Hit the Road, Jack?

The Commanders stand at 1-1 after the first two games of the 2022 season.

Whilst there can be broad positivity on the offensive side of the ball, barring a terrible first half in Detroit, the Washington DEF continues to underwhelm with 383 yards given up vs. the Jags and another godawful 400+ vs. the Lions.

The spotlight, therefore, at least from the fanbase, has been on DC Jack Del Rio and UKHTTC founder Christian Burt and regular contributor Simon Thurston discuss whether Jack should still be employed as a Commander.

First up, Christian.

The seat that Jack sits in should not be merely warm, it should be Carolina Reaper chilli hot.

This is not about the first two games of the season, but instead a continuing failing by the coaching staff to have the DEF game-ready, communicating well in the backfield, and, most tellingly, to address glaring weaknesses in building the DEF personnel. The emphasis post-game is a laudable correction of mistakes, but without the urgency needed in the NFL to be relentless in pursuit of Wins.

An example in Tampa Bay (albeit on the opposite side of the ball): WR Mike Evans is out for just one game and the Buccaneers had zero hesitation to go get Cole Beasley. At times, it at least feels like the Commanders are too much of a sitting on our ass team hoping our guys are legitimate coach-up-able NFL calibre players.

To be in Year 3 of Head Coach Ron Rivera’s tenure in D.C and with such obvious, even to fans, flaws, does not bode well for the rest of the season. CB William Jackson III continues to be a bad fit; a press corner who spends his time playing 10 yards off the receiver.

Cole Holcomb has been an early season fail as a Mike LB, Jamin Davis (a first rounder who looks over drafted) an unfair solo target for criticism in his sophomore season, and the depth is the below JAG level David Mayo and Jon Bostic. That’s bad planning/decision making/drafting across the board.

Now, Jack has not been fortunate with injuries to his DL. Any team would miss the potential game wrecking talent of Chase Young, who has been on the side lines after tearing his ACL and MCL in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in November 2021. Second round rookie DT Phidarian Mathis went down with a season ending torn meniscus vs. Jacksonville and even middle of the road guys like Daniel Wise and Casey Toohill went out vs. the Lions.

Leading into Week 3, there is a real feeling that Jalen Hurts and the Eagles will further expose the shortcomings of the Washington DEF. Another 400 yards might well see Del Rio’s days in Washington numbered.

Simon Thurston on the solving of the Del Rio problem.

First of all, we had the January 6th tweet. Then the 'apology.' Then calling out players. And then as fans, we were served up another, frankly, mediocre defensive performance vs. the Lions last Sunday.

Yet, rewind to 2020, specifically later on in that season, and Washington played pretty well under defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. And you could argue that the following season's preparations and performances were disrupted by all the Covid protocols that teams had to adapt to.

So, what has gone so wrong?

In a season that had potentially promised so much, Washington fans are now left scratching their heads at back-to-back displays that aren't fuelling optimism on the defensive side of the ball. Just last week, JDR calls out Linebacker Jamin Davis publicly for poor play, after singing his praises throughout preseason.

And then against Detroit, the Commanders were dominated at times by a Detroit team who, after enjoying a rampant first half, continued to create mismatches in the secondary during the second half, en route to posting 400+ yards of offence (250 in the first half alone) and 36 points.

There were also comments post-game from Lions' players, which seemed to indicate already that teams are figuring out some basic flaws in Washington's scheme. And safety Darrick Forrest was also quoted as saying the Lions 'knew exactly' what the Defense was doing in that first half.

This is certainly a concern. As is, at times, the angles being taken by LBs and the secondary and the resultant tackling.

So, what's the solution?

Firing JDR early in the season might be deemed rash, but plenty of fans are calling for it. I'd be surprised if Coach Rivera opted for this right now, particularly as we're entering week three and there's clearly time (and room) for improvement. But I would expect JDR's seat to continue getting warmer and warmer, should the yards and points continue, and for that matter, the lack of turnovers.

With division foes the Eagles up next, then Dallas, and a match up with Green Bay also to come, JDR may be living on borrowed time. It's time for him, his staff, and the players, to step up.