Jay Gruden, Redskins have several problems to solve: "We have a cloud above our head"

The offensive line was not as dominant as expected, and it gave up three bags on Monday. The new quarterback, Alex Smith, was not able to effectively hand the ball to the Redskins playmaker – a group that fought the Saints even before many members were injured. But maybe nothing was worse for the coach than to see his defense completely blurred in front of New Orleans.

Three blown blankets led to 180 meters for the Saints. These sloppy games did not make all the difference of a defeat of 24 points, but they were significant. Combined with three third-quarter penalties in the first quarter that kept the lead, leading to two touchdowns in New Orleans, a boss quickly emerged: a team that was not fully engaged.

"I can not live with easy games in defense," said Gruden.

When asked to explain how this could happen, how did the Redskins, with a week off, give his staff 14 days to prepare for the saints, they could look so bewildered – Gruden seemed uncertain. He constantly repeated different versions of the same sentence: We will have it repaired.

"I am convinced that this team of veterans will clean everything up," he said. "They will not accept this match and we have to make sure it does not happen again."

There are so many questions that he and his coaches can ask during the short week leading up to their game against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Why Smith, the quarterback known for its accuracy and reliability, does not seem to make sure that the offense progresses effectively? Are the Redskins players too blurry, as D.J. security says. Weapon player and defensive lineman Jonathan Allen has suggested from time to time? Why Josh Norman, the cornerback whose contract of $ 16 million occupies nearly 10% of the salary cap of the team, seems sometimes so lost in the defense that Gruden put him on the bench Monday at beginning of the second half?

Norman followed his mediocre match with a dispute on Twitter with receiver Michael Thomas, prompting more and more media criticism, including former teammate DeAngelo Hall, saying Norman is "in love with celebrity and not necessarily of the footballer ". SideShow seemed to draw more attention to what appeared to be defocused defensive performance.

"The communication was horrible," Allen said Monday night about the repeated failures of the defense. "I mean, it's worse when we do a lot of things to fight. This is not like [the Saints] came out and fed us directly. I mean, they beat our ass, but we did not help our cause to open up guys, to not have pressure, not to stop the race. "

[The Redskins can’t sustain success, and Jay Gruden is running out of time]

Gruden was careful not to criticize Norman's call on Tuesday. "This is not always the type everyone wants to point fingers at," he said. Instead, he blamed the defense as a whole, claiming that confusion was occurring within the group.

He had not spoken to Smith before the call on Tuesday, and he said he wanted to hear from the quarterback about what happened with an offense that did not allow Monday to move the ball defensive often criticized Saints. He also repeated his Monday night suggestion that he needed to find more pieces than Smith was comfortable running.

"We had some plays that we left there for some reason," said Gruden. "We have to make sure that we are on the same page as him, dissect his brain a bit and that we are all on the same page with what we are trying to read in each given piece.I strongly believe in a very very close communication with the head coach and the quarterback, especially the player who plays and the quarterback.It is something we are working on … and we are going to put him in better situations to succeed. "

The Redskins targeted Smith during the off-season to replace Kirk Cousins, who was head-to-head. But so far, with one game less than the Cousins, Smith has amassed 646 yards less and seven touchdowns in total while being intercepted as many times as the new quarterback of the Vikings. In almost all metrics, Smith is lower on the list than Cousins ​​in the first quarter of the season.

Gruden wondered if Smith had not had time to fully learn his new gaming leaders in Washington. During the training camp, the Redskins did not face Chris Thompson and Jordan Reed, both of whom were undergoing surgery, and Smith did not have much time with wide receivers Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder, missing injury. Health problems may still affect this lack of familiarity, as the team awaits rumors of injuries suffered on Monday by defensemen Thompson and Adrian Peterson, tight back Vernon Davis and wide receiver Paul Richardson Jr. Doctson has not played Monday because of a heel. injury suffered in a practice last week.

"I believe in this football team," said Gruden. "The offensive line, the receivers, the backs, I'm obviously thinking of Alex. I firmly believe in this football team and I strongly believe in what they can do. We must simply put ourselves on the same wavelength and report on what happened last night and go ahead. If we can do that, we have a good opportunity to do our best. "

Even if the cloud of uncertainty hangs over the head of his team.

Learn more about the Redskins:

Take-Away: The defense gives up too many big games while the attack is fighting

Redskins offensive weapons face more injury problems

The Redskins did not show us anything. Fortunately for them, the NFC East no longer.

Josh Norman briefly sits on the bench during a defeat against the Saints