Must-Read Article on GW and the Defense

[MTK]

Originally Posted by cpayne5

To me, it sounds like a new player.

Notice the use of "they" while speaking of last year and "we" when referring to this year.

Nice catch.

It's Archuleta all the way if you ask me. Can't say I really blame him if it is.

And I can't say he's wrong either, the D is clearly lacking that passion and fire they played with the last 2 years. Guys just don't fly to the ball and gang tackle like they used to.

[Pocket$ $traight]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Nice catch.

It's Archuleta all the way if you ask me. Can't say I really blame him if it is.

And I can't say he's wrong either, the D is clearly lacking that passion and fire they played with the last 2 years. Guys just don't fly to the ball and gang tackle like they used to.

Vincent is too smart to go to a columnist, plus he is a hero not a zero like Archuletta.

Archuletta has been a scapegoat but he sure did a good job of positioning himself for the role.

[Counter-Tre]

-sigh-

[MTK]

But I think it's only fair to point out the flipside of the article:

At the same time, Williams still has supporters in the organization, too. They say the players ripping him have axes to grind, that Williams isn't the one whiffing on tackles and botching coverages. They say it's horrendous that one angry, anonymous player won't go on the record with his complaints, and they point out Williams hasn't played with a full roster all season. For instance, Williams has had to operate much of the year without a healthy Shawn Springs, his best corner, and without safety Pierson Prioleau, who was going to start for Archuleta on opening night until he tore his ACL on the opening kickoff. It doesn't help, either, that linebackers Marshall and Holdman aren't tackling well (Marshall's coming off of shoulder surgery), and there are some defensive players who aren't afraid to point the finger at themselves.

"You can't argue with Gregg Williams because we were No. 3 and No. 9 [in total defense] in previous years, so you can't argue that he's not a good coach," defensive end Phillip Daniels told the Washington Post last week. "The thing for us to do as players is we've got to look at ourselves in the morning to say, 'What can I do to help this team?' Whether it means studying more or anything little, technique and stuff like that, we've got to do it all right for it to work. And right now I don't think all the guys are doing all their technique and studying as hard as they need to study."

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

But I think it's only fair to point out the flipside of the article:

Very true. Moral of the story being that all of the problems for the defense can't be pinned on just one person.

It's really a matter of comparative fault. GW, being the defensive coordinator, bears the brunt. Sure, he can't be responsible for Rogers doing something stupid, AA not being able to cover his shadow, or one whiffed tackle after another.

However, a lot of those problems can be related to the system, the scheme, the coaching, the administration, and especially the morale.

The players are certainly not absolved of responsibility for the worst defense in the league, but it all starts at the top with GW, and maybe even higher up to Gibbs.

[GREENSTHEMAN]

Originally Posted by mheisig

"Reeling Redskins awash in troubles"

This one is long, but a definite must-read for any Skins fan. Probably the most well-rounded analysis of the team I've read in a long time, and some pretty good inside information too.

If this guy is right it confirms a lot of my suspicions about GW and the defense. I think it's absolutely right on that our opponents have this defense figured out. Our blitzes get picked up every time like the offense knew it was coming, and our secondary is left all alone.

What's really scary is the detrimental effect on guys like Taylor. I've noticed his play seems to be going downhill this season and just chalked it up the defense being bad overall. It's a damn shame if a screwball scheme and bad coaching is what's ruining this guy.

Safeties and cornerbacks meeting separately and not being on the same page with calls is just asinine. This team has deep, deep problems if this article is for real.

Interesting article, I do agree that Gregg does think that his scheme is more successful than the players.

[dall-assblows]

maybe AA struggles are b/c of the safties coaches too. i wish they would just let ST free lance. he has the best football instincts on the team, if not the nfl, ala the blocked fildgoal return to field goal position.

let the kid play his game!

[Oakland Red]

An article like this coming out is bound to have a huge impact on the psychology of the team I would think. Thank goodness for Adam Archuleta, (or whoever gave his perspective to Tom Friend of ESPN). Hey, Arch, you may have earned some of your salary with this. Change is needed, and it takes people to make their views known.

This is going to be a turning point for the Redskins. If Joe Gibbs were not here to lead, I think we would be at the point where things could disintegrate badly. However, Coach Gibbs I think is really going to have a challenge ahead.

Some questions:

Will the players start to let their feelings come more to the surface?

Will there be pro- and anti- Williams factions?

Will Williams actually read the situation, realize how dire things are, and take steps to listen to the players and change his stripes? I think that is not likely, but people can change. Or will he dig in and polarize? Or pretend all is well?

Will the team respond to Coach Gibbs' exhortation to play smashmouth? Will this demand lead to changes in the scheme which will set the players free to do what they need to do? Last year, we simplified on offense. Maybe we can do that on defense this year.

It is going to be a very trying time ahead for the Redskins, but I am hopeful that things will shake down in such a way that by the offseason we will be headed strongly in the right direction.

[mheisig]

I guess I'm the only one here who doesn't really care who the source is.

A lot of the article is not based on what that player has to say, and a lot of the information is common knowledge: GW being an arrogant prick, the clusterfuck of a hundred different coaches not working together, the secondary being split and not meeting together, poor handling of personnel, bad FA signings and poor drafting.

A lot of this information can be picked up just watching the games or following the news and connecting the dots.

Plenty of other people in the league get it too. Bill Parcells (yes, the sworn enemy, but he knows his football) has made comments about the Skins fading offensive line and the "gadgety" offense. Ron Jaworski noted the same things about the O-line, and Jansen and Samuels in particular. The anonymous Colts player clearly has the same feelings about the predictable Redskins defense as the anonymous Redskins player. And what does the Colts player have to gain from comments like that? All I can figure is it's just an honest opinion.

And morale? No one should be shocked that morale at Redskins Park is at an all time low and that there are a lot of disgruntled players. This is a team that made it to the playoffs last year and had legitimate Super Bowl hopes this year, only to go 3-7. You think everyone is a little pissed off?

So maybe this anonymous player is Springs, or Taylor, or AA, or whoever. The fact is I doubt his sentiments are all that unique.

Anyone questioning the integrity of the article is really grasping at straws. I'm a die-hard fan too, but it's ok to admit when it looks like this team is circling the drain. It doesn't make you less of a fan or a "Godless Joe Gibbs Hater." Hollering that the article must be fake, or the author just hates the Skins, or the player is made up and his comments fabricated is just absurd. This is legitimate journalism, an actual article from a published, well respected magazine. It's not someone's blog, it's not a quick online article thrown up to sensationalize and draw readers. As far as I can tell it's a well thought out, well researched, well written examination of a team with some serious problems.

[Longtimefan]

The article was quite a read, and while we all may have our suspicions as to who the unidentified player may be, I'm going to hold serve because I have always been skeptical of articles mentioning a third party who's not going to speak for himself. I'm reminded of the old "false flag" doctrine.

To think there's that kind of problem going on with the coaching staff is troubling (if the authors writings can be asumed as truth) It may also help explain why the product we've seen this season is what it is.

[Sheriff Gonna Getcha]

I'm so pissed that the only thing I can say is that the rat should be ridden out of town in a coffin.

[mheisig]

Originally Posted by Sheriff Gonna Getcha

I'm so pissed that the only thing I can say is that the rat should be ridden out of town in a coffin.

Williams or the anonymous player?

[djnemo65]

Here's the other problem. They talk about what happened in Buffalo. Buffalo had the third ranked defense in the league that year! Their problem was that they couldnt score points. While that is by extension Williams' problem as head coach, that failed season was not in anyway an indictment of his abilities as a defensive coach; ergo the 2.5 million dollar assistantship he was given by Gibbs immediately after his firing.

I think Friend is a great writer, but I think the flaw with this piece is that it doesn't seek out any opposing viewpoints, or people who could clarify Williams position. If he was reporting about politics his reporting methodology would be laughable. I agree with a lot of the issues raised here. Clearly their has been a stubborness, or at least an inability to adapt the team's personnel to its strengths. The offseason acquisitions have been disastrous. Pierce turned out to be great. Etc., etc., etc. But I'm not convinced that this team is nearing the mutiny that this article would let you believe, and I would be absolutely shocked if Williams wasn't back with the team next year.

Still, if this article is true, this team's troubles run a lot deeper than any of us realized, and we might be on the threshold of the fourth major blowup of the Snyder era.

[Paintrain]

As I was reading I was thinking it was Daniels or Springs.. When Daniels was quoted from the Post article it had to be Springs.. AA hasn't been around long enough... The only other person it could have been is Marcus Washington but there's no way I see him talking like that to a reporter.

[cpayne5]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

As I was reading I was thinking it was Daniels or Springs.. When Daniels was quoted from the Post article it had to be Springs.. AA hasn't been around long enough... The only other person it could have been is Marcus Washington but there's no way I see him talking like that to a reporter.

To go w/ my "we" & "they" post above, the anonymous rat seems to have insider knowledge about this year only. Nothing about last year. His statements shed light on internal realtionships from this year that no one previously knew about. The information he shares about last year is all common knowledge. Seems to me that someone who has been around for longer than 7 months would have more dirt about the past 2 years than what they (and everyone else) have read in the newspaper.