A Few Thoughts about the Redskins Game, in no particular order

[Virgil]

19 minutes ago, thurst44 said:

It wasn't framed as a list of things "needed to improve" but thoughts about the game, that was a 24-9 win (against admittedly a terrible team).

I honestly did not react to the original post. Fine. I've seen it all before. I have my issues with the game. It definitely had an agenda against players he does not like, but whatever. It was the smug, sarcastic why-do-I-even-bother to write an intro (that whole what-me-negative? attitude) when he knew exactly what he was doing. It was obnoxious. 

 

You're an idiot  (Sorry Tom).  Who was my agenda against?  Oliver?  He sucked this game and I made a mention about my previous thoughts on him so that my overall stance could be known to give context.  It was also one point.  Daboll?  Yeah, not a fan of him either.  But you also miss the entire post.  I was very critical of Allen earlier and adjust based on what they do.  I laid off Oliver almost the entire season up until this point.  So, if you want to say things to fit your narrative, go for it.

 

I made my follow-up comment about "why bother" because I wrote that intro specifically to address it.  Sometimes lines aren't sarcastic.  I put it there to warn those who were looking for a warm and fuzzy "we won" post to save themselves some time for half of it.  It was direct and straight forward.  But apparently that blatant warning sign wasn't enough to stop you from reading and still commenting on it. 

 

You're the guy who went to see Face Off in theaters and then complained that it wasn't realistic because science can't do that.  Yeah, so said the poster.

 

Either way, I'm done responding to you.  I've fed you enough

[WideNine]

40 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Some folks like to actually discuss the team and other football related topics, not simply give each other high fives and say "Go Bills!".

 

 

We can do both, but I have seen some posters that can ONLY point out the negative, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

 

Like I enjoyed the win, but would have liked to see Allen throw Gore open on that red zone series that stalled - let Gore make that catch and see if he could get in, but I think they have drilled Allen so much on not turning the ball over, he is reluctant to pull the trigger some times.

 

Then on the very next play with the sweep to McKenzie that was blown up, what the hell was Dion Dawkins doing? It was like he did not know what play they called because he turned inside and let the edge defender come clean on McKenzie and kind of jogged down the LOS to the opposite side to basically lean into a pile of bodies no where near the play.

 

I wonder if Gore got dinged at some point, he had zero burst and Daboll kept calling his number. I am also counting how many weeks in a row that Daboll will try to use Gore on a stretch play for no gain. I have seen some stubborn coaching, but sheesh.

 

Either way, a good win and some things this team can build upon.

 

 

[Virgil]

11 minutes ago, hemma said:

- I think Singletary just became our lead back.  Offense should perk up going forward.

- My guess is that McDermott watched the 1st and goal from the 2 devolve into a 42 yard field goal and told Daboll 'cut the crap', which led to Gore, Gore, Gore, Gore, etc.

Somewhere in-between would be better.

 

I think the offense has finally started to come together.

Fewer mistakes, fewer penalties, 6 of 12 on 3rd downs + a handful of big plays. 

Trending up.

 

I agree about Singletary.  I just wonder what changed this past week to to earn him the start.  It certainly wasn't last week's performance.  Not a knock against him, just how the game went

[dgrochester55]

I do not think that this was overly negative, the concerns are valid ones that will need to be addressed by the time that the tougher games come around.   Despite the 2-1 record, the team has not been the same over the three games after the bye week.   They are lucky that two of the games were against bottom five teams.   Today, I feel like the play calling and coaching was at fault instead of the actual players.    It was good enough today but may not be in later games if Buffalo is not careful.    A couple of other thoughts

 

-The run defense looks good swarming a run when stopping the back, but if the back get past first contact, no one is anywhere near them and that allows a 10-20 yard run.     Philly was the first team that exposed this and was able to do it for the entire game.   Today, AP wasalso doing this for awhile when showing flashes of his old self, but did not have the stamina anymore to do that 15-20 times.  I worry about what Chubb who will be the best back that we have faced this year might be able to do against this D next week.

 

-I was disappointed when a defensive lineman or linebacker was not added during the trade, but replacing Peko with Taylor from the practice squad was a definite upgrade.  Taylor was not getting pushed around like Peko was and made a few nice tackles at key times.   

 

I still see a 10 or 11 win team, but if they lose to Cleveland next week, I will start to worry a bit.

 

Edited November 4, 2019 by dgrochester55

[Virgil]

Just now, WideNine said:

 

We can do both, but I have seen some posters that can ONLY point out the negative, the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

 

Like I enjoyed the win, but would have liked to see Allen throw Gore open on that red zone series that stalled - let Gore make that catch and see if he could get in, but I think they have drilled Allen so much on not turning the ball over, he is reluctant to pull the trigger some times.

 

Then on the very next play with the sweep to McKenzie that was blown up, what the hell was Dion Dawkins doing? It was like he did not know what play they called because he turned inside and let the edge defender come clean on McKenzie and kind of jogged down the LOS to the opposite side to basically lean into a pile of bodies no where near the play.

 

I wonder if Gore got dinged at some point, he had zero burst and Daboll kept calling his number. I am also counting how many weeks in a row that Daboll will try to use Gore on a stretch play for no gain. I have seen some stubborn coaching, but sheesh.

 

Either way, a good win and some things this team can build upon.

 

 

 

If it's the play I'm thinking of, I think a pass to Gore would have resulted in a pick 6.  He would've needed to toss it over a defender and there was a linebacker waiting at the goal line to greet him.  I think Allen made the right call to eat the ball as all the action was to that side of the field and he had nothing once he broke to the right

 

Again, if the play I'm thinking.

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

I always enjoy reading your threads. Some fair and useful analysis. 

 

My thoughts

 

7) PI and the non-challenge - this was pretty clearly DPI, but it was the correct decision to not challenge it. For whatever reason it seems like refs are unwilling to change the call on the field in a PI challenge. Makes me wonder if there was a league wide memo stating that PI reversals should be saved for instances like the NFC Championship game (blatantly obvious AND huge impact to the outcome of the game). 

[WideNine]

Just now, Virgil said:

 

If it's the play I'm thinking of, I think a pass to Gore would have resulted in a pick 6.  He would've needed to toss it over a defender and there was a linebacker waiting at the goal line to greet him.  I think Allen made the right call to eat the ball as all the action was to that side of the field and he had nothing once he broke to the right

 

Again, if the play I'm thinking.

 

I think had he gotten it out quickly in front of Gore the linemen keeping Allen from running was not in position to make a play and the linebackers coming from center field would have been in time to take an angle on tackling Gore, but I don't think it was a pick six waiting to happen. I feel like Allen waited a second too long playing it safe and then yes by then - it would have been a pick and I am glad he ate the ball. Would have rather seen him throw it away, but glad he did not turn it over.

 

Conjecture at this point, and you could certainly be right. I just think that the coaching staff has preached turnover-free football so much to Allen that he is just a bit late getting the ball out as he still wants to visually confirm his guy is open rather then throw a pass where he has to trust his receiver to make a better play on the ball than the defender.

 

With the receivers he has had to work with, I am not sure I blame him for the caution-filled approach he has now. He needs to have play makers that bail him out enough that he trust them with 50/50 balls. Brown is the closet thing he has to that on the roster I think.

 

 

[Virgil]

18 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

I think had he gotten it out quickly in front of Gore the linemen keeping Allen from running was not in position to make a play and the linebackers coming from center field would have been in time to take an angle on tackling Gore, but I don't think it was a pick six waiting to happen. I feel like Allen waited a second too long playing it safe and then yes by then - it would have been a pick and I am glad he ate the ball. Would have rather seen him throw it away, but glad he did not turn it over.

 

Conjecture at this point, and you could certainly be right. I just think that the coaching staff has preached turnover-free football so much to Allen that he is just a bit late getting the ball out as he still wants to visually confirm his guy is open rather then throw a pass where he has to trust his receiver to make a better play on the ball than the defender.

 

With the receivers he has had to work with, I am not sure I blame him for the caution-filled approach he has now. He needs to have play makers that bail him out enough that he trust them with 50/50 balls. Brown is the closet thing he has to that on the roster I think.

 

 

you’re not wrong.  He’s looking a little Trent-ish.  I don’t know if that’s him in his own head or the coaches 

[HappyDays]

My only complaint in this game is the short yardage play calling. You can find other things to gripe about but they fixed some of the big errors from early on as the game progressed. The defense wasn't quite as shut down as I would have liked but you can't argue with 9 points.

 

But yes the short yardage play calling was really bad. The 3 runs to Gore on the goal line was egregious enough, but the 4th and 1 call to Gore was borderline criminal. We have a 6-5 QB. Use him in those situations. We weirdly will call QB sneaks when we have a yard and a half to go, but when we need a few inches we outsmart ourselves.

[Dablitzkrieg]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

I don't even know why I write the opening statement anymore...

You should relax on the thesis length posts.  It really isn't necessary?

[WideNine]

2 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

My only complaint in this game is the short yardage play calling. You can find other things to gripe about but they fixed some of the big errors from early on as the game progressed. The defense wasn't quite as shut down as I would have liked but you can't argue with 9 points.

 

But yes the short yardage play calling was really bad. The 3 runs to Gore on the goal line was egregious enough, but the 4th and 1 call to Gore was borderline criminal. We have a 6-5 QB. Use him in those situations. We weirdly will call QB sneaks when we have a yard and a half to go, but when we need a few inches we outsmart ourselves.

 

I am still wondering if Gore got hurt because I have ever seen him hit the holes so slowly.

 

On one short yardage situation the run lane was there for Gore, but Morse crapped the bed and was fork-lifted back into Gores legs to trip him up. Either way, it was clear to most of us watching that he had lost a step and Daboll kept going to the well. Finally, just left Singletary in the game. I still prefer when we spread it out a bit on short yardage and have run/pass options when it is not goal line.

 

Feel like it creates a bit more space for the run and still makes the defense defend sideline to sideline.

[ny33]

I am very, very, happy to only worry about Allen’s ball security in critical rushing situations (the fumbles on short conversion downs have to be fixed, but his passing play is so improved from the early season). He showed decisive play and improved reads/progression in the passing game.

 

Washington is, of course, a disaster of a team, and I’m more concerned with the rushing defense than anything we showed offensively. I hope that a comfortable victory, along with the special play Singletary demonstrated today, gives the offense and Allen confidence going forward. I trust that the defense will be invigorated having had a rare chance to feel as if they do not need to do everything to take back control of games. 

 

Could we have played better in all aspects of the game? Absolutely. Do we need to improve execution in every element to be a truly good team? No question. But we are on point to be in prime position for winnable playoff game with a QB who has proven that he can lead and win, and that is so much more than this team has had in decades. 

[thebandit27]

Totally irrespective of what Allen does in the passing game, does it bother anyone else that our WRs don't attack the ball at all?

 

I mean, zero aggressiveness toward the football.

[Buffalo Junction]

Man. Some folks here need to sit down with 5 year olds and watch Frozen on repeat until they can’t forget the theme song hook.

[Solomon Grundy]

Virgil, I like the Martz/Daboll comparison. It's like Daboll doesn't get a feel of what's/who's effective during a game. I also think Josh is pretty good with the playaction game. With the way Motor was running today, they should have used it more to target Brown v Norman. Also to try more deep shots. Foster was running by his man today

[ny33]

2 minutes ago, thebandit27 said:

Totally irrespective of what Allen does in the passing game, does it bother anyone else that our WRs don't attack the ball at all?

 

I mean, zero aggressiveness toward the football.

I’ve occasionally seen Beasley be tentative towards the ball in physical situations, but Brown has shown nothing but precision and drive to me. I’m very confident that the current receiver corps has the right mentality and level of skill to help Allen grow, but the team would be well-served to add a consistent physical threat early in the coming draft. 

[Gray Beard]

1 minute ago, Buffalo Junction said:

Man. Some folks here need to sit down with 5 year olds and watch Frozen on repeat until they can’t forget the theme song hook.

How about 4 year olds, will that suffice?  My granddaughter is 4 and we watch Frozen multiple times just about every time we go to visit, which is at least once a month.

[Buffalo Junction]

1 minute ago, Gray Beard said:

How about 4 year olds, will that suffice?  My granddaughter is 4 and we watch Frozen multiple times just about every time we go to visit, which is at least once a month.

Any age that helps them “let it go” is sufficient. ?‍♂️

[ChevyVanMiller]

 Appreciate your thoughts as always Virgil.

 

Two thoughts: Shaq and Lawson are one and the same, no?

 

Secondly, I really wish Daboll would stop sending in the outdated Jumbo package on 3rd and one. It simply doesn’t work. Too many big bodies clogging up the running lanes. The move is to spread the field with four wideouts and run the QB sneak. All he needs to do is pay attention to what Brady does to us every time in that situation.

[Apocalypse Nuts]

Virgil, guys like you take away a lot of the fun of the game for yourselves.  You can nit-pick till the cows come home but you're just over-thinking everything.  Try and look at the big picture more because that's all that matters.  Big picture = wins and losses.  The Bill's big picture is looking pretty darn good right now.