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Landover, Md. – At this point, there is no reason to recap the stats resulting from the game between the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers… by the time this article is published; they will be well documented locally and nationally.
Understand this while going over the gory details, however… there is no quick fix for the problems that the Redskins have right now. Perhaps some organizational changes at the top could ultimately make a difference or perhaps a change at an assistant coach’s level might help to a small degree if it doesn’t involve bringing in someone new. But any huge changes at the team level might just remove any of the small amount of consistency that has been obtained at this point.
There is a question that must be asked however and it is: after a game like this in a season like this, following recent previous seasons like this… where the team just can’t seem to get things together… what do the Redskins do right now? This week? Having lost in such a way, to what was earlier a 1-8 team but is now 2-8 after coming to FedEx Field, the question of how to salvage any part of this season must be put on the table.
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For good reason, the locker room was quiet after the final whistle. The PR group, the players and the coaches filed in from the field; quiet and somber. Teammates were mad. They were frustrated and they were emotional.
Head coach Jay Gruden looked distraught during his post-game press conference as did his quarterback, Robert Griffin, III. They shared a short moment as the coach passed the podium off to his charge and that moment was laden with unspoken disappointment and mutual frustration.
Linebacker Keenan Robinson, usually willing to talk to the media in the locker room, could not.
Fellow linebacker Ryan Kerrigan did however and was his usual honest self, yet clearly upset.
“Today’s pretty far down there,” he said. “I feel pretty disappointed right now — and that’s an understatement.”
“We still have something to play for – nothing but pride,” running back Alfred Morris said. “The team has to stick together.”
Defensive lineman Jason Hatcher didn’t know what to say.
“It was embarrassing,” he said. “I don’t know. I don’t even know where to start…I don’t know where we’ll go. We’ll see…”
Safety Ryan Clark philosophically owned the play in which he took a really bad angle on Bucs wide out Mike Evans and left rookie cornerback Bashaud Breeland on an island to take the play on by himself. It was of course an impossible task and Evans scored a touchdown.
Left tackle Trent Williams is likely out for at least two or three weeks after old Oklahoma teammate and Tampa Bay defensive lineman Gerald McCoy caused an MCL sprain for the offensive line star during a play.
Griffin was sacked six times today but any Redskins fans will already know this having read what’s out there. The fault for his lack of success in the pocket can be split pretty evenly between him not having the awareness or patience needed yet and the frequent collapse of said space by the patched together offensive line. By the end of the game, the left side of the line was out with Williams and left guard Shawn Lauvao both getting hurt. Their slots were filled by backups Morgan Moses and Josh LeRibeus. Right tackle Tom Compton was already filling in for the replaced Tyler Polumbus so three out of the five linemen were young and inexperienced.
This game was bad enough all around that there are serious problems that must be faced right now and these issues must be overwhelming for the Redskins’ coaching staff at this moment. It would be hard to blame them for simply getting themselves back to the facility as soon as possible and just going right home to bed… leaving the game film unwatched until tomorrow.
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Gruden has said he will not play guys this season just to evaluate them. Maybe he shouldn’t play them to evaluate them but rather to see if they can improve the record on this team? At this point, it’s anybody’s guess how to make this team better. Let’s explore the personnel in this saga…
The Coaching Staff
Gruden alluded a few times to needing to call better plays both on offense and defense in his post-game press conference this afternoon and he has, in fact, said this in previous losses.
Twice now, the team has looked unprepared for games, first against the New York Giants and tonight against the Buccaneers. While this could be the function of a rookie head coach not only learning to lead his new team but also leading coaches that have been on the team for five or so years now, that scenario alone doesn’t feel right. Gruden is strong-willed, is a good offensive mind and comes from a highly respected football family. There’s every indication that he has the respect of his staff. However, the dynamic between the coaches — and between the coaches and players — is worth consideration in some form.
Gruden is a teacher. He is also a motivator. The team respects him and he’s a player’s coach from what guys in the locker room have said. Again, he is a rookie coach. He somehow needs to find a way to get his coaches and his team prepared for games. Does that come with being first-timer in the NFL? He has had success in the Arena Football League and the United Football League. Will that eventually translate here?
It’s hard to say what the deal is with defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. He has been highly criticized for not putting his players in the best position to win but one has to wonder where the genius he displayed against the Dallas Cowboys came from. While he has shown he can call a good game, the DC must be brought to task to prove he can be consistent somehow or some way. Otherwise he must be gone. There is no other choice if this team is going to improve at all. How this is accomplished is up to Gruden and Allen.
One must admit that tonight, the Bucs had the Redskins’ number and, for one reason or another, the Washington players either did not execute or were unable to due to the scheme. It will be hard to know really until the film is watched and more questions are asked.
I submit it’s a complicated combination of all of the above and that only time will tell whether or not Gruden can set it right. One thing is for sure… he needs to be given time. This seems like an over-simplification but really, where else can one start?
The Players
There is no doubt there is talent on this team. But if the players aren’t going to use that talent, they’ve got no chance of improving right now. Are they not motivated? Are they making some sort of statement? Do they not care? If so, this team has no hope until someone can find a way to fix this.
That can’t be it.
Receivers DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garçon, tight ends Jordan Reed and Niles Paul, running backs Morris and Roy Helu, Jr. all have a boatload of talent and they’ve prove it time and again. Robert Griffin, III has shown talent but something is holding back his development. It follows that the Redskins offense will not get better until this is fixed.
It appears that there are players on the offensive line that either don’t have the right skill set or are not talented enough for Gruden’s offensive system at this point. Why free agents were not targeted in the off season may be a product of the coach not having time to assess what he had in this unit and/or pressure from Bruce Allen to keep what was on the roster based on what he saw in former head coach Mike Shanahan’s system or what he did want to target during free agency or the draft. Perhaps Allen thought it best to look at other positions.
Whatever the case, while Gruden and Shanahan’s systems may be similar, they are not the same and the offensive line is not quite good enough to give Griffin time to learn what he needs to learn about timing, pocket presence and his reads. There are also breakdowns in blocking from running backs, receivers and the like. Not a good combination with a young quarterback finding his way in a new system and in the NFL.
In terms of the offense in general, it may be nothing more than a lethal combination of all of these aforementioned short-comings happening at once.
The defense has a pair of young cornerbacks — David Amerson and Breeland — that have shown great talent and instinct. Robinson has a combination of athleticism and knowledge that is getting better and better when put in the right position. Jason Hatcher and Ryan Kerrigan have shown their talent… at times. They need execute whenever put in the right situation and they need to be put in the right situation.
I submit that there are current offensive line players that don’t have the right set of skills to execute this offense or that are not learning the system fast enough. This is their first year in the new scheme. The fact of the matter is that they must either eventually get it or be replaced by the youngsters currently on the team or others brought in.
The players on the defensive and special teams sides of the ball have to find a way to use their talent with or without the help of their coaches if said coaches can’t get it done. The jury is still out on Teams’ coordinator Ben Kotwica. There have been improvements but again, nothing is consistent.
The Quarterback
What do to about the quarterback?
Robert Griffin’s skill set is still an anomaly in the NFL… at times its like a combination of the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson and the Philadelphia Eagles’ former signal-caller Randall Cunningham combined with the arm of the Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford. The problem is not his athleticism and physical skill set however… He just doesn’t appear to “see” his receivers or what’s going on around him while under pressure. It is quite frustrating to see moves he could have been making during plays, all the while seeing him not see them as the plays developed.
After the loss tonight, Griffin impressed when he said everything he needed to say in both his post-game press conference and in a subsequent interview with Larry Michael. There was no doubt that he was sincere. While early in the presser we heard a lot of “we”’s, he ended it using a lot of “I”’s. This was both commendable and necessary and should be duly noted. The man was beside himself with frustration, disappointment, anger and self depreciation. While that doesn’t make the loss easier to stomach, it shows that he can be coached and taught. Griffin has matured a lot this year. That’s worth something.
The former Heisman Trophy winner (remember that?) appears motivated to get better, and regardless of what that motivation is, his past behavior indicates that he eventually will.
I submit that if Gruden can teach Griffin the oh-so-important pocket awareness, which seems to be what makes everything else succeed or fail in his game, this team has a good chance of competing in its last games. Given time and patience, the Baylor grad could take giant steps in his craft this season. It’s good that Gruden did not bench him for backup Colt McCoy tonight. It would not have been helpful in the long run towards Robert’s development.
The Organization
The fact that the one constant on this Washington Redskins team over the past 20-plus years is one man… owner Dan Snyder, cannot be ignored. There is no doubt that, early in his ownership, he made many, many mistakes. There were snap decisions on coach hiring’s and firings. There were free agent hiring’s and money spent that didn’t make good sense. There was a partnership with Vinny Cerrato that resulted in decisions that were not good for the franchise and there was a discouraging 2013 season that culminated in the dysfunctional relationship trio of Snyder, then-head coach Mike Shanahan and Griffin.
But Snyder has been very behind-the-scenes recently and has acted the part of a man that has learned to be a typical NFL team owner. He is hard to gauge right now. Is he involved in the day-to-day goings on with his franchise?
I submit not, unless it’s through President and General Manger Bruce Allen, the supposed “go-between” for the team and the front office.
Perhaps it is Allen that is the problem. It’s hard to truly tell but one might assume there are issues in that top part of the organization, whether it’s with talent evaluation, drafting or whatever. Allen seems to be great with the salary cap and contact negotiations. A talent evaluator though? So far, that jury is still out too.
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Again, there is no easy fix for the problems on this team. Gruden has his work cut out for him to be sure and it would be hard to envy that job right now. There will be fans, media, etc. now that will go on about who’s awful, who’s got to go, etc.
Fortunately for the team, the head coach is young and by all indications, really smart. He’s got experience in the NFL albeit not as a head coach until now. But he does have it in other places and in other situations. He’s got resources. He is smart. He hasn’t been here very long and that fact deserves consideration.
I submit that, if anyone can figure out this mess right now, it’s him. And, after all… that’s about all Redskins Nation can hang their hats on right now. At least the only way to go now is up. It just might be a steep climb at this point. One might as well get ready for the hike.
Hail.
