Yet Another Reason to Fire Bruce Read...

[Quarterback Coach]

Watching old game tapes, and listen to old coaching lectures (including those from JJ and parcells)...

Funny how a theme keeps coming up. "YOU MUST WIN AT LEAST TWO PARTS OF THE GAME...OFFENSE, DEFENSE, OR SPECIAL TEAMS...ONCE YOU DO THAT YOU ARE RIGHT WHERE YOU NEED TO BE..."

We seem to do alright offensively at some time, defensively at others, but NEVER ONCE IN SPECIAL TEAMS!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?

If we could just scheme, and coach coverages ONE TIME, or switch field positions by actually coaching our young punter...maybe the defense would not have to defend a 50 yard field every other drive.

DAMN...GET RID OF THIS GUY!!!!

 

[Rampage]

we did well on Special teams against SF. It's not Reads fault that Folk sucks at kickoffs.

 

[zeromaster]

No, but in quite a few games the coverage strategy was strange. You could almost count on a couple of long kickoff/punt returns. I think that's what's got the OP (and others) pissed. I'm still wondering if Read has ever been quoted in the media saying anything, good or bad.

 

[DandyDon1722]

You cannot cherry pick good efforts on individual special teams play. The body of work is horrible and QB Coach is right, it could WIN us games, but at the end of the day I have a bad feeling it will cost us a game...a game that we'll all probably remember for seven long months.

 

[DallasEast]

My main beef with special teams problems has to do with kickoff coverage. No matter how good the kick returner is, your players have to maintain their lane assignments running down the field until they are practically on the kick returner. That takes discipline from each man, so the players are the mainly responsible for miscues, but continual lapses in coverage are the special teams coach's fault.

If you have players on special teams who are constantly losing focus, trying to make a big play or tackle to make themselves look good and allow gaps to form in the coverage, it's the special teams coach's responsibility to bench those guys for players who will get the job done. My second beef is the lack of sound tackling, but that has been a reoccurring problem on defense as well, so I can't solely blame Read for that deficiency. That honor is shared by Stewart and Phillips also.

This is an easy problem to fix. Finding a capable return man can be hard, just look at what's happened with Felix Jones being sidelined, but kick coverage isn't rocket science.

 

[yimyammer]

Watching old game tapes, and listen to old coaching lectures (including those from JJ and parcells)...

Funny how a theme keeps coming up. "YOU MUST WIN AT LEAST TWO PARTS OF THE GAME...OFFENSE, DEFENSE, OR SPECIAL TEAMS...ONCE YOU DO THAT YOU ARE RIGHT WHERE YOU NEED TO BE..."

We seem to do alright offensively at some time, defensively at others, but NEVER ONCE IN SPECIAL TEAMS!!! WHY?!?!?!?!?

If we could just scheme, and coach coverages ONE TIME, or switch field positions by actually coaching our young punter...maybe the defense would not have to defend a 50 yard field every other drive.

DAMN...GET RID OF THIS GUY!!!![/quote]

& Wade for not demanding more from special teams, making them a high priority and for not making the decision to fire Reed himself (if that's even the issue). Imo, this is another case where Wade's malaise and lack of accountability spreads throughout the team. (I'd say Jerry too, but he ain't going anywhere)

I thought Polk made a good remark after the Niner game when he said a lot of guys who were college allstars when they come into the pros don't realize the importance of special teams and have never had to play them because they were their old teams top dog. They actually feel its beneath them to have to play ST. He sounds like he's trying to get these guys to realize how important it is to want to be good in special teams in order to be good at them (bad paraphrase I'm sure but something to that effect). I hope Polk rubs off on the rest of the team, because I like the way he walks and talks

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

There is something to be said for the four parts of the special teams. Kickoffs, punting, our returns and PATs/Field goals.

Our kicking game has suffered with McBriar out. And our returns are largely crappy. So is that 2 out of 4?

 

[Chocolate Lab]

At least we signed Polk for ST a few weeks ago, and just signed another guy who is noted as a good special teamer. So that's two in just a few weeks.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Galloway has said he's talked to an NFL ST coach, and he said Read actually is regarded around the league as a pretty decent ST coach. I think we suffer from poor backup LBs and safeties, who are usually some of your core special teams guys.

And I think we should use more starters on ST. Watching that 1992 NFC Championship game, it was amazing how many starters we had on there. Seemed like half our starting defense was covering kicks.

 

[big dog cowboy]

And I think we should use more starters on ST. Watching that 1992 NFC Championship game, it was amazing how many starters we had on there. Seemed like half our starting defense was covering kicks.

That was the main thing I noticed watching that game also. I've seen it many times but for some reason I really noticed the coverage teams and who was out there. It really surprised me.

 

[BAT]

Those 90's teams (ST & D) also swarmed & tackled well, and played mistake free ball.

 

[Hoofbite]

Is there really any need for more reasons?

How bout he just sucks being good enough to for him to be canned?

 

[Section446]

Yeah, I don't know if it's Read or if it's the players but something needs to change. We're going to have a hard time winning a SB without damn good ST's.

 

[jobberone]

I noticed the same thing. Of course our depth was phenomenal. Most of those 'starters' were backups. Lett. Not really a starter in 92 although at the end of the year they had to put him out there because he was nearly unstoppable.

But back to STs. It's not Read. It's the players and if they need to put Zack Thomas and James out there then do it. It's not the punter although he ain't McBriar. It's partly Folk on KOs but he's money on FGs. Punting is ok but punt coverage sucks. I don't use that word lightly. KO coverage sucks, too. It's the players.

Cause for the third or fourth time, STs are going to be the achilles heel for this team. For those of you not familiar with Greek mythology or somehow missed "Troy" that means we are going to die over freakin STs.

 

[Big D]

You cannot cherry pick good efforts on individual special teams play. The body of work is horrible and QB Coach is right, it could WIN us games, but at the end of the day I have a bad feeling it will cost us a game...a game that we'll all probably remember for seven long months.

Like the playoff loss vs NYG.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

Yeah Bruce Read needs to go...

 

[Biggems]

you cant blame Read for drafting Crapenter and having Watkins and Jenkins covering kicks (neither wants to get their uniform dirty)...

I dont like the coach at all....but i also feel that part of the problem is our personnel....they are too afraid of breaking a nail to get in there and tackle.

Thank goodness we have Polk and Killa.

 

[deadrody]

I wonder what Joe Avezzano is up to these days...

 

[Quarterback Coach]

I wonder what Joe Avezzano is up to these days...

Heard he lives in the Dallas area...

 

[speedkilz88]

I wonder what Joe Avezzano is up to these days...

He's on with Galloway all the time, the rest he's probably in a bar.

 

[Skin]

we did well on Special teams against SF. It's not Reads fault that Folk sucks at kickoffs.

I keep reading this and it's BS. Nick Folk can kick the ball to the goal line if he is directed to do so. He is being told to kick the ball directionally for their coverage scheme. While he doesn't have Janikowski's leg, it is plenty strong. Brad and Babe discussed this last week on the broadcast and Brad clearly didn't like the fact that they won't let him boom it deeper down the middle and referenced Folk's leg strength as "plenty strong."