ScipioCowboy
More than meets the eye.
- Messages
- 25,373
- Reaction score
- 17,763
superpunk;1532846 said:Until the playoffs, of course, when our defense held stout while our passing game floundered. I guess Seattle didn't get the "This is how to beat them" memo, as Bobby Carpenter came up huge, Newman made game-changing plays and our run defense held?
Dallas' defense surrendered 326 yards against Seattle, including 240 passing yards despite a lingering injury to Seattle's best receiver, who was forced to leave the game halfway through the second half.
By comparison, Seattle only averaged 190 passing yards and 311 total yards per game on the season.
Unquestionably, Bobby Carpenter played an excellent game. No one is denying that. I'm questioning the effectiveness of the scheme. I rewatched the Seattle playoff game recently, and was dismayed by how often Ware was forced into coverage at the last second. Even Madden commented on this.
Don't be shallow. Of course they didn't decide to stop executing. They were just incapable. They were in a slump. That doesn't mean they will always be incapable, as shown against Seattle, save for some terrible play from Roy Williams - it just means for four games, they got their ***** handed to them.
So, allow me to clarify. According to you, the players were more than capable for the first 12 games and were suddenly incapable for the last 4 games.
I'll make a deal with you. I'll stop being shallow when you start using some basic logic.
Indy and Philly experienced similar slumps with their woeful run defense, before they managed to stop the bleeding for the playoff run. Their defensive scheme didn't go from useless, to functional - it remained the same. The players just executed.
Actually, Philly corroborates my argument. Jim Johnson is one of the best defensive coordinators in the game. He "stopped the bleeding" by making a few mid-season adjustments--a skill that has always eluded Mike Zimmer. Good coordinators install modernized schemes that can be adjusted to remedy any problem.