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SI.com: How Washington has Become a Winner


Califan007 The Constipated

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http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/11/21/nfl-week-11-washington-green-bay-packers-jay-gruden-coaching-staff-kirk-cousins

 

"[...]But instead of criticizing (the Packers') maligned coaching staff, let’s laud one that doesn’t get nearly enough praise. Sunday night wasn’t about Green Bay losing, it was about Washington winning. And while the game may have looked like a coming out party for what’s now a 6-3-1 team, it actually was more of a snapshot of how that team has performed over the last month and a half.

Many of Washington’s route combinations, play-action or no play-action, are designed to beat specific coverages. And it’s become apparent that few offensive game-callers are better at predicting coverages than Jay Gruden and coordinator Sean McVay. You see from them diverse man-beater route concepts, with receivers motioning, stacking and switching off the line of scrimmage. You see routes that flood zones with multiple receivers. Or, routes that high-low certain defenders, sending one receiver behind him and another in front. All of these help clarify a quarterback’s reads.

When you rely on a system like this, week-to-week success becomes easier. You rely less on players and more on geometry. (And remember, geometry never has an off day.)

Last season, Washington had this sharp of an aerial attack, but couldn’t run the ball. That’s changed. It’s not just that the ground game now ranks in the top 10 in yards per attempt after ranking 30th in 2015, it’s that it’s churning out yards in critical situations. In Week 3 against the Giants, for example, Washington ran eight times on its game-winning field goal drive. The following week, it ran eight times for 56 yards to set up two fourth quarter touchdowns in a come-from-behind win over the Browns. Most recently, on Sunday night, it posted 103 yards on 20 second-half runs, gradually pulling away from Green Bay. The common factor here is that most runs have come out of three tight end sets, usually with all three tight ends up on the line of scrimmage. This is true trench-fighting football. Smashmouth, even, though it’s hard to quite characterize it completely as that given how many of these runs take the shape of outside zone, where blockers beat defenders with angles more than power.

Teaching these angles is venerable O-line coach Bill Callahan. He has everyone along this front five either overachieving (see center Spencer Long, or fill-in left tackle Ty Nsekhe) or playing up to their considerable raw talent (see first-round right guard Brandon Scherff or, before his suspension, left tackle Trent Williams). And now Washington has found a reliable runner behind these blockers, having replaced Matt Jones with Robert Kelley, who offers better quickness and agility but also has Jones’s propensity for finishing runs.

Nothing is new with Washington’s offense; it’s all the same, just better. Where actual change is occurring is on defense. Almost too insipid as a pure zone unit last season to even be labeled vanilla, coordinator Joe Barry’s D now features a litany of different zone concepts, including matchup zones and, yes, snaps of straight man-to-man. Significant snaps of man-to-man, in fact. Adding Josh Norman has probably helped expand the scheme (few things liberate defensive play-callers like a top-shelf corner). But there’s also the factor of players just becoming more familiar with each other and their surroundings.

Typically, upticks in man coverage correlate with upticks in blitzing. The tactics go hand-in-hand. Barry, however, has often relied on his four-man rush, which is generating much better results in 2016. Veteran edge man Ryan Kerrigan’s long arms and mechanically refined bull rush have led to eight sacks. Trent Murphy and especially Preston Smith have flashed at times on the other side. Inside, Chris Baker continues to ascend after already becoming the NFL’s most improved interior pass rusher a year ago.

And finally, the latest element to this defense: Su’a Cravens. Healthy after missing most of Weeks 5 and 6 with a concussion, the second-round rookie is getting snaps at linebacker in various sub-packages, where he serves as a run defender, flexible cover guy and, Sunday against Aaron Rodgers, blitzer or spy. With Cravens, Washington can potentially offset an offense’s mismatch-making running backs or tight ends, and infuse more deception and disguise into its own pre-snap looks.

When we gather around to watch this team on our great American holiday Thursday afternoon, we can look to its offense and defense as an uplifting reminder that it is possible for both sides in Washington to come together and prosper. At least if Jay Gruden and his staff are running things, that is.

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3 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

When you have front office, head coach, and QB stability, you win. Its pretty simple.

 

This is the best the franchise has looked since 1990-92

 

Just being on the verge of back to back winning seasons is a huge step forward. Getting to the playoffs in back to back years would be huge 

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3 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

When you have front office, head coach, and QB stability, you win. Its pretty simple.

 

This is the best the franchise has looked since 1990-92

 

Just being on the verge of back to back winning seasons is a huge step forward. Getting to the playoffs in back to back years would be huge 

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48 minutes ago, SkinsHokieFan said:

 

This is the best the franchise has looked since 1990-92

 

Just being on the verge of back to back winning seasons is a huge step forward. Getting to the playoffs in back to back years would be huge 

I would say that this is even a bit more exciting because the 1990-92 team (though much better than this one) was coming down. We knew it was simply a matter of time with that group of players. 

This team has youth almost everywhere. So, if it continues to grow and improve, that becomes very exciting. This is almost more comparable to the early-1980s when we weren't yet championship-caliber but we were building toward something that is sustainable for a while. 

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1 hour ago, SkinsHokieFan said:

 

This is the best the franchise has looked since 1990-92

 

Just being on the verge of back to back winning seasons is a huge step forward. Getting to the playoffs in back to back years would be huge 

This post make no sense whatsoever!  Just pure gibberish!

Hail Em Up!

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Ik don't believe this! Since the day I became fan there was one consistent factor in my life. I would get all excited in the offseason and then dissapointed in the regular season. All my frustration off the week I could release on some bad game of the Redskins.

Now we look good and win games...I don't know what to do. Scot, Gruden, Redskins made my life a mess.

;)

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Not sure I agree with the Defense's evaluation in the article. The defense has made timely turnovers all season. And they have been fantastic in the second half of games. But the talent, especially in the middle of the defense, is average at best. There is little doubt that we have a top 5 offense in the NFL right now. But I would expect some pretty major changes on the defensive side of the ball this off season.

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29 minutes ago, Warhead36 said:

It starts at the top. QB can't be good if the coach always changes. Coaches can't be successful without a good FO system in place to support them and supply them with talent.

Nonsense.  Coach can't be good if he doesn't change out from a bad QB.

Sticking with the likes of Beck and Grossman does not make success "simple"

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6 minutes ago, zoony said:

Nonsense.  Coach can't be good if he doesn't change out from a bad QB.

Sticking with the likes of Beck and Grossman does not make success "simple"

Isn't that what he just said, though? lol..."Coaches can't be successful without a good FO system in place to support them and supply them with talent."

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13 minutes ago, zoony said:

Nonsense.  Coach can't be good if he doesn't change out from a bad QB.

Sticking with the likes of Beck and Grossman does not make success "simple"

Of course they have to be good. But you have to have stability, and patience to stick with them and let them develop.

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2 minutes ago, Califan007 said:

Isn't that what he just said, though? lol..."Coaches can't be successful without a good FO system in place to support them and supply them with talent."

 

He said that stability in the FO, Coach, and QB leads to victories.  I was saying that was complete horse-****, because that doesn't matter.  What matters is that they're good.  (any or all of them)

 

I have no interest in getting into a tailspin debate where follow up sentences are dissected and analyzed so that the true meaning can be adequately explained and rationalized.  The stability argument is a stupid one, period.  You win in this league, you get to keep going.  You lose, changes are made.  That's true of any organization.  Winning does not follow "stability"

 

Moving on.

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6 minutes ago, zoony said:

 

He said that stability in the FO, Coach, and QB leads to victories.  I was saying that was complete horse-****, because that doesn't matter.  What matters is that they're good.  (any or all of them)

 

I have no interest in getting into a tailspin debate where follow up sentences are dissected and analyzed so that the true meaning can be adequately explained and rationalized.  The stability argument is a stupid one, period.  You win in this league, you get to keep going.  You lose, changes are made.  That's true of any organization.  Winning does not follow "stability"

 

Moving on.

He simply followed up on his initial post with a fuller explanation. Seems like you're stuck on the initial post only.

And like you said, no need to respond.

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1 hour ago, Califan007 said:

He simply followed up on his initial post with a fuller explanation. Seems like you're stuck on the initial post only.

And like you said, no need to respond.

 

You are truly the most annoying poster in the Stadium lol

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Jay and Sean McVay have really grown into their jobs.  There are still some lapses and mistakes from time to time.  But they are steady and creative.  And they've started trusting their running game more than they did the previous two seasons.  I like agreeing with the game planning and the situational play calling.  Last night when we were in that critical fourth and short on our own half of the field situation, my thought was to go for it and run a QB sneak.  That's exactly what Jay and Sean decided.  It's what Belichick would have done.  It was confident, reliable playcalling that showed trust in the QB and the OL to execute.  Things are working like they should.

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Good article.  Andy is a regular guest on 106.7 and gushes over Jay's play design.   I like listening to him and share most of his optimism but I take him with some grain of salt considering he's the same guy who said this

http://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/12/04/andy-benoit-if-haslett-were-fired-today-thered-be-a-line-of-10-teams-to-hire-him/

Benoit: ‘If Haslett Were Fired Today’ … There’d be a Line of 10 Teams to Hire Him

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One thing I will say about the defense, I am surprised at how much man coverage the outside corners are able to play.  The reputation on Norman coming in was he was a zone corner.  He's a good press man corner.  I think he is rightfully considered one of the best all around corners in the league right now. He's showing us he can do it all.  Special player, signing him was a godsend that elevated the ceiling of the defense.

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