WP: Redskins say they want to run the ball. They sure didn’t act like it on Monday night.

[s0crates]

Steinberg hit the nail on the head with this one. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-sports-bog/wp/2016/09/12/redskins-say-they-want-to-run-the-ball-they-sure-didnt-act-like-it-on-monday-night/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_steinberg-1125pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory

The Redskins say they want to run the ball. They say offensive balance is important. They wear shirts that read “Hogs 2.0,” as if changing their wardrobe can alter their reality.

Ignore the words — and the shirts — and look at results. In the second half of last season, the Redskins morphed into a passing juggernaut, and they kind of liked it. So they let their leading rusher, Alfred Morris, depart via free agency. They brought back the same offensive line. They drafted yet another talented wide receiver in the first round — while not selecting a running back until the seventh, and ignoring the offensive line. They nabbed a veteran pass-catcher in free agency (Vernon Davis) but no veteran rusher.

And then when they finally took the field Monday night, the T-shirts went away and their true pinballing personality came out. The Redskins threw the ball on 14 of their first 19 plays. They came out of the locker room after halftime and actually increased their passing; 15 of their first 18 plays in the second half involved Kirk Cousins dropping back. The Redskins matched Pittsburgh’s clock-churning drives with incomplete passes into the ground, or missed connections out the back of the end zone, ultimately leading to a 38-16 blowout. Hogs 2.0? This was more like a croque monsieur.

Or maybe a croak monsieur. You know how many times Washington tried to run the ball Monday night? Try 12. Now guess how many attempts the next most run-shy NFL team had this week. How about 19?

“That’s the one thing we’ve really got to look at,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “We’ve really got to get the running game going to take some pressure off the quarterback.We get a little bit too giddy sometimes with the weapons that we have. … You forget about the bread and butter of this football team, and it needs to be the running game.”

. . .

[Vanguard]

He sounds frustrated just like I am.

[Bacon]

How is running the bread and butter of this team when the line is suspect and the talent at RB is supbar?

Let's just be honest about what we are. Our receiving talent is vastly superior, so we ought to use it. A lot. Now, that being said, the pass/run ratio was somewhere around 4:1 and that's disgusting. This isn't Madden. 

[PapaLazarou]

Jay aint about the run. And if the Head Coach doesn't have the mentality, then the players won't. 

He really seems to be incompatible  with Scot and his vision of the team. 

[Momma There Goes That Man]

1 hour ago, PapaLazarou said:

Jay aint about the run. And if the Head Coach doesn't have the mentality, then the players won't. 

He really seems to be incompatible  with Scot and his vision of the team. 

It's where our talent lines up though. Even before Norman and Doctson, were built to be a passing team the way the talent developed over the past few years. 

This was a knock on Gruden many had at the time he was hired. He went away from run and got too pass happy. Even bengals fans said the same. We see it firsthand now 

[jservs7]

Not finding a replacement for Kory was the beginning of the end for the run game. He has been serviceable, but we won't be taken serious if he's at center. 

[crabbypatty]

“That’s the one thing we’ve really got to look at,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “We’ve really got to get the running game going to take some pressure off the quarterback.We get a little bit too giddy sometimes with the weapons that we have. … You forget about the bread and butter of this football team, and it needs to be the running game.”

 

What a crock of ****. They know they suck at running the ball and Jones is the absolute wrong answer at rb, along with how bad the offensive line is.

14 if the first 19 plays are passes.. and we had the lowest rushing attempts by far this weekend. The next lowest team had 19 rushing attempts, we had 12.

pathetic.

[Koolblue13]

We we're tied for 14th in running plays last year, so stop with the "Jay's full of it" crap.

When your line is constantly getting false starts and holding penalties and you're 2 and 20 constantly, you're not going to run the ball.

You can criticize our RBs for looking as bad as last year, but not the play calling.

Also, we had as many good running plays as bad, so the blocking wasn't the issue either.

It was sloppy unprepared lineman and TEs, even Jones got a false start, never seen that before, getting a ton of penalties, forcing us out of running downs.

[S.T.real,lights,out]

Its hard to stick with the run when every time we run the ball we get a holding penalty or a 1 yard gain. 

The O-line was pass blocking great last night. Cousins was just totally off. 

[kost203]

I'm not sold on jones. He runs upright too too much. Put Kelley in there and Thompson can't block, u gotta put him for a screen and that's that. 

[JSSkinz]

I get so tired of hearing "we should run the ball", you can't run the ball when you are in 2nd and 3rd and long and then you get behind and let the game get away from you.

Those 2 yard runs don't keep the chains moving.

[SemperFi Skins]

Tricky title, because they didn't indicate whether they wanted to run the ball forwards or backwards... hmmm

[Voice_of_Reason]

Jay/McVay are in a tough spot.  They want to run the ball.  They know they can't run the ball.  

It's kindof like saying you want to have sex with Natalie Dormer. But knowing as you say it  that the chances of that actually happening are virtually zero. 

As an aside, Natalie has taken over from Scarlett Johansson, who took over from Megan Fox, who took over from Jessica Alba and  as my "hottie that I reference in sex related analogies that will never come true."  If you don't know who Natalie is, go watch Game of Thrones.  

[Alexa]

Tired of the run game talk. We are not a good running team. It ain't happening this year.

[justice98]

They've made no real commitment to running the ball.

Then for the head coach to admit they get too wrapped up in the weapons in the passing game that they forget about the plan to run is disturbing.  Dude, you're in charge.  It's your job to keep your head about you and not treat your players like a kid with a new toy.

He'd have been better off just saying they dont run it because they cant.  

[Going Commando]

4 hours ago, Momma There Goes That Man said:

This was a knock on Gruden many had at the time he was hired. He went away from run and got too pass happy. Even bengals fans said the same. We see it firsthand now 

 

Yeah, it's been the knock on him forever.  I don't think he has the patience or temperament to commit to the run.  Whenever he makes a conscious effort to do so, it only lasts a game or two.  He doesn't trust our RBs and the OL executes the run game far worse than the pass game even though a line with guys like Trent, Scherff, and Moses should absolutely be a mauling group first and foremost.  That shows what the team emphasizes in their practice and preparation.

I've had questions about his ability to commit to the run since his first season.  Last year I had brief hopes for an identity change at the beginning of the season because they drafted Scherff and went with Kirk at QB (who is a a play action, game manager type QB).  Instead they've got Kirk slinging the ball around as if he's Drew Brees and Scherff is totally underutilized and undeveloped as a run blocker.  Now I've just accepted that this is who we are and I'd be shocked if things changed because it would require a substantial shift in Jay's coaching philosophy and style.  He'd have to change everything on down to the way practices and camps are run.