Blaming Wade the DC

[superpunk]

Just a few thoughts I am having. Near the end of Parcell's tenure people kept harping on about how his scheme is outdated, he'd lost touch and nothing he did would work in the modern NFL...

...fast-forward a few years and we are hearing similar things about Wade. I think this is a little unfair to Wade the DC, although I think criticisms on Wade the pseudo-Head-Coach are completely legitimate.

Wade's defense is simple. It has always been, ever since he got here. Watch it and you can see it immediately. The core principle, to me, seems to be getting one on one matchups along the Dline. (FWIW the Titans are very similar). There aren't many stunts, nothing is really done to confuse the Oline. Wade keeps his one-gap system safer by basically putting his linemen and OLBs head-up on a man and telling them to go win. Which isn't a bad philosophy, particularly with talented pass rushers. They are going to win their fair share.

Right now we are just losing our individual matchups. See almost any Brooking interior blitz from the past few weeks. I think there was one that looked fantastic where our DL and Brooking slanted to the outside and Ware looped around for a sack, but Wade tries these things rarely. See Bradie James getting absolutely stonewalled by Chris Johnson yesterday. I'm sorry, but when the defensive playcall gets you a 1 on 1 against a RB you have to win.

And I feel like this, more than almost anything else, is what's costing us. We're losing 1 on 1 battles on both sides of the line. Our OL are getting embarassed 1 on 1 as well.

Just my thoughts, based on my perception of Wade's D, maybe a mild defense of Wade the defensive coordinator.

 

[Hoofbite]

I was willing to let the Bears game be an anomaly.

Not the Titans game though. Not when Vince Young chisels a HOF bust on you.

Feel me once, shame on you.......fool me a thousand times........

 

[superpunk]

I was willing to let the Bears game be an

Bears game I agree he got fooled big time there.

The void between our ILBs and safeties is just ripe for the picking.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

It's funny, because near the end of Parcells' term here, me and you pointed out that players just weren't executing.

It's the same thing every year, no matter the coach. Our players are just dumb. More to the point, aren't being accountable in practice or in team meetings.

 

[DanteEXT]

Not when Vince Young chisels a HOF bust on you.

12 of 25 is a far stretch from HOF.

 

[Hoofbite]

12 of 25 is a far stretch from HOF.

Yes, it was an exaggeration.

No, I did not mean it literally.

 

[basstapp]

I have supported Wade this whole time... It's really hard to support a coach that doesn't seem to care about the team. He doesn't make any adjustments and does not game plan for the teams. The players don't respect him as a coach. I say fire him and promote Ray Sherman as the head coach and see what happens. If we were going to suck it should of been last year so we could of got Erick Berry! RAWR

 

[tyke1doe]

I saw the Raiders blitz package get to Rivers.

I saw the Cardinals blitz package get to Brees.

I saw the Eagles blitz package get to Smith.

I saw our blitz package get repeatedly stuffed by the Titans.

 

[superpunk]

I have supported Wade this whole time... It's really hard to support a coach that doesn't seem to care about the team. He doesn't make any adjustments and does not game plan for the teams. The players don't respect him as a coach. I say fire him and promote Ray Sherman as the head coach and see what happens. If we were going to suck it should of been last year so we could of got Erick Berry! RAWR

That's the one thing.

Our players aren't winning their 1 on 1s. So then it's Wade responsibility to compensate for that somehow. His solution seems to be to keep doing the exact same thing.

 

[Aikmaniac]

I saw the Raiders blitz package get to Rivers.

I saw the Cardinals blitz package get to Brees.

I saw the Eagles blitz package get to Smith.

I saw our blitz package get repeatedly stuffed by the Titans.

You mean the same blitz package where our blitzers run up to the LOS practically right after the offense breaks the huddle?

"Hey, it's me blitzing!!"

 

[superpunk]

You mean the same blitz package where our blitzers run up to the LOS practically right after the offense breaks the huddle?

"Hey, it's me blitzing!!"

Before the Chiefs game yesterday, the announcer dropped some knowledge on us - he said the Chiefs coaches had determined that when Peyton was under center, he almost always snapped the ball with 12 seconds left. And when he is on shotgun, he always snaps it at the 5 or 6 second mark. So they had instructed the defense to hold off on showing anything until those points. And they frustrated the hell out of Manning, he was terribly off.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

You mean the same blitz package where our blitzers run up to the LOS practically right after the offense breaks the huddle?

"Hey, it's me blitzing!!"

lol it's ridiculous. Usually you do that only to back off and have another player come on the blitz. They telegraph the hell out of it. Such as who's rushing and into what lane.

Remember how in '05 or '06 Bradie James kept running into blockers? Looks like it's Keith Brooking's turn this year to do the same.

 

[Apollo Creed]

It's funny, because near the end of Parcells' term here, me and you pointed out that players just weren't executing.

It's the same thing every year, no matter the coach. Our players are just dumb. More to the point, aren't being accountable in practice or in team meetings.

Or they just aren't very good. Particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Thats why Wade has to protect his guys and can't get creative and dial up many exotic plays.

We keep on waiting to Spencer to break out, he looked unstoppable at times last year - but I don't understand why he isn't taking over games with his skill set.

Bradie James is a great guy off the field, captain, team leader, says all the right things, hard worker - but he just doesn't make many plays. Stats are deceiving, but very rarely do you see him make catalytic game changing plays - let alone turns in game changing performances.

Keith Brooking, hard worker, great team guy, he's constantly dialed up to blitz, has opportunities in the coverage game - yet fails to ever make any big plays. This defense relies on winning your matchup, and Brooking has failed to deliver.

Jenkins is a streaky player, one minute looks like the second coming of Prime, the next he looks like Jaques Reeves.

Both our safeties have been meh at best. I would love to see a Dallas Cowboys safety make a play, its been years. Since Roy picked off Donovan in Philly. That long.

Ware does his typical, all-pro, future first ballot hall of famer thing. But no one makes plays around him so he's constantly being chipped and double teamed. Guys like Newman and Ratliff are consistent, you know what you're going to get from them each week. Great team guys, they care about winning.

But as a whole, for a defense we've invested a lot of first round picks in - they've failed to deliver. And in this NFL you need your defense to help you out, create short fields, force turnovers, hit the QB early and often. Not our Dallas Cowboys, they used to be able to hide behind stats. Now they can't and they're getting exposed.