We looked tired

[Redball Express]

 

[cowboyec]

we gotta figure out a way to push thru.
we need to get a 1 or 2 seed and that bye week....win more games in sept or oct.

 

[Alexander]

Maybe they were. They went on a torrid stretch to dig themselves out of a 3-5 hole, with only a bad lapse in Indianapolis.

But the odds are that special kind of run is very hard to sustain.

The lesson is, don't do what they did this offseason. Don't hire Liberace and his ketchup bottle to coach the OL, don't sign a bunch of garbage WRs when sifting through the dregs of free agency and don't think you can replace an all-timer TE with a collection of dorks.

The fact that Garrett pulled up the plane from a death dive does not mean he was a good pilot because he let the dive occur in the first place.

 

[Section446]

We looked very unprepared for the game, like we didn't want to be there.

 

[Alexander]

I miss the old WB cartoons.

 

[Alexander]

We looked very unprepared for the game, like we didn't want to be there.

They wanted to be there.

They just forgot what got them there. The defense in particular got full of themselves.

 

[Section446]

They wanted to be there.

They just forgot what got them there. The defense in particular got full of themselves.

We've got to adjust though, there are ways to slow down or stop the run.

 

[Bullflop]

I think by last night..

after all the games with last minute heroics down the stretch..

we were just played out.

We did not tackle.

We did not block.

Our coaches had no plan B on either side of the ball.

The Rams had 2 weeks to prepare and were rested and fresh.

We stayed in our comfort zone and got spanked.

I am pleased with our year.

But when it comes to playoff football, on the road..

it shows why teams that have home field in big games usually advance.

More is required from our team.

Upon due reflection, this is basically how I'm seeing it as well. As if it wasn't enough that our d-line looked like smallish LBs vs. their OL run blockers, we were bone-tired from previous weeks of tough games vs. opponents who challenged us tooth and nail for every yard.

Even in our last game vs. the NY Giants, we had to fight and claw up until the final seconds were winding down before a win was awarded us. We were battle bruised and busted up beyond what reason demanded for us to compete on a merciful level with an LA team that overpowered whatever we had left in the playoffs. I felt sorry for LVE as he sat humbly by as Kris Richard lambasted him for insufficient resistance at the hands of LA's OL bruiser o-linemen who took full advantage of what little he had left to battle with. I'm sure he wasn't alone in that predicament, also.

Truth be told, it dawned on me well before the game that it was a bad omen how we had to struggle so, vs. a Giants team that finished dead last in the Eastern Division cellar. I'm really hoping we'll see fit to draft some big DTs way better able to compete physically against the far bigger o-linemen that teams like LA, the Pats and other top offenses field vs. our d-line. A couple of huge DTs would be a welcomed arrival in the wake of the next draft. Maybe once Marinelli retires, Richard might find it desirable to opt for two massive DTs to do to other offenses what LA did to us.

 

[TheDude]

Both mentally and physically I thought.

The defense could not stop a drive it seemed.

The offense was trying to run into an 8 man box all game and would not throw until 3rd down.

We got worn down and did exactly what LA wanted.

It seemed obvious to me anyway.

It was mostly confusion They really didnt know where the ball was. Hesitation makes you slow

 

[StarHead69]

Two things I think I noticed:
The LT was allowed to false start on almost every passing play. This totally eliminated outside pressure.

Dak refused to run when protection broke down. I got the impression that this was the game plan... why they would do that? I have no idea.

 

[Sarge]

I think by last night..

after all the games with last minute heroics down the stretch..

we were just played out.

We did not tackle.

We did not block.

Our coaches had no plan B on either side of the ball.

The Rams had 2 weeks to prepare and were rested and fresh.

We stayed in our comfort zone and got spanked.

I am pleased with our year.

But when it comes to playoff football, on the road..

it shows why teams that have home field in big games usually advance.

More is required from our team.

Not interested in excuses. I’m interested in reasons. Big difference.

 

[Redball Express]

Upon due reflection, this is basically how I'm seeing it as well. As if it wasn't enough that our d-line looked like smallish LBs vs. their OL run blockers, we were bone-tired from previous weeks of tough games vs. opponents who challenged us tooth and nail for every yard.

Even in our last game vs. the NY Giants, we had to fight and claw up until the final seconds were winding down before a win was awarded us. We were battle bruised and busted up beyond what reason demanded for us to compete on a merciful level with an LA team that overpowered whatever we had left in the playoffs. I felt sorry for LVE as he sat humbly by as Kris Richard lambasted him for insufficient resistance at the hands of LA's OL bruising o-linemen who took full advantage of what little he had left to battle with. I'm sure he wasn't alone in that predicament, also.

Truth be told, it dawned on me well before the game that it was a bad omen how we had to struggle so, vs. a Giants team that finished dead last in the Eastern Division cellar. I'm really hoping we'll see fit to attain some big DTs much better able to compete physically against the far bigger o-linemen that teams like LA, the Pats and other top offenses field vs. our d-line. A couple of bit DTs would be a welcomed arrival in the wake of the next draft. Perhaps once Marinelli retires, Richard might find it desirable to opt for a couple of massive DTs to do to other offenses what LA did to us.

Great observations.

Yeah..

we had it against the Seahawks.

It evaporated during the week.

 

[Redball Express]

Not interested in excuses. I’m interested in reasons. Big difference.

Yeah..

We have heard all the excuses before a million times.

We have heard all the false bravado before, too.

The D in football in Big D stands for diversion from reality.

 

[bsbellomy]

Good post. Coaching matters. You cannot play preseason, 16 weeks regular season...and post season of "you know whats coming, but can you stop it" football. Garrets style will not when a Sper Buowl. Your coaches have to be difference makers in the postseason...and Garrett is not a difference maker. Heck, I don't think we would have beat Seattle if Carroll would have let Wilson throw the football.

The way the Rams play should slap us in the face with that fact. They have a back that is every bit as good as ours but don't make it a point to force feed him the ball.

 

[nate dizzle]

Youngest team in the playoffs.

Second youngest team in the NFL.

But they’re tired?

I think comparative to the opponent they looked tired. Rams looked fresh and rested. Our defense especially looked like they were running in quicksand.

 

[JD_KaPow]

I was really surprised.

Typically teams coming off the week of rest start slow.

The Chiefs and Rams dominated from whistle to whistle

Teams don't typically start slow coming off the week of rest. In the Divisional Round (since 2002), home teams score about 5.8 points and allow 4.2 in the first quarter.

In general, the fewest points are scored in the first quarter (points by quarter this year: 4.6, 7.1, 4.8, 6.6). So the teams coming off the week of rest score more points and allow fewer points than average at the start of the game.

 

[Redball Express]

we gotta figure out a way to push thru.
we need to get a 1 or 2 seed and that bye week....win more games in sept or oct.

We always start slow.

In games especially...but in general.

We play to keep it close and now depend on DAK to win it in the last minutes.

This was what we did with Romo also.

How did that work out?

We are not changing things at all and DAK is not Romo with his arm and playcalling and reading defenses.

History is repeating itself.

 

[Blake]

We had a bye in 2016 you tards. Sheesh!

News Flash! It didn't make a difference.

 

[ryanbabs]

Maybe because we spent the week celebrating?


The excuses for these players and coaches never stop.

We lose when being 13-3 and being rested- we are rusty.

We lose after being basically the hottest team in football- we are tired.

Teams are able to do this and not be tired by the way. See the packers and giants who won superbowls after needing to win to even get in the playoffs.

Those teams actually had somewhat decent coaching....

Spot on. This is what makes me sick. We’re always a minute late and a dollar short from advancing.

 

[ryanbabs]

..I would give you 10 likes for that post.

Jones needs to get on the phone with the Bengals owner. We basically have the same thing they had for years. Keep doing the same thing and expecting something different.