SkinsJock wrote:Some people pay way too much attention to meaningless stats - we need to look at the big picture here
I remember the Colts being ranked terribly on defense and winning a lot of games
I remember the Vikings being unbelievable at stopping the run game but hopeless at winning games
I remember defenses here recently that were ranked in the top 10 with both Williams and Blache - those defenses were good at everything on the stat sheet EXCEPT they didn't mean that we had a defense that helped the team AT ALL
we are a franchise that is paying the price for years of terrible management - the rebuilding of the team AND both the offense and defense will take time - we have a lot of old players and only a few of them are worth very much, if anything
a lot of fans here are VERY unrealistic in their expectations - what has happened here for many years is not going to magically go away - it will take time
patience people - and stop with the stupid assessments, please
Stupid assessments? We're dead last in defense. How is that a stupid assessment? There's a huge REGRESSION on defense and an offense so sporadic, I don't know what to think with probably the LEAST talented receiving corps in the league.
Until we see progression (and we should already be seeing it), this is who we are.
I agree with Vet here. There has been a regression with our defense and that is obvious. Some may say it is as a result of learning the 3-4, but I say it just doesn't matter. You are what you are. Right now, we have one of the worst defenses in the league, which literally 12 months ago (with extremely similar, if not identical) personnell was a top 5-7 defense. It is obvious that the 3-4 is not working. While I do believe that 3 games isn't enough to jump ship on the project, we need to realize this and not pull the wool under our eyes.
I just wish that we would learn from our past. How many times did we say that our OFFENSE needed to adjust to the system, learn eachother, play with eachother ---- and how many times (and years) did we get burned by that. Or when coaches implemented an offensive system that didn't showcase the talents of the personnell? We need to use what we have. It's no secret that Carter isn't adjusting to the 3-4; then adjust. The D is not working; so they need to fix it.
SkinsJock wrote:I'm seeing it differently, but everyone can see that
I get it, you have future optimism, and so do I. But in the meantime, I like to have a plan on how we're getting there, and it's hard for me to see a clear cut plan. I've always been a 'why' guy or a 'how does it work' guy. I've never just accepted things as 'they'll work themselves out.' I've always needed to know the steps in the process in order to fully get on board, and that's my problem now. I don't see the steps.
Unless someone here is in the locker room, no one else can tell you that there is a plan. Right now, in my opinion, there are SOOOOO many holes on the team, that we picked the most glaring ones (2 OT's and QB) and plugged them. The rest of the holes, we got servicable people. They may not be good, but it's all they could do without completely mortgaging the future like bringing in Willie Parker, or Larry Johnson. It will have to do. There was hope that they could do the job, and they can't. At least they are holding these players accountable and cutting those that can't perform. Next year (if there is even a next year), they will fix a couple more things (get a RB later in the draft that fits this offense, pick up a veteran WR in free agency, pick up another lineman in the 2nd round, and a QB in the first). They have a guy on the team Perry Riley that they are hopfully grooming to take that MLB spot. He fits the mold.
The reason I'm wasting my time trying to calm people down here is because if emotions start spiraling out of control, Snyder is going to feel pressured to make yet another change, and dude, let me tell ya, that would be bad!!!
Miss you 21
12/17/09 - Ding Dong the Witch is Dead...Which Old Witch? The Wicked Witch.
I know that Vet points to a top 5 ranking with our D last year but that ranking did not in my view mean we had a defense that helped our team each week - it just had a great ranking - I'd rather have the worst ranked defense in the league as long as they help the offense and give us a chance at winning some games - defenses here recently never made me feel that they could make a difference - they just had good rankings (stats)
I agree with you that the defenses under Blache struggled in generating pressure and forcing turnovers. It was more of a bend but don't break defense. They didn't give up a lot of yards but also didn't make a lot of big plays. However, those defenses didn't give up a lot of yards and keep opposing scoring at a minimum. Yes they broke late in games sometimes, but that was as much a result of the offensive ineptitude and the defense being forced to be on the field a lot.
I don't dispute that that defense needed to be changed to be more aggressive, incorporate more blitzes, etc. However, those defenses where at least good at doing some things. The defense that we have now just flat out sucks. In the last two games we've given almost 900 yards of offense and 60 points. We haven't given up back-to-back 30 point outputs in almost 10 years. The Rams, who hung 30 on us, hadn't scored that many points in their last 29 games. No matter what you judge a defense by, ours right now is awful and worse than anything we've had here in a long time.
How much of the defensive troubles, if any, can be placed on Mike Shanahan in conjunction with Haslett? I mean, Shanahan spent the past year supposedly studying game films and visiting other teams camps and he hand picked Haslett for this job and according to some reports they drafted up schemes and such during the off-season for this defense. Also, during Shanahan's tenure here in Denver he went through defensive coordinators all the time with the same bad results...especially in the last ten years. In fact, it was the defense of the Broncos that many believe led to his dismissal as head coach in Denver. This was my biggest concern when he took the job of our Skins'. I'm a fan who's always enjoyed watching defense over offense and so I've for the most part in recent years still enjoyed watching that side of the ball take the field. I just have to ask myself if in some way the common denominator is Mike S. himself and if he has any play in how Haslett calls his games. Perhaps Mike is to confident in his offense and has aske Haslett to be aggressive at all costs thinking big plays on defense turn the game and that our offense will score enough points if we can just make one big play on the defensive side. Anyways, just some of my thoughts and even though I feared this might happen to our Defense I never expected it to be this quick.
oneman56 wrote:I put a lot of blame for this game on the coaches, not all but a lot. We had 2 backs averaging almost 7 yards a carry and neither cracked 10 carries for the game, that's inexcusable in my opinion especially when we took the lead momentarily in the 2nd half against a team with a poor run D. .
Although I agree with the fact that we moved away from the run to create some balance, do me a favor and calculate the YPC without the two long runs. When it is not consistant, it's tough to call runs. What happens is that you get a lot of 3 and outs, and then one long drive that fizzles.
The coaching staff is responsible for picking the guys on the line ... and the blocking scheme ... and the bus full of RBs in camp.
Now, someone tell me why it's not the coaching staff's fault that Heyer is out there ..... among all of the resources available to the team, no one else better was available or did they just make that decision?
Was it the players that decided to run the ball once in the second half against a team that can't stop the run?
Was it my imagination, or did we watch our DC blitz the daylights out of a Veteran QB last week and get burned for 497 yards passing, only to not pressure a rookie QB this week ... play soft ... and let this kid have free WR screens on almost every first down all day long today ?
You want to know why they ran 75 plays and had 25 first downs? Because we gave the 6 or 7 yards on every 1st down play. 2nd and 3 is hard to defend all day ... especially when you're out there all day.
Sorry ... but the Redskins were out coached by a team with even less talent than the Skins have.
I am not making excuses or trying to explain anything here - my only point is that we have the coaches and the players I believe to be better - I think that things will turn around only because these guys have proven that they can be very good at what they do
I have no idea what or if they have a plan - I think that should be a given as I think these guys know what they're doing
I still do not think that given great coaching or great play by the players and coaches here we are going to be better than 8-8 or 9-7 because we just do not have the talent and depth on both lines that you need to be good - OK, we also need to be younger too
Even if we were 3-0 at this time (which we might have done) I would still be saying the same thing - only because over a whole season a lot of things happen and good teams find a way to get to the top
we just lost to the Rams but there is no way they are going to end up with a better record than us because they are not going to be there at the end - I think these guys will figure out how to make this team finish 8-8 - that is what good coaches and good players do
Until recently, Snyder & Allen have made a lot of really bad decisions - nobody with any sense believes this franchise will get better under their guidance Snyder's W/L record = 45% (80-96) - Snyder/Allen = 41% (59-84-1)
