Wyvern

I see why someone might want to take a chance on the potential of James Washington. The Steelers are deep at WR, and their top two receivers are very good. The Steelers issues/injuries at QB meant there weren't a lot of passes to go around in the early years, and Pittsburgh kept building more depth at WR and it's now crowded. I got the sense that James Washington has been under-utilized, and for many reasons wasn't able to make his mark as one of the top-2 WR targets for the Steelers. It's likely James Washington will want out, and more likely he'll want to find another team that's thin at WR. There could be some interest too, because with an underwhelming final year (as well as low overall numbers) his asking price might be affordable -- especially for a 2018 2nd round pick by a team with a history of finding great WR talent. And years 3-7 are usually a WR's prime years. The only question is, how thin is the WFT receiving corps? Should WFT be giving up on Samuel and Brown? .. Could this intended as finding an upgrade for Sims or Carter? (Here, contract and prices would definitely come into play.) J. Washington is likely going to be a good signing for a team that can give him the targets he didn't get in the crowded Pittsburgh group,.. but the question is, could WFT promise anything different?

I think the discussion of how "we" would react if Rodgers became the WFT QB, needs to be tempered by an understanding of how it's extremely unlikely he'd want to come here, especially with all the problems Washington has... There are a lot of factors that would deter someone like Rodgers from considering to come here.... ranging from the WFT owner's behavior, to the bad reputation of its corporate culture, to the issues with its old field/facilities, to its history of coaching instability, to a less-than-premium quality of the WFT supporting cast, to the thorny nature of WFT's standing/relationship with the media, and even to Washington's disgruntled and hyper-critical fanbase. And all that was before this 'vaccination issue' arose -- where Aaron's views wouldn't sit well with many in the greater Washington viewing area. Lastly, while I don't want to turn my post into a Tailgate type of dialog, I have to say I took issue with some of the types of comments of "disagreement" posted about Rodgers' alternative approach to not being vaccinated. That's because I feel it's possible for some people to actually have feasible medical grounds supporting their rights for not being vaccinated with M-RNA types of vaccines, or even the problematic Jannsen vaccine. (For the record, I did get both rounds of Moderna vaccinations... but had to wait a bit because I decided to switch from my original choice of the Jannsen vaccine.) That said, I don't agree with how Rodgers "weasel-worded" his 'immunization' to inquiring NFL representatives; but here too, I know of many people who 'shade the truth' when under interrogation.

I'm still waiting to see more film on Willis, not just his highlights. I'll grant he's got a strong arm, and strong running skills. He fits the college game well, especially since the coach's game-plan seems to rely on an a quick, one-read type of passing attack. When the Malik's first target is not immediately open, then Willis tucks the ball and starts running for yardage. From the limited film I've seen, I don't see much demand of Willis to implement a progression-read style of passing attack. To put it plainly I didn't see Willis taking the time to look how his #3 target might be doing. Rather he was quick to leverage his running skills and to forego taking more time in the pocket to look for another receiver who might be getting open, .... or who could be "led to becoming open" through great placement of the pass away from tightest part of the close coverage. In the pros, this "one-look and then run" tendency might likely result in Willis having to take off scrambling more often. While the new NFL rules tend to protect the running QB, they still get hit a lot and will wear down. So, would Washington really get 3-4 full seasons of Willis being able to start, or would the Team get a season and a half of "RG3 types of highlight performances" out of Willis, until some injury brought him back to earth? Even the durable RPO QBs, like Jackson and Murray are really getting worn down over the season -- even having to sit from time to time. I wonder if Washington would be lucky enough to have their QB remain at a high performance level. or might They wind up with someone an often injured Mariota, or a Broken RG3 again? Lastly, I wonder how flexible would Rivera/Turner actually be to change their offensive game plan into something like Baltimore to accommodate Wills? I haven't seen them be that willing -- so they might wind up trying to fit Willis into their style of play-schemes... Like a square peg into a round hole. If Willis play shows he's an all-around talent, and can fit the pro-level game, then I think he won't get past the Lions or Philly.

I'm glad they extended Tress Way, who's been a great punter. I was getting worried they'd let him go...especially after I'd heard rumors they were looking at a cheaper replacement, a Mr. Willie Squibitt from Pocono State.

Oddly, if Fitzpatrick hadn't been injured so early in game 1, Washington might not now be so focused on the Team's deficiencies at QB, and instead would be urgently looking for more help at linebacker, or for the defensive backfield. If Fitz had lived up to expectations, Washington might have had their 1-2 year answer at QB and could have been ready to go all in on a QB in the 2023 draft, or maybe use a 2nd round pick on a promising candidate in 2022 to groom for a year. (after all, Fitz wasn't showing any signs of decline, and had been fairly durable). The fact is, Washington never got to see how Fitzpatrick would have managed the offense and consequently wasn't able to properly assess where the Team really stacked up vs. the top-tier opponents one gets with a first-place schedule. Moreover, with so many injuries, it's hard to tell just how far off the offense is from being ready for having its future mortgaged in order to roll the dice on a high-potential college QB. And right now, any veteran top-tier free agent QB would be reluctant to come here after seeing what Washington currently is offering in the way of a supporting cast. bottom Line: I thought Ron took the right approach in the off-season, trying for Stafford, settling for Fitzpatrick and drafting a talented linebacker and continuing to plug gaps and maintain cap space. I agreed with Ron on how Washington wasn't ready yet to mortgage its future, because it still had a lot of holes in the roster needing high picks to fill. But now Ron's decisions look bad because the Team defense wasn't yet truly playoff caliber (despite its fluke 2020 season) and all the injuries have severely limited what the offense can produce.)

Thanks SIP. I had been following JT Sullivan's evaluations for a while now. I enjoy his takes on the various QBs, especially after he's done several games worth of analysis on a QB's performances. to be clear, I wasn't really disputing your assessment, rather I was pointing out something you might be interested in also checking on, when you get to see more of Malik Willis' game films. Out of the limited set of Willis' clips I was able to see, I thought I saw a common theme that needed to be checked out by those willing to put the time in. I'm not certain my initial impression will be proven to be accurate, but it's something I felt like sharing with anyone interested. Lastly, I don't believe in running down someone's opinion because it doesn't align with my views, nor get into long protracted dialogue about why I'm right and they're wrong. Occasionally, I give a follow-up post to explain or clarify something behind my first post, but that's about the extent of what I'll do in response. PS: I always enjoy your posts, and find they provide me a lot of useful food for thought. Please keep them coming.

Roullier might be out for the season? Wow! What about Flowers? BTW, I felt that Saahdiq Charles didn't do a very good job at RT. He lost a lot of his matchups and opponents were getting past him to pressure and/or sack Heinicke.

I had not commented on the kicker issue -- assuming Rivera & Co. had seen something they didn't like about continuing with Hopkins. But Blewitt is simply not an NFL-level Kicker, and needs to be replaced ASAP.

[@Mal ....no disrespect intended and nothing aimed at you specifically. It's just that I'm seeing so many posts where ES fans are saying how Washington will somehow blow it and lose again. I needed an example post to use in order to inject a little humor about that fact and yours was the first example post I found when I was scrolling back.] On a serious note, considering all these negative expectations popping up on a Washington fan base message board, this is another reason why I'd like to see Washington pull out this week's Win in the road and maybe create a glimmer of hope for the Team's fortunes going into the weeks ahead. Perhaps a convincing Win might re-kindle a sense that m-a-y-b-e Ron's rebuild is making some progress. I'd rather have some anticipation of hope ahead, than feel stuck in a never-ending cycle of gloom-&-doom expectations. POST GAME EDIT: To Malapropismic Depository ....you were so right about Blewitt. I wanted to stay optimistic because This looked winnable, but.... This was a depressing loss on so many levels. I don't know how the Team can feel good about themselves after this loss. I suppose the defense can point to keeping an anemic Denver offense to a low total, but that's a bit hollow when you consider all the third down conversions they still gave up.

IF Saahdiq Charles can fill in adequately at RT, Sims/Humphries/Milne can get open enough to be a reliable outlet world when McLaurin's getting blanketed Seals-Jones can step up and get open and catch like Logan Thomas Turner can figure how to use McKissic/Carter/Peterson in RB roles to compensate for a hobbling Gibson... WFT's D-line pressure can minimize Bridgewater's ability to connect with Jeudy on the in-laws THEN WFT can win this game 27-24. I'm hoping for Heinicke to move the offense today; because the Team needs this win badly, to retain a competitor's mindset... and to trust in their teammates and coaches ability to be winners. I don't want to see the losses pile up and the Team sink into a loser's mindset, simply to be able to draft 7th or 8th in the upcoming draft. It's important Washington still be able to believe in their ability to bring home a victory when they're leading in 4th quarter, or to snatch a victory out of the jaws of defeat, when they're behind.

Heinicke has challenges passing from within the pocket to get the ball over the finishing D-lines arms, on some of his pass plays over the middle. For him to get enough height on the pass to get over the wall of hands, that means sometimes there'll be times where his passes sail high, especially early in the game when The adrenaline is just kicking in. The bigger issue is that Heinicke doesn't have the same chemistry Seals-Jones that he enjoyed with Logan Thomas. Thomas was a reliable safety outlet, especially when McLaurin was blanketed. With injuries to Samuels, Brown, and Sims -- the other WR position hasn't really offered much help when Heinicke was looking for other targets who might be open. But the absence of Thomas in the red zone (coupled with a hobbled Gibson for the 4&1 line plunges), makes it difficult for Taylor to generate the points needed to compensate for what the defense has been giving up.

@SIP, when you check out more Malik Willis games, check on how often his passing success relies on his first read getting open and getting open quickly. From what I saw, Willis' passing successes ware often a quickly-timed pass to his first read, which he'd been concentrating on, almost exclusively. And if it was a longer-developing pattern, he tends to stay looking at his "first-look" receiver, while that target is trying to get open. Usually Willis immediately dials in to his first read and doesn't seem to look to other receivers (unless it was a some quick pre-planned look at a non-primary receiver in the first 1/2 second during the snap to move off the safety from his actual primary target) He tends to stay with his primary read and if that primary read doesn't work out, then Malik usually goes into scramble mode, most times not looking/attempting a throw, once he's tucked the ball for running. (I saw some exceptions, but generally the new target was in his field of view of where Malik was running. ) From what I saw, he doesn't seem to go through much of a progression, and I saw a lot of instances where his receivers on the other side of the field were open, even before he tucks the ball and starts to use his legs instead of his arm. I'm wondering if Willis can make the transition to reading the full field, and going through progressions at NFL game speed. He'll need those skills (plus more touch and accuracy) to have an NFL-level of passing ability to complement his scrambling ability. (Even with today's rules favoring the running QB, the chance of injury to legs is still high and Malik takes a lot of hits.)

So, it looks like Saahdiq Charles gets to show everyone why he wasn't waste of a 2020 4th round pick. (At the time, I was not a fan of that pick, he had lots of off-the-field red flags, but Washington's scouts were drawn to the "potential" he'd flashed during Burrow's big season at LSU.). Time will tell. He started only 1 game in November 2020, before he went after 2 snaps with a season ending knee injury. (Apparenly, Charles couldn't beat out anyone --including Wes Martin- to get more starting opportunities before his November start. His nagging minor calf injury in preseason might have been a factor.) He was supposedly back at full capacity for the opening of the 2021season but to now has only logged a few minutes in the last 3 games -- probably giving one of the other O-linemen a breather.

Part of being "2020 good" was a result of the 2020 schedule, and even some occasions where Washington's defense faced a backup QB. But I feel the defense is starting to get and could reach the level of defensive strength it had in 2020. A factor impacting this prediction will be how often the defense gets trotted back into the field. Also, due to the poor start, the season's overall defensive numbers would be hard-pressed to be as good as 2020's. But, IMHO, the defense will the itself as a big factor for opponents to contend with by the end of this season.

XxSpearheadxX, that has to be one of the most original "venting" posts I've seen lately. 😂 https://es.redskins.com/topic/448619-embrace-the-hate-the-venting-thread/page/2/?tab=comments#comment-12134041 An especially "appropriate" reference, since we are "The Team Who Shall Not Be Named". 😐

Just a few thought on this strange game. Obviously, sad we lost... But there were a glimmers of light in the gloomy aftermath At least the defense seems to be s-t-a-r-t-i-n-g to right itself. The Team did have to cope with the refs who seemed to be honoring the traditional home-field advantage of calls and non-calls in favor of Green Bay. The depletion of the receiving corps seemed to make it easier on Green Bay to shut down McLaurin, and limit Heinicke's other options. (It's apparent to me how much Heinicke's play was helped by having Logan Thomas on the field, especially in the red-zone.) One big question I do have -- if Ron likes to gamble on those 4th &1's, why not pick up a bruising back like Latavious Murray when he was available? At least Washington would have a respectable threat for the line plunge in those gambling scenarios. And something like that threat might create more opportunities for other options like play action. That could have helped today. At least I'm glad the "Team" was determined and played harder today, even when behind a top-tier opponent .... But maybe Scott Turner could review how he could make the offense play a little "smarter" too? I didn't get a sense of how his play-calls for into some integrated offensive game strategy, or were somehow tactically setting things up to exploit the Packers' D. (Okay, maybe he seemed to be banking on the Packed run defense being insufficient, but if so, he should have been more creative with running plays using McKissic and Peterson as change of pace/direction etc.)

I'm digging out my Burgundy-Tinted Glasses (the ones with twice the tint) to prepare for this game, and to cling to the hope that the "Team" will somehow prevail. At 2-4, Washington really needs another ugly win, to get closer to being in some kind of position to challenge Dallas for the NFC-E. I really hope things turn out so the second half of Washington's season could be worth following --- last year, it was refreshing to still be in the hunt in November and December, rather than debating with those who wanted the Team to lose out the remaining games for the better draft position. Heck, even having a closely-contested hard-fought game today vs. Green Bay, would go a long way to keeping a competitive "winners" mindset in the locker room and in future games.

The supporting cast (offensive line, good WR-1, decent pass-catching RBs, and an "adequate" TE/Receiving corps) might help attract a decent FA QB to Washington . .. Maybe not Rodgers/Wilson/Watson good, but good. And if the defense picks up its effectiveness and re-establishes its reputation as a top-tier unit, that would really help. I think Rivera is still well-regarded around the league and seen as one who treats his players professionally and fairly. With the exception of Dallas, some QB candidates might consider that The NFC-East is easier to win than, say,the NFC-West, etc. So Washington might be seen by a candidate as a possible vehicle to be in the playoff picture. That said, Snyder, his yes-men, FedEx field, and the continuing string of controversies and dysfunction surrounding the Washington franchise will continue to be a deterrent to attracting some quality FAs, especially top-tier QBs. While, IMHO, Rivera is the best thing that has happened to this franchise for a while now -- who's to say that Snyder won't fire him, before he completes the sorely needed overhaul of the Team? THAT'S the kind of 'negative' lurking in the background, that will keep some top-tier QBs from coming here. I think Rivera would be wise seeing if a reasonable price can be obtained for Ryan, Garoppolo, or Carr to keep Snyder at bay, while Ron continues the rebuild the Team and its culture. IMHO, there's no QB in the upcoming draft who seems worth Washington mortgaging their future for, especially when the Team still needs to rebuild. Maybe if one of the better QBs slid to the vicinity of Washington's pick in the 1st round, they might then go after him, assuming he was a fit with their vision of the offensive strategy. (Heck, they might even be able to take a flyer on Pickett if he slides to Round-2.) Instead, with a FA veteran "former-franchise QB" on the roster, Washington would be better positioned for the day when they DO go "all-in" on a potential Franchise QB--hopefully in a year when the draft is stacked with decent candidates. Meanwhile Washington should keep improving the present team, so they have a high enough quality roster to work with after they've mortgaged the team's future for a chance at the fabled "Franchise Quarterback" that Washington is confident can deliver the goods.

Altogether Fitzpatrick was on the field running plays for about 7 minutes. In the unlikely he doesn't ever get cleared to return to the game again, Washington would have paid him $1.428 million per minute! I know, this didn't account all the time he put in during practice, in OTAs, in preseason, etc -- it was just the time Fitz was running the offense during REAL game time. ...And I do think he'll be back as the starting QB at some point in time. I just wanted to do the math on his "per minute rate" for grins.

It struck me how much the O-line performance sagged today. And It was a bad time for that (especially on the right side) because it seemed like Turner wanted Heinicke to stay longer in the pocket and, if necessary, loft his pass to his safety/checkdown outlet. Strange because Heinicke seems to play better when rolling out and finding an open lane to throw through to reach his receiver. Problem was, the O-line wasn't able to maintain any of Heinicke's favored roll-out pathways out of the pocket -- a pocket that was collapsing more quickly than usual. When Taylor "bob&weaved" his way out of the pocket -- he was then having to throw more quickly than usual (and often off-balance too) ....before he'd be sacked. I saw that happening because of today's combination of weaker O-line plus less effective running threats, plus too many hobbled or backup receivers. Today's game plan (and limitations in perforformance) accentuated the fact that Heinicke's arm isn't strong enough to throw well, when/if he's off-balance -- especially those shorter touch passes where he has to loft it over onrushing defenders. Turner should have seen that, and schemed his offense tactics to the strengths that Heinicke DOES have (mobility, throwing dart-like passes from a balanced platform, quick mental processing speed for ad lib plays while scrambling, and the movie to try those throws.) ....Hmmm, so maybe it's a learning process for Turner too! Bottom line : None of the QBs on the WFT roster would do well behind today's O-line, and the hobbled groups of RBs and receivers. Until Cosmi, Scherff, Gibson, Logan Thomas, Samuels and Brown get well enough to play their quality game -- a scrambling QB (even with his deficiencies) might be the best option. If more of the starters get back (especially right side O-line) then maybe Fitzpatrick could be the better option, depending on how long it takes him to regain his familiarity effectively executing the WFT gameplan.

Sorry Califan, I'll stand by my statement. I was looking at Allen's potential fit in the WFT offense, and I feel his time in learning the starter's role in Carolina just raised a few things I'd need to watch in assessing whether he could be a good game-manager in the WFT system (He had a lot of interceptions). I saw in Carolina he was somewhat mobile, but it remained to be seen how he'd perform with a different team, different defensive support, different receiving corps, etc. and working under different expectations of the offense. Also, maybe a year of seasoning might make a difference in what WFT might get out of Allen. And to be clear, Allen's time as a WFT starter was not enough to evauate, either due to injury or to the disparity in competitive levels of opponents he faced. ... Allen's first start as WFT QB vs. the Rams wasn't the best example to conclude an evaluation. The Washington O-line was being dominated, the running wasn't working and the Washington D quickly gave up 20 points early into the 2nd quarter, which meant the Rams could really pin their ears back and go after Allen. He didn't even make it to the half before Ramsey took him out out the game with a personal foul. Kyle had 9/13, 74 yds/ a 7-yrd. TD run, 83.5 rating The next two games Allen could have been 2-0 if Hopkins didn't miss a last minute FG. He also could have put up more points against Dallas. But NFC-E games were kind of weird in 2020, and those weren't middle-to-upper tier opponents. --- Vs the Giants ((Oct game) he put up enough points to be able to win, but Hopkins blew it. Allen's numbers 31/42 280yrds. /2TDs/1Int/ QB rating 97.3 WFT got to 19 points but could have been at least 22 for the win on the road. --- Vs Dallas WFT got to 25 points and it could have been more. Cowboys couldn't stop the run and were held to 3 points. Allen's stats...15/25 194yds. 2 TDs. Rating of 111 In the November Giants game, Allen may have been on the field for only a total of 4-5 minutes total before Jabrill Peppers personal foul took his leg out even before the first quarter was over. Moreover, the Giants dominated the first quarter time of possession because McKissic fumbled after a 21yrd reception and the WFT punt returner also fumbled.) Allen's stats ....5/7 62 yrds. Rating of 98.5 So what we got to see was just two full games against flawed NFC-E opponents and a 1/2 game when the whole team was being dominated by the Rams. I saw a few good things and some bad things -- but not enough to get sense what he could do against non NFC-E teams that were middle to upper tier. And after Washington's history of QB results from McNabb, Beck, Grossman, Brunnell, etc I prefer to assess what I see of the QB in the Washington scheme, rather than pre-judge them based on their performance with another team. Heck, at this point I'm not sure how mobile Allen is now, after that major leg injury.

I thought the idea was the WFT offense's role for its QB was designed to have someone be a decent game-manager, with some mobility, but with the ability/mindset to occasionally challenge defenses with deeper passes into the secondary and to have the guts to give the WFT receiving corps a chance to win those 50-50 passes. The idea was to leverage the WFT running game and quick passes to the available receiver, and maintain an upbeat tempo WFT offense that could sustain long enough drives would (a) rest the defense, (b) at least get into position for 'makable' field-goals, (c) contribute to a WFT field position advantage, and (d) occasionally cash in on some of the short field and red-zone opportunities. The perceived strength of the WFT was the defense, and if the offense could muster some 20+ points and maintain field position advantage... the defense usually could perform well enough for a Washington win. the WFT scheme didn't demand its QB be that strong-armed mega-star one tends to associate with those flashy Mahomes-like, deep-strike, quick score offenses. Problem was WFT didn't have a QB that fit that bill. Haskins was unreliable (mechanically, etc), and too slow in processing of the scheme and defensive coverages. Smith was a risk-averse, dink&dunk, "Captain Check-Down" even when he'd been healthy/mobile. and while Allen knew the scheme and seemed mobile enough to fit the bill, he got injured before anyone could see what he could do in real game-time conditions running the WFT offense. As for Fitzpatrick, his track-record indicated he might be able to fit the bill, if you allowed for his crafty veteran skills to balance out his mobility issues. Here again, injury has deferred the assessment of whether he'd work out as a reliable QB to run the WFT offense as originally intended. At this point we can see that Heinicke has the temperment, mobilty, and quick processor to fit the bill, but also less arm strength, and he still learning the real-time NFL game. At least he's shown he'd be a decent backup for many teams, especially as he seems to learn from.each game. The only problem is, he's going to press a lot when the defense gives up points so rapidly, forcing him to quickly catch up from 14+ points behind, even just to keep pace. Bottom line, Heinicke fits the bill well enough, but the offense really wasn't designed to bail out a very poor WFT defense.

SIP, Thanks for the notice about Kenny Pickett. I liked much of what I saw of him

I think Rivera is taking a sound approach, at least from most managerial theory that I picked up over the years. Especially when you're almost stuck with the roster you've got, because any players significantly better are going to be a challenge to find or bring in as replacements. (And even if you do shake things up, you'd probably have growing pains as the players got used to their new roles in a different system.) I don't think the Team's at the point, yet, where it's permanently/fatally flawed, it can't be repaired by coaching up or minor changes, etc -- and therefore requiring the FO to pull the trigger on a major surgery or some extensive overhaul of players/coaches/systems. To do that after 5 games, seems like a bit of an over-reaction to a stumbling start of the season.. Because, If it DOES get to that point, a major overhaul would likely mean giving up on this season after 5 games, and also result in adding another year to the Team's re-build. I honestly believe the talent assembled on this team is pretty good, especially considering how deep of a hole Washington was in, when Rivera & Co. took over. I'm willing to give this more time, considering this rebuild has been handled professionally, and the Team's prospects going forward still seem promising, especially if the younger players can be developed into quality players. ....Time will tell.

Adam Humphries. Humphries was only targeted 5 times, but caught 3 for 78 yards (decent YAC too) and his total led WFT receivers today.