Next Day Thread: Buffalo vs. Landover Junior Varsity

[Probos]

Landover Junior Varsity -- LJV -- now that's pretty catchy!  Should be added to the list of potential names.

 

It's perplexing how bad the defense is -- I mean,...how did almost every "expert"/talking head get it so wrong?  Their defense is obviously predicated on getting pressure on the QB.  They can't consistently get pressure, so, LBs and secondary are exposed.  The blueprint for every other team is there.

 

Heinicke's lack of experience showed through yesterday.  Nice story, but,...

 

Gibson is a very good player, and Terry is a stud.  Outside of that -- they're just ok.   

 

They better figure it out for the next game against the Falcons and the one after that against the Saints.  If not they'll be 1-8 with a quickness.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Probos

[Burgundy Yoda]

For the 3rd straight game, we deferred and the opposing team marched down the field and scored with ease right away. When is the coaching staff going to realize that there is a template to beat this defense and everyone has figured them out? It's obvious to me that every team is attacking us the exact same way. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Burgundy Yoda

[TheBlueIndian]

At least we can put a lid on the whole Heinicke insanity for a little while. That game completely exposed his inexperience and underdeveloped decision making ability. I'm not saying he can't learn from that game and get better, God I hope he does.. At the same time he exhibited some grit and resolve so he has that going for him...which is nice. If there is a bright spot in all of this it is that if they can stay mediocre through the first half of the season and hover around 500 they have an opportunity to be playing their best ball when they line up against their NFCE foes and then who knows what can happen.

 

I have to think that this defense will get better going forward.  JDL and RR are NOT the same men that made up the clown show that has been Washington Football over the past two decades. These men are professional hardasses right ?  

[KDawg]

10 minutes ago, TheBlueIndian said:

At least we can put a lid on the whole Heinicke insanity for a little while. That game completely exposed his inexperience and underdeveloped decision making ability. I'm not saying he can't learn from that game and get better, God I hope he does.. At the same time he exhibited some grit and resolve so he has that going for him...which is nice. If there is a bright spot in all of this it is that if they can stay mediocre through the first half of the season and hover around 500 they have an opportunity to be playing their best ball when they line up against their NFCE foes and then who knows what can happen.

 

I have to think that this defense will get better going forward.  JDL and RR are NOT the same men that made up the clown show that has been Washington Football over the past two decades. These men are professional hardasses right ?  

 

I'm not sure they can fix the issues without personnel changes. I think they can improve it with in-house guys but our LB corps. is the worst in the NFL and I don't think it's particularly close.

 

Now is probably also not a great time to bring up Logan Wilson, who I loved in the 2020 draft, who has 3 picks the last 2 weeks at LB.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

 

 

 

[Rex Tomb]

23 minutes ago, TheBlueIndian said:

I have to think that this defense will get better going forward.  JDL and RR are NOT the same men that made up the clown show that has been Washington Football over the past two decades. These men are professional hardasses right ?  

I felt that way after week 2, but now I'm not so sure.  For 3 weeks in a row, we've seen the same scheme failure and, perhaps more telling, is the seeming inability to adjust.  We were still in the game at halftime yesterday, and yet we continued to run the same vanilla zone concepts that ate us alive in the first half and we got blown out.  Chase's frustration is also a sign that the players don't feel like they are being heard by the coaches.  I would bet they are begging for more press man to man but it's not being dialed up.  The yelling match you saw on the sideline yesterday is a recipe for implosion, and we still have 14 more games to go.

[Skinsinparadise]

 

The Buffalo Bills’ 43-21 thrashing of Washington left its defense confronting a collection of queasy possibilities. Whether Washington’s defense was overrated, falsely billed based on beating up bad quarterbacks in 2020, will be determined over the next 14 games. After three worrying weeks, it is a legitimate question.

 

Washington is 1-2 not despite the performance of its vaunted defensive line but in many ways because it has been never dominant, occasionally serviceable and mostly invisible.

 

...Right now, the dominance of Washington’s defense is a myth. It has mostly made life harder for its offense. Its opponent has scored a touchdown on its opening drive in all three games. In 32 possessions, Washington’s defense has yielded 11 touchdowns and 10 field goals; forced seven punts, two turnovers and one turnover on downs; and seen the clock run out of the game once. It has allowed points on 65.6 percent of drives, which ranks worst in the NFL. Young has not recorded a sack.

 

...Based on resources devoted to talent acquisition, Washington must revolve around its defensive line. The team used four first-round picks to build its defensive line, including taking Young second overall when quarterbacks Justin Herbert and Tua Tagovailoa were available. Coach Ron Rivera spoke of the need for coverage and pass rush to work in unison and for the entire unit to mature together. But the line needs to carry the team because that’s how the team was built.

 

Despite Allen’s skill set, Sunday represented an opportunity for Young to break out. Buffalo’s first two weeks revealed the road map for how to limit Allen. The Pittsburgh Steelers relied on T.J. Watt’s individual dominance, pressured Allen with four pass rushers and toppled Buffalo, while the Miami Dolphins blitzed Allen and watched him carve them apart. Everything in the NFL is more complicated than it seems on the surface, but the mandate was clear: Washington needed to pressure Allen without blitzing. It needed to put the game in the hands of its defensive line.

 

On Buffalo’s first possession, Washington forced third and 15. The Bills sent tight end Dawson Knox into the pattern and left five linemen to block Washington’s front four. Williams, Buffalo’s right tackle, stoned Young, and Allen bounced in the pocket. He rifled a 23-yard dart to Gabriel Davis for a first down, the key play in another opening touchdown drive.

Allen is a difficult quarterback to pressure, because his athleticism demands discipline. If a rusher gets out of his lane, it can lead to Allen escaping and scrambling. It could be a reasonable excuse for why Young, Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne rarely applied pressure. But in some key moments, Young was not disciplined, either.

 

...“They did a nice job protecting the quarterback,” Rivera said. “We didn’t get enough pressure when we had to. It allowed for their receivers to work a little bit longer downfield.”

Washington’s performance through three weeks has led to a reevaluation of last season, when its defense gained a reputation as one of the league’s best.

 

The list of quarterbacks Washington beat last season in its seven wins has grown well-worn, but it bears repeating now: Carson Wentz, Andy Dalton and Ben DiNucci, Joe Burrow and Ryan Finley, Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Nick Mullens, and Jalen Hurts and Nate Sudfeld.

 

...In the past two years, Young has been the best defensive player in college football and the runaway choice for NFL defensive rookie of the year. He remains a physical outlier even in a league of physical outliers. He did not stop being a great player. He faces the new weight of superstardom and expectations. Opposing offenses have schemed with him in mind, and he must produce anyway. Young accepts the role and has been accountable. But he has failed in playing to his standard.

 

Young is not alone among teammates in not living up to the hype, nor is he short on time to reverse that trend. Washington next faces the Atlanta Falcons’ shaky offensive line and stationary quarterback Matt Ryan. It should be an opportunity for Young, Sweat, Allen and Payne to reassert themselves.

Edited September 27, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[cakmoney61]

Yes, the team is bad...again.  But the defense is atrocious and looks helpless and confused.  Everyone knew the LBs were awful last year and other than a high draft pick being spent, the talent level remains mediocre. 

 

If the team loses to Atlanta, I predict they will be picking top 5 in the upcoming draft.  With any hope a franchise QB will be within reach.  

[Skinsinparadise]

The defense giving up a touchdown on the first drive each game is demoralizing.  But I'd add the offense going three and out and sputtering early at the same time has helped set the tone of these games too.  Both units need to wake up at the start of these games. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/26/washington-football-team-buffalo-bills/

Another slow start spells doom: The final three quarters of the game made it clear that Washington was outclassed by a wide margin, but in what has becoming a troubling trend, Rivera’s team didn’t give itself a chance of pulling off an upset in a hostile environment by sleepwalking through the opening 15 minutes. Make it three straight weeks to start the season that Washington’s defense has allowed a touchdown on its opponent’s opening possession and the Washington offense has gone three-and-out on its first drive. That’s no way to survive a first-place schedule.

The Bills dominated the first quarter, outgaining Washington 144-36 and possessing the ball for more than 11 minutes. Washington, which ran six plays in the quarter, committed turnovers on two of its first three possessions, including a fumble by Logan Thomas and an interception by Heinicke.

[skins island connection]

 

 I am beyond lost for words, but I don't think anyone could have predicted the dead drop off the defense has shown.

Rivera has some soul searching to do, at this pace the stadium will be all but empty by week 7 and the finger-pointing will begin and there will be some 'leaked' comments of certain players which will cause complete breakdown of the entire organization.

Rivera HAS to see the glaring problems,  but I doubt he can fix it. DelTaco is problem #1, LB corp is problem #2, but even IF they somehow manage to pick up a decent LB somewhere DelTaco will find a way to make him ineffective.  Its what he does.

[Skinsinparadise]

Benaridick McKinney, proven run stopper, what do they have to lose, give him a shot.   He has some pass rushing skills and maybe can get home on some of those double A and delayed blitzes which they seem to like to do. 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Skinsinparadise

[goskins10]

7 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

The defense giving up a touchdown on the first drive each game is demoralizing.  But I'd add the offense going three and out and sputtering early at the same time has helped set the tone of these games too.  Both units need to wake up at the start of these games. 

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2021/09/26/washington-football-team-buffalo-bills/

Another slow start spells doom: The final three quarters of the game made it clear that Washington was outclassed by a wide margin, but in what has becoming a troubling trend, Rivera’s team didn’t give itself a chance of pulling off an upset in a hostile environment by sleepwalking through the opening 15 minutes. Make it three straight weeks to start the season that Washington’s defense has allowed a touchdown on its opponent’s opening possession and the Washington offense has gone three-and-out on its first drive. That’s no way to survive a first-place schedule.

The Bills dominated the first quarter, outgaining Washington 144-36 and possessing the ball for more than 11 minutes. Washington, which ran six plays in the quarter, committed turnovers on two of its first three possessions, including a fumble by Logan Thomas and an interception by Heinicke.

 

The offense starting off well should have been a bonus for this team not a need. The D was supposed to set the tone. They were supposed to come out and punch the other team in the mouth right out of the box and then go from there. Expecting the offense to come out and set the tone is unrealistic. Especially when in all 3 games despite a slow start they have brought the team back - SD we had a chance to win, NY we did win, and Buf after the D spotting them 21 we got within a score at 21-14. Fair enough coming out in the 3rd if the off scores to get to 21 maybe it sets a better tone. 

 

But this team starts and finishes on how the D performs. The resources devoted to the D is not yielding anything near the results it should be. I think it's coaching myself. But until that gets fixed sorry the off mostly gets a pass as long as they continue to paly at the current level. Yea, Taylor had a bad game yesterday, his worst as a starter. But that is not the reason the team got beat down it did. The D was non-existent most of the game. 

 

I have rarely been in favor of firing a coach midseason. But I believe Jack Del Rio needs to be gone. Look at the Ravens. Several times they have fired Coordinators mid season. You can't be afraid to fix what's broken. I say fire JDR right now. His schemes are not taking advantage of the players skills. And it's clear after having 10 das to study and make adjustments from the first 2 games that he is either unwilling or incapable of making adjustments. Time to move on. 

 

 

[Commander -JB-]

We came into the game knowing the Bills are superior.  And the game was in Buffalo.  Sure, it was a frustrating defeat BUT Seattle is 1-2, Pittsburgh is 1-2, Chiefs are 1-2.  This is a 17 game season & the NFC East sucks.  Great chance to compete and stay in the fight.  Very winnable game next week.

[Going Commando]

The DL got pressure yesterday but there are too many points of failure in the back seven and the quick passing game has been working like a charm against them, plus the DBs are having constant breakdowns letting deep stuff go uncontested.  St Juste has been a major liability. He basically can't play anything other than press man or else we're going to give up bombs because he has no idea what he's doing.  The safeties are absolutely drowning.  Bostic and Holcomb can't cover anyone.  And Fuller and Jackson just aren't that good.  They're average players at best.

 

We get one or two out of five third down stops because that's how often the back seven actually does their job and gets everyone covered and we're running god damn four man pressures almost every snap.  They have been horrendous, but the DL has been doing their job.  I have faith in the DL, but I'm losing father in the rest of the D.  I thought the secondary would be far better than they've been, and I'm concerned that they're just not that good.  We shouldn't be in a position where a third round rookie is such a consistent point of failure, and where we are so reliant upon a safety coming off an Achilles tear.

 

I think this thread is being charitable with the offense though.  They are a disaster.  All of their production was a fluke yesterday.  A broken coverage on a damn screen pass, a freaky special teams turnover, and some garbage time driving after the game was out of hand.  They got absolutely dominated by a Bills defense which is good but not necessarily great, and not a single player on that side of the ball played well outside of one spectacular play by Gibson.

[Burgold]

48 minutes ago, Rex Tomb said:

 perhaps more telling, is the seeming inability to adjust. 

I think that's what surprises me. Last year, when our defense was supposedly good. I still remember Washington getting torched in the first half, but somehow figuring it out and shutting teams down in the second. Almost every game, we were first half bad and second half excellent on defense. This year, we can't reach the light switch.

 

Now, in fairness, I was asked to do a book signing yesterday and so I've only seen lowlights and read ES analysis of the game so maybe those adjustments are happening. But if that's true, they aren't working. So, I have to believe it's the chicken and the egg. We are losing the chess match AND the players are playing poorly.

[Going Commando]

24 minutes ago, goskins10 said:

But until that gets fixed sorry the off mostly gets a pass as long as they continue to paly at the current level. Yea, Taylor had a bad game yesterday, his worst as a starter. But that is not the reason the team got beat down it did. The D was non-existent most of the game.

 

Yes the offense most definitely was a big part of why the team got beat down yesterday.  They were horrendous and turned it over on their first two possessions and accomplished absolutely nothing outside of the end of the 2nd quarter.  They do not get a pass.  And firing Del Rio before making any changes on offense would definitely not be a step toward accountability.

[stoshuaj]

Maaaan, IF, and its not a very big if, they lose to Atlanta, the only satisfaction will be to find some sort of demented entertainment from the ES meltdown.

 

Holy balls, that would be looking down the barrel of a 1-6 start.  
 

This place is going to go from screaming angst to a freaking morgue.

[KDawg]

13 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Yes the offense most definitely was a big part of why the team got beat down yesterday.  They were horrendous and turned it over on their first two possessions and accomplished absolutely nothing outside of the end of the 2nd quarter.  They do not get a pass.  And firing Del Rio before making any changes on offense would definitely not be a step toward accountability.

Agree that the offense was bad.

 

But the defense has been bad every week. Let's not pretend like the defense has been propping the O up for 3 weeks. They haven't. The first two weeks it was the opposite.

 

But the whole team is playing poorly week after week. There are a multitude of problems. 

[HigSkin]

Sheesh, Collins and Holcomb...

 

 

[Captain James]

11 hours ago, IrepDC said:

This is painfully true. Defense is about working as a unit and being on the same page. Our defense is pieced together like Frankenstein and it shows in the lack of chemistry between the parts.

One might conclude that our defense is fractured but whole...

[goskins10]

8 minutes ago, stevemcqueen1 said:

 

Yes the offense most definitely was a big part of why the team got beat down yesterday.  They were horrendous and turned it over on their first two possessions and accomplished absolutely nothing outside of the end of the 2nd quarter.  They do not get a pass.  And firing Del Rio before making any changes on offense would definitely not be a step toward accountability.

 

I never said they were not responsible. Taylor had his worst game of his career - I said that more than once in here, including the very comment you responded to. But he will learn and bounce back. And I said the off mostly gets a pass - so again not saying they have no responsibility. But until the D is fixed it really doesn't matter much.

 

Not sure how it makes any sense to NOT fire Jack Del Rio because of anything on the offense. Bottom line is the D should be leading the team and so far not only is not leading, as much room as the off has to improve, it is seriously outplaying the D. Fix the D then we can talk about the Off. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[srtman04]

1 hour ago, cakmoney61 said:

Yes, the team is bad...again.  But the defense is atrocious and looks helpless and confused.  Everyone knew the LBs were awful last year and other than a high draft pick being spent, the talent level remains mediocre. 

 

If the team loses to Atlanta, I predict they will be picking top 5 in the upcoming draft.  With any hope a franchise QB will be within reach.  

 

This is NOT the year to be tanking for a QB.   All of this upcoming draft class is awful and would be a waste of a first round pick.  

[Dissident2]

The entire game was sealed on that early 3rd and 15. And who wasn't sitting there thinking, "They're going to give this up, aren't they?" As soon as the Bills converted that, Allen was in a zone and that was it. 

 

The third down conversion problems continue to amaze me. 

[Warhead36]

The offense is below average, but it kinda is what you expect. There are very little resources allocated to it. Literally the only two somewhat big money players we spent in FA on the offense are Fitzpatrick and Samuel and neither are on the field. We have rookies starting at RT and WR2. McLaurin is a stud, and I think Thomas and Gibson are both very good, but beyond that there isn't much to work with(though I think the OL was pretty good in pass pro yesterday). We have a career UDFA at QB. Against teams like Buffalo, we have to win with our D and hope we can get some fluky breaks(which we actually did manage to do).

 

Yesterday's L was 90% on the D.

[justice98]

11 hours ago, profusion said:

I think we're seeing why Ron didn't give up a sufficient fortune to get a top-shelf QB. This team still has too many holes to be in win-now mode.

 

He tried though.  It wasn't that he didn't try, they were all in on Stafford, the Rams just took a different deal.