Jay Gruden hired as head coach of the Redskins

[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Some things we know about Haslett: he wasn't allowed to hire his own defensive staff prior to now, he was sometimes overruled by Shanahan on play calling, we haven't had a lot to work with recently especially in the secondary, he's probably not the greatest DC in the world but he's far from the worst.

Can the D improve under Haslett going forward by having better assistants around, better chemistry amongst the staff, and most of all by upgrading the talent? I think so.

SO what was Haslett's excuse his prior experience before coming to the Skins. I mean, Mike overriding him on a few plays isn't going to cause the defense to be bad as it was. What we do know is Haslett doesn't like to run the 3-4 so why have him run a system he doesn't want to run? What we also know is Haslett has been a mediocre DC his entire career. Is that Mike's fault too?

This hiring people b/c they are friends is bullshit and pretty much why we stunk the past 4 years.

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

SO what was Haslett's excuse his prior experience before coming to the Skins. I mean, Mike overriding him on a few plays isn't going to cause the defense to be bad as it was. What we do know is Haslett doesn't like to run the 3-4 so why have him run a system he doesn't want to run? What we also know is Haslett has been a mediocre DC his entire career. Is that Mike's fault too?

This hiring people b/c they are friends is bullshit and pretty much why we stunk the past 4 years.

Haslett doesn't like a 3-4?? He was the defensive coordinator of the Steelers for Cowher in the late 90s.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

SO what was Haslett's excuse his prior experience before coming to the Skins. I mean, Mike overriding him on a few plays isn't going to cause the defense to be bad as it was. What we do know is Haslett doesn't like to run the 3-4 so why have him run a system he doesn't want to run? What we also know is Haslett has been a mediocre DC his entire career. Is that Mike's fault too?

This hiring people b/c they are friends is bullshit and pretty much why we stunk the past 4 years.

That happens everywhere in the NFL. I don't know why people act like this is a new concept.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by Ruhskins

That happens everywhere in the NFL. I don't know why people act like this is a new concept.

Well it's the Redskins, so of course everything they do is a complete anomaly.

The NFL is a tight community, so of course people work with those they are familiar and comfortable with, or come recommended by those they know. Isn't this pretty much how the world works anyway??

[WillH]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Well it's the Redskins, so of course everything they do is a complete anomaly.

The NFL is a tight community, so of course people work with those they are familiar and comfortable with, or come recommended by those they know. Isn't this pretty much how the world works anyway??

This does happen in every field, but often is seen as a mistake. If you're an executive of a company and a sales position becomes open, could you really justify bringing in your buddy to fill the position without interviewing other candidates? Even if you have worked with them before, know that you get along, and know they are pretty good at sales it would be considered a mistake to not consider other candidates, and would likely raise a few eyebrows around the office (which itself could cause entirely new issues of trust and fairness etc.). The big problem is you could miss out on the opportunity to add a significantly more talented individual with a better sales record.

Common and intuitive though the practice may be, it is unprofessional, and potentially detrimental.

I'm not saying this is definitely what's happening here, and I'm not saying it will end in disaster, but if it is happening - good or bad outcome - it is not sound management.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

SO what was Haslett's excuse his prior experience before coming to the Skins. I mean, Mike overriding him on a few plays isn't going to cause the defense to be bad as it was. What we do know is Haslett doesn't like to run the 3-4 so why have him run a system he doesn't want to run? What we also know is Haslett has been a mediocre DC his entire career. Is that Mike's fault too?

This hiring people b/c they are friends is bullshit and pretty much why we stunk the past 4 years.

96-00 he fielded some good defenses, the lowest they finished yardage wise was 13th, points 20th.

Jim Haslett Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com

I think lack of talent has been the main factor in his time here.

[That Guy]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

96-00 he fielded some good defenses, the lowest they finished yardage wise was 13th, points 20th.

Jim Haslett Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks - Pro-Football-Reference.com

I think lack of talent has been the main factor in his time here.

but if you compare that to gregg williams or wade phillips, his lifetime of coaching really isn't very good as far as defensive rankings or whatnot. even if you excuse his redskins tenure (which i don't, at least not completely), his track record before then wasn't good either. GW had a top D in 2010, wade in 2012. if you need to go back 14 years to find a year that's not terrible, i mean, come on.

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by That Guy

but if you compare that to gregg williams or wade phillips, his lifetime of coaching really isn't very good as far as defensive rankings or whatnot. even if you excuse his redskins tenure (which i don't, at least not completely), his track record before then wasn't good either. GW had a top D in 2010, wade in 2012. if you need to go back 14 years to find a year that's not terrible, i mean, come on.

Well put.

I'll offer this: Haslett has not had a top-10 defense in terms of points or yards since before Sept. 11. That's as a DC or a HC.

Haslett has NEVER fielded a top-5 defense in terms of points or yards. There are only 32 teams yet in almost 20 years he's never been part of the top 5.

This record cannot be written off as a lack of talented players or meddling by a head coach.

[Chico23231]

Is it official we are staying 3-4?

[WillH]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Is it official we are staying 3-4?

I mean, Jay definitely said as much in his first press conference, but official? I mean it's not like you have to declare your base defense, it could change based on personnel and what not. But yeah, looks like thats what they are doing.

[KI Skins Fan]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Is it official we are staying 3-4?

No, but If they weren't going to run a base 3-4 I don't think they would have hired one coach for OLB's and another coach for ILB's.

[diehardskin2982]

I wonder if Jay would consider Terry Shea to be the QB coach for RG3. He help Robert coming out of college. Might be a good fit.

[Schneed10]

The notion that Haslett was bad isn't accurate or fair. The Redskins let up an insane amount of yards and points in the first three games of the year, which of course you can't let Haslett completely off the hook for. But the Eagles put up all that yardage partly because the Skins couldn't get out of their own way on offense, turning it over tons of times. And they started Rambo at safety, who clearly wasn't remotely ready. Bad decision by Haslett, but to be fair if they didn't have the cap penalty he would have had better talent to work with there.

Just like you can't let Haslett completely off the hook, you have to acknowledge the improvement over the last 13 games. After the first 3 we were last in the league in yards allowed. We finished 18th, despite having zero talent in the secondary.

So Haslett isn't worthless. Give him some $ invested in defensive talent and he can field a decent defense.

[Schneed10]

That said I'd get Wade Phillips instead, he's better.

[DynamiteRave]

Well, we hired the younger Phillips as TE coach.

Washington Redskins hire Dallas Cowboys TE coach Wes Phillips | Dallas Morning News