Yo Shark!

[Darrell Green Fan]

To me thats the problem, and why I really do hope they just end it soon with Kirk. Aside from being Tom Brady times 1.5, he cant win win this team and fan base.

Now you are not being fair. Nobody is insisting our QB be better than Tom Brady. But I don't think it's asking too much for our QB to hit wide open receivers, perform better than 1 TD, 3 INTs, not wilt when the competition gets stronger and actually be the reason we win instead of a big reason we lose. If you think this is unique to this fanbase you would be incorrect.

If after all we've seen over the years you still can't see how important the QB is to a team then I have no idea what you are watching. We have been looking for that guy since Joe Freaking Theisman. I think after watching them fail for 30 years to find that guy I won't apologize for being out of patience. Again nobody is insisting on Tom Brady. I have said a number of times there are probably 10-12 QBs at any given time in the league capable of leading a good team deep year after year. The problem is they never play for our team. Ever.

 

[Sharkinva]

And without a doubt he was the biggest


Now you are not being fair. Nobody is insisting our QB be better than Tom Brady. But I don't think it's asking too much for our QB to hit wide open receivers, perform better than 1 TD, 3 INTs and actually be the reason we win instead of a big reason we lose. If you think this is unique to this fanbase you would be incorrect.

If after all we've seen over the years you still can't see how important the QB is to a team then I have no idea what you are watching. We have been looking for that guy since Joe Freaking Theisman. I think after watching them fail for 30 years to find that guy I won't apologize for being out of patience. Again nobody is insisting on Tom Brady. I have said a number of times there are probably 10-12 QBs at any given time in the league capable of leading a good team deep year after year. The problem is they never play for our team. Ever.

I would think after watching them search for that guy while they ignored the O-line, D-line, secondary and every other position... .some of us would realize... Joe T wasnt what made that team. The team around him allowed him to be what i was actually hoping Cousins could be. But I dont think we have the team around him to allow him to be a solid performer. Yes he had a BAD game yesterday. But asking any QB to be the focal point of 75% of the offense is flat out dumb. Asking a QB to do that with a defense that (you in particular) have admittedly said you expect to suck, should leave no surprises when we lose.


But I give, you have beaten me into submission. The major problem with this team is in fact Cousins. I made the call in another thread.. but here goes again


Sunday we lose to NY 34 to 23, Cousins throws for 340 with a 65% or better completion rate 1 TD 1 INT.

 

[j_y19]

Just a couple of quick questions??


1. When did I say I hope we lose the rest of our games?? Saying I expect us to suck, and hoping for it are two totally different things. I hope we go on a 14-0 run and make the playoffs. From what i have seen thus far, and based on the rest of the schedule.. I expect us to lose 12 more games starting with this Sunday.

2. How is my opinion that many fans are unrealistic in their expectation of ANY QB winning when tasked with 75% of a predictable one sided offense plan?? I have said many times Cousins could have and should have played better. But to have people say stuff like, we ll we expected the defense to suck and we lost primarily because of Cousins.... yea that does rub me the wrong way.

Point #2 I do agree with. KC has not played well and has missed open receivers as well as thrown 2 bad pics in critical situations. However, I don't think most fans realize how difficult it is to execute when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do and plans accordingly. And it is added complexity when you are a QB and you know you have to score 40 pts every game without a running attack because your defense is going to give up a crap load of points to every opponent. Can some QBs overcome those issues? maybe a few, if your name is Peyton or Brady, but not most.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

Point #2 I do agree with. KC has not played well and has missed open receivers as well as thrown 2 bad pics in critical situations. However, I don't think most fans realize how difficult it is to execute when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do and plans accordingly. And it is added complexity when you are a QB and you know you have to score 40 pts every game without a running attack because your defense is going to give up a crap load of points to every opponent. Can some QBs overcome those issues? maybe a few, if your name is Peyton or Brady, but not most.

Kirk Cousins: "We Look Forward & Keep Pushing"

See :50 mark - Cousins actually made the decision to throw the fade on one of the goal line situations - the coaches wanted to run the ball on one of those plays. However - most of the blame in this are falls on the coaches. I don't agree with people saying that they have no running game. The running game looked pretty good in spots yesterday. Sure they are nowhere near the best in the NFL, but they are not that bad. Their issue is that they are not committed to the run & a lot of it has to do w/ the reasons I stated in that WP Q&A today.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

Point #2 I do agree with. KC has not played well and has missed open receivers as well as thrown 2 bad pics in critical situations. However, I don't think most fans realize how difficult it is to execute when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do and plans accordingly. And it is added complexity when you are a QB and you know you have to score 40 pts every game without a running attack because your defense is going to give up a crap load of points to every opponent. Can some QBs overcome those issues? maybe a few, if your name is Peyton or Brady, but not most.

Is it fair to ask our QB to hang up 40 pts a game? Of course not. Do I think it's an unfair burden to ask our QB with this many weapons to keep pace with the other team who has a defense arguably worse than our defense with zero pass rush? No actually I don't. Am I asking too much for our QB in his 5th year with 32 games to actually go out and perform well against good teams instead of a comeback against a crap Tampa Bay team being his high water mark? Again the answer is no.

If he is supposed to be "the man" this is simply not asking too much guys. Man is the bar low around here.

 

[j_y19]

Kirk Cousins: "We Look Forward & Keep Pushing"

See :50 mark - Cousins actually made the decision to throw the fade on one of the goal line situations - the coaches wanted to run the ball on one of those plays. However - most of the blame in this are falls on the coaches. I don't agree with people saying that they have no running game. The running game looked pretty good in spots yesterday. Sure they are nowhere near the best in the NFL, but they are not that bad. Their issue is that they are not committed to the run & a lot of it has to do w/ the reasons I stated in that WP Q&A today.

They don't have a running game for whatever reason. This is also evidenced by the way the defenses are playing us. They are playing pass defense almost exclusively. We are in the bottom tier in the league in rushing. Yes, KC made a couple of bad decisions. Not defending him, just explaining given the lack of support from other key areas and the lack of any element of deception, why KC is in a bad situation. Should he do better? Yes.

 

[j_y19]

Is it fair to ask our QB to hang up 40 pts a game? Of course not. Do I think it's an unfair burden to ask our QB with this many weapons to keep pace with the other team who has a defense arguably worse than our defense with zero pass rush? No actually I don't. Am I asking too much for our QB in his 5th year with 32 games to actually go out and perform well against good teams instead of a comeback against a crap Tampa Bay team being his high water mark? Again the answer is no.

If he is supposed to be "the man" this is simply not asking too much guys. Man is the bar low around here.

You've missed the point. No one is defending KCs poor play. Just explaining why the situation is not as simple as he has all these weapons and should score 40 every game.

Any NFL defense, if only required to defend one aspect of the opposing offense, can mount a stout defense. Also, knowing that they can move the ball, control the clock and score in bunches against us, just play a soft zone, don't give up a big play and and let us wear ourselves out or finally make a mistake. That's what our offense faces right now.

 

[j_y19]

Let me try and explain it another way. I don't know if you are a golfer or not, but lets say you are in a match. You are a 5 handicap and you are playing a 25 handicap. That means you are giving up 20 strokes, or a stroke a hole and two strokes on the 2 hardest holes. So basically, you feel like you have to birdie every hole just to stay in it. Now, you are a good golfer, but you aren't going to birdie every hole, not even 10 holes. That has a effect on the way you play. I don't care who you are.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

They don't have a running game for whatever reason. This is also evidenced by the way the defenses are playing us. They are playing pass defense almost exclusively. We are in the bottom tier in the league in rushing. Yes, KC made a couple of bad decisions. Not defending him, just explaining given the lack of support from other key areas and the lack of any element of deception, why KC is in a bad situation. Should he do better? Yes.

61 yds on 13 carries is no running game? Perhaps not the best but serviceable (and granted inconsistent). Gruden also indicated that they passed often near the goal line since the Cowboys were putting 9 in the box. Why would they do that if they thought that the Redskins had no running game?

I just don't understand people that keep saying this. Why not at least try to establish the run a little longer - perhaps until it shows it completely fails. The Redskins are in the bottom tier of the NFL (after only week 2) for reasons that include 1. they fell behind in 2nd half against PIT & 2. they decided to abandon the running game for whatever reason against DAL. Again - read the WP Q&A today w/ Boswell to get a take on why Gruden & the Redskins are so stubborn about sticking w/ the passing game - it goes way beyond whatever talent does or does not exist w/ the running game.

 

[Darrell Green Fan]

That is a good analogy. I am a golfer and as an 8 I once played against a guy who was probably a 25. I felt the same pressure you described, then realized that if I simply played my game he would implode and that's what happened.

I hear what you are trying to say. But I'm sorry I think it's just excuses. So he is facing soft zones that allow easy throws all day and that's a tough situation? His run game is not that bad, they just ran into a top defense and fell behind (thanks in part to him) and last week they got an OK performance from Matt Jones who ran for 4.7 YPC. But let's not forget he has enjoyed great protection and is throwing to perhaps the best set of targets in the entire league. IMO he has more good checks in the Good Situation than the Bad Situation columns.

 

[j_y19]

61 yds on 13 carries is no running game? Perhaps not the best but serviceable (and granted inconsistent). Gruden also indicated that they passed often near the goal line since the Cowboys were putting 9 in the box. Why would they do that if they thought that the Redskins had no running game?

I just don't understand people that keep saying this. Why not at least try to establish the run a little longer - perhaps until it shows it completely fails. The Redskins are in the bottom tier of the NFL (after only week 2) for reasons that include 1. they fell behind early against PIT & 2. they decided to abandon the running game for whatever reason against DAL. Again - read the WP Q&A today w/ Boswell to get a take on why Gruden & the Redskins are so stubborn about sticking w/ the passing game - it goes way beyond whatever talent does or does not exist w/ the running game.

Again, you guys are missing it. 13 carries is the critical number, not the avg/carry or the yds. If you abandon the run, you have no running game. Your opponent knows this and structures a defense with 7 and 8 in coverage. The double and triple team your best guys, depending on down and distance. This has an affect on any QB and most will get desperate and try and force the ball. If you know you have to score on every possession just to stay with your opponent and they know what you are going to do (pass 80% of the time, more as the game gets late) its quite common bad decisions will be made at some point.

 

[Breed]

You've missed the point. No one is defending KCs poor play. Just explaining why the situation is not as simple as he has all these weapons and should score 40 every game.

Any NFL defense, if only required to defend one aspect of the opposing offense, can mount a stout defense. Also, knowing that they can move the ball, control the clock and score in bunches against us, just play a soft zone, don't give up a big play and and let us wear ourselves out or finally make a mistake. That's what our offense faces right now.

Your point while valid, loses a decent bit of its validity. Due to me knowing just how things transpired over the course of the first 2 games. IMO the Skins should've came close to scoring 40 points yesterday. KC and Djax should've had not necessarily historic games, but top performances of the week yardage-wise certainly could've been had. I also think the Skins should've had 30+ points against the Steelers as well.

And while I don't disagree with you far as what the offense will be facing from here on out (the Giants game scares the shit outta me TBH) And that even a half-ass decent running game would help some. KC not playing like a deer in headlights, and hitting on plays that seem pretty fundamental to my untrained eye couldn't hurt any.

 

[j_y19]

Your point while valid, loses a decent bit of its validity. Due to me knowing just how things transpired over the course of the first 2 games. IMO the Skins should've came close to scoring 40 points yesterday. KC and Djax should've had not necessarily historic games, but top performances of the week yardage-wise certainly could've been had. I also think the Skins should've had 30+ points against the Steelers as well.

And while I don't disagree with you far as what the offense will be facing from here on out (the Giants game scares the shit outta me TBH) And that even a half-ass decent running game would help some. KC not playing like a deer in headlights, and hitting on plays that seem pretty fundamental to my untrained eye couldn't hurt any.

Again, I'm not defending his play. he has looked like a deer in the headlights at times and has exhibited poor fundamentals at times leading to poor passes. I will also note he has thrown some beautiful passes and had some good plays, just not enough. I'm just enlightening some to some of the nuances that are contributing to his poor play. At the end of the day, he is a pro being paid a kings ransom. We need better from that position that we have seen these first 2 games.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

Again, you guys are missing it. 13 carries is the critical number, not the avg/carry or the yds. If you abandon the run, you have no running game. Your opponent knows this and structures a defense with 7 and 8 in coverage. The double and triple team your best guys, depending on down and distance. This has an affect on any QB and most will get desperate and try and force the ball. If you know you have to score on every possession just to stay with your opponent and they know what you are going to do (pass 80% of the time, more as the game gets late) its quite common bad decisions will be made at some point.

Missing the pt? I basically said the same thing in my reply. They have a running game to a certain degree. It is just the Gruden chooses to abandon it for whatever reason. Understandable to a degree against PIT since they fell behind. Against DAL not so much & partially because Gruden is in love w/ the passing game & his receivers - not simply because he thinks that his running game is awful.

They need to make some type of commitment to their running game regardless. I believe that they will in the next several games. We will see.

 

[j_y19]

Missing the pt? I basically said the same thing in my reply. They have a running game to a certain degree. It is just the Gruden chooses to abandon it for whatever reason. Understandable to a degree against PIT since they fell behind. Against DAL not so much & partially because Gruden is in love w/ the passing game & his receivers - not simply because he thinks that his running game is awful.

They need to make some type of commitment to their running game regardless. I believe that they will in the next several games. We will see.

Its the threat of the run that keeps defenses honest. So far, neither of our opponents fear our running game. Thus they dont have to defend against it. That makes it very difficult to pass downfield.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

BTW - why am I reading certain posts here that basically state that Jones is horrible when he ran for 61 yds on 13 carries & TD. Is it somehow his fault that they abandoned the run? They tried to portray Morris as a victor yesterday & he had the good TD run but did nothing otherwise. I don't get it.

 

[Sharkinva]

Might i suggest some rewatch the game and see what Dallas was running as coverage once Washington basically decided they werent going to run any more. I count a few times where Reed was triple covered, and they all but took Jackson out of the game. Yes Kirk had all day to throw it quite a few times, but those were mainly times where Dallas rushed four, or even three, and dropped the rest into zones.

As some one mentioned, if you are one dimensional and predictable, it does make it a bit easier to defend against.

In particular go look at the INT again... Dallas Rushed four and dropped 7 into the zone in a situation where we lined up five wide. Yes the throw was on Kirk, but after two missed fades, that was the most predictable play call we could have ever tried, and we paid for it.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

Its the threat of the run that keeps defenses honest. So far, neither of our opponents fear our running game. Thus they dont have to defend against it. That makes it very difficult to pass downfield.

Which means that the coaches made a decision stop running the ball - that is on them. That does not necessarily translate into having a terrible running game. Again - read the WP Q&A & you will see that a lot of this has to do w/ the fact that Gruden & co are simply in love w/ the pass & also want to showcase Doctson as much as possible.

True that this makes it tougher on Cousins. Perhaps Gruden can make the necessary adjustments. If not he may be digging himself a hole over time.

 

[j_y19]

BTW - why am I reading certain posts here that basically state that Jones is horrible when he ran for 61 yds on 13 carries & TD. Is it somehow his fault that they abandoned the run? They tried to portray Morris as a victor yesterday & he had the good TD run but did nothing otherwise. I don't get it.

Hope you aren't directing that at me as I haven't said anything about Jones specifically. Now, do I think he is a good RB? Not yet. He runs too upright and doesn't have the best cut back ability. He also doesn't break as many tackles as I would expect for a guy his size. But yesterday he did OK when given the chance. He wasn't the problem. The play calling was.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

Might i suggest some rewatch the game and see what Dallas was running as coverage once Washington basically decided they werent going to run any more. I count a few times where Reed was triple covered, and they all but took Jackson out of the game. Yes Kirk had all day to throw it quite a few times, but those were mainly times where Dallas rushed four, or even three, and dropped the rest into zones.

As some one mentioned, if you are one dimensional and predictable, it does make it a bit easier to defend against.

In particular go look at the INT again... Dallas Rushed four and dropped 7 into the zone in a situation where we lined up five wide. Yes the throw was on Kirk, but after two missed fades, that was the most predictable play call we could have ever tried, and we paid for it.

OK - then time to run the ball more - I don't care who is playing RB. The team needs to make adjustments. Time to move onto the Giants & start making plays & stop making excuses.