Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Redskins miss Sean McVay more than they’d like to admit

By Jacob Camenker

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Head Coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 10: Head Coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams looks on during the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 10, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 4
Next
TAMPA, FL – AUGUST 31: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins stands on a bench and looks on from the sidelines during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 31, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images)
TAMPA, FL – AUGUST 31: Quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins stands on a bench and looks on from the sidelines during the second quarter of an NFL preseason football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on August 31, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

Kirk Cousins, Jay Gruden look weaker without McVay

The Redskins were absolutely terrible on offense in the season opener, continuing a trend that same mediocre outputs in the four preseason games they played. Kirk Cousins struggled. Rob Kelley couldn’t gain any positive yardage. The receivers aside from Terrelle Pryor were unable to do much. Many fans wondered what was wrong with the offense after the opener.

Well, one theory is that Jay Gruden isn’t quite the offensive guru that some thought he was. In three years with the Redskins, Gruden’s offense was run by McVay, his offensive coordinator. Without McVay, some of Gruden’s deficiencies have been exposed.

Gruden’s play calling on Sunday seemed to lack creativity, and he really wasn’t able to address the issues that plagued the team. Jamison Crowder was unable to get involved. Morgan Moses looked like a turnstile at points, but Gruden didn’t adjust to help him. These were two controllable issues that Gruden could have addressed, but he chose to largely stick with the ineffective plan that wasn’t working. That is not the mark of a high quality offensive mind.

More from Riggo's Rag

Another major issue is that Cousins has not looked comfortable in the offense. The Redskins did lose their top two receivers, DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, during the offseason, but that wasn’t the major problem for Cousins. If Cousins was missing Jackson and Garcon, there would have been many more communication errors on Sunday. Instead, it looks like he just isn’t quite right.

Cousins struggled with his accuracy and ball placement for a good portion of Sunday’s game. He just didn’t look sharp as he had in the previous seasons. While Cousins has been a slow starter in the past, this was supposed to be the season where he would fix that. Instead, he has regressed once again, and had another crippling interception that really killed all the momentum that the Redskins had. And this definitely has to do with missing McVay.

If McVay was still there, he would be able to help Cousins make the small mechanical changes necessary to succeed. Without him, the Redskins are forced to rely on new offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, the former quarterbacks coach who has worked with Cousins in the past. If Cavanaugh can’t fix Cousins, then it is going to be a very up and down season for the quarterback.

Home/Commanders News