Rewatched Highlights from Last season, what stood out

[Reaper Skins]

Went back and re-watched highlights from every game this season on youtube.  If you get a chance, i highly recommend doing so.  9 months of no film and only message board material definitely gives a revisionist view of things.

 

I had not seen any game film since the season ended.  Here are some knee jerk reactions of things that I think shaped the season and stuck out to me on second viewing. 

 

The Good

- Wow, Chris Thompson really was everywhere, but almost every highlight  looked like the same screen playcall.  If it ain't broke don't fix it I guess, but hopefully he gets some different looks this season.

- Doctson made more "difficult" catches than i remembered.  Unfortunately, most of them came during points of the game that made them largely irrelevant to the final score.  Much more excited to see him next season after re-watching these games than I was before. 

- Vernon Davis is fast as hell, but loves to run in any direction except the endzone.  He's a huge asset, but I think were on borrowed time with him.

- Swearinger was by far the biggest impact player on the field on defense.  Numerous times he looked like the only one with any situational awareness and who wasn't just "going through the motions."

- Defense had alot more turnovers and picks than I remembered.

- That Swearinger hit on Marshawn Lynch was glorious.

- The Maurice Harris catch in Minnesota and the Doctson catch in Seattle were so refreshing to see.  Hope our new QB is willing to air it out down the field more than our old one was.

- Lots of WIDE OPEN receivers make me optimistic about our offensive potential next year.

- Healthy d-line is gonna make our CBs look so much better next season.

 

The Bad

- That fumble call against the Eagles in week 1 still pisses me off

- Josh Norman was basically invisible

- Jordan Reed was a complete non-factor

- Crowder caused more fumbles on special teams and cost us more games than i remembered.  Almost every game had a "shoot ourselves in the foot moment", and whether it was a fumble or an interception that was supposed to be caught by him, he was almost always involved in them to some degree.

- I think were gonna miss Ryan Grant more than originally anticipated.

- Cousins took alot of unnecessary sacks

- Our ability to finish drives was atrocious.  so many instances of a big play down to the goal line, only to cut to the next drive and show that we got no points out of it.  Similarly, our number of points scored off of turnovers was really bad too.

- Pryor obviously.

- Alot of running backs missing holes and being chased down from behind.

- Our run defense was still the most painful thing I've ever seen.  Inability to stop the run cost us so much wasted effort and inability to get the defense off the field.

- Tight end across the middle continues to be this team's Achilles heel on 3rd and long

- I still don't know how they managed to lose that Saints game

 

 

 

 

Edited July 2, 2018 by Reaper Skins

[bakedtater1]

The Maurice Harris catch against Minnesota....

[SamoaSkinz]

Nice recap. I'm also hopefully we build on the strengths we had last year but more importantly address the weaknesses we had like stopping the run and improving our red zone efficiency. I hope Alex Smith's experience alone can make some in roads into scoring more when we get into the red zone.

[bakedtater1]

I've been doing the same since seasons end and come away with.. Redskins football..good times and bad times..can't wait for this season!!!!

[bowhunter]

Agree completely with the Crowder miscues, and the Swearinger love. Both vibes are still two of my glaring highlights of the season.

[skins2victory]

With Alex being our quarterback now, the Chiefs game was an interesting re watch.  

[bowhunter]

12 minutes ago, skins2victory said:

With Alex being our quarterback now, the Chiefs game was an interesting re watch.  

Curious, what was your take on that game, now that you have a differing interest in the opponents play? I might watch this game again myself if I can find it

[HTTRDynasty]

9 hours ago, Reaper Skins said:

- That Swearinger hit on Marshawn Lynch was glorious.

 

Yes, it definitely was.  I saw Marshawn leaving a restaurant in LA last night (YG was there too... I guess they're friends), and almost immediately showed my fiancé the video clip on YouTube of Swearinger knocking the **** out of him .

[c slag]

9 hours ago, Reaper Skins said:

 

 

The Bad

- That fumble call against the Eagles in week 1 still pisses me off

 

 

 

 

 

One play that unfortunately sent two teams seasons in completely different directions 

[bakedtater1]

I agree with missing Ryan Grant..where did he go?..wasn't it Indy?

[XxSpearheadxX]

8 hours ago, bakedtater1 said:

The Maurice Harris catch against Minnesota....

The ol' hold my beer catch. He may not make the team this year but he is a raw dog baller. I hope he does. 

[HTTRDynasty]

18 hours ago, Reaper Skins said:

- Josh Norman was basically invisible

 

He had a down year, but, besides the rib injury, a big reason why he was invisible was because he was rarely thrown at:

 

 

[OVCChairman]

14 minutes ago, HTTRDynasty said:

 

He had a down year, but, besides the rib injury, a big reason why he was invisible was because he was rarely thrown at:

 

Norman was not himself last year.  I believe, and this is just the sense I got and could be totally wrong, he may not have been thrown at much in man to man, but his zone coverage was tough.  Thielan alone lit us up and Norman generally speaking appeared to be behind the ball on it.  That said I understand that Zone is not easy to truly analyze because it's hard to really know who's responsibility is where.  Many times I've seen what appears to be a blown coverage by 1 player turn out to be a completely lost assignment by another and the optics are damning.  

 

Edit: Just re-watched Thielen's day and I was wrong.  Norman was not the primary issue with him going off.  There was a play or two, but he wasn't the failure on that one.  

Edited June 27, 2018 by OVCChairman

[Darth Tater]

A big takeaway for me while looking at some game tape breakdowns is how exciting Guice might be.  Just watched the Rams game and am pretty sure if Guice is truly who he is cracked up to be, he'd probably would have had around 200 yards rushing (this is the most obvious example but there are others). Some of the games where we did not run well was more due to getting down quickly, above average injuries and/or playing opponents with damn good run defense.  Looks like our single biggest problem came from either lack of vision by the RB and/or lack of confidence by the RB in his own abilities (though that lack of confidence may be justified). One thing Portis and Morris had was the ability to turn those 1-2 yard give up runs we saw last year into 4-6 yarders.

[superozman]

22 hours ago, Reaper Skins said:

 

The Bad

- Josh Norman was basically invisible

- I think were gonna miss Ryan Grant more than originally anticipated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pretty much spot on with my takes.  The only 2 points i disagree with, the rest I completely agree.  I've done the same thing as you while i can't sleep at night or something.  To your points i disagree with, Norman being invisible is a good thing.  If you aren't seeing 24, he's locking down his guy.   I'd love turnovers, but him being there forced a lot of throws to one side of the field.  

 

And with the other WRs, I think we will be alright.

Edited June 27, 2018 by superozman

[suresign]

All I can remember is Kirk Cousins very last pass attempt as a Redskin was an interception... Good Bye and Good Riddance!!!  Looking so forward to having and watching one of the most underrated QB's in the league in Alex Smith light up the NFC for us this year.

[KillBill26]

1 hour ago, superozman said:

 

Norman being invisible is a good thing.  If you aren't seeing 24, he's locking down his guy.   I'd love turnovers, but him being there forced a lot of throws to one side of the field.  

 

I agree with this, I think he doesn't get enough credit for his coverage skills.  He has definitely dropped a few catchable INTs, which can be frustrating.  I think if he snagged a few of those, his impact on those games would be bigger and his stats would be padded a bit, resulting in him remaining in the conversation as one of the elite CBs in the league.  I don't think many fans would be looking to cut ties with him due to his cap number in that case.  Which is crazy to think about: of all the snaps he plays where his coverage is solid, the difference between him being above average and elite only comes down to four or five plays a year (similar to a pass rusher, the difference between 5 and 10 sacks a season is huge, but it really only signals 5 more plays made over the course of a whole season).  He hangs on to those balls, I think many have a different perception of him.  Now that he is entering his age 30 season, hanging on to those 4 or 5 balls could be the difference between him being a Redskin in 2019 or not. 

[B.A.M.F.]

I followed your lead and watched the highlights as well. My overall general impression 2cents to add:

 

The defense - for whatever reason, even before the injuries took their toll, our defense played worse as games went on. The first half we usually played well. Even after some of our injury issues we still started well many games. By the end of the games our D seemed largely useless. Is it conditioning? Lack of depth/rotation? Half time adjustments by the other team? I’m hoping the infusion of young talent on the d-line helps, but I’m concerned it’s a larger issue.

 

Turnovers - too many turnovers, often at insanely inconvenient times. Some were tip your cap to the other team turnovers, but far too many just seemed like carelessness on our part.

 

Lack of a killer instinct - Largely due to the D playing well early, it seemed we had plenty of opportunities to build a large lead. This was then promptly squandered. Our O seemed to only play well when they had to... and settled for FGs far too often.

 

Big plays - Gruden’s O gets guys open. And when healthy, our o-line is awesome in space on screens etc., this was all without Garçon and Jackson. Add Richardson, potential growth from Doctson, and Guice and I think we will be just fine on offense, especially if we can find a killer instinct.

 

I won’t miss Cousins - Don’t get me wrong, he’s a good QB. But too many turnovers, and very spotty under pressure. I just have a hard time seeing him leading us anywhere special. Can Smith? I don’t know, but I don’t think it’s a downgrade.

 

We were a very competitive team last year, and if not for the injuries we would have made a playoff run. We keep coming back to the injuries... can that pattern be changed?

Edited June 28, 2018 by B.A.M.F.

[bakedtater1]

Crowder, Crowder, Crowder...wow! .talk about stud to dud..for most of last year..here's to a bounce back season

[Darth Tater]

1 hour ago, B.A.M.F. said:

The defense - for whatever reason, even before the injuries took their toll, our defense played worse as games went on. The first half we usually played well. Even after some of our injury issues we still started well many games. By the end of the games our D seemed largely useless. Is it conditioning? Lack of depth/rotation? Half time adjustments by the other team? I’m hoping the infusion of young talent on the d-line helps, but I’m concerned it’s a larger issue.

This seems to be pretty true across the NFL. Unless you are significantly better than your opponent, teams in general don't seem to play as well with the lead  I think it is in part because it is harder to adjust when what you did worked.  Also, mean regression may also mean that plays that failed before may begin to work. Finally, many times it is your own offense that betrays you (for example, they may fail in the TOP game).

 

Specifically to the Redskins, some of our defensive success came due to proverbial smoke and mirrors. In any case, the Eagles only scored 6 points on our defense in the whole second half, both were long field goals.  The Rams just performed in the second half about like they did in the first half, and, remember they were one of the better offenses in 2017, only 3 teams had better defensive days than we did (and one of those came against backups). Against the Raiders, we'd likely have shut them out had teams and offense not betrayed the defense. If Crowder and Perine don't fumble, the Raiders second half would have been about like their first half. KC was the first team really to have a better second half against us, but KC was an awesome offense and was eventually going to start making plays. SFO did start on us but not until they switched QBs and we really started down the injury path. Now we are really getting into injury city and even then, the only times the defense truly had a worse second half than first were against Seattle and New Orleans.

 

What I was surprised at is how often it was our offense that let us down.  I knew it was an issue but it was bad, especially after Chris Thompson went down along with the whole offensive line.  Our biggest issue was that we just never forced the issue.

[skinny21]

I hate to harp on it, but I’m going to miss Fuller’s INTs and plays vs wr screens.  

 

Crowder really did hurt us pretty badly.  

 

I think this O and D will have some struggles this year (they each, as of now, have a couple of weak spots or at least question marks), but on the whole, I think they should both be quite successful.  Wouldn’t be at all shocked if both finish in the top 10.  

 

If injuries derail the season again, I hope the team gets serious about it.  Bring in some pros please! 

 

Ps. Harris’ catch vs Minny was absolutely ridiculous.  Probably one of the best I’ve ever seen.  Catching it one handed, across his body, while diving into the end zone was impressive enough, but to pull it into his body as it’s hitting the ground and maintain possession/control?  Just crazy.  

 

Doctson had at least two that really stuck with me too.  

[MisterPinstripe]

Yeah I have been saying since the season ended that I think Crowder single handedly cost us the playoffs. Not that other players weren't at fault for stuff. So many huge mistakes from Crowder specifically that alone cost us many games.

 

I expect him to be back to himself this year.

[beachboy757]

I recently watched highlights from all the games too. I agree with many of the OP's reactions but will add.

 

-Cousins was hit really hard and fumbled in several games. Showed a lot of toughness though.

-Both games against the Cowboys are hard to watch. We defended the pass good in both games but they were able to run the ball with ease in both games.  It must have felt good to Alfred Morris (in the second game) to run that ball down our throat while we were still looking to replace him.

-We blew dominant first halves against the Chiefs, @Philly, and against the Saints.  

-On the flip side of that we almost lost to the 49ers and Cardinals backup Qb's and we looked pathetic against the @LA and NY

-Loved beating Seattle in their house again. 

-The running backs that we added late into the season looked better than I remember.

 

 

[superozman]

21 hours ago, KillBill26 said:

 

I think if he snagged a few of those, his impact on those games would be bigger and his stats would be padded a bit, resulting in him remaining in the conversation as one of the elite CBs in the league....  I don't think many fans would be looking to cut ties with him due to his cap number in that case... comes down to four or five plays a year ... I think many have a different perception of him.  Now that he is entering his age 30 season, hanging on to those 4 or 5 balls could be the difference between him being a Redskin in 2019 or not. 

 

Agree with this, well said.  The only other point i'd add is people don't look enough at his forced fumbles.  he had 2 last year, I believe both resulting in turnovers.  Those are HUGE.  But - if the turnovers aren't there the argument is that do we think he's worth the elite money.  I'm probably in the minority saying yes, but the lock down is enough for me in this passing game.

[Skinsinparadise]

I've rewatched a bunch of games on coaches tape, most of my observations dovetail yours, some don't.  Here are some of mine:

 

Preston Smith gets pressure, even when he's not getting sacks

Ryan Anderson "meh" would be an understatement -- hopefully he rebounds

Ionnaidis played mostly LDE -- playing mostly 3.  But he played some nose. 

When everyone is healthy, Tomsula mostly keeps his D lineman playing on the same side -- for example Allen almost always on the right. 

After Allen was gone, when opposing offenses wanted to run, they made it happen even in obvious run downs. 

Manusky likes to rush his MLBs more than I thought

Francis in his limited stints to my eyes looked like their best run stuffer so i get a little his sour grapes

Vigil was around the ball in the run game -- and unlike Compton the dude could tackle

Josh Norman locked down his man most of the time -- even when he plays tight -- he looks at the QB a lot

Jordan reed in his limited snaps knows how to get open

More holes/creases opened for the running backs than I thought

I question both Perine/Kelley's speed and vision

Scherff is a monster when gets down the field some

Not a lot of separation gained from receivers on obvious passing plays

Kirk played out of shotgun more than I realized

They put Crowder presnap in motion more than I remembered 

Chris Thompson gets open a lot with sort of a delayed route 

Kirk was good at selling play action body language wise

DJ Swearinger played mostly strong safety when Nicholson was in the game

A lot of single high safety play from the defense

 

Edited June 28, 2018 by Skinsinparadise