MustangSteve Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Jay Gruden says the Redskins still have work to do before training camp begins, but after free agency and the draft he believes the Redskins "have significantly upgraded our football team." Click here to listen to the 2014 NFC East Champions head coach Jay Gruden http://www.csnwashington.com/redskinsblog/gruden-we-have-significantly-upgraded-our-football-team-video This Redskins Team can win the NFC East this season for real, they can definitely do this. Last season no team was able to step up and take this division, it was up for grabs through out, until we just laid down and was done. I just don't see that happening to this team, they could run away with it if anything close to that happens this season. I love what Gruden is doing in Washington, he went strait after the weaknesses and immediately started filling them with quality players, adding speed and weapons to his new offense, and is upgrading this team in all 3 phases,. offense, defense and ST and he's not even close to being finished.This is how you build a champion! I can't wait for the season to start. I am more exited about this team than any since the early 90's. Jay Gruden could have 1 hail of a good stint in Washington if he turns out to be just a good coach, doesn't have to be great but sure would be awesome if so. This team is all potential for not only this season, but the future years to come. Lets get back to the proud franchise we once were, Hail to the Redskins!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conn Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 It all comes down to drafting better. What did Shanahan say he was going to do from the get-go? Improve depth, bring competition to every position, bring in hard working blue collar leaders...this doesn't feel much different yet, other than the fact that we KNOW Shanahan neutered the ST's unit and we KNOW that Gruden is trying to fix it. We need to draft better under Gruden to have long-term, sustained, financially viable success. It's that simple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Between taking over, what he took over, the fine and having already peaked years ago, shanny never had a chance. Gruden takes over an empty team, with an absurd amount of cap, thanks to an amazing job by the fo, Well see, but I'm excited. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MustangSteve Posted May 15, 2014 Author Share Posted May 15, 2014 It all comes down to drafting better. What did Shanahan say he was going to do from the get-go? Improve depth, bring competition to every position, bring in hard working blue collar leaders...this doesn't feel much different yet, other than the fact that we KNOW Shanahan neutered the ST's unit and we KNOW that Gruden is trying to fix it. We need to draft better under Gruden to have long-term, sustained, financially viable success. It's that simple. The part that I'm so excited about is we finally have a QB to work with !!! Look how long we have suffered with this position, and the most important position on a team. Add a stud RB and a trio of speed and talent at the WR position, and a bigger O-line to protect and open huge holes for our backs. This could be our best season since 1991. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Califan007 The Constipated Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 I would agree that the team has been significantly upgraded in terms of talent. Gotta wait to see if it's been upgraded in terms of production. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGoodBits Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 OL and ST were really a focus of this offseason. Every draft pick outside of OL play or could play teams. I'm pretty sure we drafted a kicker not because he's sure to be better than Forbath at FGs, but because he can get more touch backs. Definitely don't mind the approach. Take the two weakest units and go overkill to fix them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The 13 team was totally unrecognizable vs. the 12 team, I think the 13 team is far removed now. Fans tend to forget we loaded up on potential that also did not play last year, but will be a factor this year. Mainly I want to see Robinson and Crawford on D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinny21 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The 13 team was totally unrecognizable vs. the 12 team, I think the 13 team is far removed now. Fans tend to forget we loaded up on potential that also did not play last year, but will be a factor this year. Mainly I want to see Robinson and Crawford on D. Right there with you I'm not expecting too much out of Crawford given the nature of his injury, but if he's good to go I think he should provide pretty good competition for Porter/Biggers. Robinson I think wins the ILB spot and will be a pretty big upgrade in coverage over Fletcher. He's got some stiff competition though. I feel like we've upgraded SS, FS, slot corner, Dline, ST, WR, depth (almost) across the board and possibly ILB and oline. Who knows if it works out, but I feel good about the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fight for ole DC Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 In addition, at least from my perspective, it appears the team has improved the culture of the organization. Players seem to be excited about playing for Gruden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRUSupposed2Be Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Between taking over, what he took over, the fine and having already peaked years ago, shanny never had a chance. Gruden takes over an empty team, with an absurd amount of cap, thanks to an amazing job by the fo, Well see, but I'm excited. Define "empty" my good man? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DogofWar1 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 In addition, at least from my perspective, it appears the team has improved the culture of the organization. Players seem to be excited about playing for Gruden. ^This is a big deal. I think Shanahan didn't have his heart in it anymore (there were all those reports that he wanted out after '12), and the lack of it showed through the players. Enter Gruden, a "player's coach." He should be able to get the most out of these guys. It's why I'm far less concerned about Moses' work ethic now than I was before the draft. After hearing about his meeting and how they connected on stuff outside of football, it made me think Moses will try that much harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Define "empty" my good man?very few people on the roster and even less, down to nobody, in the next two years. A complete roster turnover in one year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rskin72 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 I agree with optimism expressed by the OP. Sure we will have to wait and see what happens on the field.....but I think the '13 season was an outlier, and think our talent level has improved dramatically from the '12 team that won the NFCE title. We have several proven playmakers now on this team....something we have not had in a while....at least in abundance. And, like the OP, I am convinced that we have our franchise QB.....as long as he can stay healthy. And he is the catalyst for this team, IMHO. Our O will be very dangerous this season, I believe. ST play hopefully will improve....heck, can't get much worse than the atrocity that was ST play last season....so we may be able to start drives in better field position.....but more importantly do not give up the big plays to the opposition during punts and kick-off's. Maybe with the additional talent on D....combined with Shanny not being around to interfere with the D calls.....Haz will finally show that he is a master of the 3-4 D and more than just a mediocre DC. If nothing else....our D should be better with the additional talent acquired in FA/Draft. And if our O returns to '12 form from a scoring POV, then maybe our D can play with a lead vice playing from behind as we did last season. My biggest concern now is just making it thru TC and pre-season with no significant injuries to the team.....so we start the season with all of our horses ready to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master Blaster Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The success of this season is still in the hands of RGIII. I think we are 2 years from having a solid team that can win even with a bad day by the QB. Until then, RGIII is going to have a significant determination as to the outcome of games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llevron Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Between taking over, what he took over, the fine and having already peaked years ago, shanny never had a chance. Gruden takes over an empty team, with an absurd amount of cap, thanks to an amazing job by the fo, Well see, but I'm excited. I agree that he didn't have a chance, but I honestly don't think he was suited to be our HC regardless. I really feel like Shanny would have made an excellent FO official here (in whatever function) as he knows how a good organization has to work. Honestly I feel like his greatest deficiency was not realizing he had to work with PEOPLE, not assets. I just don't feel he had the leadership or people skills to make it work here in this city, with these players. However, he did us alot of good. Gruden actually owes his predecessor alot, and so do we. That said, I feel like we have put Gruden in a position to succeed. We still have Bruce, who I feel can fill Shannys function, FO wise. So from there, we literally just need a man to lead our boys and I think Gruden can be that man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 I have no doubt that Gruden will field an offense that scores points. He has proven that he can draw up plays that will get us into the endzone. However, I do feel that Cincy's offensive numbers were enhanced by the overall play of their defense. I'll be interested to see if Jay can build us into a winner on both sides of the ball. Things I will be most interested to see in 2013... Will RG3 be back to dominant form? I think so, and if it holds true, it's hard to see us not fielding a competitive team week in and week out. Will Moses/Long/Lauvao fix the OL problems which have plagued us for years? WIll PThomas/KRob/RCrawford/Breeland/Amerson contribute at a high enough level for our defense to get out of the cellar? Will Baker/Hatcher give us a much better push up front to take the pressure off our secondary? WIll Haslett turn 'em loose more? And will Rak and Kerrigan produce more as a result? Will this get Murphy enough PT and production to justify his draft position? Will BJenkins take a step forward? Will Haslett field a competent defense or will we be cursing at him all season long...again? I'm excited to see what Gruden brings to the table. Usually, when coordinators get a job as HC, they are great X and O types, and I think Jay fits that bill. But there are intangible qualities that make a HC successful. Is Jay truly a leader of men? I hope so. The early comments from the players about how much "freedom" they are getting, and how this is "their" team gives me pause. I know Shanny was a fire and brimstone type coach, which we sorely needed when he first got here. However, switching to the other extreme might not be the best thing for us either. That's just my opinion, and there's certainly more than one way to skin a cat. There will be plenty of signs as to how successful of a hire we made. The W-L column is everyone's favorite place to start. But for me, especially early on, I will be looking for a big improvement in discipline. Fewer penalties, less missed assignments, no bonehead 15 yarders, etc. If we can achieve that, and get consistent effort on both sides of the ball (which was a huge problem last year), I will feel very optimistic about Jay's chances to stick as our HC. Hail to a new era. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skins island connection Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 IMO the offense already had most of the pieces in place; the line needs some help but a mobile and healthy Griffin can neutralize the majority of defensive pressure. I'm concerned about the ST but moreso the defense; lets see what product Haslett puts on the field. No more excuses, no more finger pointing, there's no reason the defense should not improve, and drastically. The claims of tampering are over, it is time to either shape up or ship out. The team cannot rely on a high powered offense to win the games, the defense and ST must step up, and step up big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boss_Hogg Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The bar was set pretty low in 2013 Grudes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathen Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 But for me, especially early on, I will be looking for a big improvement in discipline. Fewer penalties, less missed assignments, no bonehead 15 yarders, etc. If we can achieve that, and get consistent effort on both sides of the ball (which was a huge problem last year), I will feel very optimistic about Jay's chances to stick as our HC. Hail to a new era. Exactly. And competitive, fun football to watch. That's what I'm looking for. The W-L, while important, indicate the play for (guess what) that particular year, there are other items that are more an indication of the team going forward, and those are some very important ones. Ultimately I want to go back to enjoying watching the team, because outside of '12 its been tough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roanoker Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 Success on paper and success on the field are two different animals. Imo Gruden's comments are the norm and expected. I have never heard any coach say after the draft and FA that "We have significantly degraded our football team," I like what I see on paper, but am more interested in player perfomance on the field during OTAs and training camp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zazzaro703 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The early comments from the players about how much "freedom" they are getting, and how this is "their" team gives me pause. I know Shanny was a fire and brimstone type coach, which we sorely needed when he first got here. However, switching to the other extreme might not be the best thing for us either. That's just my opinion, and there's certainly more than one way to skin a cat. Hail to a new era. The odd thing was Shanahan was supposed to be a fire and brimstone type coach but the team was a circus and were undisciplined across the board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
repo_4 Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The early comments from the players about how much "freedom" they are getting, and how this is "their" team gives me pause. I know Shanny was a fire and brimstone type coach, which we sorely needed when he first got here. However, switching to the other extreme might not be the best thing for us either. That's just my opinion, and there's certainly more than one way to skin a cat. This doesn't bother me all that much. I run my department at my job. I try to give all of the ownership I can to my people, as long as they can take it and run (they can handle the responsibility). People buy into what you are doing if they feel ownership, if they think their opinion matters. THey don't simply work for this company, they "own" it. I have worked for managers that were dictators and I could never imagine being that way because I know how much it sucked. I imagine players would receive a head coach much the same way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhoRUSupposed2Be Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The odd thing was Shanahan was supposed to be a fire and brimstone type coach but the team was a circus and were undisciplined across the board. That should teach Snyder to hire no more old farts lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlvinWaltonIsMyBoy Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 This doesn't bother me all that much. I run my department at my job. I try to give all of the ownership I can to my people, as long as they can take it and run (they can handle the responsibility). People buy into what you are doing if they feel ownership, if they think their opinion matters. THey don't simply work for this company, they "own" it. I have worked for managers that were dictators and I could never imagine being that way because I know how much it sucked. I imagine players would receive a head coach much the same way. I agree with you in theory. I remember when the Pistons got rid of Larry Brown and the players were all excited because Flip Saunders was more about offense and more of a players coach. That's one off the top of my head. Of course, balance is the key to most things. Gibbs was great at managing players and he never embarrassed a player in public (one of his more admirable traits that gets lost in the shuffle of admirable traits). Again, I agree with you, just something about the players' comments that jumped out at me as something to keep an eye on. From my experience, coaches who are better liked or are friends with the players have a harder time pushing players out of their comfort zone and saying what needs to be said when those things aren't so nice. Certainly other people have had different experiences and will have different opinions. If Gruden can be a player's coach and have total respect/control in the locker room, he can certainly be successful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWFLSkins Posted May 15, 2014 Share Posted May 15, 2014 The success of this season is still in the hands of RGIII. I think we are 2 years from having a solid team that can win even with a bad day by the QB. Until then, RGIII is going to have a significant determination as to the outcome of games. Disagree vehemently. Garcon paired with two now legit threats, Morris and if Reed is full go, makes for a dominate lineup this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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