Right at the top, Craig Hoffman admitted he was a bit punchy. So perhaps that influneced what he was about to say about the newly installed "Do Your Job" poster in Ashburn around the Washington Commanders locker room area.
"Yup, the same phrase Bill Belichick has been using for at least a decade," Hoffman said. "In fact, in 2014 there was an NFL Films documentary chronicling the 2014 Patriots called 'Do Your Job.' And actually, it's a brilliant phrase. Truly, honestly, to break the wall of sarcasm here for a second. I love the phrase 'do your job' for a football team. Because... it implies that everybody understands exactly not only what is their job but what is not their job. It prevents people from doing too much, and ensures that people are in the right place and..."
Hoffman added that the phrase is about the defense staying in their position and maintaining their gap integrity. The goal of 'do your job' is to convey a message that trying to do too much can lead to a big play because it means you are not in the position you should be.
"Here's why this bothers me. Here's why this makes my skin crawl. Yeah, that probably means I hate it," he continued. "Even by design that is not how the Commanders' defense operates specifically... But here's the thing, within the framework of the Commanders' defense, there is room for guys to go make a play. And what your job is, is constantly changing.
"And we've talked about it a ton with Chase Young and he does have some freedom to dive inside or dive outside. And then it's Jon Allen's job to go replace where Chase Young was... so even on a philosophical level the style and schematics of this defense does not fit 'Do Your Job' nearly as well as be very clear and concise assignment-based football that Bill Belichick has been using for 40 years."
But the reason it works for Belichick, Hoffman adds, is that he has been one of the best coaches and teachers form a technique and schematic standpoint for years and his players understand their jobs, the other players' jobs and why that is their job and the other players job.
"I do not think that is happening here," he said, "And I have long said one of the biggest issues that I have with the staffs under Rivera is, I do not think they are very good teachers.
"And then you see that in the lack of player development, you see that in the lack of success, you see that in the consistency of the mistakes. Where if this player just understood that his job was to do thing X because reason Y, he would never make the mistake that he makes.
"The amount of mixed messaging currently happening in Washington, specifically again on the defensive side, is absurd."
Listen to the full conversation and Hoffman's complete take on the audio player above!
