Washington Redskins vs. Houston Texans: Twitter Reaction, Full Post Game Quotes

The Jay Gruden era for the Washington Redskins got off to a bad start as his team was beaten 17-6 on the road by the Houston Texans. The defeat was a sobering reminder of everything that was wrong with Washington last season.

Turnovers, poor tackling, bonehead penalties and feeble pass protection were at the root of this loss.

Gruden's offense only managed a lone touchdown by fullback Darrel Young. That was soon answered by a Ryan Fitzpatrick bomb to DeAndre Hopkins to put the Texans on the board.

Rookie running back Alfred Blue then blocked a Redskins punt and returned it for the points. A late Randy Bullock field goal sealed the game.

Given how much the offense struggled to move the ball, a lot of the focus will naturally fall on quarterback Robert Griffin III. Certainly, Gruden's attempts to make Griffin a more refined pocket passer didn't yield positive results.

He finished 29 out of 37 for only 267 yards and no touchdowns. Part of the problem was some particularly conservative play-calling, especially during the first half.

ESPN host Skip Bayless aptly described this worrying trend:

Gruden is rightly keen to make the game easier for Griffin. He wants to limit his mistakes. That's a necessary part of the young passer's development.

However, it can't be allowed to produce play-calling that won't help Griffin win the game; instead, it is designed to make sure he doesn't lose it.

Griffin was quick to note how much he needs to improve following this indifferent performance, per Mike Jones of The Washington Post:

One of the more disappointing aspects of the game was seeing Griffin still taking too long to work through his reads from the pocket. He wasn't deciphering Houston's zone-based coverage concepts and often seemed hesitant to take some of the underneath plays the defense was giving him.

Griffin knows that he needs to up the pace of both his decision-making and delivery:

That's a basic ask of any quarterback. It's particularly important in a version of the West Coast offense like the one Gruden favors.

A fundamental part of the scheme is getting the ball to receivers quickly. Griffin can no longer pay lip service to refining his core techniques. He must soon start showing tangible improvement in this area.

Greater familiarity with Gruden's scheme will obviously help. That's a sliver of hope Griffin was quick to attach himself to post game, per the team's official Twitter feed:

Of course, Griffin will never improve as long as the protection in front of him is so inviting to opposing pass-rushers. The Texans logged three sacks and landed constant big hits on Griffin as he threw.

Aging defensive guru Romeo Crennel certainly had a few tricky pressure designs to confuse Griffin and his blockers. However, the basic protection was simply not good enough.

Gruden was quick to lament the failings up front, per ESPN 980:

Worries about the ability to keep Griffin upright in the pocket were always going to be a concern after the team returned four of the five starters who allowed 43 sacks last season.

What's depressing is how the usual suspects were again culpable. It's no surprise that the right side of the line was consistently manhandled by Watt and outside linebacker Brooks Reed.

Guard Chris Chester and tackle Tyler Polumbus simply don't have the upper body power and nimble footwork to handle strong and skilled rushers. It's a major concern that neither of this year's two third-round picks, Morgan Moses and Spencer Long, managed to supplant one of this pair during the offseason.

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To work in the kind of deep plays that will take advantage of receivers such as DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts, Gruden needs his line to hold up in protection.

Houston's consistent pressure simply forced Griffin into the kind of short-range, compromise plays Bayless correctly railed against. Of course, teams know Gruden wants his passing game to strike deep. A savvy play-caller like Crennel will always try to take that away.

That's something ESPN 980 reporter Chris Russell pinpointed as a key to this game:

Russell's point is right, as is his assertion that the Texans banked on Washington not being able to sustain long drives without mistakes. But this is a dynamic the Redskins can expect to see most weeks.

Every opponent will first concentrate on trying to eliminate the vertical strike to Jackson. That simply puts more pressure on Griffin to hone his touch, accuracy and the speed of his reads underneath.

It also demands greater efficiency and superior ball security. Neither quality was evident against the Texans. Running back Alfred Morris lost a fumble in the red zone, following a botched exchange with Griffin. Tight end Niles Paul later repeated the trick, after catching a pass over the middle.

Gruden was quick to blast these critical errors:

Turnovers plagued the team last season. They are indicative of a sloppiness the new head coach should have made his first priority to fix.

The Redskins boast potentially one of the league's best offenses in a unit loaded with weapons like Jackson, Garcon and Morris. However, those weapons will be wasted if the team can't protect the passer and then hold onto the football.

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In this game, those failures took potential points away and wasted a largely solid defensive effort. If this team continues to be so wasteful, another losing season surely awaits.

A season-opening loss is the worst way to begin an attempt to rebound from last season's 3-13 record. Gruden already looks like a coach with a myriad of problems.

As well as losing the game, he also lost a number of key players to injury, including nose tackle Barry Cofield and dynamic but ultra-brittle tight end Jordan Reed:

Aside from the walking wounded, Gruden must focus on improving the passing game. He has to make Griffin more comfortable by finding a way to improve the protection around him.

Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay must also expand the concepts before Week 2's meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Only then can this team expect to win.

All statistics via NFL.com.