Coach Gruden and Controversy
by IVIonteith | 6 years ago | 0 Comments
Coach Gruden was brought in unexpectedly late in the offseason. After a Super Bowl loss, ownership made the surprise choice it was time to go a different direction with the team. This was the start of the controversy and it hasn't slowed down since.
Coach started the offseason in a bit of a weird spot. The team has acquired a 1st round pick from the previous regime, which ended up being pick 7 to go along with their first they already had at 31. In most situations coming into a team with two first round picks is a dream. You really can get to evaluate the prospects and take two players you really want to build a franchise around. Unfortunately, this was not the case in Washington. Coach was hired mere days before the draft and had to rely solely on the word of the former regime's scouting department along with cramming in as much tape as he could manage in the hours before the big day.
One player that everyone knew about coming into this draft was Defensive End Poppy Sanu. Sanu was a beast out of Michigan State wreacking havoc against any offensive line. He was one of those rare breeds of players who dominated in both stopping the run and rushing the passer. Poppy was considered to be the #1 prospect in the draft, and to grab him at 7 was considered to be impossible. But as the draft started and the first few names were called, Poppy was still there. As it was announced that Washington was on the clock, the pick came in quicker than could be imagined. Washington fans were ecstatic to be able to draft Poppy.
This left coach with the next question of who to take at 31. With the 9th pick of the previous draft, the Redskins had selected a QB out of Alabama, Michael Veldman. Veldman was going to take over this franchise. He sat his entire rookie season in favor of Tyrod Taylor who ended up winning the MVP and leading Washington to the Super Bowl. So, it came as a complete surprise that at pick #31, the Redskins selected QB George Lloyd out of Michigan State.
And so even more controversy ensued. Veldman was now a one year vet. He studied behind the MVP Taylor and had a year to learn the offense, or what would have been the offense if the previous regime stayed around. Veldman also was extremely physically gifted and played with a similar playstyle to Tyrod.
Lloyd was named the week 1 starter. The fans didn't know what to think or how to feel, and the ride so far has not proven to give any concrete answers. Lloyd was perfect on his first drive of his first game, going 7-7 and marching down the field before he was hit hard and had to leave the game. In comes Veldman. Veldman played a great game and ultimately lead the Redskins to a victory. He was nearly perfect, and his physical talents were displayed prominently.
Through 5 games now, Lloyd has been up and down. He is completing an outstanding 71% of his passes but has 7 Tds and 7 ints to go along with that. Washington was ready to head into the bye at 4-1, but league officials overturned a win against the Chargers after the game was finalized. Coaching staff and fans were absolutely irate by this decision and still want answers. This has not steered Coach away from the end goal though. He has already held team meetings to raise the morale back up and he expects the team to come out even hotter following their bye week.
Coach has stated from the beginning that he planned to utilize both QBs in his offense. And so far he is not happy with the results. Veldman has seen much more playing time than any other backup QB would but it is still not enough. Coach plans to fully utilize his running and passing abilities throughout the second half of our season.