Keys to turning the season around.

[langleyparkjoe]

If we win the next three games, we're right back into the thick of things.

God bless you my friend

[SkinsJock]

... Can we PLEASE just beat the Titans?

+1 - this team and the franchise badly needs a good performance and a win this week ...

PLUS it's at home and the fans need to see the players and the coaches do well

look ... we all know we're not a really good team and we have many issues but we are not near as bad as some are making us out to be

[langleyparkjoe]

... Can we PLEASE just beat the Titans?

we are not near as bad as some are making us out to be

Really?

My friend, if 1-5 isn't "near as bad as some are making us out to be", then I really need to evaluate how I rank teams.

[EA7649]

So far in the schedule I think we have the best chance to rebound and win a game against the titans, other than tho Jags game, lucky to have the jags early in the season after the loss to the Texans. Plus Kirk has played exceptional after a awful game (giants) thanks to the coaching staff preparation.

It would help to keep Kirk out of these comeback situations late in the game. Down two scores with eight minutes left, that type of scenario.

Most definitely. Honestly I would like for the Redskins to be 14 points ahead, even a close game is going to be tough for him.

[riggofan]

... Can we PLEASE just beat the Titans?

we are not near as bad as some are making us out to be

Really?

My friend, if 1-5 isn't "near as bad as some are making us out to be", then I really need to evaluate how I rank teams.

hah. Yeah, I sort of had the same reaction to that one, LPJ. I'm as optimistic a fan as they come, but we've been pretty bad!

Maybe SkinsJock is talking about ESPN's power rankings which has us at like #28 and below the Rams and Titans. In that case, SJ, I'm completely with you. I think we are at least two spots better than we've been ranked!

[riggofan]

So far in the schedule I think we have the best chance to rebound and win a game against the titans, other than tho Jags game, lucky to have the jags early in the season after the loss to the Texans. Plus Kirk has played exceptional after a awful game (giants) thanks to the coaching staff preparation.

It would help to keep Kirk out of these comeback situations late in the game. Down two scores with eight minutes left, that type of scenario.

Most definitely. Honestly I would like for the Redskins to be 14 points ahead, even a close game is going to be tough for him.

You feeling it this weekend? Secondary is just such a mess. Hard to imagine that we're going to get that kind of lead even against the Titans.

[SkinsJock]

In my estimation we are better than at least 10 teams in the NFL at this time

we have not played as well as we are capable and we're better than a 1 win team and even some 3 win teams

we've played 6 games - lets see where we are after Griffin has played 4 games

[StorminMormon86]

Nobody is remembering 2012 when we were 3-6?

Outside of the Cowboys, we SHOULD (although knowing our luck...) be sitting at 3-6 (or if we can beat the Cowboys) 4-5 going into our bye week. Then we have the Bucs, who are horrible. It gets tougher after that with the 49ers and Colts, but call me a blind homer or not, those last 3 divisional games are winnable, IMO. At best we could finish 9-7 this year.

[SkinsJock]

the thing about having Griffin back at QB is that the team will benefit in all facets from having him "in the game" ...

Griffin is not going to magically make the offense better - he needs time to get better, for sure - HOWEVER his presence on the field will give everyone a huge lift

I'm looking forward to it and to seeing who wants to be a part of this team next season - there are going to be a lot of new faces

[StorminMormon86]

the thing about having Griffin back at QB is that the team will benefit in all facets from having him "in the game" ...

Griffin is not going to magically make the offense better - he needs time to get better, for sure - HOWEVER his presence on the field will give everyone a huge lift

I'm looking forward to it and to seeing who wants to be a part of this team next season - there are going to be a lot of new faces

I'm not so sure this is true. Cousins, despite looking like utter feces at times, is developing nice chemistry with DJax for the deep threat. Griffin has had little time working with him. And, because of the injury, he has had no time to practice (until today at least). Things aren't going to magically turn around when he comes back.

[cowboykillerzRGiii]

^ seemed just fine on the what was it 60 yard bomb to djax before getting hurt?
Ruled incomplete, but CLEARLY a catch.
They will be fine

[emoses14]

Griffin might be toughest player on this team. When Griffin comes back later this year, we'll all see what that toughness means on the field. Let's not forget the man continued to play on a bum knee for weeks, leading this team to wins and the playoffs. How's Kirk doing leading this team with no injury to deal with week in and week out? Have we forgotten that on the play where Robert dislocated his ankle, he did so PRIOR to completing a 20 yard strike to Jackson?

This turn around that we are talking about can only be accomplished with Griffin leading the team. I know this because I've literally seen him do it before. All I've seen Kirk Cousins do is lose games and throw pics. Sorry, you don't get credit for being "great" in an offense if you don't have the wherewithal to stop throwing the ball directly to the other team. These pics are not the result of amazing plays by DBs, they are being hit right in the numbers by Kirk. Kirk is a good QB. Better than his record indicates, I think. But the notion that he is better than Griffin (and thus the better able to lead to a turn around this year) is preposterous.

[EA7649]

You feeling it this weekend? Secondary is just such a mess. Hard to imagine that we're going to get that kind of lead even against the Titans.

They barely beat the Jags. Establish the run game, make some good passes to the great weapons, no turnovers, good field position. The Titans offense isn't a serious threat. Maybe being too optimistic, but getting that much of a lead would be ideal that doesn't mean it is likely to happen. Just can't have Kirk face a nail-biting situation, bc more often than not, he will choke. Its doable.

[welch]

Several things need to be done:

(1) Grit the teeth. This is not a playoff team and not a respectable team. No simple fixes will change that.

(2) Ignore the sports writers, like Jason Reid, who focus (obsess?) over the QB. No matter how many times someone repeats that "the NFL is now a QB-dominated league" or "you can't win without a super-star QB", Joe Gibbs told us that an NFL team depends on the OL and DL. Together, they are the engine. Evidence? The worst time in Redskin history was the 1950s. George Preston Marshall, empresario, parade creator and leader, laundry owner, was never a proper general manager or head coach. Look at the Redskin drafts: QBs (Scarbath, Guglielmi, somebody I'm forgetting), fullbacks and halfbacks (Ed Vereb, Jim Podoley, Don Bosseler), and some ends I won't look up.

(3) As we grit our teeth, the Redskins need to scout OL and DL, and draft them. No pass receivers. No Magic QB.

(4) With a good OL, nobody whacks Cousins or Griffin. I would keep Griffin off the field. Forget forcing Griffin to "prove himself". Protect him, protect Cousins, who ought to start for the rest of 2014, and build up both lines as soon as possible. Maybe this is a lost season. OK. Get on with it the same way that Joe Gibbs got through 2004: evaluate the players, decide who stays, and move on.

(5) I believe that Joe Gibbs is the best head coach ever in the NFL. Three Super Bowl wins with three different QBs, three different prime running backs, but one center: Jeff Bostic. Learn from Joe Gibbs.

[Kilmer72]

Several things need to be done:

(1) Grit the teeth. This is not a playoff team and not a respectable team. No simple fixes will change that.

(2) Ignore the sports writers, like Jason Reid, who focus (obsess?) over the QB. No matter how many times someone repeats that "the NFL is now a QB-dominated league" or "you can't win without a super-star QB", Joe Gibbs told us that an NFL team depends on the OL and DL. Together, they are the engine. Evidence? The worst time in Redskin history was the 1950s. George Preston Marshall, empresario, parade creator and leader, laundry owner, was never a proper general manager or head coach. Look at the Redskin drafts: QBs (Scarbath, Guglielmi, somebody I'm forgetting), fullbacks and halfbacks (Ed Vereb, Jim Podoley, Don Bosseler), and some ends I won't look up.

(3) As we grit our teeth, the Redskins need to scout OL and DL, and draft them. No pass receivers. No Magic QB.

(4) With a good OL, nobody whacks Cousins or Griffin. I would keep Griffin off the field. Forget forcing Griffin to "prove himself". Protect him, protect Cousins, who ought to start for the rest of 2014, and build up both lines as soon as possible. Maybe this is a lost season. OK. Get on with it the same way that Joe Gibbs got through 2004: evaluate the players, decide who stays, and move on.

(5) I believe that Joe Gibbs is the best head coach ever in the NFL. Three Super Bowl wins with three different QBs, three different prime running backs, but one center: Jeff Bostic. Learn from Joe Gibbs.

+1 Absolutely

[FanofallthatisGibbs]

There seem to be many more posts, comments and concerns about offense, though offense is not our problem. But for the record, I with the OP in that we need to keep Alfred Morris running, running and running.

So what to do about the defense? I don't have the answer, but somehow the Cowboys lose their best defensive player (on a bad defense) and they've figured out how to turn their team around. There's gotta be an answer, and to me the answer is found on this side of the ball.

This team has never really ever gotten over the loss of Sean Taylor. It haunts us to this day. I am hopeful for a transformation from crap to respect, but I cannot really hold me breath either.

[grampi]

... Can we PLEASE just beat the Titans?

we are not near as bad as some are making us out to be

Really?

My friend, if 1-5 isn't "near as bad as some are making us out to be", then I really need to evaluate how I rank teams.

Some people are just "the glass is half full" people, while others are reality deniers...any team that is 1-5 is bad in my book no matter how positive of a person you are...

[riggofan]

the thing about having Griffin back at QB is that the team will benefit in all facets from having him "in the game" ...

Remains to be seen, but I just have a gut feeling that you're right about that. Morris has definitely benefited from RGIII's presence in the past and hopefully he'll open things up again for the running game. And while I really like the way Cousins has played early in some of these games, I still think Griffin is the guy you want in the fourth quarter down two scores. Guess we'll find out.

A bunch of posters just commented about "not obsessing over the offense" which I thought was a great point. Offense is not our biggest issue right now no matter how many INTs Cousins tosses.

[SkinsJock]

the Redskins need to just stop hurting themselves - I have no doubt that Griffin's return will help

there are a lot of games left for the coaches and players to make a statement about their future here

[emoses14]

Some people are just "the glass is half full" people, while others are reality deniers...any team that is 1-5 is bad in my book no matter how positive of a person you are...

Grampi, I've disagreed with pretty much every post you've made in the last 4 weeks (perhaps longer, don't have time to research), HOWEVER, any 1-5 NFL team is bad, on that we agree.

Even you would have to admit, though, that 1-5 represents less than half the year. Things can stay the same, get worse or get better. History of this year dictates the first 2 are more likely, however, the remaining schedule, getting a QB who knows what color jersey his team is wearing (Griffin, I mean Griffin), and some guys coming back from injury (Bowen, I mean Bowen and Griffin, and not Hankerson) will certainly help. It is not out of the realm of possibility that this team finishes stronger than it has started.

Right?

[SkinsJock]

we all agree that 1-5 is BAD

OK - IMO, there are a number of teams who have won 2 or 3 games that are worse than we are ...

and - I agree with riggofan, it's not all because of the QB or the offense

the easiest thing to upgrade is to just have the defense play as well as they are capable

[riggofan]

I was just reading this really interesting blog from Chris Russell today. He breaks out some stats that made me question what I was thinking about our record so far. The two big factors seem to lack of turnovers from the defense and our terrible third down conversions. So if you buy that, I guess QB play is partly to blame.

http://www.espn980.com/includes/blog/in ... t_id=20601
"Cowboys are (5-1) & the Redskins are (1-5) ..Here's why"

So why are the Cowboys in first place and the Redskins nowhere close? Why is Dallas so much better than Washington?

The answers aren't what many think. I've heard time and time again from uninformed fans that the Cowboys were playing great on defense, with no talent and all of their injuries.

So a few weeks ago, when I heard this, I did some fact checking and found this opinion to be completely and totally false.


This week, and ahead of the Redskins first meeting with the Cowboys, I did some more fact checking and for those of you that hate Jim Haslett (for no reason) and by extension, me (also for no good reason), I present to you the truth.

I flash back to a "A Few Good Men" and Jack Nicholson's famous line, "you want the truth, you can't handle the truth." What a great movie....anyways back to football.

Comparing the two teams on defense. All rankings are for the entire NFL.

The Redskins are 10th in yards per game allowed, while the Cowboys are 15th in this area. The Redskins are 12th in yards per play allowed, and the Cowboys are 29th which is actually an upgrade from where they were two weeks ago. Last year, Dallas was 30th in yards per play. Only San Diego and Chicago were worse in the NFL.

The Redskins are 12th in rushing yards allowed per game, and 10th in rushing yards allowed per play. The Cowboys are 17th in rushing yards allowed per game and 31st (2nd worst in NFL) in rushing yards per play.

The Redskins are 13th in passing yards per game allowed and 17th in passing yards per play allowed. Dallas is 12th in passing yards per game allowed while slightly worse than the Redskins at 19th in passing yards per play allowed.

Washington is 23rd in punt return coverage average, while 29th in kickoff return average allowed while the Cowboys are better (20th punt return and 12th in kickoff return) average against.

The Redskins are tied for 7th in the red zone and are 27th in points per game allowed while the Cowboys are tied for 13th in red zone defense and tied for 8th in points given up. As always, points allowed are not solely on the defense. The Redskins allowed 14 points Sunday in Arizona, on 41 yards gained by the Cardinals offense (interception return TD & punt return to WSH-41). They allowed 28 points in the Giants game, on a combined 127 yards gained by New York because of turnovers.

These numbers just do not match at all.

Dallas has only six sacks for their defense, but have forced ten turnovers while the Redskins have pretty much the opposite numbers with 15 sacks and only four turnovers.

As you can clearly see, the Dallas defense has generated turnovers this year which has been huge. Kudos to them. Sometimes, turnovers are pure luck. Sometimes it is a skill to force them, just the same as it is a skill to avoid them.

Which leads us to the offensive numbers, because good or bad offense (along with special teams) has a lasting impact on a defense. Doesn't it? Of course, it does.

The Redskins are 7th in yards per game gained, while the Cowboys are better at 4th in the NFL. Washington is better in yards per play (4th) than Dallas at (6th).

The Cowboys offense has put on a clinic so far rushing the ball to the tune of # 1 in rushing yards per game and 5th in rushing yards per play, while the Redskins are a woeful 23rd in rushing yards per game and 20th in rushing per play stats.

The Redskins are better in the passing game in terms of yardage, at # 5 in pass yards per game and # 4 in pass yards per play. Dallas is 16th and 8th respectively. I would also say that the Cowboys have made two incredible catches in their last two weeks (Dez Bryant vs Houston in OT, Terrence Williams @ Seattle). The Redskins do not have anybody making super human efforts like those two guys have.

Redskins special teams continue to kill the offense and defense in terms of field positions. They are 30th in kickoff return average and 9th in punt return average.

Dallas is 9th in kickoff returns and 16th in punt returns.

Washington has 13 turnovers (eight interceptions, five lost fumbles) while the Cowboys have only been slightly better at 12. Tony Romo has five interceptions and seven lost fumbles. DeMarco Murray has coughed the ball up four times.

The Redskins are better in the red zone (Tied for 7th) than the Cowboys are. They're tied for 13th.

The Redskins are 31st in the NFL on 3rd Down (32.4 %) and the Cowboys are an amazing 56.3 % on the money down, which of course would be # 1. Argument over.

As you can see, anybody that thinks the Cowboys defense is the reason for their success is completely out of their mind. Offense wins in this league boys and girls and that's how the Cowboys are (5-1) and why the Redskins are (1-5).

[SkinsJock]

I was just reading this really interesting blog from Chris Russell today. He breaks out some stats that made me question what I was thinking about our record so far. The two big factors seem to lack of turnovers from the defense and our terrible third down conversions. So if you buy that, I guess QB play is partly to blame.

to be fair .. the blame falls partly on the QB for contributing to a bad 3rd down completion rate (and the INTs)

AND

partly on the D for what they have allowed opposing teams to do on 3rd downs and for not creating turnovers

[welch]

- OL makes the offense move. Joe Gibbs explained that over and over, and showed us by the way he maintained the best OL in the NFL all those years. Bostic, Jacoby, Grimm, May, Lachey, all the others. In 2004, one of his first moves was to hire Joe Bugel and Bugel worked to improve the OL. The OL lets the team run and gives Cousins time to pass.

- DL makes a difference: with a good DL, the opposing team cannot run and their QB has less time to pass.

- Do not obsess over who is the Redskin QB. A great QB cannot win games alone. Tom Brady and Russell Wilson are good QBs, but not close to Sonny. Yet, the Redskins did not make the playoffs even when Sonny could throw to Jerry Smith, Bobby Mitchell, and Charley Taylor.

It is harsh, but neither Griffin nor Cousins -- alone -- will make this a good team. No one change will fix this season. I hope that Gruden is deciding which players are keepers. I hope Allen has a skilled and large scouting department preparing for the draft and careful free agent signings. Yes, Art Monk was a first round pick, but Charles Mann and Dexter Manley arrived in about the 4th round. I don;t think Jacoby was drafted. Make good 4th round picks (and later) of OL and DL. Then, Griffin and Cousins will look better.

(Note: I am realistic. Snyder seems to be as incompetent as GP Marshall...at least in running a football team. We are stuck with Snyder. It has been about 15 years and he seems lost in a fog brewed up by the people he hires. Maybe he will "outsource" the running of the team, as Jack Kent Cooke did. We can hope, anyway.)

[riggofan]

(Note: I am realistic. Snyder seems to be as incompetent as GP Marshall...at least in running a football team. We are stuck with Snyder. It has been about 15 years and he seems lost in a fog brewed up by the people he hires.

Man that is so depressing.