Mike Shanahan Press Conference: "I haven't made a decision on the starting QB **UPDATE** per John Keim: Cousins will start

[Fan since a Fetus]

Well when a QB starts completing a lot of shorter passes and quick hits... Blitzing becomes futile as LB's are needed to take up space in passing lanes.  That in turn gives a QB an extra second to hold the ball.

You should tell Kyle that. Most of his routes are 30 yards down field. He hardly calls anything quick with the exception of the screen pass to the WR.

[redskins59]

LOL..That's why personnel people around & analysts the league slam this Offensive Line on a weekly basis.

I have seen enough stills by Atlanta Skins Fan on a different board to know that Griffin holds on to the ball too long.  Hell, he even holds on to the ball for 5 seconds sometimes! Whereas Peyton Manning does not hold on to the ball for even 3 seconds.  A lot of the sacks are the QB's fault.

It's almost a guarantee that the sack numbers will go down with Cousins as the starter.  Cousins did not look good last week as well, but he threw the ball quicker than Griffin.

[AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy]

I know you didn't ask me and I have NO inside information but here is my 2 cents...

IF I was Mike/Kyle; lets say I'm Mike I would tell Kyle.... look I'm done here, might be done in the league but you can save yourself by sticking it out after I get fired.

If I'm Kyle I coach my freakin tail off, I start ROBERT not Cousins. I try to wash the stench of Mike's failure off my resume.

I limit the read-option. I try my best to field the best offense I can with Robert.

DG brother, you know you are more than welcome to chime in.

 

This is kinda what I was getting at.  Say Shanny got shipped, Kyle stayed behind and depending on results, maybe Kyle would stay here.  I know that's a strange and unlikely scenario.  It just got me to thinking about what kind of working relationship Mike & Kyle have.  

 

If they both wind up on another team together, I guess we'll have our answer.

[Vilandil Tasardur]

I'm not basing my opinion solely on the leak. I'm basing it on all the weird things that have been coming out of Robert's camp all offseason, things to which I wished weren't said at the time but just didn't want to believe were of any significance. I'm basing it on Snyder's history. I'm basing it on how a team that had so much promise, so much going for it could all of a sudden have so much go wrong.

 

But, I agree with you. We shouldn't overlook the failures on the field this year, especially with the Special Teams. Everything else, I'm not so willing to bash the coaches for. I think a lot of what's going on right now with the trashing of Shanahan is outrageously ingenious hindsight. 

 

Going into the year, most of us were totally understanding that we couldn't do much to improve the team personnel-wise due to the salary cap penalty, especially on defense. We also weren't so hard on Haslett, because we saw the defense improve right before our eyes the last month or so of the 2012 season. We were creative and played our depth guys well. NO ONE blamed Shanahan for holding on to Haslett.  

 

We were all hoping to get some major production out of the rookies we drafted in the secondary, which unfortunately didn't happen. And that's normal. Some guys need time, especially later round draft picks. We lost Phillip Thomas early on as well, so who knows.

 

The heaviest criticism about the personnel revolved around Tyler Polumbus and finding a better RT. We brought in Trueblood and Pashos, moves that were obviously made because of the handicap from the salary cap penalty. I just don't see us signing those guys otherwise. Now, I know you disagree with this, but going into the season it's hard to fault Mike for believing the Oline can handle one more year as it is after last year's performance. They played well, read option or not. Interestingly, Polumbus, the consensus weak link going into the season, wasn't playing poorly this year at all, up until the last few games in which it seems like our entire Oline has disintegrated. It was our interior Oline that regressed, where guys like Will Montgomery and Chris Chester all of a sudden became awful. I don't know what happened there, especially with Montgomery, who was great last year.

 

It could definitely be argued that all of this should've been foreseen by Mike. That's his job. And I agree, but part of me also wonders how much the guys are all looking in the film room and seeing Robert making mistakes over and over again that's making them look bad. We don't know that. We don't know when Robert was responsible to change a protection and messed up on it and how many times he did that. We only see the end result where the Oline looks bad. 

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it's hard for me to forget what happened last year. It's hard for me to throw that away. We had great coaching on the offensive side of the ball that was as innovative as can be and the coaches on the defensive side improved towards the end of the year. Bringing in Keith Burns didn't seem like a crazy idea since he was an assistant on one of the better special team's units in the NFL last year. We all knew we weren't going to be able to do much personnel-wise, and we were all happy we brought back the vast majority of the team. Fletcher regressed, Moss wasn't playing as well to start the year, and of course, the most significant factor was the difference in Robert's play. I think all of those things matter more than anything else.

 

It's just my opinion. I know you disagree and want to focus more on schemes/playcalling, but I just disagree with that. That's all.   

This is how I see it too.

 

I just don't think we could plan for Monty going from Pro Bowl center to absolutely awful. We all hoped to make strides in the secondary, and really, we sort of did. We def hit on our 2nd rounder, and struggled to get the late rounders ready (not abnormal). Many of us suspected that Fletcher might drop off, but I don't see how we could have planned more than we did. We picked up Barnett and prayed. Not much more we could have done given the cap situation. 

 

I really, really, really believe that RG3 played awful for the first 4-6 games. And I really, really believe that once you're 1-5, it doesn't matter if he improves or not. It doesn't matter if you "coach 'em up" or not. You're 1-5. The season is over. I don't give a damn about the latest couple of losses. If you're 1-5, it's because your team is bad. It's because your interior line regressed beyond belief. It's because your QB took a long time to get back on track. It's because your HOF MLB is playing like poo. It's because your safety position has been an injury turnstile and your most reliable guy there is still Reed Doughty. 

 

I think that if this team had gotten to 4-2 or 5-1, we would have seen a lot of effort from a lot of guys who are currently dogging it. I still don't think we'd have been very good, but I think a lot of guys would still be fighting. But ultimately, you can't be surprised that guys quit when you're 1-5. That's normal. It's bad, but it's normal.

[ZRagone]

So my question to many of you who think this makes sense to bench RGIII, do you really believe his knee isn't healthy and that an off-season of rest will make him healthier? Because in all honestly, from everything we know and hear, that isn't true. The only thing the off-season will give him is more time to strengthen his knee so he regains a bit more of his speed, and more time learning whatever offensive system is in place and his reads.

1) Noting that there's an entirely different contextual situation between Griffin at this moment in time and Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, or Matt Ryan at this point in time does not equal "it makes sense to bench him". Nice strawman.

2) Two, I claimed it COULD make sense (if not for all the crazy drama going on) for a variety of reasons...specifically to not risk a second consecutive off season spent rehabbing when the season is for all intents and purposes over. I suggested I still PERSONALLY wouldn't advocate for it and that I don't think it'd be a good idea, but that I could at least understanding the reasoning and thought process behind it.

Eli Manning, Matt Ryan, or Aaron Rodgers getting injured in the last 3 games and losing an off season sucks....but they're veteran passers with years under their belt with their system, receivers, and the NFL in general and have shown a consistent ability to play at a high level in this league. It's not comparable to the situation RG3 would be in if he got injured. Which is why I was saying that the analogy is piss poor, even if it's legitimately a bad idea to bench RG3.

[Fan since a Fetus]

Pro Football Focus breaks down avg yards per route run. Garcon is in the top 10 for WRs. Moss is in the top ten for slot receivers (as of early November). Now you can bring up other players that are good and above Moss and Garcon like CJ and Welker, but they have the lines that can hold up.

This is a big problem with our offense. Kyle is so worried about getting the ball down field, that he doesn't take what the defense gives to him.

[ZRagone]

You don't own the word "fans" bro.. People can say what they want and speak from a fans pov because we are all fans of this team. You don't get tons of mentions from fans on twitter asking how this keeps happening to the fans etc.. So my tweet is a general statement instead of responding directly to one individual.

Bro you don't own the word either. Which was specifically why I was expressing my annoyance at you and your crew trying to either 1) lecture the fans about what they SHOULD be feeling/thinking or 2) suggesting what this team or staff should be doing for us.

[mike42]

I have seen enough stills by Atlanta Skins Fan on a different board to know that Griffin holds on to the ball too long.  Hell, he even holds on to the ball for 5 seconds sometimes! Whereas Peyton Manning does not hold on to the ball for even 3 seconds.  A lot of the sacks are the QB's fault.

It's almost a guarantee that the sack numbers will go down with Cousins as the starter.  Cousins did not look good last week as well, but he threw the ball quicker than Griffin.

Griffin had 5 seconds to throw the ball? How often has that happened this season? Most of the sacks are not RG3's fault. Sometimes the offensive line gets pushed back into him. It's a mess. RG3 isn't perfect, but he doesn't have fair chance at playing QB.

 

Compare this season offense to last season, the biggest regression has been the offensive line. Last season, RG3 had at least some breathing room to throw.

 

Giants game 2 weeks ago, the first two drives RG3 looked really good. Why? Giants didn't bother challenging our offensive line. 3rd drive, they brought the heat that quickly torn down our weak line. As soon as the oline slaughter began, I knew it was over.

[martytheman]

You should tell Kyle that. Most of his routes are 30 yards down field. He hardly calls anything quick with the exception of the screen pass to the WR.

 

there are plenty of short routes, griffin just pulls the ball down instead of letting it go.

with his accuracy this year maybe that's why he's afraid to throw the ball.

[nuposse87]

Doesn't matter whose back there, they're going to get annihilated behind this line. 

[ncr2h]

Pro Football Focus breaks down avg yards per route run. Garcon is in the top 10 for WRs. Moss is in the top ten for slot receivers (as of early November). Now you can bring up other players that are good and above Moss and Garcon like CJ and Welker, but they have the lines that can hold up.

This is a big problem with our offense. Kyle is so worried about getting the ball down field, that he doesn't take what the defense gives to him.

That stat is derived by dividing the receiver's total receiving yards by the number of pass routes they've run.  In essence, it measures how often they are at getting open.  Or how much better they are than the other receivers on our team.  PFF doesn't actually track how many steps these guys are taking, or whatever.

[Lavarleap56]

I have seen enough stills by Atlanta Skins Fan on a different board to know that Griffin holds on to the ball too long.  Hell, he even holds on to the ball for 5 seconds sometimes! Whereas Peyton Manning does not hold on to the ball for even 3 seconds.  A lot of the sacks are the QB's fault.

It's almost a guarantee that the sack numbers will go down with Cousins as the starter.  Cousins did not look good last week as well, but he threw the ball quicker than Griffin.

 

The offensive line is not good. We weren't talking about Robert holding the ball or not holding the ball, we were talking about the OL. I haven't seen ASF's stills are don't look for them, Stills are dangerous in the hands of people that don't know what they're looking for.

 

The sacks are a shared responsibility between the QB.RB,OL,TE,& WR's.. It's easy to look at a play where Robert is holding the ball and start pointing the finger. He does hold the ball on occasion, but why? What if your in a 3 step drop and your first read runs 8 steps instead of 6 before his stem? What if a WR runs the wrong route? What if the WR or TE slips to the ground off the los or can't get off a jam? Sometimes Robert holds the ball because he doesn't trust what he sees or some of the WR's he's working with. A lot of factors could contribute to holding the ball. 

 

Back to the OL, are they terrible? no, are they good? no.. They are having a lot of communication issues and are blowing protections that Robert thinks are blocked up well pre-snap. Post-snap they get killed on stunts and doubles attacking the tackles, exposing the guards to 1 on 1 situations. Defenses are even getting pressure by stacking a DE & LB wide outside Polumbus so he oversets and leaves a lane inside that Chester is suppose to help with.

 

Robert is a second year QB that spent his offseason getting healthy enough to get back on the field while everyone else arounf the league was growing as a player. Let the kid work his ass off this offseason and pass judgement next December. It would be nice if the OC actually focused on building his confidence as a passer early in games, but that doesn't happen enough,

[Lavarleap56]

Bro you don't own the word either. Which was specifically why I was expressing my annoyance at you and your crew trying to either 1) lecture the fans about what they SHOULD be feeling/thinking or 2) suggesting what this team or staff should be doing for us.

 

Like I said I can say what I want and I was speaking to people that were asking me questions.Think you have bigger things to worry about than how I use the words fans.

[A_SKIN_OR_DIE]

We still owe another draft pick for RGIII.  It make sense to bench him.  If RGIII gets hurt it will be a 24 hours a day media frinzy.  There is no I in team.  Put Kirk in.  We should not trade Kirk.  Let him get his reps.  We will have a high draft pick in the 2nd round.  As far as Shanny, he has done good at drafting with what we had.  Kyle has had bright spots but over all not ready yet.  We need another play calling coach and while we at it defense coach too.  RGIII could let the leg rest.  He can practice on throwing and leg movements.  Also with Kirk starting, RGIII can learn what he can from the sideline (play calling, reading defense etc).  I have not bee watching the games because  we been stinking up the place but HTTR forever

[KingDinka]

Racism because the coaches adjust the offensive gameplan to each player's strengths?  RG3 is one of the worst rollout QBs that I've ever seen.  Rex Grossman, who is slow as all hell, runs the rollout better than Griffin.  John Beck, who is the worst QB I've ever seen play in the NFL (including Jamarcus Russel), runs a much better rollout than Griffin.  Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, Kirk Cousins - they all do it better than him.  For some reason (and maybe it's just this year), RG3 makes mistakes at an alarmingly high rate on rollouts.  2 weeks ago, he threw an INT.  Last week, he threw a 1 yard pass when he had 2 open receivers who each would have scored TDs.  He often holds the ball all the way until the sideline, at which point he throws it at the very last instant, which resulted in an interception earlier in the season.

 

It's sad because the rollout should be so easy for him.  Simplified reads, simplified protections - it's one of the easiest plays to execute in the NFL.

 

And also - we call tons of short quick passes with RG3 already.  Just because the playcall is for a short, quick pass doesn't mean that's what actually ends up happening.  What typically ends up happening is that RG3 doesn't throw the ball because the window is tighter than the ones he is used to from 2012 and Baylor.  So he goes to his second read.  His decision making is slow, and by the team he is done making his second read the protecton has broken down and he either gets hit hard, takes a sack, or starts running.

Well, as you know, you can run an offensive system for one QB to fail(because he's close to the owner) and one for another to succeed. The first half of the Giants game RG3 was 16-17 for about 115 yards in the 1st half and up 14-0 with the short passing attack. Then the 2nd half come they went back to the option where RG was running all over the place. So, you're telling me if they use the short passing attack the entire game against the Falcons and Kirk does well, you think that's equal opportunity to succeed?

[Sekhmet187]

The short passing game works for nearly any team. Look at Philly, New Orleans, New England, Denver and Seattle. Its proven that short passes, screens, slants etc. work well. The read option really should only be added to help out with that, so coaches focusing too much on it are no different than the year Miami went overboard with the Wildcat. I do think that it can be detrimental to the QB and the offense, by not using him in a large role in a form of offense that has proven to be successful league wide. 

[Hooper]

Cooley thinks Mike and Kyle think RG3 will never develop into the guy they thought, that they don't have confidence they can ever win with them, and this whole thing is about that. Basically they think they bet on the wrong horse and want to make it seem like they were forced into it somehow. According to Cooley, look for Shanny to soon leak BS that he didn't want to draft Robert.

What an unaccountable rat Shanny is.

[darrelgreenie]

Cooley thinks Mike and Kyle think RG3 will never develop into the guy they thought, that they don't have confidence they can ever win with them, and this whole thing is about that. Basically they think they bet on the wrong horse and want to make it seem like they were forced into it somehow. According to Cooley, look for Shanny to soon leak BS that he didn't want to draft Robert.

Dude what the hell are you talking about? I listened to the Cooley and Czabe show and did that is NOT what Cooley said.

[Hooper]

Said it to JLC. Let me know if link works. Posting on phone -- if not, check JLC's twitter feed for link

http://nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d1/d4/d9/dJ/dF/149JF_4.MP3

[darrelgreenie]

Said it to JLC. Let me know if link works. Posting on phone -- if not, check JLC's twitter feed for link

http://nyc.podcast.play.it/media/d0/d0/d1/d4/d9/dJ/dF/149JF_4.MP3

My apologies we were talking about 2 different shows.

 

But...

W.

T.

F.

 

Wow, the hits just keep on coming.

 

But I call BS on Cooley's opinion because if what he is saying is true why not bench Griffin earlier? Your the HC/GM.

Dan gave Mike all the power, he can do whatever he likes.

We have winning season out of 4 under Mike's regimes and the one player responsible for that success is a player they can't get along with? Get bent Mike Shanahan,

 

Now I'm starting to think that Cooley is a mouthpiece (maybe unknowingly) for Kyle.

And it cracks me up how these stories push the convo further and futher away from the special teams or the defense?

[ThomasRoane]

Pro Football Focus breaks down avg yards per route run. Garcon is in the top 10 for WRs. Moss is in the top ten for slot receivers (as of early November). Now you can bring up other players that are good and above Moss and Garcon like CJ and Welker, but they have the lines that can hold up.

This is a big problem with our offense. Kyle is so worried about getting the ball down field, that he doesn't take what the defense gives to him.

 

Did I miss Kyle playing the position? All an OC can do is scheme up so that players get open. If the QB doesn't see them or the receiver drops the ball how is that the fault of the OC?

[Hooper]

My apologies we were talking about 2 different shows.

 

But...

W.

T.

F.

 

Wow, the hits just keep on coming.

 

But I call BS on Cooley's opinion because if what he is saying is true why not bench Griffin earlier? Your the HC/GM.

Dan gave Mike all the power, he can do whatever he likes.

We have winning season out of 4 under Mike's regimes and the one player responsible for that success is a player they can't get along with? Get bent Mike Shanahan,

 

Now I'm starting to think that Cooley is a mouthpiece (maybe unknowingly) for Kyle.

And it cracks me up how these stories push the convo further and futher away from the special teams or the defense?

I think if Shanny benched Griffin simply because he lost faith in him as a player... well, he would have been fired eventually for blowing multiple picks on a player he quickly soured on. 

 

Shanny thinking he whiffed on RG3 is really the only thing that kinda explains his ridiculous behavior as of late. 

 

Basically, in his weasely mind, he decided he couldn't win with RG3 yet couldn't bench him either -- because both things would make him look like a failure as coach/GM.

 

So he spun some BS about Snyder the egomaniac owner and RG3 the diva superstar.

 

Also, I know I'm in the minority, but I actually think Shanny is now desperately looking for a way to salvage things and come back next year. Just listen to his mouthpieces Sally Jenkins and Adam Schefter. He knows he screwed up and coaching the Redskins next year, no matter how slim of a chance in hell there is of it happening, is the only chance he has to be a HC in the NFL again.

 

It's beyond pathetic.

[darrelgreenie]

You're its is pathetic

Still doesn't make sense to me though. If he thought Griffin was the problem then he should play the QB 'that gives him the best chance to win'

Because if Cousins wins games that kept is in the playoff hunt fans would forgive the benching of any player. But he better be right.

[mistertim]

I just don't get it. IF the above were the case what in the world would make Shanny do such a quick 180 on his outlook for RG? I remember at the beginning of the 2012 season he was singing Griff's praises about how fast he picked things up and didn't mess up plays during minicamp. Then during the season he seemed very honest in his praise for him and how well he was playing and his work ethic, ability, etc. What would happen in such a short period of time to make Shanny suddenly say "you know what? I don't think this kid is legit...we can't win with him"? Does he think the knee is always going to be a problem? Did Griff suddenly stop understanding the plays or football terminology? 

[Tyron Biggums]

I just don't get it. IF the above were the case what in the world would make Shanny do such a quick 180 on his outlook for RG? I remember at the beginning of the 2012 season he was singing Griff's praises about how fast he picked things up and didn't mess up plays during minicamp. Then during the season he seemed very honest in his praise for him and how well he was playing and his work ethic, ability, etc. What would happen in such a short period of time to make Shanny suddenly say "you know what? I don't think this kid is legit...we can't win with him"? Does he think the knee is always going to be a problem? Did Griff suddenly stop understanding the plays or football terminology? 

Sounds like the Shannys are using RG3 as a scapegoat for their own failings. Dang this rabbit hole keeps getting deeper and deeper. Unbelievable the epic fail they have concocted. 

 

Why would Snyder wait 3 weeks to get rid of these cancers?

 

HTTR