Official 2024 FA/Trades: Ertz, Armstrong, Ferrell, Fowler, Ndubuisi, Biadasz, Allegretti, Deiter, Luvu, Wagner, Pittman, Walker, Ekeler, McNichols, McManus, Mariota, Driskel, Ott, Chinn, Iggy, Davis, Pierre, Zaccheaus, Reaves, Crowder, Obada, Lucas, Byrd

[MartinC]

1 hour ago, DWinzit said:

27. former 3rd rounder of Miami...C and G. More competent backups with......position flex

 

Signing two centres. This does not suggest a lot of confidence from the new staff in Stromberg.

[KillBill26]

3 minutes ago, MrJL said:

That's what I'm  thinking. In the perfect world this would be the end of Wylie not Stromberg. Move Cosmi to RT, let Allegretti, Dieter and Stromberg fight it out for the guard spots 

Agreed on hoping Stromberg is still able to produce and they keep him over Wylie.  Might also signal we aren't considering Wylie at guard, but who knows.

[Koolblue13]

1 hour ago, Xameil said:

Im usually at the mercy of my host. I travelled alot for work. They took me to alot of VERY good and authentic Vietnamese and Korean places, but never for breakfast

Is "alot" a Vietnamese word, because you use it a lot.

[DWinzit]

1 minute ago, MartinC said:

 

Signing two centres. This does not suggest a lot of confidence from the new staff in Stromberg.

My gut is they are fortifying the whole IOL as we move towards the draft allowing focus elsewhere. I imagine Strom will get his shots. 

[MartinC]

Just now, DWinzit said:

My gut is they are fortifying the whole IOL as we move towards the draft allowing focus elsewhere. I imagine Strom will get his shots. 

He is certainly going to get a chance to compete. He's going to have to earn his spot and playing time though - which is how it should be of course. 

[SkinsGuy]

40 minutes ago, Skinsinparadise said:

 

 

 

[DWinzit]

2 minutes ago, MartinC said:

He is certainly going to get a chance to compete. He's going to have to earn his spot and playing time though - which is how it should be of course. 

He surely seemed talented enough...plus he is part of Ron's legacy and avenue to his deserved future ring

[PerryMason]

44 minutes ago, CommanderInTheRye said:

Can someone freshen me up on Trent Scott?

 

Have no recollection of him at the moment.

 

He's the offspring of Trent Green and Scott Brunell.

[Kalu44]

18 minutes ago, redskinss said:

Wonder if they're pondering kicking cosmi back out to tackle?

 

Not likely but the way the roster is right now it certainly looks like an appealing option but I'm sure the draft and post draft releases will change that.

 

 

 

 

 

I thought Cosmi struggled at tackle when he played? He has been excelling as a guard though. 

[DWinzit]

Just now, Kalu44 said:

I thought Cosmi struggled at tackle when he played? He has been excelling as a guard though. 

I think Cosmi is actually pretty decent at RT. He was never able to stay healthy though. He really did excel however at RG. Part of the reason was his pushing for them to name him at one position and leave him there. Prior he did get bounced a bit with time at G and LT (where he does not belong).

[Est.1974]

1 hour ago, Andre The Giant said:

 

Peters kind of changes his sentence at the end of that segment. I also think Allen gets a contract re-up if he sticks around.

[EmirOfShmo]

4 hours ago, CommanderInTheRye said:

 

If you get a chance to go again take advantage of the street food, that is by all accounts some of the finest in the entire world.

 

 

I did a lot of this when I spent a month in Singapore on business: hotel breakfat, street food/food court for lunch, local restaurants for dinner.

 

3 hours ago, Wyvern said:

According to PFF Rumors,  Deiter's contract with the Texans wound up producing more starts than expected, because the Texans needed him due to injuries along their front. 

 

To put his 2023 year in perspective, after the 2023 preseason, he was released, and then reacquired to the Texans practice squad and eventually activated to provide IOL depth to ensure decent protection for Texans new QB. 

 

Deiter's time with the Dolphins was mostly at guard in his rookie year and after that he didn't get many snaps for the next three years at either Guard or back up Center.   I'd note he did get a stretch of snaps in 2021 as a center, ; however no snaps in 2022.

 

Oddly, he shared a season with Tyler Biadasz on the 2018 Wisconsin team, and had a good year-- leading to his selection by Miami in the 3rd round.  I wonder if Biadasz put in a good word for him.

 

My take:  Good backup IOL, especially if Nick Allegretti can't play.  I still think Stromberg will be a better center than he had a chance to show under Rivera/Bieniemy -- but if not, and Biadasz can't play, the Deiter's good insurance there too. 

 

 

 

[redskinss]

18 minutes ago, Kalu44 said:

I thought Cosmi struggled at tackle when he played? He has been excelling as a guard though. 

He did but that doesn't mean he couldn't improve with time in the league. 

I'm not saying it's the case but they certainly could be seeing something on tape that makes them think he can do it.

 

[Est.1974]

Just leave Cosmi where he plays his best football.

[clskinsfan]

1 minute ago, Est.1974 said:

Just leave Cosmi where he plays his best football.

I am with you. RG and C are set. It looks like the two we just signed will battle it out for LG. The other is depth. We are taking two tackles in the draft. And I wont be shocked if we trade up for the LT and take a RT project after that. 

[Est.1974]

7 minutes ago, clskinsfan said:

I am with you. RG and C are set. It looks like the two we just signed will battle it out for LG. The other is depth. We are taking two tackles in the draft. And I wont be shocked if we trade up for the LT and take a RT project after that. 

I’m there. We need a premier LT prospect. Get up to mid/late first and get a starter. After that I think a stack of more than viable RT options look like realistic targets. Get one picked and be done with it.

[redskinss]

15 minutes ago, Est.1974 said:

Just leave Cosmi where he plays his best football.

 

Not suggesting they should move him just wondering if that may be what they're contemplating. 

More than likely these guys are just depth behind cosmi at guard though.

[Wyvern]

 

1 hour ago, MartinC said:

 

Signing two centres. This does not suggest a lot of confidence from the new staff in Stromberg.

 

 

I hope that the Washington coaches perform their due diligence on Stromberg -- I thought he was one of the better centers coming out of the 2023 draft, but wasn't well developed/groomed for what I thought was his natural role at Center. The Rivera/Bieniemy offense poorly handled their responsibilities for developing a decent O-Line,  and they should be held responsible for those never-ending breakdowns in pocket protection by  Wylie,  Gates, and to some extent S. Charles.

 

Something that reinforced my view emerged from a Keim podcast interview with Charles Leno.  Leno's assessment of Stromberg which was very positive; please check his interview with Keim (linked below) ... the part on Stromberg starts at around the 21 minute mark.

 

BTW, this interview also gives me a sense of some of the dissatisfaction with how the offense was coached (starts a little before the 24 minute mark).  It gave me a good sense of why Bieniemy isn't running an NFL offense this season, because I'm sure other teams noticed the same thing.

 

Hopefully Stromberg's talent wasn't adversely impacted by his 2023 injury, and that he gets a real chance to showcase his talents to the new staff.   I suspect the 2023 signing of Gates forced him to play out of position -- but I still feel he was one of the few 2023 selections that Rivera's staff got right -- even if might have been for the wrong reasons.  If he is able to stick on Washington's 2024 roster, I suspect he'll really benefit from learning the ropes under the veterans Deiter and Biadasz -- and then make a really good center for some team, hopefully Washington's if he keeps patient.

 

 

iv widget

Edited March 25 by Wyvern

[Scotty doesn't know]

2 hours ago, MartinC said:

 

Signing two centres. This does not suggest a lot of confidence from the new staff in Stromberg.

I have a feeling Stromberg might start the year on the PUP list

[Lovi]

3 hours ago, CommanderInTheRye said:

He a big'un. 6' 6" is huuuuge for a center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Usually centers are shorter for that good low center of gravity base at the point of attack.

So does that mean we are taking Maye cause he’s tall?  Lol

[MartinC]

44 minutes ago, Scotty doesn't know said:

I have a feeling Stromberg might start the year on the PUP list

Did we ever get confirmation on what the injury to his knee was?

[Rex Tomb]

Dieter must be depth unless he can play other spots on the line.  I thought we brought Biadz in for the starting gig.

[MrJL]

9 minutes ago, Rex Tomb said:

Dieter must be depth unless he can play other spots on the line.  I thought we brought Biadz in for the starting gig.

he also has played LG

[RWJ]

Going to be interesting to see what kind of contract Peters signed new OG/C Deiter to.  Just did some research concerning current OG Cosmi and he played under the Air Raid system at Texas as an OT.  May be something; may be nothing.  Just bringing it up.  

 

Previewing the Texas Longhorns offense under Tom Herman - Burnt Orange Nation

 

"Herman prefers the Air Raid playbook. The offense will look similar to what Kliff Kingsbury does at Texas Tech, but with a more viable run game. The two base plays of the offense are inside zone (which I hope everyone understands after seeing it around 400 times this season). And the Power O.

Just in case you missed the 2016 Longhorns offense, I will go through how the inside zone works. It relies on zone blocking by the offensive line, with the occasional tight end in the package. Each lineman takes a half-step toward the called gap, focusing on creating double teams at the point of attack then working to the second level to pick off linebackers.

 

The running back takes the hand off and aims for the play side hip of the center, reading the center's block and attempting to make a quick cut into daylight. I always coached the back to get the quick five yards FIRST and once that is accomplished look for the big play.

 

A variation of this play is the zone read. This allows the offense to account for the backside end without having to use an offensive lineman to block him. The quarterback simply reads the backside end. If he crashes hard toward the running back, the QB pulls the ball and replaces the backside end (runs through his gap). If the end stays home, the QB gives to the RB. I coached this "squeeze or chase, pull and replace". Pretty simple.

Now there are also some run-pass option plays available out of this play set as well, but we will talk about those later.

 

The Power O is the second base play of the Herman offense. Unlike the zone blocking scheme, the Power O uses gap blocking to execute the play. The play side linemen's rules are inside-on-backer, or gap-on-area. That means that if there is a man aligned to the inside gap, the linemen will block him.

If there is no one aligned in the inside gap, the lineman will block a defender aligned on his body (or in a shade). If neither of those scenarios exist, the lineman will go to the second level, looking to block a linebacker. The backside guard will pull through the hole and pick up the first action he sees to the inside. The center fills for the pulling guard (backside gap-on-backer), and the backside tackle will chip on the backside end then go up field for the home run block (looking for a safety etc.).

 

In Power O, a kick-out block is required by a back (this can be a tight end or a running back depending on the formation and ball carrier). The kick-out back simply blocks the end defender on the LOS towards the sideline. The ball carrier will take the ball, looking to get into the hole tight (as little daylight between his hip and the play side as possible), following the pulling guard as a lead blocker.

 

I teach the ball carrier to get five yards FIRST then look to cut back against the grain (towards the middle of the field) to take advantage of over-pursuing defenders and to use the home run block from the backside tackle, if available. Some coaches teach to take the ball to the sideline, but from my experience, the cutback lane is available more frequently than the sideline, especially with unblocked safeties lurking out there trying to cover slot receivers.

 

The Power O is not a read, but can be a called play to a back with a TE or FB as the kick-out blocker. The play can also be called as a designed QB run with the running back taking the kick out block role, and can even be a misdirection with a fake to the running back who will kick out then the QB keeps the ball inside. That particular look can really get safeties flowing to the outside, making that cutback lane wide open for an agile QB.

 

Another wrinkle that can be offered with the Power O is to fake the jet sweep to a motioning receiver then have the QB pull the ball and run power or give to the RB with the TE crossing the formation as the kick-out block. This once again gets the safeties and linebackers moving to the jet sweep action and creates more second- and third-level seams for the ball carrier to exploit. Power O also has run-pass option capabilities.

 

The stretch play (sometimes called outside zone) is also used in the offense. Stretch is just a simple outside run play in which the offensive linemen reach play side. Depending on the defensive alignment, the play side and backside guards will pull and lead block for the ball carrier. This can also be run as a jet sweep with WR motion, which is mostly how it is used in Herman's offense.

 

Using the jet sweep allows the RB to be a lead blocker on the play and sets up additional complimentary plays like the QB/RB power, counter (which will be run as a change of pace) and play-action pass. The post/wheel is a popular play action out of this look if the safety is cheating up to the motion or the CB is staying home to support the run game. It puts the DB on an island and if a coach sees either secondary person on a side cheating to the run they will use the jet sweep action to take it for a home run.

 

The passing game is predicated on a few complimentary routes which can be slightly modified to create different looks for the defense. Herman attempts to put high/low threats in the same zone, forcing the defender to cover one of the two receivers, allowing the QB an easy read to throw to the open man and relying on run-after-catch for big plays.

 

The offense will also take advantage of convincing defenders to cheat on the underneath (low) options like a safety jumping a cross or a linebacker covering a shallow route, which will leave deep options available for the big play. One big part of the passing game (which are more like run plays) is the screen game. The offense will run a multitude of screens, but four Herman likes the best are bubble, quick, swing, and smoke.

 

Bubble and quick are the WR screens made famous by the spread offense. These are also the most popular plays to use as RPO plays as the QB gets the ball out quickly, releasing it before the linemen can get more than three yards downfield (which is a penalty).

The bubble screen is thrown to the slot receiver or the inside receiver out of trips. On the snap, the receiver will bubble back making a lateral move while the QB throws, leading the receiver slightly up field and to the outside. The outside receivers block, and the goal here is for the active receiver to beat his defender to the outside and get up the sideline.

 

The quick screen is just the opposite. The outside receiver takes a step backwards, then comes inside, toward the QB to catch the ball. The slot receiver blocks the CB to the play side, and the outside receiver is one on one with the safety or linebacker. Some teams attempt to block the slot defender with a running back, but if the play is run quickly, the running back can have trouble getting over to the block, and that motion can distract the QB making for bad throws. I like to run it pure, attempting to get the ball out before the defense can react, and creating a one-on-one match up against the slot defender, especially against soft coverage.

Both of these are often used as RPOs with the QB reading the slot defender for the option. If the slot defender cheats on the run, the QB will pull the ball and throw the bubble or quick, especially on the inside zone play, although it can be used with the Power O as well. This keeps slot defenders honest against the run, giving the offensive line one less man to block in the box. There are also multiple ways to use a fake bubble or quick as a decoy then hit a hook, wheel, post, or go to the defenders who are cheating on the screen.

 

Swing is a quick release pass to the running back, who will flare out toward the sideline. It can be run out of 2x2 sets or trips, and as a wrinkle can be run with RB motion to allow for a quicker developing play and release by the RB, putting the defense pursuit a few steps behind. On the swing, WRs can block for the RB since the pass is caught behind the LOS or they can run complementary routes, giving the QB a simple one man read for the WR or RB as a receiver.

Smoke is the last popular screen run in this offense. It is a popular RPO combination with the Power O play. Smoke is a lot like quick, except the smoke is slower developing, which allows linemen to get downfield and make a block. The play side tackle will release and block the corner back. The slot receiver will either block or run off the slot defender. The outside receiver takes a step up field the retreats as the QB releases the ball. This essentially gives the receiver an easy read on the tackle's block then allows the receiver to be one on one with a much slower safety, who he should have a head start on."

[RWJ]