PFT.com: Washington promotes Greg Manusky to DC, Hires Jim Tomsula as Dline Coach. Hires Torrian Gray as DB coach!

[Gizmo 3squire]

20 minutes ago, Wildbunny said:

Tomsula was put in a bad situation when hired. Saying he was bad  he being hard on him. Guy took the job after Harbaugh quit because of the owner or GM, can't remember who, then subsequently, there's a bunch of 3 or 4 young guys that prematurely retire on D in a few months span...

His HC tenure in SF was doomed from the very first day, and everyone knew it.

Hell, he was even named HC over Fangio who was his boss before his hire.

 

 

 

 

Good point. SF was a mess when Harabaugh left.

[zCommander]

I have updated the OP. I am just going to make this The Defense Staff Thread at this point unless the mods think otherwise.  

[Wildbunny]

Good job Z

 

Now, all we need is the DB coach name, right.

Obviously it won't be Aubrey Pleasant, or negotiations are being hard with him. Otherwise, he would have been named by now, as he was with the team no?

[wilco_holland]

This might take some time. 49ers might not fire there D coaches until there new HC is signed. Think Manusky wants some guys from that staff. 

[bobandweave]

 

"Always a thrill to watch him take off his helmet" hahah, thought you guys might like this

 

So last night I see that we hired him and honestly don't know much about him. What I know about him

 

1. Former Redskin player (Feeling like Bruce loves this)

 

2. The man is intelligent, he has not one but two college degrees - Geology and Education. That to me shows motivation. He also has a pretty funny personality. I like him. He has a ton of kids and he's hungry!

 

 

 

3. He's been a coordinator before, with mixed results. Some good results with a mix of some bad. With that said unquestionably better then Joe Barry

 

4. He was the OLB coach last year, the season where Trent Murphy went from damn near cut to an 9 sack season. He's shown us that he can turn some players around and get results from some of them but he was also here where we saw this entire unit struggle. He is familiar with these players. But can he draft? Can he find players because that's what we need

 

With that said, I'm meh about this hire. Don't think it's great, don't think it's terrible either. I think it's meh until I see more. I don't think he was our first choice, don't think he was our best choice when the job opened, but don't think he's terrible either. Definitely giving him a season to show what he has before getting to excited or to depressed over this

[zCommander]

1 minute ago, Wildbunny said:

Good job Z

 

Now, all we need is the DB coach name, right.

Obviously it won't be Aubrey Pleasant, or negotiations are being hard with him. Otherwise, he would have been named by now, as he was with the team no?

 

He is with the team still. So far nothing is being reported that I can see on this DB coach position yet. 

[Skinsinparadise]

“Well, it was tough,” Gruden said on “Redskins Nation.” “We did a lot of work, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We interviewed some very good coaches, very good. I learned a lot of football in the last week and a half and I think we could have gone a lot of different ways. But the way we felt most comfortable was hiring Greg Manusky.”

One of the reasons why Manusky was ultimately named to the positon was his trust in the players the Redskins already have in-house.

“I think first of all, Greg sold me because he was sold on the players we had,” Gruden said. “I think he has a strong belief in the guys that we have and I think he’s a great motivator and he’s a good developer of talent. That’s what you’re looking for. You’ve got to be able to motivate these cats. They have to want to play for the coach and I think we get that with Greg. And then adding Jim Tomsula with him is a great addition also. But how much different? I think we’re going to play with a lot more passion, play hard and go from there.”

Along with Manusky, the team also brought in Tomsula. The two worked together for the San Francisco 49ers from 2007-10. Manusky was defensive coordinator for those four seasons while Tomsula worked with the defensive line.

“It was a great combination having those two guys,” Gruden said. “He’s a great teacher of the defensive line. That’s what he wants to do, he wants to coach defensive line. He had an opportunity to be a head coach, but he wants to be the defensive line room. Everything that we’ve heard and learned from him is he can motivate defensive linemen and get them to play hard and that’s half the battle.”

http://www.redskins.com/news/article-1/Redskins-Head-Coach-Jay-Gruden-Explains-Coaching-Changes/3c9f9028-1d7d-4d39-9fa2-74994e800ca1

[dswerdlw]

I love Tomsula's commitment to the d-line.  Seems like the stint as HC made Tomsula understand where his talents and passion lie.  Not that different from Callahan's situation.  If you win on the line of scrimmage, you generally win the game.  I'm hopeful.

 

[Burgold]

What position coaches are left to be hired?

 

DC Manusky

DL Tomsula

ILB or LBs Olividati

CB or DBs Pleasant

 

Feels like we're close. How do we feel about the whole group?

[Hail2theSkins24]

Manusky on his philosophy: "Chew bubble gum and kick ass...we're all out of bubble gum." Then harped on communication. Seems to me the unit as a whole never came together under Barry

[Wildbunny]

15 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

Jay: I learned a lot of football in the last week and a half

I edited, so others know that I'm not really quoting SIP

Jay, I love you mate, but cold you just shut up sometimes? Or think about what the **** you are saying?

 

Now we're gonna have thread about how you don't know a ****ing thing about football and you need advice from guys like Tarver or Pettine...

 

Dammit...

 

6 minutes ago, Burgold said:

What position coaches are left to be hired?

 

DC Manusky

DL Tomsula

ILB or LBs Olividati

CB or DBs Pleasant

 

Feels like we're close. How do we feel about the whole group?

Pleasant is just an assistant right now. So we need a real hire. I thought they were about to promote him.

But apparently it didn't happen... Tough negotiations?

[lavar1156]

Manusky talkin pelts and kills right now on espn980. Kind of like it

[Burgold]

Just now, Hail2theSkins24 said:

 the unit as a whole never came together under Barry

This might be a slightly different conversation, but it's one reason why inside linebackers coach and outside linebackers coach or cornerback coach and safety coach never made sense to me. Aren't they one unit? Shouldn't the linebackers work in sync. Having them in different meetings seems odd. Same with the DBs. Shouldn't they operate as one mind?

1 minute ago, Wildbunny said:

Pleasant is just an assistant right now. So we need a real hire. I thought they were about to promote him.

But apparently it didn't happen... Tough negotiations?

Part of me hopes that it does become someone like Pleasant (if not actually Pleasant). It'd be cool if we had someone on the staff who was young, innovator, and hungry. I like that we have a bunch of graybeards who've seen it all, but I also want some fresh blood who can imagine what's never been.

[Darth Tater]

24 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

“Well, it was tough,” Gruden said on “Redskins Nation.” “We did a lot of work, especially on the defensive side of the ball. We interviewed some very good coaches, very good. I learned a lot of football in the last week and a half and I think we could have gone a lot of different ways. But the way we felt most comfortable was hiring Greg Manusky.”

One of the reasons why Manusky was ultimately named to the positon was his trust in the players the Redskins already have in-house.

“I think first of all, Greg sold me because he was sold on the players we had,” Gruden said. “I think he has a strong belief in the guys that we have and I think he’s a great motivator and he’s a good developer of talent. That’s what you’re looking for. You’ve got to be able to motivate these cats. They have to want to play for the coach and I think we get that with Greg. And then adding Jim Tomsula with him is a great addition also. But how much different? I think we’re going to play with a lot more passion, play hard and go from there.”

Along with Manusky, the team also brought in Tomsula. The two worked together for the San Francisco 49ers from 2007-10. Manusky was defensive coordinator for those four seasons while Tomsula worked with the defensive line.

“It was a great combination having those two guys,” Gruden said. “He’s a great teacher of the defensive line. That’s what he wants to do, he wants to coach defensive line. He had an opportunity to be a head coach, but he wants to be the defensive line room. Everything that we’ve heard and learned from him is he can motivate defensive linemen and get them to play hard and that’s half the battle.”

http://www.redskins.com/news/article-1/Redskins-Head-Coach-Jay-Gruden-Explains-Coaching-Changes/3c9f9028-1d7d-4d39-9fa2-74994e800ca1

That is kind of scary.   The first Gruden quote is very much like something I posted here when we started looking.

[TSO]

2 hours ago, Peregrine said:

18 hours ago, thesubmittedone said:

 

So neither would be correct, which would be my point.  Manusky's "past" with Scott is only 2 years in SF, and spent a year here with Jay.  I can guarantee you Jay has spent more time talking to him than Scott ever has, as coaches tend to do.

 

Not necessarily. Scot was instrumental in bringing Manusky here in the first place. But, yeah, that was the point actually. To refute the notion he's exclusively "Jay's guy". Which has been said a bunch of times, so I don't know what your point is. 

 

It looks like you're contradicting yourself here, because you say "neither" but then proceed to make an argument suggesting he's closer to Jay than Scot. Huh? 

 

As for your last statement, you can guarantee that!? Oh please, Scot is way more involved than that statement suggests. He's constantly around the coaches and players, he's not just sitting up in some office watching everything from afar. It's not just about talking, either, so even if that were true that wouldn't mean what you're implying it does. 

 

Either way, I had said it was a mutual decision for sure and that Jay has final say on coaches. Saying Manusky is "Scot's guy" is totally true, doesn't negate that he's also "Jay's guy", and was intended (as stated) to combat the idea that this hire reflects exclusively on Jay. Scot's influence is definitely a major part in this. 

 

It's not a coincidence the vast majority of guys we brought in for interviews are more tied to Scot than Jay. 

[Skinsinparadise]

The way I took Jay's comment is something to the effect of I got to listen to a lot of defense coordinators explaining their schemes in detail and got a good education about them in the process.  If so, I can get where he's coming from.

 

My minor beef with Jay is the "motivating" comment.  On the aggregate, I like Jay.  But I wasn't a fan of how flat they looked at the beginning of some games and some key ones in the home stretch.  Hopefully, the great motivator comment extends to Jay going forward, too.   While I think its mostly about talent #1, coaching #2 -- and motivating is a distant #3.  I still think there is some value of getting your team "up" for games.  

 

Though I do put that burden more on in house leaders in the locker room versus coaches.  To that point hopefully we find our London Fletcher type in the off season -- some rally the troop guys. D. Hall for example is arguably fading as a player but arguably he is a key leader and was a big loss on that front.

 

But I think Jay in his comments was just explaining the value of interviewing multiple coaches.  I would assume it gave him valuable insight also about the Redskins roster from the perspective of outside the organization.   And it wouldn't surprise if he got some different twists in all of that.

[dyst]

41 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

One of the reasons why Manusky was ultimately named to the positon was his trust in the players the Redskins already have in-house.

“I think first of all, Greg sold me because he was sold on the players we had,” Gruden said. 

I wouldn't expect him to say anything otherwise to the public but if this is true, smdmfh. You better NOT be sold on this talent. We need a talent upgrade. Speed, size, instincts and play making ability.

[Skinsinparadise]

2 minutes ago, dyst said:

I wouldn't expect him to say anything otherwise to the public but if this is true, smdmfh. You better NOT be sold on this talent. We need a talent upgrade. Speed, size, instincts and play making ability.

 

Talent upgrade is coming that's clear.  I think what Jay means is Greg knows these guys and he thinks he can get more out of them.  Lets take Trent Murphy he had his best year under Manusky.  Manusky might have given him other examples of guys he thinks he can maximize.  It helps that Manusky knows these guys first hand -- no learning curve.

[dyst]

Just now, Skinsinparadise said:

 

Talent upgrade is coming that's clear.  I think what Jay means is Greg knows these guys and he thinks he can get more out of them.  Lets take Trent Murphy he had his best year under Manusky.  Manusky might have given him other examples of guys he thinks he can maximize.

For sure on Trent Murphy. Surprised me how well he played. With that said, I think he's a solid, bench player. 

[Skinsinparadise]

2 minutes ago, dyst said:

For sure on Trent Murphy. Surprised me how well he played. With that said, I think he's a solid, bench player. 

 

Disagree.   Just to throw another opinion in  -- Cooley thinks he was the best pass rusher on the team this year and thinks he's now a better player than Kerrigan.  His view is he's the 2nd best player on defense after Norman.

 

Murphy was on 106.7 the other day and gave much credit to his progress to Manusky.

[Darth Tater]

When Williams remade the worst NFL defense into one of the best, while he did bring in many personnel changes, some of his key moves like moving AP to MIKE were guys already on the roster.

[illone]

I am optimistic about the hire.. When is the last time the Skins promoted from within like this...?  Both OC and DC promotions from within is a great sign the organization is improving and I like that.  Yes, we took a step back in 2016 and need some more pieces on D to contend next year and beyond, but I like the structure and hope we can extend Gruden/Cousins and keep building. 

 

You can't put all of last years failures on Manusky and you also need to bring in more talent on Defense for ANY coordinator that works here, so I think Manusky is a decent hire and now McGlooey needs to help with with more talent.

[TSO]

51 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

The way I took Jay's comment is something to the effect of I got to listen to a lot of defense coordinators explaining their schemes in detail and got a good education about them in the process.  If so, I can get where he's coming from.

 

 

This is exactly what he means. It goes back to the Bruce Allen method of interviewing everyone you can to learn as much as you can while having the rare opportunity to do so. It's something he learned under Al Davis with the Raiders. 

 

Usually our local beat guys mention that whole deal as soon as we go on a search, but this time they forgot. 

[Skinsinparadise]

interview on 980 from just a little while ago

http://cdn.stationcaster.com/stations/wtem/media/mpeg/01_23_17_Greg_Manusky_ITLR-1485198130.mp3

 

Highlights

wants to dominate the front -- pressure QB

good communication on the back end is critical

as an ex-inside MLB, he implied its in his DNA to stop the run -- Doc said he told him "no one will run on us"

needs to get players to play with fire and passion -- he will get them fired up

highlighted multiple times -- having players on the same page, good communication on the field

Stop the run emphasis

Highlights he's a good teacher -- not just what to do but why to do it.  Said Tomsula is the same way

 

Wish List -- Doc asked him to give him a wish list

corners are a premium -- it gives you scheme flexibility if you have shut down corners

needs guys on the edge who bring pressure

nose to plug up the middle

 

 

[RandyHolt]

Does Trent deserve any credit himself for his improvements this past year?  I am hesitant to use Trent as a testament to Manusky, but then overlook Preston who seemed to take a step back last year.

 

Trent made his patented OL practice dummy. Something I think may be overlooked is something at the root of why I hate the 3-4. We had him slim down to play OLB. Then, we had him bulk back up to play DL. Then we moved him back to OLB at the 11th hour, and he impressed.  What does that say to the importance in our hybrid scheme, that all 4-3 DL we draft, lose weight asap as the highest priority?

 

I think a stud college DE that loses weight to be a 3-4 OLB but then on most downs is basically a 4-3DE once again... he is not as stout vs the run.  Murphy seemed better vs the run than Kerrigan and Smith IMO. Did his extra weight detract from him getting to the QB... not to my eyes. And he looked as good in the flat/space as the others.