Gruden and the coaching staff

[j_y19]

Since we are midway through the season and there are threads out there discussing the status of the team, I thought it would be a good time to get opinions on Gruden as a HC and the rest of the coaching staff. Gruden is now in his 3rd year as HC. He has made some very tough decisions and has make some significant mistakes. However, he has taken the team to the playoffs and appears to have the team moving in the right direction. So is the HC that can take this team to the next level? How about the rest of the coaches? We have had numerous discussions on Barry, how about the offensive coordinator? Does he put a game plan in place that maximizes our talent? Does he call a good game from a play selection standpoint?

Thoughts?

 

[skinsdad62]

right now i would leave the staff alone and get more talent we are in year 2

the coach on the hot seat would be barry , however i would like to see him with some talent on his side of the ball before i pull the rug out from under him . its a short leash though

 

[Breed]

I think Gruden has done a pretty decent job. What significant mistakes are you speaking on j__y? Time management/use of time outs has been an on-going problem. He can also can get too pass happy as well. After starting with a fucked up mandate (getting Griff NFL-ready) I would never wish injury on a player, but lets just say Griff's last injury as a Redskin opened up a door that needed to be open. Gruden probably needed that as much or more than any player including Kirk, His play calling overall I think has been good, but he does bear some responsibility for our red zone woes. I hope he sticks with Kelley, giving the kid a real good look at being the predominate RB. I'm not saying its Gruden's fault or Kirk's but I'd like the passing game to be a little vertical than it presently is. All 5 of what I'll call out top pass catchers have speed. We don't take advantage of it enough imo. Overall though I'm liking the direction Gruden has taken the team.

Can't say I'm happy with Barry, but I have been impressed with the improvement from the defense the last few weeks. I don't know what it was that got him to get out of that read n react defense, but I'm glad someone or something did. Like dad says though. I'd like to see Barry with some ytalent at his disposal, particularly in the run defense dept.

Callahan's done a real nice job with the OL. There's still the occasional oh shit play, but overall they've worked really well as a unit. The one thing that hurts the OL is penalties. particularly false starts of which the Redskins are leading the NFL in with 16. I know its not all OL, but the majority are. I wanna see whjat Kelley looks like running behind the OL for a good handful of games. Losing Trent hurt, but if this kid, Tye, has as much talent as some believe he does. Maybe it becomes a blessing in disguise so we'll see.

Perry Fewel has impressed me with his work with the DBs. We still need better safeties,. though Whitner looks to be an improvement over anyone who was playing before him. We need a ball-hawk. I still can't believe the way Duke was waiting on that duck from Dalton. Had Green caught that ...well, he didn't so......

Kurt G - has done a real nice job far as pass rushing goes. Murphy hasn't slowed down much and RK is picking up.Be great in they continue in doing so. Smith looks to be firmly up against the soph slump and/or maybe increased attention directed his way. I think Compton could be more than adequate with a big ugly who could protect him, I wouldn't mind seeing someone step and take Mason's place.

KO Coverage team stinks...the end Other than that ST has been good therefore I'll say coaching in those areas has been good as well.

 

[j_y19]

I think Gruden has done a pretty decent job. What significant mistakes are you speaking on j__y? Time management/use of time outs has been an on-going problem. He can also can get too pass happy as well. After starting with a fucked up mandate (getting Griff NFL-ready) I would never wish injury on a player, but lets just say Griff's last injury as a Redskin opened up a door that needed to be open. Gruden probably needed that as much or more than any player including Kirk, His play calling overall I think has been good, but he does bear some responsibility for our red zone woes. I hope he sticks with Kelley, giving the kid a real good look at being the predominate RB. I'm not saying its Gruden's fault or Kirk's but I'd like the passing game to be a little vertical than it presently is. All 5 of what I'll call out top pass catchers have speed. We don't take advantage of it enough imo. Overall though I'm liking the direction Gruden has taken the team.

Can't say I'm happy with Barry, but I have been impressed with the improvement from the defense the last few weeks. I don't know what it was that got him to get out of that read n react defense, but I'm glad someone or something did. Like dad says though. I'd like to see Barry with some ytalent at his disposal, particularly in the run defense dept.

Callahan's done a real nice job with the OL. There's still the occasional oh shit play, but overall they've worked really well as a unit. The one thing that hurts the OL is penalties. particularly false starts of which the Redskins are leading the NFL in with 16. I know its not all OL, but the majority are. I wanna see whjat Kelley looks like running behind the OL for a good handful of games. Losing Trent hurt, but if this kid, Tye, has as much talent as some believe he does. Maybe it becomes a blessing in disguise so we'll see.

Perry Fewel has impressed me with his work with the DBs. We still need better safeties,. though Whitner looks to be an improvement over anyone who was playing before him. We need a ball-hawk. I still can't believe the way Duke was waiting on that duck from Dalton. Had Green caught that ...well, he didn't so......

Kurt G - has done a real nice job far as pass rushing goes. Murphy hasn't slowed down much and RK is picking up.Be great in they continue in doing so. Smith looks to be firmly up against the soph slump and/or maybe increased attention directed his way. I think Compton could be more than adequate with a big ugly who could protect him, I wouldn't mind seeing someone step and take Mason's place.

KO Coverage team stinks...the end Other than that ST has been good therefore I'll say coaching in those areas has been good as well.

I pretty much agree with everything you have posted. The mistakes that I was referring to was time management and red zone decisions. Overall, i think the coaching staff is doing an adequate job. Barry is a question mark. Clearly he succumbed to either public pressure or internal pressure and changed his scheme a few weeks ago. Honestly, not sure that is a good thing or a bad thing when evaluating him. You would like your DC to understand his talent and his completion and implement the correct scheme from the get go.

As for Gruden, I like some things I see, but the jury is still out for me as to if he has the ability to take a team on a deep playoff run. He is clearly a player's coach. I like his demeanor with the press, he doesn't get ruffled, and I also like how is tells it as he sees it as far as player and coaching performance. But sometimes i get the feeling the game might be too big for him when things get tight. I also have issues at time with a lack of adjustment when things aren't going well or the competition has adjusted. at the end of the day, he is, much like KC, still learning his job. I think he has improved every year and I don't see anything out there that leads me to believe we can do better.

 

[Breed]

I pretty much agree with everything you have posted. The mistakes that I was referring to was time management and red zone decisions. Overall, i think the coaching staff is doing an adequate job. Barry is a question mark. Clearly he succumbed to either public pressure or internal pressure and changed his scheme a few weeks ago. Honestly, not sure that is a good thing or a bad thing when evaluating him. You would like your DC to understand his talent and his completion and implement the correct scheme from the get go.

As for Gruden, I like some things I see, but the jury is still out for me as to if he has the ability to take a team on a deep playoff run. He is clearly a player's coach. I like his demeanor with the press, he doesn't get ruffled, and I also like how is tells it as he sees it as far as player and coaching performance. But sometimes i get the feeling the game might be too big for him when things get tight. I also have issues at time with a lack of adjustment when things aren't going well or the competition has adjusted. at the end of the day, he is, much like KC, still learning his job. I think he has improved every year and I don't see anything out there that leads me to believe we can do better.

Real good breakdown. No doubt about Barry if he simply caved to backlash from the public or even if someone such as Gruden told him do it. I do wonder how much control and say-so he has. Is he runniong things or is he being ran?

I like Gruden much like I like Kirk. These last 8 games will figure in prominently for me concerning both.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I'm on the fence about just how good Gruden is. But I'm also a big fan of continuity, one of biggest issues around here obviously, so I'm fine with the idea of leaving this staff alone for a few more years and allowing SM to improve the roster.

 

[gkekoa]

I will take Gruden over the revolving door.

Now on the other side...how is Kyle Shanahan doing?

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I will take Gruden over the revolving door.

Now on the other side...how is Kyle Shanahan doing?

Exactly. Those who were critical of Kyle, saying he was only there because of daddy, were idiots then and idiots now. He pretty much introduced the read option to the NFL, or at the very least made it mainstream and by now it should be obvious that this offense was the only way to make a QB like Robert Griffin productive.

 

[Breed]

Exactly. Those who were critical of Kyle, saying he was only there because of daddy, were idiots then and idiots now. He pretty much introduced the read option to the NFL, or at the very least made it mainstream and by now it should be obvious that this offense was the only way to make a QB like Robert Griffin productive.

Not that I gives a nasty bloody fuck, but none of the above really answers the question. Plus the read option did no one associated with/fans of the Skins any favors. It just faked everyone the fuck out for a minute. Which likely figures in prominently into why the Skins held on to Griff's ass two years longer than we should've.

 

[Buffalo_Nickel_1]

coaches and gm needs better free agent pick ups are draft picks under scott have been good not great (im sure if doctson was healty are offense would be great) barry has done good but the only way to get better is better free agents and the draft talent wise .just need to stay healthy

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Not that I gives a nasty bloody fuck, but none of the above really answers the question. Plus the read option did no one associated with/fans of the Skins any favors. It just faked everyone the fuck out for a minute. Which likely figures in prominently into why the Skins held on to Griff's ass two years longer than we should've.

The question was how is Kyle doing, the obvious answer is he is in Atlanta directing one of the top offenses in the league.. My point was he is and always was a top OC who got a bad rap when here. He developed an offense that actually made a player like Griffin productive, really productive, and that was impressive. When Griff started to fail idiots wanted to blame Kyle and that's not where the blame should have gone.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

coaches and gm needs better free agent pick ups are draft picks under scott have been good not great (im sure if doctson was healty are offense would be great) barry has done good but the only way to get better is better free agents and the draft talent wise .just need to stay healthy

There should be no question that SM needs to improve on his FA signing, they have been just north of terrible. But he made his reputation in the draft and I have full confidence in him there.

 

[j_y19]

There should be no question that SM needs to improve on his FA signing, they have been just north of terrible. But he made his reputation in the draft and I have full confidence in him there.

I dont see it that way. SM is using FA as it as supposed to be. Primarily as a supplement to fill in on short term needs. You don't over spend. Consequently, it is it and miss. FA is fools gold, as we should have all learned during the Cerrato regime. We should feel fortunate that he was able to land a couple pro bowl caliber players such as Jackson and Norman. Their signings were highly unusual. I'm sure some feel we did overspend on these two, but they are rare talents that we should feel fortunate to land. They have both made our team better. Much better.

 

[Sharkinva]

Since it was thrown out there. Kyle Shanahan is currently the OC for the #1 offense statistically in the league. Atlanta is currently 6-3

So I think its safe to say, he isnt suffering.

IM just saying.

 

[gkekoa]

Since it was thrown out there. Kyle Shanahan is currently the OC for the #1 offense statistically in the league. Atlanta is currently 6-3

So I think its safe to say, he isnt suffering.

IM just saying.

I brought up Kyle because I thought he was going to be groomed as our coach for the future. We blew that one. Kyle's record as an OC is incredible.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

I dont see it that way. SM is using FA as it as supposed to be. Primarily as a supplement to fill in on short term needs. You don't over spend. Consequently, it is it and miss. FA is fools gold, as we should have all learned during the Cerrato regime. We should feel fortunate that he was able to land a couple pro bowl caliber players such as Jackson and Norman. Their signings were highly unusual. I'm sure some feel we did overspend on these two, but they are rare talents that we should feel fortunate to land. They have both made our team better. Much better.

Yeah but both Jackson and Norman unexpectedly fell in his lap, both were released late in the game when most teams had already spent their money. And by the way neither is a Pro Bow player right now in Washington.

While I agree with you that his plan is to target lower priced players the only way to evalute his success is to take a look at the players SM spent months studying and then went after to fill specific roles in the open market. And when you evaluate Pae, Jeron Johnson, Knighton, Culliver, Bruton, and Reyes they all failed. Galette is obviously an incomplete. But it appears as if the only hit he had with regard to the specific players they spent months studying was RJF and Ty and that success has beeen marginal. He has been much better at in season acquisitions.

 

[j_y19]

Disagree about Norman. I predict he will be a PB player again this year. And while Jackson most likely won't be, he is still a PB caliber type player, which is what I stated.

As for all then FAs you listed, agree that they didn't work out. As I suspect most FA signings turn out to be. But I wouldn't term them failures. We paid virtually nothing for those guys on short term deals. Lets be real. Most FAs available are cast offs by other teams. there is a reason why they have been let go. It a kin to finding a pet dog at the kennel. There is a reason my most dogs are there. Their owners let them go because they had issues. Sure, once in a while someone finds the dog for them, but usually you just inherit someone else's problem. The only FAs that have a real impact ability end up costing you an arm and a leg and you usually overpay because you are in a bidding war. With the exception of Norman, SM has deftly avoided that whole scenario and all the potential negatives that go along with it.

 

[j_y19]

I brought up Kyle because I thought he was going to be groomed as our coach for the future. We blew that one. Kyle's record as an OC is incredible.

We don't really know if we blew it or not. At one time, Norv Turner was also an incredible OC. The doesn't always guarantee he will be a successful HC. But I do agree that Kyle is going to get his chance at some point. Maybe as soon as next year. I doubt he would have been successful here following his Dad. When Mike left, the environment was so toxic and he would have had to deal with RG3. Not sure he would have been able to bench him like Gruden/SM did.

 

[gkekoa]

We found out after the Shanahan left that we chose poorly by siding with RG3. I agree that being a good OC doesn't guarantee you will be a good HC, but when evaluating, you have to look at it.

As for FAs, people keep saying ours are failed. I disagree. Just because their purpose isn't what you hoped for, doesn't mean they aren't fulfilling SM's purpose. Have we gotten better each year under SM? I would say we have.

 

[ehb5]

I think Grudens pretty good. Hes not perfect but outside of Bellicheck who really is? I dont really have any significant complaints about him. Hes taken us from 4-12 to 9-7 to 4-3-1 so far. We may not be great or make the playoffs this year but this is going to be 2 straight years of being competitive under him with a good offense. And hes had to deal with some shitty situations and seems like hes learning. And hes not afraid to go for it on 4th which is probably my biggest coaching pet peeve. Theres definitely things he could do better but Ive got absolutely no reason to think he should be even close to the hot seat unless NEXT season is a disaster.