 |
| We still have something to watch |
Many people forget, but we KNEW this was the case. The Skins started off hot and everyone forgot how bad this roster is. Fear not lads, there is still a lot of good here, so lets break it down.
Remember how bad the defense was last year? Critics and fans were blasting Haslett and Shanahan for trying to force a 3-4 defense in to a 4-3 shaped hole. Well, who is blasting who now? Ryan Kerrigan and a much improved defense. Through the draft and free agency, this defense is humming in its second year, if we fill the gaps in the secondary and get a dedicated nose tackle, we're looking at some major success on the defensive side of the ball next year. Kerrigan is almost a lock for defensive rookie of the year, London Fletcher will most likely head to the Pro Bowl again, and the rest of the defense will be one more year wiser in the scheme. The massive improvement on this side of the ball just cannot go unrecognized. Well done Haslett.
The offense looked decent in the first few weeks, but it progressively got worse from week one on. The offensive line is paper thin, and will definitely get deeper this offseason. Santana is getting older, Cooley is banged up, and Grossman looks just as bad on paper as he does on the field. All this aside, this offseason will be measured by how Shanahan improves this offense. There are still a TON of holes here, but we have 8 draft picks to use in 2012, and the first one will probably be a quarterback (6 of the top 10 picks are projected to be quarterbacks.) The rest of the picks and free agency will be used to bulk up the O-line, find another receiver, and fill the previously mentioned gaps on defense.
Now comes the coaching. Kyle Shanahan has been getting WRECKED for his play calling this year, but again, it hasn't been as bad as it seems. Fans and critics want to run the ball more, but we are constantly playing from behind. Our offensive line is getting pushed back EVERY play, so Shanahan's zone blocking scheme, pulling O-linemen, just doesn't work. As far as Mike Shanahan, he needs to be more honest with his motives. If you're starting Beck because he's mobile, say so. If you're starting Grossman because of his experience, SAY SO. These empty, vague, "he gives us the best chance to win" comments are getting you killed! Maybe you just flat out don't care what people think, but that tactic only works if you win (Bill Belichick). So, until then, expect to get wrecked by the media.
We are not a good football team, we weren't supposed to be one, but we have the opportunity to build a contender for next year, which in reality, the 3rd year is when analysts expected improvement anyway.
FIGHT ON DMV
Tweet
