WP: Redskins’ 3-4 defense, finally built to Jim Haslett’s liking, is capable of causing havoc

[Puma Kane]

The point that Haslett was brought back another year, make me think.that Snyder needs to evaluate his GM situation.

 

Most teams wouldnt have given him a chance, but yet the Redskins won't let him go. Smh

[Burgold]

There's some truth to that too.  How many dropped interceptions this year?

 

But on the flip side, we have been consistently scorched by wide, wide open receivers.  Eli hit some beautiful ones, but over half of his throws seemed not to even have a defender on the screen.

[knowledge316]

This organization isn't a functioning NFL team. This organization is about who you know. Guess what, President/GM/Replay Supervisor Bruce Allen has had experiences with majority of the staff, including Haslett. It had nothing to with qualifications. 

[Slateman]

Haslett is awful. His playcalling and coaching of the 3-4 has been awful. The team's willful negligence in the draft of NOT taking the most important position in the 3-4, the Nose Tackle, is awful.

[SouthsideDC]

Get use to teams isolating Riley in coverage, that's his weakness, the same issue Fletcher had. Teams know this so they will design plays to go after what they feel is a weakness. Some of the offensive shifts and alignments are going to dictate it. Riley is just not that good at it, the only way to avoid it is not to have it him the field in those situations but that's easier said than done. 

 

The D is suffering from injury across the front and in the secondary, without any push up the middle its open season on our young corners and the safeties we do have. You can plug one hole but it simply opens another. The D also got some stops but you cant have the QB giving the ball back to the other team on a short field... with the number of snaps they have to play and already being beat up, its a setup for failure. 

 

The offense needs to help the D out by sustaining a drive, it was just bad. The only time it looked good was when Cromartie went out for a series and the backup came in. Once he returned it was business as usually, I think at one point Helu and Morris had more receiving yards than our WR's smh....

[drowland]

Why is anyone surprised? You keep the same coach and most of the same players from a defense that has been terrible for years and you expected them to suddenly be good? It's funny that some people actually thought after the Jags game that this was a good defense and those of us that said, it's just the Jags, were told to just enjoy a dominant win. Even after the Eagles game, people defended giving up 30 points.

 

It's not just Haslett that needs to go, but also a good portion of the players shouldn't be starters. Basically there is one semi-good play maker on the defense in Kerrigan (two when Hall is healthy), but otherwise no one steps up and makes a game changing play...ever.

 

Even against the Jags, there were WRs running open.  It was just a matter of the pass rush getting there in that game.  The front 7 will go as Hatcher goes.  He's the only DL who can bring inside pressure on a consistant basis.  Now he's slowed by injury and you're seeing opposing QBs have a perfectly clean pocket to step up and throw in like they did last year. 

 

Watching Haz get schooled like he did in situational football was terrible.  That 29 yarder Eli hit to Cruz to set up the FG before the half was ugh.  The Giants baited him into thinking they were going for a quick sideline throw to pick up a few yards, Let them have 6 or 7 yards.  It's still a 50+ yard FG.  Instead they sell out to defend the short pass and Eli burns them over the top.  That was smart coaching vs dumb coaching. 

[DarkLink]

I thought the cuffs was off of Haslett, and he is suppose to unleash the beast. These past couple of games, he has unleashed the yeast. There's rumors that Shanahan is controlling him remotely.

[skins island connection]

 I cringed watching LBs covering WRs. Thats a match-up ANY OC would take in a heartbeat. Watching the corners being spun like a top all night long, faked out, juked out, and flat out burned; this is what we get with Rah-Ream Morris?  That experiment failed, and miserably.

 

When Haslett and Morris are sent packing, I will begin to have faint indications of belief in this team; our luck, Gruden will hire his other unknown brother, or maybe his uncle, or maybe Bruce Allen's nephew, or some other buddy-buddy kiss ass who will say and do anything to get a job in the NFL, just like Haslett and Rah-ream Morris did.

 

 Do the right thing, fire these 2 ASAP.  Can't coach, can't gameplan, can't adjust.  I'll bet they don't get hired anywhere in the NFL.

[KingGibbs]

There is no rhyme or reason NOT to fire Halett TODAY. None. Can anyone argue otherwise? Bring in Wade NOW!

 

By the way. It's so adorable that some of you actually thought that Hasneverbeen found a magical pill and became a capable DC.

 

He's so incompetent that if he took Viagra his penis would concave.

[Garcon More Wine]

haslett has a few more weeks before this D is turned over to raheem to see what he can do.  we'll have a new defensive staff next season.  

 

we contested 1 pass last night.  1 pass.  1 pass.  

 

1 pass.  

 I cringed watching LBs covering WRs. Thats a match-up ANY OC would take in a heartbeat. Watching the corners being spun like a top all night long, faked out, juked out, and flat out burned; this is what we get with Rah-Ream Morris?  That experiment failed, and miserably.

 

When Haslett and Morris are sent packing, I will begin to have faint indications of belief in this team; our luck, Gruden will hire his other unknown brother, or maybe his uncle, or maybe Bruce Allen's nephew, or some other buddy-buddy kiss ass who will say and do anything to get a job in the NFL, just like Haslett and Rah-ream Morris did.

 

 Do the right thing, fire these 2 ASAP.  Can't coach, can't gameplan, can't adjust.  I'll bet they don't get hired anywhere in the NFL.

 

haslett will probably be fired mid season, and raheem will get a chance with the D.  and he wont do much better because he will most likely suck too, and we'll have a new D coordinator for next season.

 

whats the draft looking like?  we're gonna have a top 6 pick.

[Rodriggo]

Giants are a middle of the road offense and they lit this team up last night.

 

Granted Pick Cousins didn't help but still.....Larry Donnell? I bet Jim didn't even know the guy's name before last night.

 

The defense has enough talent to pester, claw and fight but for two weeks in a row now it looked hopelessly out of position, completely out schemed.

[DJD2]

Clearly Gruden is holding Haslett back.

[RandyHolt]

Is Morris still calling all the coverages, like last year?

 

Haslett aside, our DBs looked completely lost much of the evening. 

 

Why do we have LBs in coverage over and over, yet our QBs are always passing against corners / double coverage?  I know Reed is out etc, but still, I cannot recall ever seeing our LBs being abused in pass coverage all game long.

 

Gruden needs to think long and hard about leaving the defense and special teams to his assistants. He needs to be the head coach, of more than just the offense.

 

Eventually, a head has to roll. Resurrecting the old Tuskers Tampa Bay Band thing may not have been best for our team. Tampa sucks as much as we do, it's why we play them almost every year.

[justice98]

My god this secondary is just dreadul.

 

It's basically been dreadful for the last 6-7 years.  

[httrMP]

How many times in the game did we have more than four guys rush the passer? I can recall at least one blitz and while it did not get a sack it did at least result in an incompletion. Honestly, did Haz think "Well, last game we only lost because of a missed FG, so my no pressure D that gives up a bunch of points is the way to go" or does he just not care because he knows that if he didn't get fired last year he probably won't this year?

[Wrong Direction]

I have this pet peeve about fans and media always talking about the "system" that some coach brings in.

 

No offense, but anyone can install a 3-4, call zone coverage or man coverage, and call for an occasional blitz. Great coaches don't earn their money on the play sheet, they earn their money making those players able to perfectly execute the plays that are called.

 

Last night was a perfect microcosm of why our defensive staff needs to be replaced.

 

Play 1 - TE lined up in man coverage against Amerson. He gets a clean release and an easy catch against a guy who should have been wearing him like a suit. Amerson is a fine athlete, but he clearly wasn't prepared to handle an average TE off the line. I believe that great players are coached and worked to be great. Amerson's technique jamming was clearly not coached and worked to be great.

 

Play 2 - WR lined up in man coverage against Amerson. Dude takes an outside release and goes deep, but Amerson's right with him. Manning throws a nice ball, but it wasn't either perfectly back shoulder or perfectly led so only the receiver could get it. That ball was exactly the throw that Amerson needs to be able to defend, but he doesn't get his head around or hands up. 

 

Play 3 - End of the first half and the Giants line up like they're going to throw a hail Mary, only they break a receiver off short and another off on the deep out. A clear miscommunication sends two Skins to the short guy and nobody to the deep out. Cruz gets the catch and the Giants get an easy field goal to end the half. 

 

If these technique and communication issues weren't so common, I'd put more blame on the players. However, the free runners are everywhere in our secondary, and they have been for years now. The blitz execution NEVER catches the other team off guard because it's NEVER disguised. Our secondary is ALWAYS reacting and almost never anticipating the other team's next move. Our entire scheme is entirely reliant on players beating the other guy physically in spite of the obvious lack of attention to detail that a team defense needs to execute.

 

I don't think it's the players. I think it's the coaches, and I think they're relatively stupid compared to the coordinators they're up against.

 

Haslett is terrible and he must go. I can't believe Gruden let his buddy stay on staff when it was so obvious how terrible that unit has executed for a while now. 

[justice98]

Somebody put an APB out for Trent Murphy.  It's not like he's not getting his fair share of snaps, but he's made zero impact whatsoever.  I don't feel particularly enthused about letting Orakpo walk and handing him the starting gig.  I mean, yes, he's a rookie and there's still 12 games left, but pick it up dude.

[No Excuses]

Mike is still holding back Hasslet. Can't you guys see?

[MustangSteve]

Is Morris still calling all the coverages, like last year?

 

Haslett aside, our DBs looked completely lost much of the evening. 

 

Why do we have LBs in coverage over and over, yet our QBs are always passing against corners / double coverage?  I know Reed is out etc, but still, I cannot recall ever seeing our LBs being abused in pass coverage all game long.

 

Gruden needs to think long and hard about leaving the defense and special teams to his assistants. He needs to be the head coach, of more than just the offense.

 

Eventually, a head has to roll. Resurrecting the old Tuskers Tampa Bay Band thing may not have been best for our team. Tampa sucks as much as we do, it's why we play them almost every year.

He better think long and hard because he will be the next coach sent out the door by Dan. There is no excuse for this same debacle every year by our Defense, and all of it is because of a coach who should have been sent out the door after last season.

 

Jay Gruden better send Jim Haslett out of Washington, or Haslett will end up having Gruden sent out by his 3rd season. The Redskins will never be a winning team as long as Haslett is any part of it. 

[HAILSKINSNYC]

Jim Haslett has a long track record as a coach.....for the most part it's been average or way below average.

[Burgold]

From what some hinted money saved Haslett last off season. The Redskins didn't want to be on the hook for that many guaranteed salaries.  Gruden was okay with keeping Haslett and some of the other coaching staff because of their relationships.

 

I suspect Gruden is pretty upset right now and probably upset with himself. In compromising to retain Jim et al. he gave himself a pretty raw deal.  Offense has definitely had moments as has had the defense... In fact, second half defense looked better, but overall and more importantly, when it counts this defense doesn't work.

[Passizle]

Mike is still holding back Hasslet. Can't you guys see?

This^^^^

Its true. Its also because of that Peyton Manning commercial... "Chicken parm you taste so good".

[klwilkins1977]

I think win-lose draw Haslett and much of that defense will be gone next year.  That cost saving move is not paying dividends.  Gruden should be able to fill out his staff and roster fully, be given 2 years to perform his way, before anyone judges him.  At best, this season was going to only serve as a dress rehearsal for his tenure... however long that will be.  I hope we stick with Gruden... there's enough there to  build around.

 

On a completely different note:  Remember all of the ruckus over the Redskins not running sprints or having overly physical practices during training camp?  Could this be part of the reason why there are 17+ players on the injury report?

[Passizle]

Jim Haslett has a long track record as a coach.....for the most part it's been terribad or way below terribadder.

Fixed.

On a completely different note:  Remember all of the ruckus over the Redskins not running sprints or having overly physical practices during training camp?  Could this be part of the reason why there are 17+ players on the injury report?

Could be. I was worried about the short week. The team looked gassed from the start.

[skins island connection]

I thought the cuffs was off of Haslett, and he is suppose to unleash the beast. These past couple of games, he has unleashed the yeast. There's rumors that Shanahan is controlling him remotely.

 

 Its absolutely true !

 The cuffs ARE off Haslett.

 So are his pants, and he is being bent over every game. The end result is us fans are being treated the same way.