A scary thing about this season was

[2much2soon]

that without some of the key injuries (Felix Jones and Kozier) this team probably advances into the playoffs despite the coaching staff.

Jones has the play-making ability to extend many, many drives that failed without him on the field. And he was the one offensive playmaker that could get things done without a lot of help; just give him a crease and he is picking up big yards.

And I sense Kozier was the leader on this offensive line. They looked in disarray without him for the most part. My perception is that Gurode, Flozell, and Davis are followers and not leaders and needed Kozier's presence to help them execute.

Add these 2 guys back into the mix and the results are much longer, time consuming drives. And the defense isn't on the field as much as it was.

I'll be the first to admit this team isn't very mentally tough but it just seems to me like a lot of things snowballed the wrong way.

They needed nearly everyone healthy for the whole season to compete.

 

[SultanOfSix]

Injuries happen. This is when the coaching staff is supposed to take over. We had injuries, but they were not catastophric, except maybe for the offensive coaching staff.

When Wade took over the defense, it improved significantly.

When injuries happened on offense, Garrett couldn't compensate for them. This points to coaching. It is obvious that Sparano was significant in the offensive game planning.

 

[Doomsday]

Not sure if Kosier was the leader or not but the continuity was definately lacking after he went out. I really believe that a big part of was people trying to compensate for a weak link uncapable of holding his own, you have to be able to trust the guy next to you.

 

[newlander]

Amen Sultan: PERFECT post QFT.

 

[Boysboy]

that without some of the key injuries (Felix Jones and Kozier) this team probably advances into the playoffs despite the coaching staff.

Jones has the play-making ability to extend many, many drives that failed without him on the field. And he was the one offensive playmaker that could get things done without a lot of help; just give him a crease and he is picking up big yards.

And I sense Kozier was the leader on this offensive line. They looked in disarray without him for the most part. My perception is that Gurode, Flozell, and Davis are followers and not leaders and needed Kozier's presence to help them execute.

Add these 2 guys back into the mix and the results are much longer, time consuming drives. And the defense isn't on the field as much as it was.

I'll be the first to admit this team isn't very mentally tough but it just seems to me like a lot of things snowballed the wrong way.

They needed nearly everyone healthy for the whole season to compete.

The Pats lost 1/2 of their team to injury(not just Brady), and they managed to finish 11-5. The Chargers had LT, Gates, OL, Merriman, Williams, etc hobbled, and they've rallied to make the playoffs. The Giants had their share of injuries this year, and they have HFA.

NO EXCUSES!

 

[2much2soon]

Injuries happen. This is when the coaching staff is supposed to take over. We had injuries, but they were not catastophric, except maybe for the offensive coaching staff.

When Wade took over the defense, it improved significantly.

When injuries happened on offense, Garrett couldn't compensate for them. This points to coaching. It is obvious that Sparano was significant in the offensive game planning.

I don't disagree with this at all.

My point was, minus some key injuries, this team could of very likely overcame poor coaching.

 

[links18]

I don't disagree with this at all.

My point was, minus some key injuries, this team could of very likely overcame poor coaching.

But not constant mental mistakes, penalties, turnovers, etc.

 

[dbair1967]

I don't disagree with this at all.

My point was, minus some key injuries, this team could of very likely overcame poor coaching.

they might have gotten in the playoffs, but its a safe bet we'd have been one and done again

this team is so poorly coached and prepared, and fundamentally this is a horrible team...alot of its on the coaches, although the players rightfully deserve alot of the blame too

 

[Boysboy]

they might have gotten in the playoffs, but its a safe bet we'd have been one and done again

this team is so poorly coached and prepared, and fundamentally this is a horrible team...alot of its on the coaches, although the players rightfully deserve alot of the blame too

I was thinking the same thing-AP would have made us look silly next week. And Jared Allen would have had a career day as well.

 

[wileedog]

this team is so poorly coached and prepared, and fundamentally this is a horrible team...alot of its on the coaches, although the players rightfully deserve alot of the blame too

Agreed. But it should be noted that this is overall a very young team.

If the teacher tells everyone in her class the don't have to do any homework for the next two weeks, even though there is a Final Exam at the end of that time, how many kids knowingly acknowledge that and crack the books anyway?

Not many, and again I don't think this team has the maturity to approach it much differently than this simplistic analogy.

Phillips system works when there is a HC like Marty cracking the whip above him, and he can play good cop to his bad cop. When the guy above him in this case is Jerry giving the kids the keys to the candy store, well, we see the results.

Doesn't absolve the players in the least, but depending on a 26 year old single millionaire to voluntarily go the extra mile with ZERO accountability for failure is just asking for trouble.

 

[links18]

Agreed. But it should be noted that this is overall a very young team.

If the teacher tells everyone in her class the don't have to do any homework for the next two weeks, even though there is a Final Exam at the end of that time, how many kids knowingly acknowledge that and crack the books anyway?

Not many, and again I don't think this team has the maturity to approach it much differently than this simplistic analogy.

Phillips system works when there is a HC like Marty cracking the whip above him, and he can play good cop to his bad cop. When the guy above him in this case is Jerry giving the kids the keys to the candy store, well, we see the results.

Doesn't absolve the players in the least, but depending on a 26 year old single millionaire to voluntarily go the extra mile with ZERO accountability for failure is just asking for trouble.

Shouldn't monumental embarrassment be all the accountability these guys need? I guess not when they can always point the finger somewhere else....

 

[DTK]

To me the Arizona game cost us big time. By going to overtime, we lost Romo for 3 weeks. But something even more important happened IMHO.

We lost Matt McBriar for the year. I know, how can you say losing a punter was the biggest loss of the year? McBriar changed field position for us and once he went down, we never had field position the rest of the season. We were constantly having to defend a short field for our new punter simply stunk.

 

[wileedog]

Shouldn't monumental embarrassment be all the accountability these guys need? I guess not when they can always point the finger somewhere else....

Their coach always takes the blame for them. Their GM absolves the coach. The embarrassment lasts a day or two, then they go back to being rich young kids.

Again, without a veteran leadership presence on this team - a position at best held right now by Greg "Hamster" Ellis - asking them to self-police as Wade does now is suicide.