If Greg Manusky’s been coaching for his job over the past few weeks, then the Redskins shouldn’t hang onto him much longer.
Coming into the 2018 season, opinions were mixed on Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Manusky. It was known that he preferred an aggressive style of defense, aiming to make the offense uncomfortable with a physical front and excess blitzing.
But while Manusky’s philosophy was known, the dividends to be had from his strategy were not accurately conveyed in 2017, as injuries ate up much of the roster on the defensive side of the ball. Standout players like Jonathan Allen, Montae Nicholson, and Zach Brown all missed time, and thus, Manusky was given another season to do his work.
Things got off to a pleasant start in 2018, as Manusky’s defense was one of the league’s best. But somewhere along the line, things changed.
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The loss of Alex Smith can be partly attributed to the unit’s second half slump, as the defense thrived off the substantial rest provided by Smith’s ‘game clock siege’ style of play. But the brunt of the fault falls on the shoulders of those on defense, both on the field, and on the sidelines.
There are several players who haven’t performed up to the standard, but it is Manusky who has overseen a failing operation for weeks now, refusing to make necessary changes.
Manusky’s personnel choices this year are borderline criminal; He’s put edge rushers Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith in coverage against running backs, where they clearly don’t fit. He’s kept Mason Foster in the game for starting-level snaps, when it’s clear that Foster, in almost every game, has been a primary or secondary factor in the failure of the defense. With faster, more athletic, younger options, the Redskins have favored a liability, time and time again.
Manusky can even be blamed for the regression of the secondary. When Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was acquired for a fourth-round pick, it was expected that the Redskins would continue to rotate Montae Nicholson into the game. But they’ve completely eliminated the rangy safety from the game plan, relegating him to special teams snaps, while Clinton-Dix wanders blindly in the secondary. Nicholson has the speed Clinton-Dix lacks. He’s younger, and has more long-term potential for the franchise. And yet, Manusky keeps him off the field. And how has that worked out?
Well, the results speak for themselves.
Manusky should have been coaching for his job long before this point. Now, it’s hard to say he deserves a second chance. He’s repeatedly made the same mistakes, as if critical thought is not a requirement for the defensive coordinator job. With any luck, the next coach will exceed Manusky, in that regard.