Playoff Push

[Darrell_Green_28]

we had a chance to win them all... except now the Ravens game has been flexed and moved to prime time so we are screwed there. LOL

Redskins-Ravens game moved to prime time - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

[saden1]

Originally Posted by Hog1

After reading this thread and some other negative stuff, I think this applies:

What were your expectations for JZ's first year as a Rookie head coach?
Have we made a good showing to date?
Beaten pre-season predictions?
Are we good enough to unseat the Giants? ....no, seriously

If you had been offered (before the season began) our current position in the standings with the games we have on the horizon to finish, you would have said Y/N?

We HAVE made a damn good showing with a realistic shot at the playoff's
S-bowl? realistically........not this year
Next year................maybe! I do expect to scare some people next year!
HTTR

Sounds like you're making excuses. If you knock on the door and someone answers I expect you to make the sale regardless whether you're a rookie or not. Or as I tell my woman don't tease me, please me!

[Defensewins]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Yeah, but the physical domination on the road, plus the disciplined attack we used was something that was lacking when we were inn Detroit. It's not easy to go and blow out an opponent on the road, no matter how bad they've been playing to date.

Now, if we didn't physically beat them up, I'd be way more worried because we should be/are more talented on the lines than they are.

We barely beat a 2-8 team.
But my real point is.... it seems Pittsburgh, Dallas and Giants have shown the rest of the NFL our weakness on defense, namely our DE's are really weak against the run. Seattle who is not a good running team averaged 7 yards a carry. Luckily Seattle is stupid and only ran the ball 20 times.
But the numbers are not good, M. Morris only 14 carries for 103 yards and J. Jones 2 carries for 21 yards. Our DE's need to tighten up their chin straps because the remaining teams are going to try and exploit them.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

We barely beat a 2-8 team.
But my real point is.... it seems Pittsburgh, Dallas and Giants have shown the rest of the NFL our weakness on defense, namely our DE's are really weak against the run. Seattle who is not a good running team averaged 7 yards a carry. Luckily Seattle is stupid and only ran the ball 20 times.
But the numbers are not good, M. Morris only 14 carries for 103 yards and J. Jones 2 carries for 21 yards. Our DE's need to tighten up their chin straps because the remaining teams are going to try and exploit them.

While I won't disagree that our DE's are weak against the run, Seattle's running stats are a bit inflated. 44 yards came on 1 carry where there was a flagrant hold that wasn't called. Although even without that 44 yard gainer, they still averaged over 4.5/carry against us. We can be beaten to the outside.

If the Giants are smart (which they are), they'll pound Jacobs up the middle a bit, and work Ahamd Bradshaw off the tackles. We're gonna have to play our best game of the season on both sides of the ball to win this Sunday.

[BringBackJoeT]

Originally Posted by Darrell_Green_28

we had a chance to win them all... except now the Ravens game has been flexed and moved to prime time so we are screwed there. LOL
Redskins-Ravens game moved to prime time - NFL - Yahoo! Sports

Sure, we're 0-3 this year in prime time, but there is actually another way to look at this. The last time we had a game moved to prime time by way of flex scheduling, we rose to the occasion and dominated on the road (that would be the game against the Vikings last year). So let's just look at this as the table being set for us in identical fashion.

[JLee9718]

When Jason Taylor was injured, we had a good run defense. Now that he's playing, we can't seem to stop anyone. Whatever we gave up for Jason was way too much, but that's what we've always done. By the way, we didn't let the Cowboys score but 14 points in the second game, so we should have won that one. Now we have to find a way to beat the Giants this week.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

This year is much different than 2005 or 2007. We're not in must win mode at this point as we were in those years. 3-2 in these last 5 games would likely get us in.

And other than the Giants and Titans, there are plenty of teams facing a playoff push right now. I don't see what the big deal is.

The NFC is much more competitive than it was in 2005 or 2007. For instance, a 9-7 record won't get us into the playoffs, unless a heck of a lot of teams loose.

[SBXVII]

Lets talk about a team that won't make it ....lol....the Eagles. Someone told me that after McNoodle got benched he cheared and clapped when the opposing team intersepted the ball. Did anyone else see this also?

[SBXVII]

Never mind it's on the NFL network where the coach names McNoodle to start. It shows Cobb throwing an interseption and McNoodle clapping afterward but it looks more like he is just clapping and shaking his head like "man we can't catch a break."

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by saden1

Sounds like you're making excuses. If you knock on the door and someone answers I expect you to make the sale regardless whether you're a rookie or not. Or as I tell my woman don't tease me, please me!

I would suggest to you, your woman may have more experience than JZ, or is she a rookie as well?
Right now from JZ, I'm getting a little of both!

[Paintrain]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

We barely beat a 2-8 team.
But my real point is.... it seems Pittsburgh, Dallas and Giants have shown the rest of the NFL our weakness on defense, namely our DE's are really weak against the run. Seattle who is not a good running team averaged 7 yards a carry. Luckily Seattle is stupid and only ran the ball 20 times.
But the numbers are not good, M. Morris only 14 carries for 103 yards and J. Jones 2 carries for 21 yards. Our DE's need to tighten up their chin straps because the remaining teams are going to try and exploit them.

We. Won. The. Game.

Geez, some of you guys are unbelievable. Too many soccer mom generation kids/Madden geniuses who never realized that teams sometimes don't always win and even if they do, they don't always look pretty doing it!

Do you guys get that even if we get killed by the Giants and Ravens-
IF we win 3 of our next 5 we've won 10 games, more than just about anyone realistically expected and will likely mean a playoff birth?
IF we win 2 of our next 5 games Jim Zorn will have won more games as a Redskins rookie head coach than anyone other than George Allen in 1971?
IF we win 1 of our next 5 games we would have reached .500 for back to back seasons for the first time since '00-'01 and just the second time since '92

Maybe playoffs isn't the P word we should focus on. Let's get some perspective!

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

This year is much different than 2005 or 2007. We're not in must win mode at this point as we were in those years. 3-2 in these last 5 games would likely get us in.

And other than the Giants and Titans, there are plenty of teams facing a playoff push right now. I don't see what the big deal is.

Depends, though, on who we beat. 3-2 where we beat the Ravens, Bengals, and 49ers isn't getting us in. 3-2 where we beat the Giants, Eagles, and 49ers probably earns the 6th seed.

In most probabilities, it's going to take 11 wins this year. A 4 and 1 finish would keep us comfortably ahead of Dallas, and at least a game ahead of where the Falcons will end up.

3-2 puts is in a lot of nitty gritty tiebreakers for the 6th seed, and with the Cowboys, and Falcons planning on being right there, it doesn't seem all that likely to me that we could hold those tiebreakers.

Although, more optimistically, don't count out a total 1-4 collapse from Carolina, that would likely make our 10-6 record good enough. Tampa, Atlanta, and Dallas just aren't going away though.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

We. Won. The. Game.

I'm not sure this is all that relevant. Only up by three, we could have easily lost that game (especially the way the defense had been playing) in overtime without the offense ever getting another snap in. Which is scary. Because they were the Seahawks.

I'll defend Betts' propensity to suck in the clutch once a year as a crazy fluke, but with the way our offense had been dominating the second half, there's really no reason a team like the Seahawks should have needed to committ two turnovers in order to lose the game. But our special teams is awful, and our defense can't stop the run.

Those things must change. Well, the special teams at least have sucked all year, but the defense can't play poor gap discipline like they have been the last two weeks. They're not talented enough to play undisciplined like they have been. This team has two strengths: rush offense, and pass defense. That combination really allows for a lot of close scores with bad teams, because both teams find success on the ground, and no one puts it in the air. Very little margin for error, this allows.

If we had lost the game, PT, I don't think the arguments would be any different. Mine, at least, wouldn't be.

[GTripp0012]

I think, though, if one thing is clear, it's that: beat the Giants, and we're pretty much in the playoffs.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Defensewins

We barely beat a 2-8 team.
But my real point is.... it seems Pittsburgh, Dallas and Giants have shown the rest of the NFL our weakness on defense, namely our DE's are really weak against the run. Seattle who is not a good running team averaged 7 yards a carry. Luckily Seattle is stupid and only ran the ball 20 times.
But the numbers are not good, M. Morris only 14 carries for 103 yards and J. Jones 2 carries for 21 yards. Our DE's need to tighten up their chin straps because the remaining teams are going to try and exploit them.

Evans and Carter are actually the two guys in the front seven that should NOT be blamed for this defensive collapse. Golston has been non existent on the interior (and he was the single biggest key to our success before). Taylor absolutely sucks vs the run. Fletcher has really struggled these last two games. McIntosh hasn't really improved, and still overruns plays. Horton has been great, but Landry's run support has been crap. Rogers is rarely a factor, but his tackling has been less than impressive this year, which is surprising for the guy.

But yeah, there's your problems, and it has little to do with the ends.