Heading into the 2016 season, let's not mistake "pessimistic" for "rational"

[SkinsGuy]

Our schedule next year is gonna be a magnitude harder than it was this year... So that's a pretty good reason to be pessimistic.

 

Only if you are under some silly presumption that the Redskins are going to stand still right where they are and not improve in any way.

[Chump Bailey]

ILB - Major need for me. Robinson and Riley ended the year injured and benched. We need a stud in this area and this might be where we use the first round pick (Reggie Ragland anybody or maybe we get lucky and Jaylon Smith drops like a stone because of his knee injury).

 

OLB - Think we are set here. Preston Smith had 8 sacks and got better and better. Kerrigan is the heart of the defense. We get Galette back next year as well. Murphy should have competition for his job as backup.

 

 

Would not mind seeing Shea McClellin in the mix at ILB for us. Noah Spence might make for a great value grab for us in the draft at OLB.

[pjfootballer]

The NFC East all play the same 14 game schedule. The difference is two games. Ours will be Carolina and Arizona. No freaking way in hell the Panthers go 15-1 or Arizona goes 13-3 again. Will they suck? No. But I don't see them as tough an out. We get Carolina at home.

Only if you are under some silly presumption that the Redskins are going to stand still right where they are and not improve in any way.

True. Give Scot another offseason to get more talent in here and if they produce like this years crop, look out.

[PortisBetts]

I am devastated. I really thought we could win that game.

 

However, it is extremely nice to be devastated in the first round of the playoffs rather than uncaring by week 10. This team has A LOT to be proud of and a lot to grow on going into 2016. Priority number 1, sign Kirk Cousins. This should be taken care of before the super bowl has concluded. Dont give this kid time, show him that we really want him and lets get working on 2016 already.

 

Hopefully we can fix some trouble spots on this team. A center is priority number 1. Possibly a LG depending on how they feel about Long, but that running game was awful all year and we need to fix that. The secondary also needs work on the backend. We still really dont have any answers at safety.

 

This is the most hopeful I have ever been about this team. I have been a fan since 1991 (I was 5) and i cant say i have ever been this optimistic going into the offseason.

[Aireskoi]

I see what Scot's building.  Some of the key pieces are in place, some key pieces are missing.  He just needs to keep building this his way.  

 

[bedlamVR]

Got to say I am not terrified about the schedule after all we had a last place schedule and still ended up on the road to the Patriots and Panthers .

I pretty much agree with everything Martin C said about where the focus should be . The defence really needs to be addressed there may be some hold overs and it is not a total refresh but some long term starters may well be gone (hall, hatcher etc..)

We have been able to remove the threat of teams running against us by the explosive offence but our run D has been bad for a couple of years and pot roast did not do enough to earn his mega bucks salary ... But I would not be opposed to him coming back

Morris is either used up or not a good fit for this offence . It is the way of things with the rb posdition . That is the one area we need to improve on in 2016 .

Are we going to be an elite team next season ... Probably not but do I think we have a ahot at making a run on another title ... I would not be at all surprised

[Aireskoi]

 

WR - I'm including Reed here because he essentially is a receiver. Reed, Jackson and Crowder make for a really good group. Garcon has been good as a Redskin but is really a possession guy at this point in his career - if we could replace him with a bigger outside receiver who can contest jump balls and be more of a down field threat than Garcon we would have one of the best receiving groups in the NFL.

 

 

I keep Garcon over Jackson.  Garcon can run block and is a 100% legit football player.  Give him a true #1 on the other side and he can be my #2 until we have the talent to replace him.  We don't have a dog like him anywhere else on this offense.

[Riggo-toni]

Will our offensive MVP Jordan Reed stay healthy for most of the season? Without him, our offense is dreadfully pedestrian, and he's not renown for his durability.

On the other hand, if we have Reed and Niles Paul on the field at the same time, it would be like Gronk and Hernandez, but without the gangland shootings.

Our OL will be better next year. LeRibs will be in Atlanta, Lichtensteiger in Chicago or Denver, and Long will be backing up whomever we pick at 21. Kouandijio or some vet will go to center, or maybe Lavao comes back and the draft pick goes to center.

I see us going 8-8 next year, but remain optimistic about 2017.

[MartinC]

I keep Garcon over Jackson.  Garcon can run block and is a 100% legit football player.  Give him a true #1 on the other side and he can be my #2 until we have the talent to replace him.  We don't have a dog like him anywhere else on this offense.

Garçon is a good football player. But Jackson is one of the elite deep threats in the NFL - even if he's not catching balls himself he is dictating coverage and creating space and favourable matchups for other receivers in a way Garçon just does not. It's no coincidence that Reed has found so much space in the middle of the field once Jackson came back into the lineup.

Just don't throw a 'dig' to Jackson!

[Going Commando]

I'm pessimistic in that I think we'll take a step back next season. The schedule will obviously be much more difficult. And Scot McCloughan has a lot of roster work to do, most of which will be accomplished through the draft, a tool that takes time to bear fruit. The center or safety or corner or inside linebacker that we draft in 2016 isn't going to be killing it for us and spearheading playoff runs as a rookie.

There is going to be a lot of roster transition within the next couple of offseasons as Shanahan's team gets phased out and McCloughan builds his own. And that's a given in the best case scenario, which is that the team thrives during the transition, instead of imploding and getting everyone fired such that Scot never gets to build his team.

I'm hoping the step back doesn't include a step back in the individual performance of Kirk and the OL. I think that if Kirk and the OL continue to progress on the field, it will stabilize our offense and give the team its identity.

Regardless, this is a big draft coming up. McCloughan's 2015 class was brilliant, but the mark of a future contender is building a foundation by stringing together consecutive brilliant draft classes for two or three years--creating a generation of players that grow into championship caliber players together. I'm looking forward to seeing who our FO picks for a change.

[Morneblade]

Well, last night showed us we have holes. Offensively, the O-line needs help. After what Alfred did his first couple years in the league, he wasn't the problem. I think Matt Jones could be a real good player, but he struggled as well. I didn't ever see the O-Line push guys back on running plays, ever. The best we got was get a crease, but we never physically dominated anyone. That needs to change. Also, we didn't look very good at all in pass pro last night. So, I'd look to upgrade center and I'd look hard at guard as well.

 

Not sold on D-Jax. His attitude has kept him from being the best he can be. Not sure I want that, I want a guy that will dive for the end zone, not coast and not get there.

 

Defense has holes. Lots of them. And I'm not sold at all on Barry, at all. The fact that Wade Phillips was available and we didn't try to sign him sill drives me nuts. I think we need upgrades at DT, NT, LB, CB and Safety. Yeah, we had a ton of guys on IR and that really hurt us, so I think we even have a good idea of what we had.

 

We still have to be better in Punt and Kickoff returns. Crowder isn't good back there on Punts and we never had a answer in Kick off returns.

 

But with all that, I'm optimistic. Because for the first time in decades, we have a GM that is more than competent, and I trust we're going to have better drafts and better FA signings.

[Aireskoi]

Will our offensive MVP Jordan Reed stay healthy for most of the season? Without him, our offense is dreadfully pedestrian, and he's not renown for his durability.

On the other hand, if we have Reed and Niles Paul on the field at the same time, it would be like Gronk and Hernandez, but without the gangland shootings.

Our OL will be better next year. LeRibs will be in Atlanta, Lichtensteiger in Chicago or Denver, and Long will be backing up whomever we pick at 21. Kouandijio or some vet will go to center, or maybe Lavao comes back and the draft pick goes to center.

I see us going 8-8 next year, but remain optimistic about 2017.

 

Reed is like Hernandez, Niles Paul is not like Gronk though.  

 

Gronk 6'6, Reed 6'2, Paul 6'1 - 225 lbs.

 

 

Garçon is a good football player. But Jackson is one of the elite deep threats in the NFL - even if he's not catching balls himself he is dictating coverage and creating space and favourable matchups for other receivers in a way Garçon just does not. It's no coincidence that Reed has found so much space in the middle of the field once Jackson came back into the lineup.

Just don't throw a 'dig' to Jackson!

 

I would say that Garcon is not a #1, and the offense is better with Jackson on the field than without him.  The offense would be better if Jackson was replaced with a legit #1.

 

80 receivers found a way to catch more balls than Jackson this season, but only 17 in the league made more money.

[Going Commando]

Can't judge Jackson's performance and value by his total receptions. He's a transformative player--He single-handedly changes and expands the route concepts your offense is able to run.

[MattFancy]

I wouldn't say I'm pessimistic going into next year. I have higher expectations for them than I did going into this season. Now with that said, I wouldn't be totally shocked if we miss the playoffs next year. Not because our play suffered, but because of who we play. Division games will always be tough, but then we have the AFC North and NFC North, plus Carolina and Arizona. I think we could get to 9-7 again next year, but we'll really have to earn it. Though, I'm not expecting the NFC East to be much better than this season, so that should help.

 

Going into the offseason, there's a few positions that will need some beefing up if we're going to continue to be a contender: RB, OL, DL, DB.

 

Now, those aren't huge needs at any of the positions, but we'll need some more depth, especially along the OL. Was very happy with what we got out of Scherff and Moses this season. As always, Trent was the rock along the OL. Lavauo and Steiger back healthy next year should help too. But we saw what happened this year once the injuries popped up. Our running game went way downhill. So adding a few key depth pieces along the line will definitely help.

 

As for RB, I can't figure out what they'll do with Alf. I personally would love for him to be back next year, but I don't know if he'll be in the plans. If we don't re-sign Alf, I wouldn't be surprised to see us draft another RB. I like Matt Jones, but I don't quite think they'll trust him enough to be the unquestioned starter. So I wouldn't be shocked to see us draft a RB or bring in someone that fits into Gruden/McVay's system.

 

As for the DL, I really hope we bring back Knighton. He seemed like a great veteran presence and definitely made an impact on the field. I don't know if I would break the bank for him, but he seemed to like it here and he seemed to fit in well with the other guys. I think this is the last we'll see of Hatcher, so they'll need to draft a DL (which I wouldn't mind taking one in the 1st) or add some depth in FA. Overall though, I like what we have along the DL going forward.

 

That leaves the secondary. Though they played admirably all season long, I'm not sure what we have there going forward. Jarrett looks to be on the right track for sure. Dunbar has shown flashes, but still needs some work. I think moving Hall to FS is a smart moving going forward as well. Getting Culliver back will be pretty big too. I think Breeland, Culliver, and Jarrett make a nice CB group going forward with Dunbar thrown in as well. Goldson wasn't bad, but I'm so sure he's going to be back. Another spot where we may not need a starter, but some depth would definitely help.

 

Overall, I like the direction this team is headed with McCloughan in charge. We battled through a bunch of injuries and still won the division and finished 9-7. Obviously the big offseason decision is going to be how much to pay Kirk and for how long. I'm just glad we have someone like McCloughan making that decision. For the first time in awhile, the future of this team looks bright and I'm happy to see it starting to come together.

[Aireskoi]

Can't judge Jackson's performance and value by his total receptions. He's a transformative player--He single-handedly changes and expands the route concepts your offense is able to run.

 

Lots of guys do that, it's the minimum requirement for his position.  It's more than just his total receptions.  I could see this season coming from him back in OTA's, and I was vocal about it then.

 

Other guys can also run block, show up for OTA's, avoid hammy issues in preseason, and start 16 games for us.  

 

Just thinking about some of the catches Garcon made for us while he was getting clobbered, I can't lose that guy.  He's a fighter cut from the same mold as Brian Mitchell.

[NoCalMike]

Do you guys think Preston Smith is going to develop into an A+ pass rusher?  Or at least A- ?  He had a pretty solid rookie season, but so did Kerrigan and Orakpo before him but they topped out quickly.

 

I think a major flaw in our pass rush is that we keep ending up with B-/B+ caliber players and cross our fingers that together it will produce an A+ performance out of one of them, but in reality all it really ever has produced is an inconsistent pass rush.  We are still lacking someone who can really disrupt and shake things up at the line. 

[MartinC]

Reed is like Hernandez, Niles Paul is not like Gronk though.

Gronk 6'6, Reed 6'2, Paul 6'1 - 225 lbs.

I would say that Garcon is not a #1, and the offense is better with Jackson on the field than without him. The offense would be better if Jackson was replaced with a legit #1.

80 receivers found a way to catch more balls than Jackson this season, but only 17 in the league made more money.

Jackson was hurt for most of the season. He played essentially 8 games. He had close to an 18 yard per catch average on his 30 catches and more importantly he totally changes how a defense has to play you. I don't have time to find these but I bet you Reeds stats in games where Jackson played are a lot better than games he did not.

[Warhead36]

Do you guys think Preston Smith is going to develop into an A+ pass rusher?  Or at least A- ?  He had a pretty solid rookie season, but so did Kerrigan and Orakpo before him but they topped out quickly.

 

I think a major flaw in our pass rush is that we keep ending up with B-/B+ caliber players and cross our fingers that together it will produce an A+ performance out of one of them, but in reality all it really ever has produced is an inconsistent pass rush.  We are still lacking someone who can really disrupt and shake things up at the line. 

I'm very high on Preston. I think he's a future 15 sack guy.

 

If we can get a healthy Gallette, hopefully healthy going into the year Kerrigan, a 2nd year Smith, and maybe one other pass rusher in the draft, that should do wonders.

[Jumbo]

Jackson was hurt for most of the season. He played essentially games. He had close to an 18 yard per catch average on his 30 catches and more importantly he totally changes how a defense has to play you. I don't have time to find these but I bet you Reeds stats in games where Jackson played are a lot better than games he did not.

 

 

Yup. Djax notably increases our chances for offensive success every time he's on the field healthy--whether thrown to or not. Him there is a BIG difference, not a small one. He's in a very select group in that regard, and it's a substantial part of his value.

[justice98]

Since the twitter thread is closed, this news needed to be reported. Lavauo out 3-6 additional months with foot surgery.

I would think that might take him outta play, t ok the degree you can't necessarily count on him to take over the starting LG gig. Not that he can't recover, but Lavauo wasn't exaclty fleet of foot to begin with. Ankle and foot surgery for him would seem to be a crippler.

[Peregrine]

Im definitely optimistic about this team, mostly based on the idea that Scotty Mac can bring in another crop of talent next year, but we also have an absolutely brutal schedule next year.  If we make the playoffs next year it will be because we are seriously good.

[pjfootballer]

60 catch 6 ft WRs are a dime a dozen.

WRs with elite speed to take it 80 yards are not.

If I had my choice, I'd keep DJax. But I'd like to keep both.

[Aireskoi]

Jackson was hurt for most of the season. He played essentially 8 games. He had close to an 18 yard per catch average on his 30 catches and more importantly he totally changes how a defense has to play you. I don't have time to find these but I bet you Reeds stats in games where Jackson played are a lot better than games he did not.

 

 

 

I agree, but why wouldn't they be better really.  I'm not comparing Jackson to Grant, or saying that we didn't get a boost from having Jackson vs. not having Jackson.

 

I'm saying for the money I want more than Jackson can give.

[PeterMP]

I'm very high on Preston. I think he's a future 15 sack guy.

 

If we can get a healthy Gallette, hopefully healthy going into the year Kerrigan, a 2nd year Smith, and maybe one other pass rusher in the draft, that should do wonders.

 

There is an issue of opportunities.  If you pair Smith with Gallette, I suspect his opportunities are going to do down, which would likely drive down his sacks.  We have to get somebody that can pressure from somewhere else (other than OLB).

 

And Gallette had a one year contract so who knows what happens there.

 

I don't think Smith is ever a regular 14 sack guy.  He played limited snaps, but a large % of them were pass rush opportunities.  I don't think you can double his plays and double his pass rushing opportunities, and any more plays means he's not as fresh when he has the opportunities.

 

I think Smith can get to double digit sacks, but I don't think he's the next tier up.

[Warhead36]

There is an issue of opportunities.  If you pair Smith with Gallette, I suspect his opportunities are going to do down, which would likely drive down his sacks.  We have to get somebody that can pressure from somewhere else (other than OLB).

 

And Gallette had a one year contract so who knows what happens there.

 

I don't think Smith is ever a regular 14 sack guy.  He played limited snaps, but a large % of them were pass rush opportunities.  I don't think you can double his plays and double his pass rushing opportunities, and any more plays means he's not as fresh when he has the opportunities.

 

I think Smith can get to double digit sacks, but I don't think he's the next tier up.

Smith will play more next year I'd assume, and will probably get a fair share of sacks even on non obvious pass rush downs. He's only going to get better as his body fills out and he develops his pass rush techniques more.

 

I just really like his all around game. He's got size and quickness with ridiculously long arms. He's the total pass rush package.