Arizona Postgame - Eagle Pregame

[DarthMonk]

I'm gonna play devil's advocate and not blame the defense.

With 6:28 left in the 3rd quarter we led 13-10. ARZ had 3rd and 12 on our 25. We sacked Palmer and they missed a 53 yarder. To that point we had held the Cards to 10 points. Their 6 possessions went TD, Punt, Punt, Punt, FG, Missed FG. The defense was doing its job and then some.

We took over at our 43, ran Kelley for 2, then fumbled. The ball was returned to our 10.

Meanwhile, we had gone Punt, Punt, FG, FG, Fumble and our second FG came after having 1st and goal at the one.

This was a team loss and there was plenty of blame to go around. Kirk had a bad "pocket presence" day and missed a few really big chances. Gruden got fancy at the goal line again and likely cost us 4 points.

We almost have to beat Philly and Tampa could force us to win out.

[riggofan]

This was a team loss and there was plenty of blame to go around.

No question about that.

Even so, I think this is the second week in a row where the lion's share of the blame has to fall on the defense. They're ranked dead last in the league on third downs, just absolutely can't get off the field. It was painful to watch on Sunday every time the Cardinals got into third down and 10+, knowing we weren't going to stop them.

I'm not even that upset about it. We all knew defense would be the weak spot this year. It just is what it is. They're only going to go as far as they can get with the offense this season IMO. Hopefully they can get right vs. the Eagles this weekend!

[SkinsJock]

we just need a little better play from the defense and a minor miracle upgrade in offensive play calling AND coaching decisions

if we get that we can do this - 4 in a row or we don't go

[DarthMonk]

Seeing is believing:

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he wants Rob Kelley to be "more involved" moving forward.

Despite running well against a tough Cardinals defense, Kelley only saw 14 carries in what was a close game throughout. "We ideally would like to get that running game going a little bit more," Gruden said, "more touches for Robert because he’s been very good as far as running the football."

Kelley will always be at risk of falling out of the game plan because of his struggles as a pass catcher, but Washington needs to do a better job of feeding him when the game is close. He should see plenty of work this week against the Eagles.

Dec 6 - 10:03 AM
Source: CSN Mid-Atlantic

[riggofan]

Seeing is believing:

Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he wants Rob Kelley to be "more involved" moving forward.

Despite running well against a tough Cardinals defense, Kelley only saw 14 carries in what was a close game throughout. "We ideally would like to get that running game going a little bit more," Gruden said, "more touches for Robert because he’s been very good as far as running the football."

Kelley will always be at risk of falling out of the game plan because of his struggles as a pass catcher, but Washington needs to do a better job of feeding him when the game is close. He should see plenty of work this week against the Eagles.

Dec 6 - 10:03 AM
Source: CSN Mid-Atlantic

I know, man. They keep saying they want to run Kelley more. So why not... you know, run Rob Kelley more?

[DarthMonk]

Especially when we have FIRST AND GOAL AT THE FREAKIN' 1 YARD LINE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[SkinsJock]

more than few here have been asking/demanding that we RUN THE DAMN BALL ...

this week, if at first, it does not work ... keep RUNNING THE DAMN BALL until it does

we might win every game we pass for 300+ yards and gain less than 100 yards rushing

we WILL win every game that the QB passes for 300+ yards and we have 100+ yards rushing

[riggofan]

Especially when we have FIRST AND GOAL AT THE FREAKIN' 1 YARD LINE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know it. That one kills, man.

I saw a bunch of videos from practice last week of DJax beating Norman on the fade route. Hated that call against Patrick Peterson, but wasn't surprised at all.

[Burgundy&GoldForever]

We've play ONE game this season out of 12 where the opponent has scored less than 20 points.

There are eight teams in the league that don't give up 20 points a game on average.

We gave up 31 points per game the last two weeks.

Blame the defense. Blame the red zone offense. Blame the coaching staff. Blame it on the rain. Whatever.

If the offense has to score 31 points a game just to keep the team in games it's a recipe for disaster.

[SkinsJock]

admittedly, the stats show that we need to score a lot of points

what the stats do not show is how much better we could be if we had made better decisions & not tried stupid plays like the fade route

AND

what would have happened if we had run the ball A WHOLE LOT MORE and controlled the clock better

bad decisions have cost this team wins not just bad defense

this group has 4 more games to make or break this season - time to put up or shut up

[riggofan]

bad decisions have cost this team wins not just bad defense

blah blah blah. There's not a team or coach in the league that makes the "right" decisions 100% of the time. That's why its an interesting game.

There's not a game this season that we couldn't have won if players went out and made plays.

[Deadskins]

Especially when we have FIRST AND GOAL AT THE FREAKIN' 1 YARD LINE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Three fades to the photographer in the corner is what that situation calls for.

[El Mexican]

Is there a David Johnson type player with the Eagles?

As we all knew, he was a beast and still our defense could not stop him.

He looked liked the 4WD version of Larry Centers: very good runner and ball-magnet third down receiver.

So, do the Eagles have anyone like him? Because if they do, this is gonna be another long and exasperating game.

[DEHog]

Code Red!!!

[SkinsJock]

There's not a game this season that we couldn't have won if players went out and made plays.

I'm sure some here will agree with that ...

I'm OK with waiting to see how these next 4 games turn out - could be a lot of pressure on the 'decision making' HC ...

like I've said before - it's a win/win baby

[riggofan]

I'm OK with waiting to see how these next 4 games turn out - could be a lot of pressure on the 'decision making' HC ...

Seems likely.

[SkinsJock]

EXACTLY - that weasel expects a playoff - let's see how he reacts if we go 8-7-1

[Deadskins]

Is there a David Johnson type player with the Eagles?

As we all knew, he was a beast and still our defense could not stop him.

He looked liked the 4WD version of Larry Centers: very good runner and ball-magnet third down receiver.

So, do the Eagles have anyone like him? Because if they do, this is gonna be another long and exasperating game.

Sproles?

[El Mexican]

Is there a David Johnson type player with the Eagles?

As we all knew, he was a beast and still our defense could not stop him.

He looked liked the 4WD version of Larry Centers: very good runner and ball-magnet third down receiver.

So, do the Eagles have anyone like him? Because if they do, this is gonna be another long and exasperating game.

Sproles?

Ouch!

[riggofan]

EXACTLY - that weasel expects a playoff - let's see how he reacts if we go 8-7-1

haha. I will not pretend to understand the mind of that weasel.

Even at 8-7-1, I'd think he should be happy with the direction of the team compared to recent coaching regimes. Who knows though.

[SkinsJock]

Gruden has done OK - I agree, we should 'stay the course' with these guys and hopefully build around Cousins

HOWEVER - Snyder is a loose cannon and can let go at any time

[DarthMonk]

Is there a David Johnson type player with the Eagles?

As we all knew, he was a beast and still our defense could not stop him.

He looked liked the 4WD version of Larry Centers: very good runner and ball-magnet third down receiver.

So, do the Eagles have anyone like him? Because if they do, this is gonna be another long and exasperating game.

Sproles?

I thought of him but he's not the every-down back Johnson is. We are talking Johnson, Bell, Freeman. There are others.

Not that Sproles couldn't hurt us.

[Deadskins]

Is there a David Johnson type player with the Eagles?

As we all knew, he was a beast and still our defense could not stop him.

He looked liked the 4WD version of Larry Centers: very good runner and ball-magnet third down receiver.

So, do the Eagles have anyone like him? Because if they do, this is gonna be another long and exasperating game.

Sproles?

I thought of him but he's not the every-down back Johnson is.

Hence the question mark. But, he is actually playing most downs for them now. He's not the bruiser that Johnson is, though. And he's getting long in the tooth, but he's still fast and can catch passes out of the backfield.

[riggofan]

Gruden has done OK - I agree, we should 'stay the course' with these guys and hopefully build around Cousins

HOWEVER - Snyder is a loose cannon and can let go at any time

Truth. The one thing I think Gruden should get credit for is that the team has been in pretty much every single game this season. The games have all been close with the possible exception of the Pittsburgh game which got away from them late. That's an improvement on last year where they still had a few bad losses to the Jets, Patriots, and Panthers. Its a HUGE improvement on 2014 where they lost multiple games by 20 or 30 points.

If you look at some of the seasons under Shanny, Zorn, etc; you'll see way more games where the team was just completely beat down and embarrassed. I think fans are way too quick to forget how frequently bad most of the teams have been in the past twenty years. Anyone remember 45-10 to the Chiefs? At HOME?

I don't know. What Gruden has done so far looks like progress to me, and its good that we're even at a point where we're talking about a play call or a coaching decision as a reason we lost a game. I think Gruden will have a chance to show if he can take it to the next level.

If you're feeling down about this year's team, here's a nice trip down memory lane:

Chiefs pile up 321 return yards in romp of 'Skins

LANDOVER, Md. -- The Kansas City scored early and often Sunday, breaking a three-game losing streak with a 45-10 embarrassment of the Washington Redskins.

The Chiefs improved to 10-3 by dominating an opponent that offered little resistance. They scored on their first four possessions, sacked Robert Griffin III five times and Kirk Cousins once, and returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns.

The score was 17-0 after the first quarter and 38-10 at halftime. Quintin Demps immediately answered the lone Redskins touchdown with a 95-yard kickoff return, part of a stunning tally of 321 return yards by Kansas City in the first half alone.

The Redskins fell to 3-10, increasing speculation that coach Mike Shanahan will be gone at the end of the season.

Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press

[SkinsJock]

when you consider:
we are not a strong defense but we do have a very good offense

we are averaging more points on offense than we are giving up on defense

we have a TOP on offense that is greater than the time the defense spends on the field

we don't need to hope for a better performance from a defense that is not that great, we need to take better advantage of our scoring opportunities on offense - Gruden has been an improvement but he's working for an idiot owner who will not be happy if we end up with a top 5 offense and we're not in the playoffs