mooby
11-19-2017, 11:45 PM
I thought it'd be interesting to have a thread to discuss the defense and their issues, or if you're a big fan of Manusky this would be a good place to mount your defense of his defense.
At the beginning I was skeptical of Manusky as coordinator because he's got an unimpressive track record at a host of other places. I also wanted Wade Phillips, but there's neither here nor there.
11 games into the year our defense has shown marked improvement over Joe Barry's d, which I appreciate but really doesn't say much because the Redskins have been terrible on d for a couple years now. They brought in guys like Swearinger and Zack Brown who have been big improvements over previous years, and Montae Nicholson had his moments before his on-again/off-again injury issues. Guys like Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis came on board and despite being young showed they can compete and make plays.
Now here we are, in week 11, and our d just totally collapsed and cost us the game with what seemed like an insurmountable lead.
I started this thread with the intent of making the discussion about points given up in the last 2 minutes of the half. So I'll start with that.
Week 1 vs Philly, first half. Gave up a 10 play, 43yd drive that took up 1:17 and ended in a 50 yard field goal with no time on the clock. Philly takes a 16-14 lead.
Second half: Their d returned a Cousins fumble for a td with under 2 min left, but that's on the O. They do score the 2 point conversation to make the game 30-17 and out of reach.
Week 2 vs. Rams: Nada.
Week 3 vs. Raiders: Nada.
Week 4 vs. Chiefs: First half. Technically this counts but the drive started with 5 min on the clock. Chiefs go 73 yards in 7 plays/3:07, finish with a 17yd td pass to Kelce. Redskins still lead 10-7.
Second half: Cousins leads game tying drive, ties game 20-20 with 47 seconds to go. Chiefs drive 50 yards in 6 plays/43 seconds, kick game winning 43yd field goal with 4 seconds left. The kickoff return/lateral drill ends in a 13 yard fumble return for a td with no time left on the clock. Still counts against us but ultimately irrelevant to final score. Last drive totally on the d though.
Week 6 vs. 49ers: First half. After Redskins kick a field goal to go up 17-0 with 1:51 left on the clock, 49ers go on a 11 play, 75 yard drive that finishes with a 1 yard td as time expires. Redskins lead 17-7 at the half.
Second half: After Redskins miss extra point on a KC 7 yard td run with 3:28 left, leading 26-17, the 49ers go 75 yards in 6 plays/1:30, finishing with a 45 yard td pass to Aldrick Robinson by CJ Beathard. Redskins lead 26-24 with 1:58 left on the clock.
Week 7 vs. Eagles: First half. Not relevant to 2 min discussion but Eagles go 80 yards in 3 minutes, finish with 64 yard td pass to Mack Hollins from Wentz with 3:19 left on the clock. After offense fails to finish out half, Eagles get ball back with 1:52 left, and go 80 yards in 6 plays/1:30, finish with 4yd td pass to Ertz from Wentz, take 17-10 lead with 22 seconds left. No 2nd half drive given up but that's because d was shredded that day, giving up 4 td drives in 2nd through 4th quarters that put game out of reach.
Week 8 vs. Cowboys: Second half: Byron Jones has a 21yd pick six with 21 seconds left and the Redskins trying to drive for a game tying td. Goes from 26-19 Cowboys to 33-19 Cowboys. Offense' fault obviously on that one.
Week 9 vs. Seahawks: Second half: Seahawks go 71 yards in 5 plays/48 seconds, finish with a 30yd td pass from Wilson to Baldwin, take 14-10 lead with 1:34 left on the clock. Redskins do the un-Redskins thing and go on clutch 4 play, 70 yard drive to finish with a td to win the game.
Week 10 vs. Vikings: First half: Vikings go 71 yards in 6 plays/2:48, finish with a 7 yard td pass from Keenum to Thielen, and 1:49 left on the clock. Redskins turn the ball over on ensuing drive, Vikings go on 3 play/23 yd drive, finish with a 1 yd td pass and 22 seconds left. Vikings go from 14-17 to 28-17 in 2 min span. Start 3rd q with a 2:38 drive finish with a td, puts game at 35-17 and Redskins play catch up entire second half.
Week 11 vs. Saints: We should remember this drill clearly. First half: Saints go 69 yards in 10 plays, finish with 29 yard field goal, Redskins have 17-13 lead at half.
Second half: After Redskins score a td to go up 31-16 with 5:58 left, Saints go on 75 yard/8 play drive in 3:05, finish with td. Redskins can't get game winning first down on ensuing drive, give ball back to Saints with 2 min left. Saints go 87 yards in 4 plays/48 seconds, finish with inspired 2 point conversion to tie game 31-31. After easy stop in OT helped by a dropped pass from Vernon Davis, Saints go 51 yards in 3 plays and kick super-easy game winning 28 yard field goal. It's the most egregious end of half/OT defense seen by the Redskins in years, and most likely puts them out of playoff contention in stacked NFC (not that we were going to compete anyways at 5-5, when the 6th seed has 7-3 record.
So discuss. I'll start. Fire Manusky. Even when we were healthy, some teams still made it look easy to score on us. It's improvement but not "contending" improvement. It's also hard to contend when teams show an easy ability to score on us at the end of the half.
Now this thread might become quiet if we put on our big boy pants and beat the bad teams on our easier second half schedule. But I don't like what I see from Manusky at the end of the half. Being good doesn't matter if you can't close out teams at the end of the half or the game.
Also Jay Gruden's choice of d-coordinators lacks confidence from me. He's on the hot seat now because of it, amongst other things.
At the beginning I was skeptical of Manusky as coordinator because he's got an unimpressive track record at a host of other places. I also wanted Wade Phillips, but there's neither here nor there.
11 games into the year our defense has shown marked improvement over Joe Barry's d, which I appreciate but really doesn't say much because the Redskins have been terrible on d for a couple years now. They brought in guys like Swearinger and Zack Brown who have been big improvements over previous years, and Montae Nicholson had his moments before his on-again/off-again injury issues. Guys like Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis came on board and despite being young showed they can compete and make plays.
Now here we are, in week 11, and our d just totally collapsed and cost us the game with what seemed like an insurmountable lead.
I started this thread with the intent of making the discussion about points given up in the last 2 minutes of the half. So I'll start with that.
Week 1 vs Philly, first half. Gave up a 10 play, 43yd drive that took up 1:17 and ended in a 50 yard field goal with no time on the clock. Philly takes a 16-14 lead.
Second half: Their d returned a Cousins fumble for a td with under 2 min left, but that's on the O. They do score the 2 point conversation to make the game 30-17 and out of reach.
Week 2 vs. Rams: Nada.
Week 3 vs. Raiders: Nada.
Week 4 vs. Chiefs: First half. Technically this counts but the drive started with 5 min on the clock. Chiefs go 73 yards in 7 plays/3:07, finish with a 17yd td pass to Kelce. Redskins still lead 10-7.
Second half: Cousins leads game tying drive, ties game 20-20 with 47 seconds to go. Chiefs drive 50 yards in 6 plays/43 seconds, kick game winning 43yd field goal with 4 seconds left. The kickoff return/lateral drill ends in a 13 yard fumble return for a td with no time left on the clock. Still counts against us but ultimately irrelevant to final score. Last drive totally on the d though.
Week 6 vs. 49ers: First half. After Redskins kick a field goal to go up 17-0 with 1:51 left on the clock, 49ers go on a 11 play, 75 yard drive that finishes with a 1 yard td as time expires. Redskins lead 17-7 at the half.
Second half: After Redskins miss extra point on a KC 7 yard td run with 3:28 left, leading 26-17, the 49ers go 75 yards in 6 plays/1:30, finishing with a 45 yard td pass to Aldrick Robinson by CJ Beathard. Redskins lead 26-24 with 1:58 left on the clock.
Week 7 vs. Eagles: First half. Not relevant to 2 min discussion but Eagles go 80 yards in 3 minutes, finish with 64 yard td pass to Mack Hollins from Wentz with 3:19 left on the clock. After offense fails to finish out half, Eagles get ball back with 1:52 left, and go 80 yards in 6 plays/1:30, finish with 4yd td pass to Ertz from Wentz, take 17-10 lead with 22 seconds left. No 2nd half drive given up but that's because d was shredded that day, giving up 4 td drives in 2nd through 4th quarters that put game out of reach.
Week 8 vs. Cowboys: Second half: Byron Jones has a 21yd pick six with 21 seconds left and the Redskins trying to drive for a game tying td. Goes from 26-19 Cowboys to 33-19 Cowboys. Offense' fault obviously on that one.
Week 9 vs. Seahawks: Second half: Seahawks go 71 yards in 5 plays/48 seconds, finish with a 30yd td pass from Wilson to Baldwin, take 14-10 lead with 1:34 left on the clock. Redskins do the un-Redskins thing and go on clutch 4 play, 70 yard drive to finish with a td to win the game.
Week 10 vs. Vikings: First half: Vikings go 71 yards in 6 plays/2:48, finish with a 7 yard td pass from Keenum to Thielen, and 1:49 left on the clock. Redskins turn the ball over on ensuing drive, Vikings go on 3 play/23 yd drive, finish with a 1 yd td pass and 22 seconds left. Vikings go from 14-17 to 28-17 in 2 min span. Start 3rd q with a 2:38 drive finish with a td, puts game at 35-17 and Redskins play catch up entire second half.
Week 11 vs. Saints: We should remember this drill clearly. First half: Saints go 69 yards in 10 plays, finish with 29 yard field goal, Redskins have 17-13 lead at half.
Second half: After Redskins score a td to go up 31-16 with 5:58 left, Saints go on 75 yard/8 play drive in 3:05, finish with td. Redskins can't get game winning first down on ensuing drive, give ball back to Saints with 2 min left. Saints go 87 yards in 4 plays/48 seconds, finish with inspired 2 point conversion to tie game 31-31. After easy stop in OT helped by a dropped pass from Vernon Davis, Saints go 51 yards in 3 plays and kick super-easy game winning 28 yard field goal. It's the most egregious end of half/OT defense seen by the Redskins in years, and most likely puts them out of playoff contention in stacked NFC (not that we were going to compete anyways at 5-5, when the 6th seed has 7-3 record.
So discuss. I'll start. Fire Manusky. Even when we were healthy, some teams still made it look easy to score on us. It's improvement but not "contending" improvement. It's also hard to contend when teams show an easy ability to score on us at the end of the half.
Now this thread might become quiet if we put on our big boy pants and beat the bad teams on our easier second half schedule. But I don't like what I see from Manusky at the end of the half. Being good doesn't matter if you can't close out teams at the end of the half or the game.
Also Jay Gruden's choice of d-coordinators lacks confidence from me. He's on the hot seat now because of it, amongst other things.