Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan's play calling is being defended in the locker room.
The players are quick to rally around the head coach’s son and put the blame squarely on their shoulders.
Here are some of their quotes from Monday’s open locker room session.
Donté Stallworth: “I’m not sure how much he is or isn’t involved in the game planning. I just know that we haven’t executed what’s been called. You can blame the coordinator all you want, but at the end of the day they call the plays and we have to go out and execute them and we haven’t been doing that.”
Ryan Torain: “We believe in this offense. We believe in Kyle. We love Kyle out here working with us. We’re in this together. So, we’ve got to keep fighting and keep pressing.”
London Fletcher: “I think our coaches spend a ton of hours to put us in the best position possible. they’ve studied opponents for countless hours. I mean, they’re here all day long. And really working hard. They devise a game plan that they give us and feel is going to work. We as players have to go out and execute that game plan. I don’t think it was a situation where we weren’t in the best position to succeed yesterday.”
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Yeah of course they support Kyle. The last player who did not got benched and traded (McNabb). LOL Big surprise. As much as I believe that Kyle is a big part of the problem I do have to agree that the biggest problem is the lack of talent/execution on the field. But when Kyle dictates the progression and the play calling and against the Bills I saw 4 3rd down plays where the primary and or secondary receiver were short of the sticks I can not blame the players for that. Ok yeah one of those plays was a give up near the end of the half and on another the QB was sacked but still this is an area where Kyle continues to call stupid plays that have almost no chance of working.
I do not have access to game films and to what play was called and whether the players did what they were supposed to etc etc etc. What I do have access to is my memory. To the best of my memory Kyle calls plays on 3rd down to receivers short of the sticks on average at least 2 times a game since he has been here — as far as I can remember they have worked about 4 times. Ok let us say that he has done that 46 times since being here. 4/46 is less than 10%. Seriously that is only slightly more likely to work than a 3rd down punt. I just do not get it. Yes I am picking on one very narrow part of play calling but I do that because I see it game in game out and I see no signs of Kyle improving. Coaches talk about seeing improvement in players all the time. How about seeing improvement in themselves?
I understand that players have to believe in their coordinator if they do not they are doomed to fail and in the case of the Shanny’s they are doomed to the bench if they do more than subtly hint at bad play calling. But I ask again when Kyle strictly dictates the progression that the QB’s must follow and the progression dictates throwing to a receiver short of the sticks on 3rd down whose fault is it? Is Kyle the only problem again I say no. If I had to assign a percentage of the blame for the offensive performance on Sunday I would say injuries/lack of talent 60% stubborn, stupid, inflexible play calling 40%.