Game Thread: Wild Card: Packers @ Redskins

[redskinsfan]

Yes, given the massive talent drain he had to work around with all of the injuries and some of the players he had to insert and move around, I would give him a passing grade for this year. let's see. He lost his starting right OLB, both starting ILBs, 2 FSs, his premier CB and multiple other secondary players that played a significant number of snaps. He ended up with a starting ILB that was pulled from the trash heap, a starting ILB that was an undrafted FA that was on the practice squad, a starting CB pulled off the trash heap, a CB that has never played defense before, let alone the CB position, a starting FS that is north of 30 and was moved to the position mid season. And he coached all these piece parts into a team and they did pretty well. That alone deserves respect.

I'm very familiar with the injury history. That's not my point. My point is that, despite the injuries, he should've come up with a scheme to best maximize what he had. He didn't do that.

Today, he saw Rodgers and McCarthy downshift to a dink-and-dunk offense. The offense then started clicking, albeit in small increments. Barry did absolutely nothing in response to that. In doing so, he basically guaranteed that the Pack would put up points, wear down our defense to get run on later in the game, and keep our offense off the field.

That's just simply stupid irrespective of who's on his defense.

 

[j_y19]

I'm very familiar with the injury history. That's not my point. My point is that, despite the injuries, he should've come up with a scheme to best maximize what he had. He didn't do that.

Today, he saw Rodgers and McCarthy downshift to a dink-and-dunk offense. The offense then started clicking, albeit in small increments. Barry did absolutely nothing in response to that. In doing so, he basically guaranteed that the Pack would put up points, wear down our defense to get run on later in the game, and keep our offense off the field.

That's just simply stupid irrespective of who's on his defense.

Really? So the talent you have should make no difference on the scheme you implement?

I got news for you....it does. And if we could tackle, most of those dump off plays just gain a couple yards.

Would I love to see us be able to employ an aggressive blitzing type defense? Absolutely. But you have to have shut down corners and safeties to do that. We don't. It wasn't the scheme, it was the execution.

 

[redskinsfan]

Really? So the talent you have should make no difference on the scheme you implement?

I got news for you....it does. And if we could tackle, most of those dump off plays just gain a couple yards.

Would I love to see us be able to employ an aggressive blitzing type defense? Absolutely. But you have to have shut down corners and safeties to do that. We don't. It wasn't the scheme, it was the execution.

You're not getting my point. If your gameplan / scheme isn't working, you've got to do something different. It's a pretty simple and basic view I'm advocating here. If the other team starts moving the ball on you by sinking-and-dunking the ball, you've got to counter it somehow. Doing NOTHING isn't a good response. And that's what Barry did.

That's my point.

 

[redskinsfan]

Rodgers went 21 for 36 and 210 yards, which is less than 6 ypa. He didn't do much in terms of passing in the first or fourth quarters as he couldn't do squat in the first and the run game took over when our defense got gassed in the fourth quarter. In between, the play-by-play reflects a proliferation of rinky-dink pass plays that Barry simply let go and allowed Rodgers to score on. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, Lacy and Starks had easy pickings on our gassed defense.

 

[The Derski]

I like the new packers offense

So do I.

 

[chillerdab]

I think there are points to be made on both sides.

On the one hand, the very fact that the redskins won the NFC East and were not blown out in a playoff game despite being ravaged by injuries on the defensive side is a testament to the coaching staff, headed by Joe Barry.
While Will Compton was found by last year's staff, Mason Foster, Quinton Dunbar, DeShazer Everett, the development of Kyshoen Jarrett, the relatively successful moving of Hall to Safety, Chris Baker's very good year, and the continued maturation of Preston Smith all have to at least be partly attributed to Joe Barry and his staff.

On the other hand, I don't think he's a very good in-game coach. I think Perry Fewell, the secondary coach, might be a better in-game coach. He certainly coached up a lot of mismatched parts into a viable, average, secondary (especially after injuries).

It did seem as though as GB adjusted to the Redskins defensive scheme (blitzing more than usual in the first quarter), to go to dink and dunk "pick play" short yardage garbage throws, Joe Barry had no answer.

While it's true that the Redskins may have felt that they needed to play zone due to personnel, I don't understand why they didn't dial up some cover zero blitzes during "do-or-die" time. It's the playoffs. You're down by one score. It wasn't like Cobb was beating coverage quickly, nor that GB had any real scary offensive threats yesterday.

As for the hurry up garbage, again, it seemed like Rodgers (more than McCarthy, who I think is no better a coach then Gruden - just more experienced) outfoxed Joe Barry. Have trouble substituting your nickel package? Fine. Play press man, put everybody up on the line, double Cobb if you must, blitz everybody else, hit rodgers. End of hurry up. Incomplete passes stop the clock and end the hurry up. Not that hard. To be befuddled by Rodgers checking the sidelines for redskins players running off the field is amateurish, at best.

All in all, I'd like to see Joe Barry get another year. I think his player development for this year has been exemplary. Hopefully he learns from his below average play-calling this year, and has a better year next year. It certainly seems like this is the coaching staff to be on for growth (Gruden admits faults all the time, Cousins's continued growth this year, etc.).

My $.02

 

[SoCalWizFan]

Looking at this objectively - the problems yesterday were primarily due to lack of skills/talent. Schemes don't win games - players do. The Redskins players were blocked & misdirected by the Packers on many runs. When they were in position many made poor tackles. That falls on the players - not the coaches.

Redskins need to keep developing their current players & pickup some more talent next season. Regardless of the schemes this will result in improved play by the defense. You also can't discount the experience of Rodgers and the Packers. This is something that the Redskins can develop, but it takes time. There is no substitute for experience.

 

[chillerdab]

Looking at this objectively - the problems yesterday were primarily due to lack of skills/talent. Schemes don't win games - players do. The Redskins players were blocked & misdirected by the Packers on many runs. When they were in position many made poor tackles. That falls on the players - not the coaches.

Redskins need to keep developing their current players & pickup some more talent next season. Regardless of the schemes this will result in improved play by the defense. You also can't discount the experience of Rodgers and the Packers. This is something that the Redskins can develop, but it takes time. There is no substitute for experience.

Good points. I do think talent had a lot to do with what happened yesterday, however I don't really get how you wouldn't try absolutely everything in your arsenal in a do-or-die playoff game. Cover zero blitzes, cloud coverages, press man, zone blitzes, etc. I saw a very vanilla defensive approach implemented by Joe Barry, especially after the first quarter.

Not for nothing, but I also didn't think McVay called a good game on offense. If you're going into the wind in the 2nd and 4th quarter, then shorten up the routes, more bootlegs, more misdirection runs, more running in general.

Anyway, I agree with you: there's no substitute for experience.

 

[ehb5]

I'm not talking about players or talent. I'm taking about his lack of ability to adapt and adjust. The guy can't do it and is a moron for it.

Then don't try to correct me. You came to me dude you're the one who misread what was said.

 

[ehb5]

His philosophy is pretty well known. You can read the papers and people like John Keim for that. And I don't give a crap what his players say. I look at the results and the logic he employs that yield those results. You'd be a fool to think he's done a good job, especially today, where he simply let Rodgers march down the field on us. Or is that somehow some modicum of success in your view?

Yes how dare he let the best qb in the nfl successfully move the ball on us. I mean if I was DC I just wouldn't have let that happen.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

 

[Caliskinsfan]

This

 

[Caliskinsfan]

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Yep.

 

[Caliskinsfan]

Excerpt

The game came down to how much more resourceful Green Bay was. It’s really no surprise, given the recent playoff history of these Packers. But it does illuminate how much better Washington must be to achieve the prolonged success it desires.

When Washington scored the game’s first 11 points, it felt familiar. It looked like the players were pouncing on another foe, along the way gaining the confidence to finish and setting themselves up for another who-woulda-thunk-it accomplishment. This time, they were in position to beat a team with a winning record, something they hadn’t done in three tries this season. This time, they had tied up a Green Bay team that was an onside-kick recovery away from the Super Bowl a year ago.

But here’s the difference between Green Bay and the four dunces that Washington beat during its late-season winning streak: The Packers can take a punch. They can take a series of combinations. They can survive an entire round or two of pounding. That’s what they did Sunday, recovering from Rodgers completing only 1 of 8 passes in the first quarter and spotting the Redskins two points by taking a sack in the end zone. To start the game, Rodgers looked as out of sorts as he had for two months. He backpedaled as he threw inaccurate passes, clearly bothered by the Washington pass rush and uncertain of his diminished offensive line’s blocking.

The Green Bay run game managed only 17 yards in the first half. The defense focused on limiting DeSean Jackson, but it couldn’t handle tight end Jordan Reed in the middle of the field. Everything was in place for Washington’s first postseason victory in 10 years.

However, tough and proven playoff teams don’t topple easily. Although the Packers had been rumored to be on life support for several weeks, they showed their resilience. And the Redskins did what they often do, squandering opportunities and making the game harder than it should be.

[Rodgers, Packers score on five consecutive drives]

Even with an 11-0 lead, Washington had left five points on the table, with Dustin Hopkins missing an extra point and with the 178-pound Jackson unable to power through a defender for the extra half-yard needed to score a first-quarter touchdown. Even after Jackson didn’t get in, his team still had first and goal at the 1-yard line, but Alfred Morris ran twice and lost a yard on the first two downs. Then came a delay-of-game penalty. And on third and goal, Cousins threw an incomplete pass, forcing Washington to settle for a field goal that gave it a 5-0 lead that should’ve been 9-0.


“The opportunities we had out there today, it makes you ill,” Coach Jay Gruden said.

 

[redskinsfan]

Then don't try to correct me. You came to me dude you're the one who misread what was said.

Huh?! My point was straightforward. All you had to do is watch the game and look at how Rodgers played very small ball against us.

 

[redskinsfan]

Yes how dare he let the best qb in the nfl successfully move the ball on us. I mean if I was DC I just wouldn't have let that happen.

He certainly wasn't playing like the best QB until . . . Joe Barry. You just proved my point.

 

[redskinsfan]

Looking at this objectively - the problems yesterday were primarily due to lack of skills/talent. Schemes don't win games - players do. The Redskins players were blocked & misdirected by the Packers on many runs. When they were in position many made poor tackles. That falls on the players - not the coaches.

Redskins need to keep developing their current players & pickup some more talent next season. Regardless of the schemes this will result in improved play by the defense. You also can't discount the experience of Rodgers and the Packers. This is something that the Redskins can develop, but it takes time. There is no substitute for experience.

We do need more players, and some of them to come back from injury. But we've proven that we can go toe-to-toe with some high octane offenses like the Giants. The real reason why Rodgers and the Pack offense came back was based on how McCarthy outsmarted Barry. Barry getting outcoached -- in particular his failure to make adjustments -- is not new this season and it better change.

 

[redskinsfan]

Excerpt

The game came down to how much more resourceful Green Bay was. It’s really no surprise, given the recent playoff history of these Packers. But it does illuminate how much better Washington must be to achieve the prolonged success it desires.

When Washington scored the game’s first 11 points, it felt familiar. It looked like the players were pouncing on another foe, along the way gaining the confidence to finish and setting themselves up for another who-woulda-thunk-it accomplishment. This time, they were in position to beat a team with a winning record, something they hadn’t done in three tries this season. This time, they had tied up a Green Bay team that was an onside-kick recovery away from the Super Bowl a year ago.

But here’s the difference between Green Bay and the four dunces that Washington beat during its late-season winning streak: The Packers can take a punch. They can take a series of combinations. They can survive an entire round or two of pounding. That’s what they did Sunday, recovering from Rodgers completing only 1 of 8 passes in the first quarter and spotting the Redskins two points by taking a sack in the end zone. To start the game, Rodgers looked as out of sorts as he had for two months. He backpedaled as he threw inaccurate passes, clearly bothered by the Washington pass rush and uncertain of his diminished offensive line’s blocking.

The Green Bay run game managed only 17 yards in the first half. The defense focused on limiting DeSean Jackson, but it couldn’t handle tight end Jordan Reed in the middle of the field. Everything was in place for Washington’s first postseason victory in 10 years.

However, tough and proven playoff teams don’t topple easily. Although the Packers had been rumored to be on life support for several weeks, they showed their resilience. And the Redskins did what they often do, squandering opportunities and making the game harder than it should be.

[Rodgers, Packers score on five consecutive drives]

Even with an 11-0 lead, Washington had left five points on the table, with Dustin Hopkins missing an extra point and with the 178-pound Jackson unable to power through a defender for the extra half-yard needed to score a first-quarter touchdown. Even after Jackson didn’t get in, his team still had first and goal at the 1-yard line, but Alfred Morris ran twice and lost a yard on the first two downs. Then came a delay-of-game penalty. And on third and goal, Cousins threw an incomplete pass, forcing Washington to settle for a field goal that gave it a 5-0 lead that should’ve been 9-0.


“The opportunities we had out there today, it makes you ill,” Coach Jay Gruden said.

The other difference was that in those other four games, D-Jax scores a TD and we score another one to go up 21-0. While that's not an insurmountable deficit, against a reeling Pack team, it may be have been a knockout blow in this particular game. Instead, we let a perennial SB contender hang around with a relatively threadbare lead. I don't know why we didn't throw more screens so that playmakers like D-Jax could get the ball in his hands more often to make plays. And, of course, I've detailed the problems with Joe Barry. God bless the guy.

 

[SoCalWizFan]

We do need more players, and some of them to come back from injury. But we've proven that we can go toe-to-toe with some high octane offenses like the Giants. The real reason why Rodgers and the Pack offense came back was based on how McCarthy outsmarted Barry. Barry getting outcoached -- in particular his failure to make adjustments -- is not new this season and it better change.

Perhaps this is partially true. However - again - players make plays not coaches. Also - as pointed out previously - the top QBs will figure out a way to beat you if given the opportunity. Do you really think that it is a coincidence that most of the 8 remaining playoff teams basically have the best remaining QBs? You can call that coaching if you like - I believe that is mainly a factor of the QBs & other players.

This could very likely work in the Redskins favor in the next several years. Cousins will learn from this & other experiences as will the defensive players. Combine this with an influx of talent & this team could start to make deep playoff runs in the near future.