Fish-Head
U made the pudding but forgot the proof.
Sometimes when I get worked up I can come across more strongly than I intend. I actually like Sparano. I like Penny.
Where I wig out is when blind spots are coddled and used as excuses to keep status quo, whenever status quo is so blatantly flawed. This is where homerism hurts the most: Let's say a coaches blind spot coincides with a constituency homerism -- he might just start believing, "Hey, Penny can be the next Brady!" like so many here appear to actually believe Penny is the second best QB in the NFL next to Brady, or even equal. They actually believe all that junk about "arm strength" developed in the offseason, etc.
Then you get such stuff as Henning saying ALL OF HIS SKILL POSITION PLAYERS [referencing WRs] ARE STUDS!
Now that is just laughable and so patently not true: but if he actually believes even a fraction of that statement, it does not bode well for the Phins chances at upgrading the position. He actually appears to believe it and the Trifecta's strange drafting at that position seems to back it up. Which gives us 4 out of 5 possession WRs very marginal in talent and gamebreaking skill... 4 out of 5 fairly easily shut down WRs.
This is how homerism kills: you actually start believing the sycophantic press articles about yourself and discount any criticism or critical analysis as uneducated or misguided, and you begin feeding into systemic blind spots: you believe your draft picks are good just b.c you drafted them; you believe your personnel changes are ironclad just b.c you made them; you begin locking a team into a talent rut b.c you arrogantly begin believing you are simply two steps ahead of the system and don't need talent [in a player's league] to be successful; you begin saying things like, "Our QB can make ALL the throws..." whenever all talent and pro scouts around the league know differently.
Then you get into a game where your starting QB is so limited and uncomfortable [can't throw downfield unless full mechanics and plenty of time to set and step up] that he attempts 29 passes and ONLY THREE OF THEM TRAVEL FURTHER THAN 15 yards past LOS.
Meanwhile your only WR playmaker is running wild in the secondary.
This is how homerism kills a team.
It lets a second year coach get slightly arrogant -- enough to come into a tougher season without any high level upgrades to the second most important skill position on offense.
This is why I call for accountability and clear-eyed thinking. Any time a team gets SO HIGH on marginal players that it excludes upgrades at that position, it kills a team's success. Every time.
LD
level headed post Lieutenant! Sir. *salutes*
I would of course disagree to a certain level only because I don't think the connection you are making in this argument is automatic... The FO (while you are right is not perfect) does deserve the benefit of the doubt if only because it is year 2.
Also i think there is another important distinction... OPtimism does not equal Homerism...
I think alot of us get pushed into defending or attacking MORE than we normally would...
Next I would say that the opposite (as Huffer said) is also true... Meaning that Blind hate can be equally dangerous... Developing personal grudges against players... or banishing players simply because they were favored or even drafted by a previous regime...
It is showing the EXACT same bias that you are railing against and is equally destructive. It is simply not being objective which is really your point. Objectivity.
Blind Hate and Blind Love are BOTH blind.