Steelers 27 Skins 12 post game thread

[tc2deuce]

Originally Posted by hooskins

That's quite a bit to do in one year. Doubtful we can completely overhaul the secondary in one offseason.

address secondary in the draft and fill in holes with bandaids from free agency
but yeah I don't expect this wish list done by spring.

HTTR

[SFREDSKIN]

I hope Minnifield heals and is healthy enough to start next year. Skins really need him.

[CultBrennan59]

Originally Posted by SFREDSKIN

I hope Minnifield heals and is healthy enough to start next year. Skins really need him.

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I'm not sure Minnifield will be ready to start, but I do expect him (and Bernstine) to get significant playing time. Then again, I expected Brandyn Thompson to get PT this year, so....

You all are throwing a lot of eggs into the unproven, hasn't played an NFL down, Minnifield basket. Also Bernsteins knee practically 'exploded' with all the tears he suffered week 1.

[los panda]

Originally Posted by CultBrennan59

You all are throwing a lot of eggs into the unproven, hasn't played an NFL down, Minnifield basket. Also Bernsteins knee practically 'exploded' with all the tears he suffered week 1.

minnifield could be the next darryl pounds, don't write him off

[calia]

While I was disgusted as we all were in yesterday's performance, I also caution folks against overreacting (firing Haslett may be sensible at season's end, but it is hard to imagine it helping right now). This season was not likely going to be about the playoffs -- rookie QB (although, ironically, he is nearly the only reason we could have stood a chance at the playoffs), big holes on D, questions on the OL, loss of lots of starters for the year (or most of it), and a tough schedule likely dictated that outcome. Having said that, there are a number of troubling issues, including coaching, and unless things start trending the right way, I can surely envision big changes in the future, most particularly for defensive coaches and whomever is doing pro scouting for us.

I highly doubt that we drop 10 passes next week. Heck, had that not happened yesterday, instead of 16 for 34, RGIII would have been 26 for 34 (a very good completion percentage), and one has to assume that drives would have been sustained and we would have gotten at least a few more points out of it. Our WRs didn't show up -- plain and simple. Not having Davis and Garcon really hurts this team. We don't have enough talent to lose our two best pass catchers at this point -- Hankerson is still (very frustratingly) playing like a rookie, Robinson still feels like a project, Paul may or may not ever hack it as a TE (again, he still feels like a work in progress), and Morgan has had only flashes. The lack of depth at this position is troubling, especially when one looks at some of our rivals (the Giants come to mind) who seem to be able to plug in anyone, and the fact that we made what we thought were significant improvements in the off season.

And unfortunately, getting behind early caused Shannahan to abandon the run, which is too bad because Morris looked pretty good (he had a few runs for losses, but he broke a few for 10-12 yards as well, and finished with 4.5 per carry, which is certainly respectable against the Steelers D). Clearly, there was a desire not to let RGIII run against the Steelers D, and they never seemed terribly threatened that he would try to break one, other than perhaps on a broken play. And not having that as a looming threat made us more one dimentional and easier to defend.

What is the most disconcerting to me was how flat the team looked, particularly on D. The fact that we cannot generate any pass rush at all is allowing for QBs to carve our secondary into pieces. I think Big Ben had fewer yards in the air against us than any QB so far this year, but it didn't feel like it because they seemed to move the ball against us with ease and efficiency. Honestly, there's no difference in our D between defending 3rd and long and 3rd and short -- it comes down to offensive execution because we cannot generate any pressure. Kerrigan is getting doubled oftentimes, but even when he isn't, he's not generating enough pressure. Jenkins, Cofield, and Bowen generate no pressure at all -- none. Frankly, I thought that the Steelers decided that in the slop they'd go more conservative on offense and be able to move the ball at will (which they did), and that there was no reason to take bigger risks which could lead to turnovers. I shudder to think what they'd have been able to do had they been even more aggressive on offense.

In this thread, someone made the point that the coaches inherited such a mess that it was going to take on the order of 5 years to fix it. I cannot say I agree. There's already been massive roster overhaul under the current regime, including 21 players who were drafted by them. Our FA pickups under this regime have not been stellar -- Morgan and Garcon have yet to be major contributors, none of the safeties we've picked up have done anything to speak of (in fact, that's now our biggest weakness on D), and there really aren't any other FA additions of note. In terms of the drafts, obviously Kerrigan has been very good, but defensively he's been about it. But three years in with a significantly new roster, fans and ownership can justifiably expect more improvement than we have consistently shown to date. To be clear, it is true that we could have won the Cincy, St. Louis, and NYG games. But we also could have lost the squeakers to Tampa and New Orleans (I felt like we have the Minn. game largely in control) -- RGIII keeps us competitive (until yesterday). But better teams -- teams with good talent and coaching -- find ways to win and not just be competitive.

Somewhat surprisingly, the O line has actually played pretty well this year. Polumbus has struggled with pass protection, but no one else really has, and he's been a solid run blocker (and the rest of our line has excelled there). At the outset of the season, that part of the team was scary to a lot of us, but they've held their own.

[NC_Skins]

Grant Paulsen ‏@granthpaulsen

Sav Rocca is punting through a torn meniscus in his right knee. #Redskins


Now we know what's wrong with the punting.





Rich Campbell ‏@Rich_Campbell

Shanahan on the missed PAT: "There's no question it was too low. Way too low." #Redskins


Danny Smith is absolved on this one.

[NC_Skins]

Rich Campbell ‏@Rich_Campbell

Shanahan says he considered his defense worth of being ranked in the top 5 before the season and injuries took their toll. #Redskins




Rich Campbell ‏@Rich_Campbell

Shanahan is equating defensive shortcomings this year to last year's offensive struggles that resulted from OL injuries.



I still think the defense would be suspect even with us at full strength. Not as shitty as we are right now, but still suspect. I don't think Haz is doing a good job with scheming or designing up creative ways to get pressure, which is why our secondary is getting owned.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

Rich Campbell ‏@Rich_Campbell

Shanahan says he considered his defense worth of being ranked in the top 5 before the season and injuries took their toll. #Redskins

Rich Campbell ‏@Rich_Campbell

Shanahan is equating defensive shortcomings this year to last year's offensive struggles that resulted from OL injuries.

Well, he has a point there when you think about it. Look at the OL this year and how well they've performed so far.

We're essentially down 4 starters on defense. Jackson, Meriweather, Rak, Carriker. There's bound to be a drop off when you lose that many guys. Not sure if we'd be top 5 with those guys, probably middle of the pack, but that would have been good enough for a few more wins, easily.