You know, I know it's popular to say, it's Marinelli, and I get that, but.........
I think it's important to remember why Marinelli was brought here. He was brought here to do more with less. Remember, Jerry and the team were tired of paying high salaries for DTs. They brought Marinelli in to do more with less. I mean, you can really only do that to a point before the talent catches up with you. If you look at that scheme, where you shoot gaps and try to be disruptive with your DL, lots of stunting etc. you expose your LBs. Look at the LBs we have drafted. Good talent, no question about that but, none of them are physical run stopping LBs. They are run and chase LBs and that's a problem if you aren't going to bring in the talent at DT to cover up your LBs. This, to me, isn't necessarily a problem with the players as much as it is with the decision we have made from a personnel perspective. We fell in love with great athletes at LB but forgot that we need to have a guy who can meet a Guard in the hole and plug it. That LB is critical to the run and chase guy because if you don't stonewall that OL at the LOS, he gets to the second level and creates a lane for the RB. We are not physical at the point of attack.
Anybody who doubts this, just watch how we played the Vikings Run Game. Watch ho poorly we played a team who had a FB who knows how to lead block. I mean, how in the world do you get to the Pros where you don't even know how to play defense against a FB lead blocking run game. They had no clue. How does this happen? I suppose it's because teams don't run anymore and when they do, they do it as a change of pace to the passing game. I just couldn't believe it but I saw it so I know it's true.