd be able to train Griffin up like he did Dalton but Griffin has shown thus far minimal improvement running an WCO. Maybe we will see more improvement next week but last night it looked to me like they stripped Gruden's WCO offense down to the bare elements they think Griffin is comfortable running. Contrast that with the diverse and highly effective WCO offensive Cousins is able to run in the next quarter and half and I conclude Snyder is calling the tunes and is instructing Gruden directly or indirectly to start Griffin. I don't know if Cousins or McCoy can be a quality starter either and I know you are a very loyal Griffin booster but in all honesty do you really believe it is Gruden picking Griffin to start?

[Deadskins]

I agree 100%. Should be an open competition. And I would have liked to have seen Griffin play longer with the #2 team.

Its just very frustrating. Given what's happened the past two years, I can't see any legit reason why there hasn't been an open competition.

Because at some point you have to rank them. If you split the first team reps with both, then neither gets the time he needs. The decision was made to rank RGIII #1. Does that mean it's set in stone, and there's no competition for the starter's spot? No, but you can't honestly believe that Gruden and the rest of the coaches don't have a better handle on the QB situation than some fans on a message board.

[Deadskins]

We have yet to see Griffin demonstrate any significant evidence of aptitude to execute a WCO.

Um, 2012? Yes, I know we ran a lot of read option, but Shanahan's offense was still a WCO at it's base, and there were many times RGIII ran the base offense very effectively.

[langleyparkjoe]

One thing I noticed and I won't say to much of anything else... that offensive line has made a BIG JUMP... there was even something in my eye, maybe dust, that made my eyes fill with water that same exact time RG3 threw that pass to Garcon.

[riggofan]

I agree 100%. Should be an open competition. And I would have liked to have seen Griffin play longer with the #2 team.

Its just very frustrating. Given what's happened the past two years, I can't see any legit reason why there hasn't been an open competition.

Because at some point you have to rank them. If you split the first team reps with both, then neither gets the time he needs. The decision was made to rank RGIII #1. Does that mean it's set in stone, and there's no competition for the starter's spot? No, but you can't honestly believe that Gruden and the rest of the coaches don't have a better handle on the QB situation than some fans on a message board.

Yeah I understand and agree with what you're saying about the first team reps. I don't have any issue with how that's been handled. I'm talking more about the competition to get those reps in the first place. You could continue to give RGIII first team reps this week but have Cousins start the second preseason game, couldn't you?

And no I absolutely don't believe that fans on a message board have a better handle on the QB situation than the coaches do. I have nearly always deferred to the coaches' best judgement when it comes to deciding who starts or whatever. I'm just not positive that the QB decision so far has been 100% up to the coaches.

Do you honestly believe there is competition for the starting QB job right now? (Seriously - I don't mean that as a snarky question.) I'm just worried that the plan right now is to put Griffin out there no matter what.

[riggofan]

One thing I noticed and I won't say to much of anything else... that offensive line has made a BIG JUMP...

Right on, LPJ. No sacks allowed and Morris getting 5+ yds/carry with the first team offense. Even better, when they needed to pick up a first down they weren't afraid to run to the right!!!

[redskinz4ever]

One thing I noticed and I won't say to much of anything else... that offensive line has made a BIG JUMP... there was even something in my eye, maybe dust, that made my eyes fill with water that same exact time RG3 threw that pass to Garcon.

OLINE was solid and the running game looked good rg3 .... was rg3 !! thats what we will get out of him if he plays all 16 games nothing is say wow about and cousins is ok nothing gr8 .... he just throws too many INTs

[redskinz4ever]

special teams are a worry still roberts returning punts is a bad situation

[OldSchool]

Do you honestly believe there is competition for the starting QB job right now? (Seriously - I don't mean that as a snarky question.) I'm just worried that the plan right now is to put Griffin out there no matter what.

A QB competition? If you are talking about Cousins competing with McCoy for the back up spot there is a competition going on and obviously Cousins helped himself last night. But the starting was given to Griffin without a competition the Skins have been very upfront about it. Gruden talked about conducting an open competition shortly after the season but walked that announcement back very shortly thereafter. We don't know if Snyder told Gruden directly or communicated his instructions through Allen but Snyder made it clear to Gruden he is backing Griffin despite what his coach thinks or said in a moment of independent thought and candor.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Y'all smoking.. Griffin is the best QB on the roster.. the Kirk Grossman hopefuls, and even worse McCoy cheerleaders, are more delusional then those who think RG has yet to peak.
ALL three had their chance last year. Each won one game- Colt 1.5 but the D bailed him out in dullass.

I'm optimistic still this time of year tho

[StorminMormon86]

BMitch was saying that the same offense and the same plays were called for both Griffin and Cousins. Now he did say Cousins was playing against 2nd stringers, but he still said as of right now, Cousins is the best QB to run Gruden's offense. Just look at the difference in tempo between the two last night. He hinted that Gruden was given some sort of ultimatum (from Snyder, Allen, or McCloughan) because of his quick reversal from "open competition" to naming Griffin the #1 days later.

[StorminMormon86]

Y'all smoking.. Griffin is the best QB on the roster.. the Kirk Grossman hopefuls, and even worse McCoy cheerleaders, are more delusional then those who think RG has yet to peak.
ALL three had their chance last year. Each won one game- Colt 1.5 but the D bailed him out in dullass.

I'm optimistic still this time of year tho

I have zero faith in McCoy. NONE.

If Cousins is the second coming of Rex Grossman, we are in some serious trouble. Because if Griffin is the best QB on the roster with a Rex clone and Colt McCoy...that's not saying much for Griffin, is it?

And didn't Griffin already have plenty of chances in 2012-2014? Granted, he was injured early on last year, but he still got his job back after McCoy went down. I still don't understand why those who say Griffin needs reps are quick to write off Cousins, who needs reps as well? Makes no sense. They both need reps. And they should give it to the QB who runs this offense the best. And from last year to this year (I know, only one preseason game), that QB has been Cousins.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

Ya... story bro.

Robert did his job to get points and receivers let us down. The fades weren't great passes (albeit tough ones) but one had a chance and the drops were blatant. Cousins took a sack where Rob avoided them.
I'd call it a drawl with an edge to Rob going vs ones and throwing a PERFECT deep ball