redskins0756 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 That's an error in perception, then, because Cartwright was near the very top in kickoff return average, even if he rarely broke big returns. It seems like he always got out to the 30 or more.I think the biggest problem for a long time has been the blocking on punt returns, especially the two guys that are supposed to slow down the punting team's gunners on each side. I'd sit at the games and watch the other team's gunners just blow right through, and by the time Randle El caught the ball, he had to dodge 2 or 3 guys. I really don't think it was Randel El's fault at all. Pointing to Moss isn't fair, because Moss is freakishly good at doing stuff Randel El shouldn't have to. Look at the return against the Lions. Moss had to dodge out of the way of 3 players (including his own guy hitting him :doh:) before he could even start the return. I guess the blocking comes back to Danny Smith, so I'm not happy with his performance there. Everything else I'd think has been as good as expected, given the limited personnel. The blocking didn't cause Randle El to side step four different ways and then fall to the ground. He had clear lanes and couldn't take advantage. We paid him that kind of money to be a slot receiver and returner, neither of which he has done exceptionally well at. Unfortunately because bonehead Snyder/Vinny decided to sign this joke to a long term deal worth an inordinate amount of money we can't cut him. So we're stuck with a guy who is undersized, can't return kicks, and is an average receiver. And for those of you who will post "OMG but his route running is so good!!!", maybe so but his route running means nothing if he keeps dropping passes (and that's been a problem throughout not just last night). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaGhost Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 The blocking didn't cause Randle El to side step four different ways and then fall to the ground. He had clear lanes and couldn't take advantage. We paid him that kind of money to be a slot receiver and returner, neither of which he has done exceptionally well at. Unfortunately because bonehead Snyder/Vinny decided to sign this joke to a long term deal worth an inordinate amount of money we can't cut him. So we're stuck with a guy who is undersized, can't return kicks, and is an average receiver. And for those of you who will post "OMG but his route running is so good!!!", maybe so but his route running means nothing if he keeps dropping passes (and that's been a problem throughout not just last night). well, randle el hasn't really been a true slot receiver... he's been our #2... which he is not the best at... but that doesn't excuse the dancing and dropped passes... i think he heard footsteps last night... otherwise that was 6... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CM916 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Smith has said it himself that this is the first year in a long time that they have actually given him a real live punter to work with. He's a good coach, we just suck at finding kickers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskins0756 Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 well, randle el hasn't really been a true slot receiver... he's been our #2... which he is not the best at...but that doesn't excuse the dancing and dropped passes... i think he heard footsteps last night... otherwise that was 6... In 2006 he was with the addition of Brandon Lloyd. In 2007 he was the #2 because we lacked depth at the position and a possession receiver. Although I would argue last year with the emergence of Devin Thomas and Chris Cooley lined up in different positions, he was more of a slot receiver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaGhost Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 In 2006 he was with the addition of Brandon Lloyd. In 2007 he was the #2 because we lacked depth at the position and a possession receiver. Although I would argue last year with the emergence of Devin Thomas and Chris Cooley lined up in different positions, he was more of a slot receiver. i don't really care for the semantics.... i think we are agreeing that he basically hasn't lived up to the hype and he needs to make catches like the one he missed last night.... there's enough guys starting to step up that he might see significantly diminished play time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaGhost Posted September 4, 2009 Share Posted September 4, 2009 Our Special Teams have not excelled in what seem like ages. Our KR and PR coverages are lacking, and we do give up big run backs. On the flip-side, we have not been getting big returns of our own, including TDs. danny needs to spit out that damned wad of gum so these guys can understand him and learn how to make an effing tackle... and how to block for our returners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzSkinsFan63 Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 Obviously NO! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Voice_of_Reason Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 The punt return blocking is the worst I've ever seen, and it's been that way for years. Sure, ARE takes three steps to the left and falls down, but the fact is that the returner can generally never take a step forward first. He had Leigh Torrence out there 1-1 as a gunner last year, and it took him 4 games to realize that Torrence wasn't big enough to chuck anybody and wasn't fast enough to run with anybody, before he put a second gunner on that side. Miserable coaching. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homerjones Posted September 5, 2009 Share Posted September 5, 2009 how come every other team it seems like has a guy who can kick it 4 yards deep in the endzone and our kickoffs fall at the 9 yard line. too me this is unacceptable but Zorn seems to think its some kind of advantage to never have your kickoffs sail into the endzone. Please explain? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
@DCGoldPants Posted December 14, 2009 Author Share Posted December 14, 2009 I don't want to be a downer after today's win. But somebody keeps putting ARE back there on punts....and continues to be shown it was a bad choice. I can only imagine the Special Teams coach gets to do that unless its a big time moment. So, I'll ask this question again. Last week his kicker was cut. This week this return guy fumbled it. Not often this season have they been view as any special teams that can get a kickoff past the 30, or a punt returned for something special. Is he the right guy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 Somewhat off topic, but Devin Thomas seems to be returning kicks more tentatively than he was a couple of weeks ago. It's almost as if now that he's getting big playing time on offense, he's not running with the same reckless abandon on kick returns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinsfanjoe Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 If he's the one responsible for ARE continuing to return punts then I'll say NO, he's not the right guy for the job. If someone above him is forcing him to stay with ARE then I'd say he's doing a decent job. Our kick coverage, Field goal unit, and punt coverage have been solid this year. The only aspect of our special teams that sucks is the punt return unit. ARE is horrible! I also don't think he's had the best of blocking but that's no excuse for his continual problem of letting punts drop when he should catch them, and his fumbling problem. Oh, and his happy feet are giving me an ulcer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarrellsMyHero28 Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I don't think people realize how bad this has been.We have 89 punt return yards. ALL SEASON. We have 89 punt return yards. ALL SEASON. That's a 3.6 average, by far the lowest in the league. From the ARE thread. If Danny Smith is making the decision to keep ARE back there, he should be fired. I have never, EVER seen anyone fail so miserably at returning punts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingdaddy Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 I live 25 minutes outside of Philadelphia and am surrounded by Eagles fans. My Eagles fan friends laugh when they see Danny Smith on our sidelines. He had some bad special teams when he was with the Eagles and was let go because of all the mishaps. Smith is pretty much a journneyman NFL coach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nittydachamp Posted December 14, 2009 Share Posted December 14, 2009 danny needs to keep ARE off the field on punts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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