Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

I like Haslett's attitude and approach to his players. He doesn't have any problem getting in a player's face or calling them out. I think he gets a lot out of his players regardless of their talent.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Redskin Jim;653970]I have watched this guy since he was the Saints head coach. He blows... I have not seen him do anything even mediocre. ALL piss poor coaching and personell selection. Sorry to be debby downer, but I can see a defensive coaching change after a season or two. This sucks, but I guess there wasn't anyone else out there..[/quote]

I feel the same exact way!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This guy just has never looked confident!!! Sorry to stereotype, but damn i always thought he sucked monkey nuts!! [B][U]Fat Albert will be tea baggin hi[/U][/B]m the first week of training camp!! I sure hope he proves us wrong!!!

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

Wouldnt mind seeing a poll on this move...moving to the 3-4 is going to be too drastic of a move with the talent we all ready have on a defense which was f*ing 10 times better than our sorry a$$ offense...Our defense isnt that far off...3-4 defense is going to be just as big of a rebuilding process as our O, but I guess its really no better time to do it than now...IMO this is a let down compared to the rumours that Zim might have been here

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

Matt Mosley's take on the Haslett hiring.

[url=http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/9964/haslett-should-be-a-good-fit-with-redskins]Haslett should be a good fit with Redskins - NFC East Blog - ESPN[/url]

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Mattyk;654096]I really have no strong feelings in either direction on this hire. Yeah he's had some mediocre rankings recently but I think you have to consider the teams and the talent he was coaching at the time. Nobody in the know seems to dispute that he's a solid defensive mind, so I'm willing to be open to what he may bring to the table. At the least, he should be more aggressive and inventive with his schemes than Blache was.[/quote]

These are points well taken, also during the time he was HC in NO he had a DC in Rick Venturi who was to blame for a variety of their failures on defense. I'm willing to give this hire the benefit of the doubt and use my trusted approach in wait and see how it works out.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Mattyk;654096]I really have no strong feelings in either direction on this hire. Yeah he's had some mediocre rankings recently but I think you have to consider the teams and the talent he was coaching at the time. Nobody in the know seems to dispute that he's a solid defensive mind, so I'm willing to be open to what he may bring to the table. At the least, he should be [B]more aggressive [/B]and inventive with his schemes than Blache was.[/quote]

Of the 31 other defensive coordinators in the league last year, i would say at least 25 of them were "more aggressive" than Blache. Most of the positive comments ive seen here about Haslett (and there are fairly few of them) center around the fact that he's not Greg Blache.

Of all the potential names being touted as potential DCs for Shanahan, Haslett was the worst. To find out that we contacted Crennel but never had serious discussions with him is perplexing. Saying he is a great defensive mind but blaming the teams/talent he was coaching for his poor defenses doesn't even make sense. Gregg Williams took a horrible defense over in New Orleans and made it elite. In the NFL, the level of raw talent is comparable on every single NFL team. COACHING is what makes the difference between mediocre/poor and excellent in this league. Haslett may have a great defenisve mind, but if he were a great coach, the results (his defenses performance over a decade) would testify to that. They don't.

[B]in his last 10 years in Denver, Shanahan won 1 - ONE - playoff game. [/B] Why? Well, partly, because Denver's defenses sucked. One of Shanahan's downfalls in Denver was that he didn't select good defensive coordinators, forcing him to get new ones nearly every year. What this hire shows me is that, despite all the blind faith wishes of fans to the contrary, Shanahan hasn't changed one bit. He's selected yet another poor defensive coordinator. (More) mediocrity, here we come.

People who take a wait and see approach are setting themselves up for bitter disappointment. I'm sure Denver fans said the same thing each time Shanahan selected a new D.C. How'd that work out for them?

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=BigHairedAristocrat;654122]Of the 31 other defensive coordinators in the league last year, i would say at least 25 of them were "more aggressive" than Blache. Most of the positive comments ive seen here about Haslett (and there are fairly few of them) center around the fact that he's not Greg Blache.

[B]Of all the potential names being touted as potential DCs for Shanahan, Haslett was the worst.[/B] To find out that we contacted Crennel but never had serious discussions with him is perplexing. Saying he is a great defensive mind but blaming the teams/talent he was coaching for his poor defenses doesn't even make sense. Gregg Williams took a horrible defense over in New Orleans and made it elite. In the NFL, the level of raw talent is comparable on every single NFL team. COACHING is what makes the difference between mediocre/poor and excellent in this league. Haslett may have a great defenisve mind, but if he were a great coach, the results (his defenses performance over a decade) would testify to that. They don't.

[B]in his last 10 years in Denver, Shanahan won 1 - ONE - playoff game. [/B]Why? Well, partly, because Denver's defenses sucked. One of Shanahan's downfalls in Denver was that he didn't select good defensive coordinators, forcing him to get new ones nearly every year. What this hire shows me is that, despite all the blind faith wishes of fans to the contrary, Shanahan hasn't changed one bit. More mediocrity, here we come.[/quote]

I think we could have done a lot worse than Hasslet. I mean really dude do you have to poo-poo everything? Are you going to give anything a chance?

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Mattyk;654123]I think we could have done a lot worse than Hasslet. I mean really dude do you have to poo-poo everything? Are you going to give anything a chance?[/quote]

Sure we could have done worse. You can always do worse. Shanahan could have hired Vinny Cerrato or matt Millen or Miss Piggy as defensive coordinator. If saying "we could have done worse" is satisfactory, then I think you and I have two entirely different levels of what is acceptable.

Rank Gray, Zimmer, Crennel, and Haslett (the candidates we know the skins had contact with) in order from best option to worst option. If Haslett is #1 or #2 on your list then you're not basing your opinion on the actual records of any of these men.

If I see signs that things are changing, i'll give them a chance. If I see history repeating itself, and that history is full of failure, i'm not going to stick my head in the sand and ignore whats happening. I WANT to give Snyder, Allen, Shanahan, and now Haslett the benefit of the doubt. But they've got to give me some real evidence that things are different. Up until now, they haven't. They might say all the right things about wanting to win, but so does every single owner, GM, and coach in this league. They all say the exact same things. Its actions that count. So far, the actions do not* look promising and i'm not going to delude myself just to have some temporary false excitement and hope.

* - Edited

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

Lets play a few games before we deem Haslett as the worse defensive coordinator. I guess Greg Blache was the best defensive coordinator. His defenses were highly ranked. In my book that does mean jack. Seems like whenever the Redskins needed a stop to win a game, the defense failed miserably. I don't ever want to see a safety lined up 30 yards down field or a cornerback lined up 15 yards off the receiver when its third and 5. I hated the Redskin alignment. I like the players but Blache's strategy was questionable. I want to see change. I want to see what Haslett can do with the 3-4 hybrid.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=BigHairedAristocrat;654129][B]Sure we could have done worse. You can always do worse. Shanahan could have hired Vinny Cerrato or matt Millen or Miss Piggy as defensive coordinator. If saying "we could have done worse" is satisfactory, then I think you and I have two entirely different levels of what is acceptable.[/B]

Rank Gray, Zimmer, Crennel, and Haslett (the candidates we know the skins had contact with) in order from best option to worst option. If Haslett is #1 or #2 on your list then you're not basing your opinion on the actual records of any of these men.

If I see signs that things are changing, i'll give them a chance. If I see history repeating itself, and that history is full of failure, i'm not going to stick my head in the sand and ignore whats happening. [B]I WANT to give Snyder, Allen, Shanahan, and now Haslett the benefit of the doubt. But[/B] [B]they've got to give me some real evidence that things are different. Up until now, they haven't.[/B] [B]They might say all the right things about wanting to win, but so does every single owner, GM, and coach in this league. They all say the exact same things. Its actions that count. So far, the actions do look promising and i'm not going to delude myself just to have false excitement and hope[/B].[/quote]

I'm not saying it's satisfactory, but you DID say he was the worst. So is he the worst or not?

You're all over the place. Nothing is different, though the actions are promising... do you even know what you're thinking?

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=drew54;653971]What is the over under on Florida Tuskers that are in camp.[/quote]Including or excluding Tatum Bell, who might have been in camp anyway?

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Mattyk;654134]I'm not saying it's satisfactory, but you DID say he was the worst. So is he the worst or not?

You're all over the place. Nothing is different, though the actions are promising... do you even know what you're thinking?[/quote]

"Nothing is different, though the actions are promising?" when the hell did i say that?

EDIT - I re-read my post - I left out the crucial word "not" between "do" and "look promising." That certainly makes a difference, lol.

And yes, Haslett is, in my opinion, [U]the worst [/U]of the four names that have been linked to the DC job here. However, we could always have "done worse" by hring Miss Piggy or Kermit the Frog or a just a rock to coach our defense.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Ruhskins;654120]Matt Mosley's take on the Haslett hiring.

[url=http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/9964/haslett-should-be-a-good-fit-with-redskins]Haslett should be a good fit with Redskins - NFC East Blog - ESPN[/url][/quote]

This should erase any concerns that Mosley and BHA are the same person

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=SmootSmack;654142]This should erase any concerns that Mosley and BHA are the same person[/quote]

Matt Mosley is the Founder, CEO, President, and sole memeber of the Official Media Jason Campbell Fan Club and will undoubtably petitition for his entrance to the Pro Football Hall of Fame years before his eligibility even begins. You should have all figured out we weren't the same person a long, long time ago ;)

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[QUOTE=Matt Mosley]I'm not sure where the Redskins' defense will rank next season, but I'm pretty sure they'll play at a higher level.[/QUOTE]Amen, Matt.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

I'm not going to freak out about this. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in mind. I'm tired of being one of the "Top Ten" defenses that can't hold a lead and scares absolutely no one. IMO we've been one of the most over rated defenses in the league the last couple of years. I'm willing to wait and see what someone else can do with this group. My first thought was, "oh no", but I think there's a lot of assuming going on and I'm open to seeing how they want to use our personell. I don't think we'll go straight 3-4 and I certainly don't think our previous DC used our guys to the best of their ability.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

The thing about personnel is that we're no worse suited for the 3-4 than we are for the 4-3 right now. The key is whether or not Haslett is a guy who simply wants to impliment the 3-4, or whether he can actually call it. If he can call it, we can absolutely play it.

In either defense, we need an extra linebacker and more DT depth. And our secondary still kind of blows, but it's not a lost cause, I don't think. There's players in it that you can win with. Maybe even Hall.

First priority is still the offense. Free agency should be adequate for filling those holes in the front seven.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=SmootSmack;654024]Remember when Spurrier took a shot at Haslett, saying something like working all those long hours wasn't doing Haslett any good in terms of success on the field?[/quote]

Yeah I remember that. OBC called him Hayzelett!!! lol. Then New Orleans proceeded to kick the shit out of us and OBC looked like a tool.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=53Fan;654145]I'm not going to freak out about this. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in mind. I'm tired of being one of the "Top Ten" defenses that can't hold a lead and scares absolutely no one. IMO we've been one of the most over rated defenses in the league the last couple of years. I'm willing to wait and see what someone else can do with this group. My first thought was, "oh no", but I think there's a lot of assuming going on and I'm open to seeing how they want to use our personell. I don't think we'll go straight 3-4 and I certainly don't think our previous DC used our guys to the best of their ability.[/quote]
Summed up my feelings exactly. If we are the 11th ranked defense, but we hold onto a 28 24 lead with 2 minutes to go, I will be happy.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=BigHairedAristocrat;654122]Of all the potential names being touted as potential DCs for Shanahan, Haslett was the worst. To find out that we contacted Crennel but never had serious discussions with him is perplexing. Saying he is a great defensive mind but blaming the teams/talent he was coaching for his poor defenses doesn't even make sense. Gregg Williams took a horrible defense over in New Orleans and made it elite. In the NFL, the level of raw talent is comparable on every single NFL team. COACHING is what makes the difference between mediocre/poor and excellent in this league. [B]Haslett may have a great defenisve mind, but if he were a great coach, the results (his defenses performance over a decade) would testify to that.[/B][/quote]

What are you basing this on...and more important when? People keep talking about Haslett's defenses when he was a HC, and honestly I don't think that's a good assessment. I mean Spags was a great DC in New York, but that hasn't necessarily translated well into his stint in St. Louis as a head coach.

If you tell me that Haslett was a piss poor defensive coordinator when he was with New Orleans in 1996, and the Steelers in 1997, 1998, and 1999, then I'll piss all over the corn flakes like you. Otherwise then all of us need to have a wait and see attitude about this.

Oh and there is a worst DC than Haslett that the Redskins could have hired, his name is Greg Blache.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=53Fan;654145]I'm not going to freak out about this. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have in mind. I'm tired of being one of the "Top Ten" defenses that can't hold a lead and scares absolutely no one. IMO we've been one of the most over rated defenses in the league the last couple of years. I'm willing to wait and see what someone else can do with this group. My first thought was, "oh no", but I think there's a lot of assuming going on and I'm open to seeing how they want to use our personell. I don't think we'll go straight 3-4 and [B]I certainly don't think our previous DC used our guys to the best of their ability[/B].[/quote]

Ditto

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=skinsfan69;654153]Yeah I remember that. OBC called him Hayzelett!!! lol. Then New Orleans proceeded to kick the shit out of us and OBC looked like a tool.[/quote]

Ugh, the OBC. We should have all known what was coming just from his opening presser. He basically screamed I'm not ready to be a NFL coach.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Ruhskins;654168]What are you basing this on...and more important when? People keep talking about Haslett's defenses when he was a HC, and honestly I don't think that's a good assessment. I mean Spags was a great DC in New York, but that hasn't necessarily translated well into his stint in St. Louis as a head coach.

If you tell me that Haslett was a piss poor defensive coordinator when he was with New Orleans in 1996, and the Steelers in 1997, 1998, and 1999, then I'll piss all over the corn flakes like you. Otherwise then all of us need to have a wait and see attitude about this.

Oh and there is a worst DC than Haslett that the Redskins could have hired, his name is Greg Blache.[/quote]

People keep forgetting that he was a DC with St. Louis for 2-1/2 years (3 full offseasons to implement his system) before being named interim head coach.

Greg Blache was never in consideration for the DC job in 2010. Its been beleived for months that he, along with his uber-passive version of GG's defensive system, was retiring.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

History shows us that Shanahan hasn't got a clue when it comes to hiring DCs.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

I don't get it ... why don't people think AH is a good fit for NT? He's 6'6" 300+ lbs ... seems good to me.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=ethat001;653975]Hope Hall and [B]Landry[/B] learn how to tackle.. And hope Tryon/Barnes pan out.[/quote]

There fixed it for you. :)

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

I hate to be negative, but Hasslet and Venturi are proven losers. I am shocked that these are the guys we picked. Grey would have been an excellent choice, except for the fact that he could be viewed as a turn coat. Still, I would have rather had anyone, over this defensive staff so far. I think he is setting himself up to have the same crappy defense here as he did in Denver.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

I don't know much about Venturi as a position coach quite honestly. As a head coach though he blows. But he's not here to be our head coach

Haslett is getting a bit of a bad rap here. He's not a terrible DC. And if he sucks, one thing we've learned from Shanahan is that he won't hesitate to throw his DC overboard and just pick someone else.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

i shouldnt be this excited after a 4-12 season. the DS is a marketing wizard.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=GhettoDogAllStars;654188]I don't get it ... why don't people think AH is a good fit for NT? He's 6'6" 300+ lbs ... seems good to me.[/quote]

Seems like a complete waste of his talents to me. The NT's job is to just clog. AH has the talent to do more than clog...he's got a 100 mil contract to show for THOSE talents...not the ability to clog.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

In a 3-4 I think you can move AH around, he doesn't need to be pegged as a NT or DE.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

I like Haslett, my only concern with his aggressiveness is that it makes the defense vulnerable to the "big play", such as sending an all out blitz and paying for it by having a bomb thrown down field. I have seen that a lot in his years of coaching.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=ethat001;653975]Why are we even thinking about changing the defense?? I wonder whether Gray would've been a better fit. If it ain't broke, don't fix it...

Why is Haslett a good move? It seems like he's been part of average to below-average defenses in the past. And there's even talk of switching to 3-4? Continuity on the defense has been its strength for the past 4-6 years..

[B]I mean, sure our defense gave up big plays & mental lapses, but they still were top 5-10 each year in yards, etc. [/B]

And if we blitz more w/Haslett, we're really going to leave the CB's one-on-one more.. Hope Hall learns how to tackle.. And hope Tryon/Barnes pan out.[/quote]

AAARRRgGggGGGHHHH
Translation of bolded part:
I mean, sure our defense gave up game winning scores at the end of games and TD's on the opponents opening drive most of the time, but they were still in the top 5-10 each year without getting TO's or defensive points.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=FRPLG;654200]Seems like a complete waste of his talents to me. The NT's job is to just clog. AH has the talent to do more than clog...he's got a 100 mil contract to show for THOSE talents...not the ability to clog.[/quote]

Do you think there's anyone on our team who is suited to play NT right now?

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

while i agree that our D's high ranking (in yds allowed) isnt indicative of their actual performance this year, I dont remember a team running the ball down out throats teh whole game and not being able to stop them like the boys game last year. to have a team run the ball down your throats is embarrasing and i dont think that happened this year.

last years boys game was hard to watch. this year, it was hard watching landry and our secondary.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=FRPLG;654200]Seems like a complete waste of his talents to me. The NT's job is to just clog. AH has the talent to do more than clog...he's got a 100 mil contract to show for THOSE talents...not the ability to clog.[/quote]

I probably agree, but it's hard to say that's reason for avoiding the 3-4. Maybe we don't get to use AH's talents with him as a NT, but maybe doing that opens up opportunities for the rest of our defense. Basically, if our defense is better, I don't care what AH wants or whether we're fully using his talents. It's all about net-gain.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=Mattyk;654202]In a 3-4 I think you can move AH around, he doesn't need to be pegged as a NT or DE.[/quote]

Agreed, I personally see him as our Richard Seymour even though physique wise he's built more like Vince Wilfork. Remember Seymour has reached 8 sacks twice in his career and I believe both years came in the 3-4. That matches Haynesworth career high in 2008. They always talked about using Haynesworth as an end, I guess nows the time to make the switch full time. As long as Hasslet allows Haynesworth to shoot the gaps we'll be fine. Allignment wise I would think that he would play a similar position to what he plays in the 3-4


Right now the main thing we're missing in the short run is an extra nose and a pass covering OLB. Of course Adalius Thomas might be available this offseason regardless of a new CBA.

--W---A--N---E---S
---O--O--O--O--O--TE

W= Will Linebacker
A = Albert Haynesworth
N= Nose
E = End
S= Sam

Ends - Hayensworth, Golston, Alexander, Jarmon, Griffin
NT - Montgomery

OLB - Orakpo, Carter (~~eh~), Chris Wilson, Rocky McIntosh
ILB - London, Blades, Rocky (again), Henson (Maybe he'll actually get a chance to play)

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=SFREDSKIN;654204]I like Haslett, my only concern with his aggressiveness is that it makes the defense vulnerable to the "big play", such as sending an all out blitz and paying for it by having a bomb thrown down field. I have seen that a lot in his years of coaching.[/quote]

Its a trade-off. If you want to be aggressive, you're going to give up some big plays here and there... unless, of course, your dbs consist of Derrell Revis, Nnamdi Asomugha, Troy Polamalu, and Ed Reed. The only essentially eliminate the big play, is to be very "passive." The problem with Blache was that we WERE passive, yet we still have up the big play. Still, if we had had an even average offense, we would have won A LOT more games this year and been in the playoffs. Our defense let us down at some critical points, but overall, they did their job the vast majority of the time.

That said, I certainly think guys like Haynesworth, Orakpo, and Landry will benefit from a more aggressive system.

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=FRPLG;654200]Seems like a complete waste of his talents to me. The NT's job is to just clog. AH has the talent to do more than clog...he's got a 100 mil contract to show for THOSE talents...not the ability to clog.[/quote]

I agree. Haynesworth could certainly play NT and be very good at it... it would just be a waste of his talent. If Shanahan lives up to his word at adjusting schemes to fit the talent, we will do one of two things:

1) trade Haynesworth (for nothing less than the equivalent of a 1st round pick in 2010 and 2011)

2) Stick with a 4-3 base defense

Re: Haslett to accept Defensive Coordinator
 

[quote=BigHairedAristocrat;654217]I agree. Haynesworth could certainly play NT and be very good at it... it would just be a waste of his talent. If Shanahan lives up to his word at adjusting schemes to fit the talent, we will do one of two things:

1) trade Haynesworth (for nothing less than the equivalent of a 1st round pick in 2010 and 2011)

2) Stick with a 4-3 base defense[/quote]

Or how about you just mix in some 3-4 looks now and then?