He's THAT guy. He's the my-way-or-the-highway type of guy who wants things done his way only. He probably knows Kyle needs development as a play caller to help with clock management and keeping defenses on their toes, but chose not to assist this year because he's THAT guy.
You know how some people get pissed they are about to be fired and go off? He's the guy who knows he's on his way to being canned and instead of shaping up decides to sabotage his team as his final "up yours" to the organization. Nevermind the fact that two Super Bowl wins with John Elway at quarterback would be enough to at least get on a ballot to Canton at some point in life, he'd much rather take his pride over doing what he's been paid $7M to do... win. He's THAT guy.
Yes, the read option offense caught the entire league off guard last year. Yes, it's probably a good idea to do a little something different so people don't know what's coming. Would last year's playbook have worked this year? Likely so. But whatever. He kept the same west coast offensive line, then tell them to play for a pocket passer (even though everyone knows he didn't build them operate like that anyway). He's that kind of guy.
Never talked to Haslett about making second half adjustments either. Must not have been important. And told Burns to keep up the good work. After all, he's THAT kind of guy.
Oh, and then don't forget to send a thank you card to whomever told you to change your entire offensive scheme from something that worked to something that doesn't. Not sure if it was the owner, or Griffin's father. Yep, be THAT kind of guy.
And when it's all over, get on a podium at a post game presser and give completely vague, useless answers about what he thinks (or doesn't think) is wrong. Doesn't matter, he's on his way to taking his iPad and two notebooks and going home (now THAT'S record time for cleaning out an office!). The whole while, the guys are covering his butt and saying it's their fault. He's THAT kinda guy.
Then don't forget he put useful players in the doghouse. Sure it would have been absolute murder on an opposing defense for Jordan Reed and Fred Davis to line up together. There's no way a team can simultaneously contain them both. And even though the season is over, it probably is a good idea to keep giving Robert SOME reps to aid with his recovery (keeping those fast twitch muscles on the up and up). He doesn't have to start, just get reps. Not important though since he's TRYING to be canned. He's THAT guy.
So basically since he was convinced to give up draft picks he didn't want to relinquish, he feels like some people are getting preferential treatment (even though he went the nepotistic route and hired HIS SON as offensive coordinator)... he decides that it's time to go. And since he can't just "quit" and hurt the boy, it's "easier" to get fired.
By any means necessary. Stir up controversy. Leak info to Schefty and friends. Tank fifty-three guys who put their faith, trust, and future in your hands. Cut your nose off despite your face. Then front and say the locker room isn't divided knowing full well it's been divided since week one. And didn't forget to take the final step of making it all believable by telling everyone how much you love your guys and then taking ownership of what he's done in week 13 by finally telling the media that it's his own fault that the team wasn't prepared to play.
Which is true. It IS his fault. We just didn't think somone could display a complete lack of pride in their work... never could imagine someone who had been called a "stand-up guy" on a number of occasions would actually do something so selfish like this ON PURPOSE.
Yep, he's THAT kind of guy.
Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
The Blame Game
Let's do something we all like to do after things are over with in the sports world... play The Blame Game.
There are a plethora of reasons people have been using as to why the Washington Redskins have ended up the way they are this year. I'll examine some of them:
Lack of talent due to cuts in the salary cap
This is a problem. But let's be realistic about this: they had the same problem last year and came out of nowhere to win a division title. So I can't use this as an excuse. It DID mean they couldn't re-sign Lorenzo Alexander, but that's just two people (that's not a typo). It DID mean they couldn't put the franchise tag on anyone this year because money needed to be spent elsewhere. Is it the main reason they did so poorly? No. Getting the duckets back next year will help though.
The Offense
It isn't the same offense as last year. Let's face it. The scheme is DIFFERENT. Majority of the players are the same though. Have there been some execution issues? Yes. Do the players on the team carry the inate ability to accomplish what they did last year? Absolutely. But it did not happen. Not because the personnel has drastically changed... but the game plan has. I agree that people had the opportunity to study the offense last season so you have to do something different because there is a chance someone has figured out how to stop you. On the other hand, there is also the old addage of, "If it ain't broke..." Well, you know the rest.
The Defense
Though not spectacular, not the best either. This group probably had the most drastic changes in personnel from last year than anyone else. I mean, they drafted nearly an entire secondary. But we have to take into consideration that those guys are young and require development. Is it the primary reason for failure? Not likely. There have been plenty of games where the defense has kept this team in the game when the offense couldn't score (or when special teams was giving the game away in a happy meal bag with a toy). I also can't get away from the fact that every other team in the NFL has defenses that make adjustments at halftime. I have yet to see this team change anything. Teams come out in the second half most of the time and sort of have their way. And don't get me started on lack of tackling (I'll get into that later).
Special Teams (or lack thereof)
We don't know who the return man is, no one seems to know their role on blocking or tackling... it's just all around bad. Our special teams unit signed a well deserved contract with the Arizona Cardinals this year. Can all nine losses to date be blamed solely on this part of the team? Nope. There are other problems.
The offensive line (particularly the right side)
This is still a huge problem. Justin Tuck had two sacks all season long until Monday night vs the Redskins. That night, he had four. By himself. No half sacks... solo sacks. And all over the right side of the line. Maybe this can go back to the salary cap issue or even RGIII (draft picks), but to be honest, everything else has been more of a focus than fixing this line. It isn't a priority of this coaching staff. But somehow the success of their quarterback is (ironic, isn't it?) Is this the primary reason for this team's demise? No. Can it be blamed for the lack of success for the offense? It's possible.
Robert Griffin III
There are a number of reasons people point the finger at him. Here's a few:
Is Robert the primary reason for failure? Nope. Sure, a lot of people depend on him to get the job done. But he also depends on a lot of other people to be able to do his job. Whenever he is on the field, there are five guys he depends on to keep his jersey clean and block for run plays, three or four guys he depends on to catch balls when passed to, and one or two guys he depends on to execute run plays. Sure he's had a more than fair share of screw-ups this year, but it's a unit out there, not one man.
The coaching staff
Despite the fact that they are not on the field making plays, the fact of the matter is, they put together game plans and assist with on-field player development. These are the nuts and bolts of the machine. We've seen way too many plays where we're questioning someone's technique, execution, etc... and it comes back to the position coaches. We've seen too many games where we question why the game plan shifted so drastically... why the defense let up... why the offense went away from the run... this comes back to the coordinators and head coach. Are they the reason for this year's demise? Likely so.
Kyle Shanahan
Kyle has a great playbook. It's been said it's too long by some people but the plays I've seen are great ones. Problem is, I haven't seen that he consistently calls them in the right order. Some days, he's clicking on all cylinders calling effective plays left and right keeping the opposing defense on their toes play after play after play. Other days, it's like he's playing Madden and just sort of guesses or goes, "hmm, I want to try this." The latter has definintely cost them games since he's gotten here. Primary reason for failure? No, but it's up there though.
Jim Haslett
Jim still has me guessing at the moment. He always starts off the game clicking on all cylinders but then tapers off after the second drive of the game. Then it seems when they should be blitzing or playing man, they're doing the opposite and the opposing offense just does whatever they want. It seems that he hasn't come up with an appropriate scheme for the personnel on hand to be successful. It seems like the plan is constantly, "ok let's try this to see how it goes, and when all else fails, bltiz." There's never a methodical plan to shut down another team's offense and create turnovers, but more like a bonus when it happens. Primary failure reason? No, but it's also up there. Maybe right below Kyle.
Mike Shanahan
Despite all the issues listed above that people continue to reiterate over and over, it all comes back to one man: the head coach. At the end of the day, he is the head of personnel and pieces together this roster. At the end of the day, he approves the game plans. At the end of the day, he makes the roster decisions on activating 46 guys every week. This is also a man who will rather hold a grudge or cut/trade someone that can help the team win versus activating on them on Sunday. This is also the man who took the risk to go after the draft picks to pick up RGIII, but didn't make it a point to protect him. He built this offensive line to suit a fast paced west cost offense, then told them to perform like The Hogs (it didn't work). Sunday, his bell cow running back had only eleven carries (including no carries after the 10 min mark in the 3rd quarter). His first response to if there was a reason why he wasn't used: "Um, no, not particularly." (Sidebar: Is Alfred in the doghouse now, too???) Yes, this is the same two-time Super Bowl winning head coach who came here after being fired from Denver and was expected to save the franchise. When he got here, he had to gut the team and start from scratch. Then encountered the salary cap snag a couple years ago. Then there was The Great Knee Injury of 2013. Now we have The Great Plummet of 2014. Etc... Etc... Etc. There's a dozen reasons why people think this team is failing, but every one of these reasons comes back to one man who has a $35M deal over 5 years because he came in and told Dan Snyder, "...if you don't understand that this is a process and give me at least five years, then you don't want me for the job." Ultimately every decision made on this team comes back to this one man. Primary reason for failure? Yep. Undoubtedly so. Will he get another year? Likely so. Because Snyder will like to see how he recovers from all of the above issues and see if this five year plan pans out in the end.
Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe
There are a plethora of reasons people have been using as to why the Washington Redskins have ended up the way they are this year. I'll examine some of them:
Lack of talent due to cuts in the salary cap
This is a problem. But let's be realistic about this: they had the same problem last year and came out of nowhere to win a division title. So I can't use this as an excuse. It DID mean they couldn't re-sign Lorenzo Alexander, but that's just two people (that's not a typo). It DID mean they couldn't put the franchise tag on anyone this year because money needed to be spent elsewhere. Is it the main reason they did so poorly? No. Getting the duckets back next year will help though.
The Offense
It isn't the same offense as last year. Let's face it. The scheme is DIFFERENT. Majority of the players are the same though. Have there been some execution issues? Yes. Do the players on the team carry the inate ability to accomplish what they did last year? Absolutely. But it did not happen. Not because the personnel has drastically changed... but the game plan has. I agree that people had the opportunity to study the offense last season so you have to do something different because there is a chance someone has figured out how to stop you. On the other hand, there is also the old addage of, "If it ain't broke..." Well, you know the rest.
The Defense
Though not spectacular, not the best either. This group probably had the most drastic changes in personnel from last year than anyone else. I mean, they drafted nearly an entire secondary. But we have to take into consideration that those guys are young and require development. Is it the primary reason for failure? Not likely. There have been plenty of games where the defense has kept this team in the game when the offense couldn't score (or when special teams was giving the game away in a happy meal bag with a toy). I also can't get away from the fact that every other team in the NFL has defenses that make adjustments at halftime. I have yet to see this team change anything. Teams come out in the second half most of the time and sort of have their way. And don't get me started on lack of tackling (I'll get into that later).
Special Teams (or lack thereof)
We don't know who the return man is, no one seems to know their role on blocking or tackling... it's just all around bad. Our special teams unit signed a well deserved contract with the Arizona Cardinals this year. Can all nine losses to date be blamed solely on this part of the team? Nope. There are other problems.
The offensive line (particularly the right side)
This is still a huge problem. Justin Tuck had two sacks all season long until Monday night vs the Redskins. That night, he had four. By himself. No half sacks... solo sacks. And all over the right side of the line. Maybe this can go back to the salary cap issue or even RGIII (draft picks), but to be honest, everything else has been more of a focus than fixing this line. It isn't a priority of this coaching staff. But somehow the success of their quarterback is (ironic, isn't it?) Is this the primary reason for this team's demise? No. Can it be blamed for the lack of success for the offense? It's possible.
Robert Griffin III
There are a number of reasons people point the finger at him. Here's a few:
- He wasn't ready to come back (health): Whether or not he's "football ready" to come back is irrelevant. If you're an athlete that has had to overcome a major injury, even after being medically cleared to play, it still takes time to get your brain back coordinated with the rest of your body. You may want your legs to go, but because of an injury (and your body's natural defense mechanisms), your brain sends signals to the legs saying, "whoa... not yet..." or "okay, but take it easy." You can't get over this hump doing drills in practice... it takes game speed reps to get back to normal.
- He's a distraction.: There was a lot of hype about this season and RGIII's knee before he was even cleared to play. Every time you turn on NFL Network, SportsCenter, or any other sports media outlet, it is the primary focus when discussing the NFL. It brought all kinds of attention to the team to the point where other players had grown disgusted of talking about another man's knee (understandable). But the hype of RGIII, his personal life (this includes his wedding and relationship with his father), and his knee only added to the tremendous amount of pressure already bestowed upon him as the franchise quarterback. And he's not even 25 years old yet. For someone in their second year out of college, they should really be just focusing on football. However, the media will never allow this.
- He isn't the same player anymore: Whenever someone has a major injury, even after recovery, they're never the same again. They can be better, worse, or slightly different than what they were initially... but never exactly the same. Still, upon returning to complete form, he's still a better option than a few handful of quarterbacks in the league.
Is Robert the primary reason for failure? Nope. Sure, a lot of people depend on him to get the job done. But he also depends on a lot of other people to be able to do his job. Whenever he is on the field, there are five guys he depends on to keep his jersey clean and block for run plays, three or four guys he depends on to catch balls when passed to, and one or two guys he depends on to execute run plays. Sure he's had a more than fair share of screw-ups this year, but it's a unit out there, not one man.
The coaching staff
Despite the fact that they are not on the field making plays, the fact of the matter is, they put together game plans and assist with on-field player development. These are the nuts and bolts of the machine. We've seen way too many plays where we're questioning someone's technique, execution, etc... and it comes back to the position coaches. We've seen too many games where we question why the game plan shifted so drastically... why the defense let up... why the offense went away from the run... this comes back to the coordinators and head coach. Are they the reason for this year's demise? Likely so.
Kyle Shanahan
Kyle has a great playbook. It's been said it's too long by some people but the plays I've seen are great ones. Problem is, I haven't seen that he consistently calls them in the right order. Some days, he's clicking on all cylinders calling effective plays left and right keeping the opposing defense on their toes play after play after play. Other days, it's like he's playing Madden and just sort of guesses or goes, "hmm, I want to try this." The latter has definintely cost them games since he's gotten here. Primary reason for failure? No, but it's up there though.
Jim Haslett
Jim still has me guessing at the moment. He always starts off the game clicking on all cylinders but then tapers off after the second drive of the game. Then it seems when they should be blitzing or playing man, they're doing the opposite and the opposing offense just does whatever they want. It seems that he hasn't come up with an appropriate scheme for the personnel on hand to be successful. It seems like the plan is constantly, "ok let's try this to see how it goes, and when all else fails, bltiz." There's never a methodical plan to shut down another team's offense and create turnovers, but more like a bonus when it happens. Primary failure reason? No, but it's also up there. Maybe right below Kyle.
Mike Shanahan
Despite all the issues listed above that people continue to reiterate over and over, it all comes back to one man: the head coach. At the end of the day, he is the head of personnel and pieces together this roster. At the end of the day, he approves the game plans. At the end of the day, he makes the roster decisions on activating 46 guys every week. This is also a man who will rather hold a grudge or cut/trade someone that can help the team win versus activating on them on Sunday. This is also the man who took the risk to go after the draft picks to pick up RGIII, but didn't make it a point to protect him. He built this offensive line to suit a fast paced west cost offense, then told them to perform like The Hogs (it didn't work). Sunday, his bell cow running back had only eleven carries (including no carries after the 10 min mark in the 3rd quarter). His first response to if there was a reason why he wasn't used: "Um, no, not particularly." (Sidebar: Is Alfred in the doghouse now, too???) Yes, this is the same two-time Super Bowl winning head coach who came here after being fired from Denver and was expected to save the franchise. When he got here, he had to gut the team and start from scratch. Then encountered the salary cap snag a couple years ago. Then there was The Great Knee Injury of 2013. Now we have The Great Plummet of 2014. Etc... Etc... Etc. There's a dozen reasons why people think this team is failing, but every one of these reasons comes back to one man who has a $35M deal over 5 years because he came in and told Dan Snyder, "...if you don't understand that this is a process and give me at least five years, then you don't want me for the job." Ultimately every decision made on this team comes back to this one man. Primary reason for failure? Yep. Undoubtedly so. Will he get another year? Likely so. Because Snyder will like to see how he recovers from all of the above issues and see if this five year plan pans out in the end.
Follow Me On Twitter: @NFLHustleBabe
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