Tough, big guys that love football and have great, consistent character was the theme of this year’s draft. What it suggests is how someone as smart and yet inexperienced as Jay Gruden got duped last season.
Gruden inherited an RG3 team that had one winning season and one horrific season. Which was the norm and which was the anomaly? Gruden doubled down on the bet that the norm was the winning season and lost BIG TIME. He kept the same inept players and coaches and many of the old schemes.
Gruden may be inexperienced but he isn’t stupid. What caused his tragic error of judgment?
Based on the draft – going after big, TOUGH guys — ones that can say block or tackle or both — suggests an answer. It suggests that Gruden was duped by practice film footage in which the Redskins looked good. The reason they looked good on practice tape and were losers in real games was a lack of size and toughness. They just couldn’t get it done in the blocking nor the tackling nor pass rushing departments.
Lack of full contact toughness and tackling doesn’t show up easily in Shanahan no contact practice film. Gruden said on camera that the Redskins lost for fluke reasons in that second year of RG3 before his arrival. Now he knows the reasons were not flukes.
Just a theory. Thoughts?
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