Washington Redskins: Why Bruce Allen and Greg Manusky must be fired
Why Greg Manusky has to go
No. 1: Unawareness of personnel and lackadaisical coaching decisions
Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky has proven to be the worst defensive coordinator in the NFL over the past three seasons.
The putrid coaching decisions that have been made by Greg Manusky are far from few. He makes erratic play calls that never seem to gain any momentum for the defense or keep the defense afloat. For example, playing Cover 1 against the Eagles on third and 17, which leads to a touchdown, and other consistent terrible play calls on third down, that once again have the Redskins among league-worst in terms of third down conversion rates allowed.
He makes lackadaisical coaching decisions, like the interest in dropping back Ryan Kerrigan and Montez Sweat to play the curl flat or any coverage variation that has them defend underneath flat and crossing routes, on their Cover 3 “Buzz” and “Cloud” plays. Which by the way, only has Washington rush three members of the defensive line, what many views to be the “strength” of the defense.
These lackadaisical coaching decisions only happen when you’re not entirely aware of your personnel. For example, Josh Norman is a zone corner. Not a shot at him, but he’s not the most athletic player, and yet he has elite instincts at the position. Norman is great when playing in Cover 2 and Cover 4 concepts due to the ability to play much freer and take more risks; in the case of Cover 2, there’s safety help over the top. Especially in Cover 4, Norman is an asset, because that concept allows him to scan the field while playing the deep fourth of the field.
Despite this, Washington, last season, played a single-high safety look on 64 percent of their snaps. On over 45 percent of their defensive snaps last season, around 10 percent more than the league average, the Redskins were in man coverage. What does that tell you about this staff?
Continuing, they played Cover 3 a tad over 40 percent of their snaps. Montae Nicholson was your single-high safety in either Cover 1 or Cover 3. After Nicholson failed to show the discipline on the field to play single-high at an adequate level, the Redskins brought in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Ha Ha, which legitimately could’ve expressed the laughs from Packers fans and media members, due to the Redskins thinking that they solved their woes from the free safety spot, struggled mightily as the team’s single-high safety and even did so while in Green Bay.
The Redskins looked to replace their issues at the free safety position, with another free safety who had the same issues. Manusky, seemingly forgetting D.J. Swearinger had shown great progression and had a career year last season in coverage, reverted to the same-old, same-old and effectively mismanaged the personnel by putting them in positions to not succeed.
No. 2: Manusky doesn’t add to a winning culture
I’m sure Greg Manusky is a great guy and God bless his family. At the end of the day, this NFL team is a business. Getting rid of Greg Manusky first is mainly because Jay Gruden was a hire of his staff. You already fired Gruden, and I’m about certain Manusky won’t be here a full season anyway, so just get it over with.
Manusky’s track record doesn’t promote winning, it doesn’t promote success, and it promotes all that Jay Gruden was. A consistent inability to progress, a consistent output that is subpar, and overall, just a losing product. A product that has shown to fail.
Whether it be former Redskins players like D.J. Swearinger that say Greg Manusky and this coaching staff doesn’t push the players hard enough, or whether it be numerous players that question the scheme and play calling after they give up play after play. Or maybe it’s veteran DeSean Jackson describing to Philadelphia media that the staff and vibe in the Redskins locker room will feel their mission is accomplished after being up at half time against the Eagles.
Any way you slice it, a huge chunk of this staff must go. Greg Manusky, a coach who holds such a large cut of this team’s defensive product, clearly hasn’t provided that winning culture. For an organization that has lost for over 25 straight years, if you aren’t adding to a win on the field, your purpose here isn’t needed. That’s the truth.
Some may add that if you fire Manusky, you could lose a plethora of other coaches like defensive line coach Jim Tomsula. The response to that is: God bless them, enjoy your life, turn your key in at the front desk. If, at 0-5, once again a horrendous defense is being coached and out-classed given the talent on the field, then the coaches are part of the problem.
Remember how I said Greg Manusky is the worst defensive coordinator in my lifetime? Here are some numbers I want you to read.
In Jim Haslett’s first three seasons as the Redskins defensive coordinator, Haslett’s defense averaged a total team defense ranking of being the No. 21-ranked defense.
In Greg Manusky’s three seasons as the Redskins defensive coordinator, the Redskins defense, on average, ranks No. 24.
For context purposes, last season, the Redskins had the No. 15 ranked defense in the NFL. In the first seven games of the season, the Redskins had a top ten defense. Over the final nine games, they had a bottom-five defense, giving up a minimum of 320 yards on defense in seven out of nine games to finish the year. This is with a defense that many would say had boatloads more talent than any defense Haslett or Barry was ever given.
The time has come, people. Whether it be adding Todd Bowles to be the defensive coordinator, or finally bringing in a defensive head coach after every offensive mind in D.C. has failed, something has to change.
If the Redskins want to bring pride back into the motto of “Hail to the Redskins” they finally need to get them a smash-mouth defense that fits their players.
Going back to a 4-3 would be ideal, but what do I know?