2 coaches need quick bounce back
We’ve turned the page on Week 1 of the NFL regular season, and now it’s all about Week 2.
But in a league that features a 16game schedule, every matchup matters, and the carryover effect of the previous contest can have lasting impacts on the outcome of a season.
That’s why for a handful of teams that got off to disappointing – or even embarrassing – starts to the season, strong rebounds in Week 2 are crucial.
Here’s a look at three figures in the NFL who most desperately need to bounce back Sunday.
❚ Jay Gruden – Washington’s coach subjected himself to scrutiny in a 32-27 loss to the Eagles as he sat out future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson in favor of Derrius Guice, who missed all of his rookie season due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
Guice wound up rushing for 18 yards on 10 carries and suffered another serious knee injury, with multiple reports indicating he will be out indefinitely. Peterson, meanwhile, stood on the sideline in street clothes. What’s worse, Washington held a 20-7 halftime lead over Philadelphia, came out in the third quarter and produced just 6 yards while watching its lead evaporate. Gruden’s own former player, DeSean Jackson (who had two touchdown catches for Philly on Sunday), accused the Redskins of quitting. After the game and the following day, current Washington players publicly questioned and disagreed with the benching of Peterson, a locker room leader.
Now Gruden has no choice but to go back to Peterson. In this weekend’s home opener against the rival Cowboys, the coach must quiet any locker room dissent and compose a quality game plan. If there’s any game that owner Dan Snyder and the fan base care about, it’s a faceoff with Dallas. Gruden, already on the hot seat and in the final year of his contract, needs to bounce back.
❚ Donte Moncrief – The Steelers’ wide receiver acknowledged he had an awful Week 1 outing. Signed this offseason to fill the spot opposite JuJu Smith Schuster after the departure of Antonio Brown, Moncrief found himself in prime position to make plays t against the Patriots but repeatedly came up short.
Targeted 10 times, he managed just three catches for 7 yards. He had several drops at crucial points of the 33-3 drubbing. Moncrief called it his “worst game ever” and “sickening” to rewatch.
The Steelers badly need a bounceback performance from Moncrief. Smith-Schuster is talented, but a feeble effort on the other side of the field will make it easy for defenders to take him out of the game. Pittsburgh faces another stingy defense as the Seahawks come to town.
The entire team must rebound, but Moncrief can help fix some of the offensive ills by simply catching the ball.
❚ Brian Flores – No one expected greatness out of the Dolphins this season, but no one expected them to look as bad as they did in the opener. Jackson and the Ravens thrashed the Dolphins 59-10 in Miami.
The defeat only further fueled scrutiny after a recent string of personnel moves raised the question as to whether the Dolphins are tanking to enhance their rebuilding efforts in the offseason. Rumblings of player dissatisfaction with their coaching staff began swirling almost immediately after the game.
Obviously, Flores wants no parts of such accusations. The former Patriots defensive coordinator understands this roster is far from ready to contend, but that doesn’t mean he and his coaches and players aren’t giving maximum effort to win games.
This week, Flores gears up for a reunion with the Patriots in a meeting that could be ugly.
Flores, however, has pride. He wants to win and certainly doesn’t want to be embarrassed by his former boss. But more important, he wants to maintain the respect of his players.
This week, the first-year head coach needs to direct a competitive effort. The Dolphins don’t necessarily need to win. But they need to at least look like they belong in the NFL.
Flores has integral knowledge of the Patriots’ organization, personnel and schemes. He must use that to his advantage.