UKHTTW: the 2021 season review debate

The last week in Washington has been dominated by the news that 2nd February 2022 will be the official name change announcement.

The excitement generated by the fanbase is real, but another disappointing NFL campaign is even more real and play-off hopes were officially ended with a narrow defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles last Sunday.

Here at UKHTTW, we took time out to review this injury and pandemic ravaged season 2 for Ron Rivera.

Joining UKHTTW founder, Christian Burt, we welcome two UKHTTW debutants, Douglas McCray from the Big Douglas Show and Scott Hartley to discuss the highs and lows of 2021, and to think ahead for next season. We also welcome back Tony Wheat of Full Press Coverage.

First up, it’s Scott Hartley aka The Enquirer

Biggest disappointment?

Off the field the stadium is looking well worn & we continue with very questionable ownership, to say the least (but we can save that for a further blog).

On the field the Defence as a whole hasn’t lived up to expectations as a heralded “Top 5 Unit”, the regression hasn't helped Jack Del Rio and has led to some elements of the fan base to call for him to be replaced.

Bobby McCain hasn’t hit the mark at Safety. There are also massive question marks, on our First round Draft Pick Jamin Davis at Linebacker.

This is highlighted when you look at the production of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah and Odafe Jayson Oweh who could have been taken instead of Davis. Was it a reach? What is clear us a lot will be expected of Davis in his sophomore year.

Biggest star of the season?

Three players stand out for me.

Landon Collins finally looks like the player we wanted to see. Since his move to downhill Linebacker, he has contributed with both sacks and interceptions.

Cole Holcomb has come on leaps and bounds and the difference in the team without him was evident for all to see. His tackling has improved massively, and he seems to be everywhere on the field.

The star for me has been Jonathan Allen. Allen made his first Pro bowl and his pressure and 8.5 sacks so far this season has stood him out as one of the leading Defensive Tackles in the NFL.

Veteran QB or draft?

It’s a cross road off-season for Ron Rivera and he has to hitch his trailer to “His Guy”. If I was in charge, I would look to bring in an established veteran signal caller. I would love to see a Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers, but we have to be sensible, and I can’t see either of these established stars under centre coming to D.C.

I would take a look at Derek Carr in a trade which would most likely cost of first round pick, but if the Front Office staff fall in love with a rookie I wouldn’t mind, as long as he can be nurtured and has an opportunity to grow in a tailored Offence.

I would take a stab at Malik Willis (Liberty) who in my opinion has the highest upside of all of the quarterbacks in this class.

Priority for the off season?

We simply must have a franchise Quarterback and we need to fill in massive hole at Middle Linebacker by bringing in a veteran in free agency.

A future optimistic take?

We will have a new name for the team on 2nd February and we can fully get behind that name. Ron and his team will finally have the answer to the Quarterback question and if we beat the Giants on Sunday, we will have won the same number of games as last season having had a more challenging schedule compared to 2020.

I still trust in Ron Rivera and hope that in his third year he can lead us onto a significant improvement and a long post season playoff run.

Next up, Douglas McCray

Biggest disappointment?

In a year full of disappointment this one was tricky. I thought I'd go with the coaching.

It would have been easier to go Fitzpatrick who I believe was meant to unlock OC Scott Turner's downfield attack, but a freak accident shouldn't be held against him so Jack Del Rio it is.

The DC Del Rio refused to blitz, waited to move Landon Collins into his more natural position and continue to play a zone scheme that didn't naturally fit their best CB William Jackson III.

If the defense was supposed to be the strength of this team, it was hard to tell.

Biggest star of the season?

This one for me was easy: Tight End Logan Thomas.

The numbers weren't as gaudy as they could have been due to injuries but when he was on the field it was obvious. Assuming he comes back healthy he's a QBs dream at his size 6-6 250 combined with his athleticism. Year 3 in the system could catapult him into the top 5 at his position.

Veteran QB or draft?

Personally, I would draft QB; however, it's not my choice.

I've been told repeatedly by people a lot closer to the situation than me that they will again try to get a veteran signal caller in to lead this roster. Remember they tried for Matthew Stafford and signed Fitzpatrick on the first day of Free Agency. I'd guess Matt Ryan or Mitchell Trubisky, someone like that.

Priority for the off season?

The priority for any franchise without a quality starting QB is finding one. This team is in that boat. That being said they still need an MLB, a FS and probably a LT to groom. I was pleased the team made a move quickly with the signing of Charles Leno Junior.

A future optimistic take!

Health is everything. QB1, RB2, WR2, C1,2,3 TE1, RT1, DE1&2, all of these guys missed significant time this year.

The offense was supposed to be explosive this year and it just wasn't. IF they are able to upgrade QB and stay healthy the Commanders(?) should be able to compete for the division next season

Next up, UKHTTW founder, Christian Burt, on the 2021 season and beyond.

Biggest disappointment?

Winning the 2020 NFC East division was a mixed blessing for the Washington Football Team, and it was no real surprise that with a tough 2021 schedule that they failed to land a successive title. This in itself, was not a disappointment for a franchise that most reasonable fans knew was some ways from being a deep play-off run team.

My biggest concern, however, is that I feel for several on the roster, there are now more questions than answers. Will Chase Young recover from his ACL injury and show the maturity & discipline needed at DE? Can Antonio Gibson really be developed into a minimum two down back and cure his fumbling issues? How much more of the receiving workload can be put into the hands of Terry McLaurin before he is on the end of one too many hits for those 50/50 balls? Is the much-vaunted DEF upfront simply over-rated or badly coached?

My disappointment is that I felt Year 2 should have given more answers than lingering questions.

Head Coach Ron Rivera and his coaching team will now undertake a deep dive evaluation and need to come up with solutions for a vital third year in charge.

Biggest star of the season?

Jonathan Allen signed a 4-year, $72,000,000 contract and was the standout performer on defense and received a well-deserved Pro Bowl selection.

There was also solid contributions (pre-injury) from RB J D McKissic, TE Logan Thomas, and the clear WFT offense star was WR Terry McLaurin who will have the opportunity to record back-to-back 1000-yard seasons on Sunday.

In the backfield, I thought Kendall Fuller got better as the season progressed and Kam Curl continues to outperform his seventh-round draft selection in 2020. The position change of Landon Collins was not liked by the player, but resulted in a much better contribution as a downhill LB.

Veteran QB or draft?

The Washington roster, overall, is lacking the stars that would entice a big name QB to D.C. Under the ownership of Dan Snyder, there are also the off-field issues that make the franchise a less than appealing destination for a quality veteran.

With many younger starters in burgundy & gold, the team does likely need a savvy veteran that can mentor a drafted QB. I believe one of Heinicke or Allen will not make the roster in 2022, nor do I feel they will go back to Ryan Fitzpatrick.

General Manager Martin Mayhew drafted Matthew Stafford for Detroit, and the Executive VP of Football/Player Personnel, Marty Hurney, drafted Cam Newton for Carolina. If they like a QB in this 2022 draft class, they’ll pull the trigger and pick up a security blanket mid-range FA signal caller to help their long-term guy.

I do not see this front office wanting to give up draft picks to secure a Derek Carr for example, but I could see a move for a Mitch Trubisky, Andy Dalton, or Teddy Bridgewater to mentor the draft QB.

Priority for the off season?

There is generous cap space to play around with and this should lead to some established NFL talent arriving to generate excitement to match the new team name. This 2022 off-season should see Washington roll the dice a little more, as although effort was not lacking by the burgundy & gold, there was an obvious talent vacuum in the WR room with FA signing Curtis Samuel enduring an injury ravaged season.

Identifying the long-term QB is the priority, but the team also needs a WR who can match the McLaurin route running and separation skill set.

Unlike some fans, I would be talking to Brandon Scherff’s agent on a three-year deal for the Pro Bowl RG and getting creative with acquiring further picks in 2023 for the exit of one of the D-line “stars”. It would not be a bad move to look at a solid DL guy to fill the void of Ryan Kerrigan and add some locker room stability.

They’ll also need to fully evaluate the RB room too and use the draft around Round 2-4 for a sneaky good pick-up for this position.

A future optimistic take!

Is it superficial to suggest the incoming name announcement?

If nothing else, it will feel like the beginning of a new chapter in Washington, and I might need a credit card to help with the Shopping Cart. Being more serious, we all know that the ownership in D.C is near enough the worst in Sports; but this is out of our hands.

The Front Office is now firmly established, with plenty of draft picks and salary cap to take a big stride forward. Let us enjoy the ride and it can be refreshing to put your hopes for a productive off-season in an experienced trio in the Front Office.

And closing this blog, is Tony Wheat.

Biggest disappointment

Could go a few ways here, from naming the Defense as a collective unit to individuals on both sides of the ball. I’ll go for Chase Young though. He didn’t play badly, and was solid, but given the level of expectation pre-season for him to be a transcendent, dominant, All Pro player, he fell well short.

Alarm bells rang from day 1 for me when he didn’t attend OTA’s to do commercials and he seemed too interested in talking at times. The OTA’s thing was meaningless to a lot of people but I just felt like it sent a poor message as the self-appointed team leader. Rivera didn’t appreciate it, that’s for sure.

In terms of his play, he seemed very one dimensional with his pass rushing, relying on the same move to gain success, and often being blocked beyond the play. His play improved and he was playing solid football when the injury occurred but solid is not what he was drafted for. Let’s hope he has rehabbed well and comes back with a point to prove in 2022.

Biggest star of the season

This has to go to Jon Allen who was consistently one of the top 5 DT’s in the league and was rewarded with a Pro Bowl spot. He was a nightmare for opposing interior linemen as he regularly collapsed the pocket from the middle and also stuffed the run. He did this while consistently being double teamed.

Unlike some players who drop off once they’ve secured a big contract extension, Allen took his play to another level and (despite the flare up with Payne), has also grown to be an excellent team leader.

Allen is one reason why, despite the defenses problems this year I am optimistic that they can turn it around and be a top 10 Defense next season. Defensive production varies season to season a lot more than offensive, so I think there is a chance that this Defense can be very good next year, with Allen as it’s leader.

Veteran QB or draft

I’d be open to both, but lean towards draft. I think Washington will struggle to attract any of the top-drawer names that are being thrown around, and even someone like Derek Carr would cost at least 2 x 1st round picks and most likely a decent contract extension, so would the cost be worth it?

I’m not interested at all in the second wave of veteran QB’s being discussed (Trubisky, Mariota etc), as they’d be no improvement in Heinicke.

For me, the best approach is the draft, as any rookie wouldn’t have to start immediately because of Heinicke, although the media/fans would undoubtedly clamour for them to do so! Washington is likely to be picking around 8-12 in the draft depending on the outcome of this weekend’s finale, and that would most likely put them in position to select one of this year’s QB class.

The narrative is that there are no superstars or sure things, but there are a number of intriguing options like Pickett, Willis, Corral, Howell, Ridder and Strong to assess. In some ways it’d be great to skip a year as Bryce Young and CJ Stroud aren’t eligible until 2023 and they could be megastars!

My guess is that they will explore the free agent options and if they can’t get a significant upgrade to Heinicke i.e., one of the big-name guys, they will go with the draft.

Priority for the off-season

Build up offensive line depth and get Curtis Samuel healthy. The offensive line was playing well until it was hit be injuries and Covid and recently Heinicke has been under severe pressure. I’d let Scherff walk and use his money to bring in a solid replacement and another starter level lineman in free agency. Washington can effectively bring in 2 solid starter level line players for what it would cost to keep Scherff.

I’d also draft an offensive lineman in the first 3 rounds or so. Re-signing Leno was smart, and I’d be very happy with a starting line of Leno, Flowers, Roullier, new RG, Cosmi, with another quality FA signing and a draft pick as well as Schweitzer.

If that can come to fruition Washington would have a solid offensive and defensive line which is the foundation stone for a good team. Assuming Washington picks a QB in Round 1 they will need protecting as and when they play. There are a few other priorities including corner back, Linebacker, running back and wide receiver, but I’d start with the offensive line.

Future optimistic take!

Despite the disappointing end to the season, I think there were some signs of progress in Rivera’s second season.

It seems to be forgotten by most, but the team’s starting QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick lasted a quarter and a half and therefore have played almost an entire season with a backup QB. Heinicke played quite well at times but it’s very hard to be a contender in this league with a backup QB.

In addition to that, the other big name free agency signing Curtis Samuel has effectively not played this season. He needs to rest and get healthy and if he can do that it’ll be like having a new player, which we need in the skill positions.

It’s impossible to predict injuries and Covid has added another layer of issues, but Washington seems to have been hit hard in key areas this season. The pieces are in place offensively, that with a clean bill of health, a couple of off-season additions through the draft and free agency and better QB play, could lead to a solid offense.

Defensively it is quite possible that this unit may improve significantly. There is a lot greater variability year to year with defensive performance than offensive, as I mentioned earlier, and the talent is there for this Defense to play a lot better than it did at times this year.

The start of the season was appalling but for the most part thereafter they’ve been a solid enough unit, even without some big-name players. If the big-name guys can return healthy, it’d be hoped that they have a big point to prove and break out in 2022. My only question defensively is the coaching.

With $60m in cap space (less now after the Leno deal) the team could look to plug some immediate needs in free agency and then take its shot at a franchise QB in the draft.

I’m reasonably optimistic about next season and believe in giving coaches time to turn programmes around, so I feel 3 years is enough time to begin to make a judgement on Rivera’s impact on this team.

I hope and expect to see progress in year 3, and I think Rivera himself does as well.