Is Game 4 When Coaches Make Changes?

[bulldog]

Admittedly its been a long time, but back in 1981 the Redskins started the year as a passing team. Joe Theismann was throwing the ball 35-40 times a game but the results were not there.

After losing in that fourth game, Gibbs chaned his approach and while the team lost again in Week 5 the Redskins finished 8-3.

Yesterday's game didn't make me a Super Bowl believer, but the changes made before and during the Eagles' game gave me some much needed confidence that the staff has now fully evaluated the personnel and is evolving strategy to suit the talent.

Where is the evidence?

1. Torain has come forward to be a co-starter with Portis. Portis can still be effective but in spots. He's no longer a 25 carry back and the team admitted with the belated release of Larry Johnson and Keiland Williams that they were not really in the discussion of how to develop a system to keep Portis fresh and keep defenses a bit off balance.

2. Kory Lichtensteiger starts for Derrick Dockery. Dockery is not a good fit for this offense while Kory has a year under his belt with Mike in Denver and at 6'3 and 295 is quicker and more athletic. This one was brewing for awhile and one wondered when Shanahan would make the move. Surprisingly he did it in a game where Williams and Hicks were both already out of the lineup.

3.Use of two tight ends set to run the ball. Gibbs must be smiling about this one. Why not keep Cooley and Davis in the game and run the ball? Once the defense crowds the line you slip a TE down the field and end up with a big play. With Mike Sellers' inconsistent play you can also question whether having Cooley block at the point of attack might be more effective than having #45 try and lead from the backfield.

The real gut checks though have come on defense.The style Haslett came into the season with was not sustainable. Washington didn't have the overall team speed or the number of pure playmakers to make it a success.Some of the unit's better players looked lost.

So, things looked different in the Eagles' game.

Alexander started at OLB and added athleticism to the lineup along with size at 270.

Andre Carter was back to rushing the passer. Haynesworth was back inside at DT in a number of formations allowing Orakpo to play off his double teams.

Fewer blitzes meant fewer big plays for the opponent. There were no 50 yard screen passes or 35 yard hitches unleashed by the Eagles.

And Kolb lacked the confidence to consistently drive the ball without making errors.

Neither Maclin nor Jackson was really a factor in the game as

the corners were protected by the deep drops of the safeties in the middle of the field.

Altogether the defense didn't look like a traditional 3-4 very often and when it did the coaches were careful to arrange the deck chairs properly

As a lot of us said the pas several weeks - if you are not going to trade Carter or Haynesworth you might as well draw up plays to allow them to be the players we paid for.

[rockfan7224]

Great Post. It's really starting to look like the team is slowly but surely coming together.

[HigSkin]

Good write up Bulldog and it makes me think back to what Allen said earlier in Feb. I posted in another thread but applicable here. We aren't done making changes as evident in the "shopping DT" thread.

"My ideas have always been that you build a team around your coaching talents," he said. "Whether you have an offensive head coach or a defensive head coach, you've gotta fit the players to the coaching philosophy. Especially this year, because we are gonna be running a new scheme on offense and defense than the Redskins have run in the past."

[RFK Lives]

Excellent post and insight Bulldog. For those of us that remember 1981, yes, that is when our identity changes to a run first, set up the pass team. It suited our O-Line as well as our backfield. Now, 1991, it may seem like we were an aerial circus but it suited our WR corps and our backfield once again. I think the Coach knows exactly what he is doing and we are going to start seeing better results the rest of the year.

And maybe, just maybe, the Rams were not as bad as everybody suspected. Two wins in a row and they are in the race to win the division that nobody wants.

[Enter Apotheosis]

My gut feeling was that the first few games were, in some ways, an extension of the preseason. The coaches needed to see some of these guys in live action with a full gameplan to really get a feel for what does and does not work. They'll likely continue to evaluate the roster for the rest of the season but I feel like this past game was more representative of who will see action down the stretch than any game before it.

[Homercles82]

I love this board. Last week a lot of folks were ready to jump off a cliff. This week is almost a complete 180.

[RFK Lives]

I love this board. Last week a lot of folks were ready to jump off a cliff. This week is almost a complete 180.

Always been that way Homercles. All fanbases are like this. You don't think Dallas fans weren't lighting torches and grabbing pitchforks to raid Valley Ranch when they lost two to open the season?

You will always have Chicken Littles and Kool - Aid drinkers and rose colored glass wearing optimists. But, you will also have, for the most part, a passionate fan base and a majority of folks that can take a step back and look at things reasonably and expect reasonable results from a franchise that was 4-12 last year and will not be going to the Super Bowl this year but they are becoming competitive and a competent football team.

[SlobberKnockinFootball]

I love this board. Last week a lot of folks were ready to jump off a cliff. This week is almost a complete 180.

I was just laughing at the same thing man... That's why Jim Zorn always stressed "Staying Medium":evilg:

[rockfan7224]

I love this board. Last week a lot of folks were ready to jump off a cliff. This week is almost a complete 180.

Disclaimer: I was not one of those cliff jumpers

[Duckus]

Good post. I think though that Kory Lichtensteiger took over for Dockery last week during the Rams game.

[SMOSS89]

Agreed.

As soon as I learned that Lorenzo was starting for Carter, for some reason I just felt better.

And seeing that they finally pulled the trigger on Dockery/Kory made me feel better as well. They are starting to get a feel for the roster's limitations/strengths.

To be honest, there are a number of low round/undrafted young guys starting to make a difference.

Ryan Torain, Brandon Banks, Kory L, Anthony Armstrong

All of whom are SHANAHAN guys. I would imagine as the year goes on (and especially the offseason), there will be more flushing of old regime guys for the Shanahan guys.

[Est.1974]

Great post,

I think Shanahan has been a bit too hesitant to make these changes. I felt that having seen the RB positon get turned on its head within days of LJ getting cut. Those changes, appeared to me, like Shanahan finally realised he was playing too safe & not going with his gut instinct. Six months of evaluation taking a 180 within days. I'm not buying that just happened. Maybe there was too much caution in his earlier decisions.

Same can be said at LG & OLB where he's stayed safe, maybe loyal, for a period of time with vets who have worked hard during the offseason.

I think he's had a number of 50/50 calls that he's stayed safe on, until now.

[SkinsHokieFan]

My gut feeling was that the first few games were, in some ways, an extension of the preseason. The coaches needed to see some of these guys in live action with a full gameplan to really get a feel for what does and does not work. They'll likely continue to evaluate the roster for the rest of the season but I feel like this past game was more representative of who will see action down the stretch than any game before it.

I agree. While you can evaluate players in the preseason there is nothing like live fire.

The coaches have a much better idea today what they have with the players on this team then they did going into Dallas.

Whats nice is the team has managed to come out 2-2 and could easily be 3-1. Hopefully the staff keeps making appropriate adjustments as needed

[RedskinsInFebruary]

I love this board. Last week a lot of folks were ready to jump off a cliff. This week is almost a complete 180.

I don't know what being a fan would be if it weren't for the emotional element. It's just part of it.

[RedskinsInFebruary]

3.Use of two tight ends set to run the ball. Gibbs must be smiling about this one. Why not keep Cooley and Davis in the game and run the ball? Once the defense crowds the line you slip a TE down the field and end up with a big play. With Mike Sellers' inconsistent play you can also question whether having Cooley block at the point of attack might be more effective than having #45 try and lead from the backfield..

Really diggin this idea! Well thought-out.

[bulldog]

I think Kory and Derrick were splitting time in previous weeks, but this was the first game that Kory played LG for 4 quarters.

Ditto for Alexander at OLB.

Nice to see Kareem Moore back as well. He and Landry give the team much needed speed on defense.

[Darth Tater]

Yesterday's game puts me in mind of Paul Brown's second win over the Eagles.