Watching Washington’s “Bell Cow” Running Back, Brian Robinson getting injured on the first offensive play of the game last week felt ominous. Realizing that Dallas had won all of its games on the road gave reason for pause. Having their star Defensive End and their best Corner back from injury was a source of concern. And, then their backup QB finally had enough repetitions to be comfortable…that was disquieting. It was never going to be a comfortable affair despite the point spread. So, it ended up being a miserable ride. Football gives the participants 24-hours to bask in the glow of a win or seep in their own bile after a loss. After that, it’s on to take the next hill. Thankfully, that next hill is at hand.
On the Brink…of What?
An inescapable element of Washington Football fandom is the conditioned response that set in over the 25-year reign of misery from the former owner. Disaster, misery, and calamity are all only a heartbeat away. Confidence is as scarce as water in the Sahara. Any reason to find an excuse to wail and let loose lamentations to the wind are taken with gusto. The body pack on the Bandwagon went down appreciably last week.
I like doing hard things with good people
Dan Quinn
Dan Quinn is no coward. Changing the culture within this previously dysfunctional organization was never going to be easy. But, dragging along the collective fanbase was another Labour of Hercules altogether. They sit poised in the armchair with one finger poised over the “I Believe” button and the other on the “Eject” toggle. There’s nothing quite as effective as a three-game losing streak to tilt the scales decisively towards the latter.
Three-game losing streaks are not a new sign of the Apocalypse. For the last 5 Super Bowls 4 of the 10 participants had one during their regular season. Washington is not a Super Bowl contender. Not even the most painted and costumed game attendee should believe they are for even a minute. But, they are still very much a playoff contender. Now, a four-game losing streak, with a Bye Week added to stew in it? That’s when the primal screams would come out in force.
Of Learning and Doing
If you’ve paid attention to Dan Quinn’s pressers it’s obvious that his coaching is based on teaching. Within the first two sentences after last week’s loss he posited: “It’s not enough to learn the lessons. We have to apply them.” Bringing action to knowledge is always the hardest part. Going into the week Washington had been challenged to a degree. Losses to two good teams were understandable. The listless Cowboys looked to be just the tonic needed to remedy what little angst was around. But, the needle on the “Challenge” meter jolted over near the high end of the scale. How will this team respond?
It’s not enough to learn the lessons. We have to apply them
Dan Quinn
One lesson that should be learned and applied is in regards to the Offensive play calling. There is much made of the “Kliff Kingsbury Cliff.” When he was the coach in Arizona his teams would start out white-hot. Then, come November the wheels would come off of the Offense. There’s a simple reason for it. Washington led the League in passes at or behind the Line of Scrimmage…by a lot. Jayden Daniels led the League in shortest time to throw the ball. It’s all quick little stuff highly dependent on Yards after the Catch. The Defenses crept ever more forward. What once were ten-yard gains turned into two-yarders. Kingsbury runs the ball way more than his mentor Mike Leach ever did. With the Defense crowded more towards the line the gaps tightened.
Dallas’ Defensive Coordinator, Mike Zimmer frequently employed “Bear Fronts” ( 5 Defensive Linemen) and “Mug Looks” (8 or 9 man fronts) on the line to stunt the run. It worked for 3+ Quarters. And, then trailing by two scores Kliff let loose on the reins. Deeper balls worked for chunk play after chunk play. Analyst Greg Olsen had been calling for it all game long. That’s the lesson: Go deeper early. Now, will Kingsbury apply the learning? We have to wait and see. It would help immensely if Washington had a speed merchant to blow the top off of the Defense dragging the Safeties deep and out of the play. Emmanuel Forbes is apparently now a permanent Bench Body. Send him out there on a few “Go Routes” and see what happens. He’s plenty fast. Couldn’t hurt.
It’s All about Oil
In the odd confluence of the NFL Washington is playing another team spawned in Texas in 1960 for the second week in a row. Football-crazy Texas, where High School games are televised in major markets, had no professional teams through the 1950’s. As chronicled last week Oil Man Lamar Hunt grew frustrated with trying to obtain an NFL franchise for Dallas. On a parallel path another Oil Man, Bud Adams was trying the same thing in Houston. Forming a rival league was a much easier path. So, in 1960 the AFL was formed with a team in Dallas (Texans) and a team in Houston (Oilers) while the NFL expanded to Dallas. Texas went from zero teams to three in one fell swoop.
Houston was able to pull a stunning upset by drafting and signing Heismann Trophy Running Back Billy Cannon from LSU. He was drafted #1 overall in both leagues, but chose the upstart AFL. Houston would go on to win the first two Championships of the new league. They went to the third Championship game in a row in 1962 against none other than the Dallas Texans. The game went to two overtimes before the Texans won the title. After 3 seasons the Texans had won 25 games and a Championship while the Cowboys had won all of 9 games. Yet, immediately after winning the trophy the Texans fled to Kansas City, rebranded as Chiefs. They won on the field but not at the Accountants’ Office.
The Oilers stayed in Houston until 1996. Bud Adams wanted a new stadium. The Astrodome may have been the “Eighth Wonder of the Modern World.” But, it was getting old and creaky. Adams’ team was a tenant as Houston owned the stadium. He wanted to build a new one paying 25% of the cost. No soap. Rapidly expanding Nashville offered up the goods and Adams took it. For two seasons the team played with the old name before changing. The city of Houston is still wrestling with what to do with the old sunken asset Astrodome.
What’s in a Name?
When Adams decided to drop the “Oilers” moniker he selected “Titans.” It was all about the capital T’s. It was an interesting choice. When the AFL formed the New York franchise was the “Titans.” That lasted all of three years. Then the late Leon Hess took over the franchise. He rebranded the team to the “Jets” because of the ubiquitous planes flying over Shea Stadium from nearby LaGuardia airport. And, he changed the team colors to the same scheme as his chain of gasoline stations. The Titan name sat dormant for 37 years until Adams plucked it out of the ozone.
The NFL awarded a franchise back to Houston in 2002. The name selected was “Texans.” It had sat dormant for 40 years. Last week the former Houston team traveled to the current Houston team which carried the name of the former Dallas team. Got all that? The next time the NFL expands one of the teams will be titled “Oilers.” You can put that in the book.
Enter the Titans
Tennessee is not a good football team. Unlike Dallas, which has lots of talent in spots, this team has little. It never recovered from trading A.J. Brown to the Eagles for reasons lost to the ether. But, bad football teams still win games. Last week this team shocked Houston in their building with their highest point total (32) of the year. They ran (a problem for Washington’s Defense) some 33 times for 132 yards. Will Levis has been a bit of a conundrum for the team. He shows flashes of brilliance and buffoonery often within minutes of each other. Last week this team went 4-14 on third-down. They are beat-able by every definition of the word.
Tennessee should be entering with a bit of confidence. The WFT is looking for confidence. And, the fanbase is struggling with the very concept of confidence. It should be an intriguing game.
Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders [CBS, 1:00p (ET)] Announcers: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Tiki Barber (analyst), Jason McCourty (analyst), AJ Ross (reporter)
Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders [CBS, 1:00p (ET)] Announcers: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Tiki Barber (analyst), Jason McCourty (analyst), AJ Ross (reporter)
Tennessee Titans at Washington Commanders: Dec. 1, CBS, 1 p.m.
Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Jason McCourty, AJ Ross
