And the janitor from Green Bay
Going Forward
- Thread starter EasyRider
- Start date
So true
Until Grier is gone, nothing will change. We could have 1984 Don Shula and we’d still find yet more new ways to **** it up.
Agree with all of this. We’re Al Davis-esque under Grier. I wouldn’t dump McD, either…he’s young and a smart dude, he’ll figure it out.
I agree with you somewhat, but to me the number one problem we have is Ross. It all stars at the top. He is someone who doesn’t understand the intricacies of being an NFL owner. And his lack of this knowledge has already cost us a few draft pics, one being a first round draft pick! Until he is gone we will remain in this state of limbo.
I totally disagree with this statement. Shula would have never ever have a team as soft, undisciplined, and unprepared as this team. As one who watched a whole lot of Shula’s two a day practices at St. Thomas University I can tell you his teams were ready to play.
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3-16 against playoff teams in the Mike McDaniel era; 0-12 on the road against playoff teams the past three years; and 0-12 against teams since 2017 in weather below 39 degrees.
If this doesn't tell you we are built wrong, nothing will.
If this doesn't tell you we are built wrong, nothing will.
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I would keep McD as an OC in a heartbeat. I think if that was all he was doing our offense would be quite a bit better than it is, and the plays would get in faster as well.
Its a big, big ask for someone to be in charge of the offense while also doing everything else that a HC is responsible for. Some have done it well like Andy Reid but its tough.
Here is my problem with the idea of keeping him though. One of the biggest things that a HC is responsible for is setting the tone of the team, making sure they are focused, mentally locked in, and instill the mentality in the team thats needed to win.
We are not a hard nosed team, and havent been since he has been here. We are prone to penalties, and guys are out their fighting in the first qtr of big games costing us yards in critical situations. I want to like McD as a HC, because I do like him as a person. But the results are what they are. For his entire time here we have been one of the best teams in the league of beating up on sub .500 teams and losing badly to people over .500. When it happens in one season then ok. When it happens for 3 years running you have to admit its a trend.
And when it comes to the offense I do agree the O line is a real limiting factor. We have made a real effort this year to run the ball, especially in certain games. He has been very patient trying to make that a bigger part of this offense. Especially when Tua was out. But we cant because our offensive line just isnt good enough. Again, we beat up on bad teams at times, but against good ones we cant get any kind of consistent push. When we get good runs its often off some kind of misdirection that the D wasn't ready for more than because our line really blocked it great. Which is great when it works, but when it doesn't the RB gets blown up on the backfield and people are like "Whats with these micky mouse runs?" We are much better at running between the tackles this year then years past but that improvement has been from "We dont do it at all" to "Now we do it, but not with consistent success."
I think not being able to trust the O line also effects the pass game a lot in terms of offensive design. We are built to get the ball out very quick, and while Tua is great at doing that, I do wonder how much more dangerous we would be as a team if we could trust our O line to hold block long enough to develop an offense that isnt designed to have to get the ball out in the first 2 seconds most of the time.
To me the biggest thing thats damming for McD as an offensive mind is just looking at the tools individually, and then looking at the end result. We have a QB that is one of the most efficient in the league. No, he doesnt have an elite deep arm. But he is elite over the middle, and his decision making is excellent and he is extraordinarily accurate. Hill is an elite deep threat who draws double coverage all the time. And if he doesnt, then he gets wide open. Waddle is often banged up but again, elite deep speed. We have a rb who is runs harder between the tackles than you would expect for a guy his size, has elite speed, and is a really good receiver. This year we also have a TE who is a very good receiver.
Individually we have an offensive group that at the skill positions is a great madden team. Individually most teams would love to have any or all of them. (except for injury concerns for some of them) Yet even when healthy, when you put them all together we cant score points on good teams.
There are teams every year that you look at them on paper and say "These guys dont have enough" yet somehow the sum of the parts ends up being greater than what they should be. They look average on paper but they just find ways to win. We are the inverse of that. We look great on paper but when you put it all together we are below average against good teams.
Again, I get it that the O line limits us. But does it really limit us that much? To me thats on coaching, playcalling, and offensive design. And thats what McD is supposed to have his imprint on. If he isnt doing a good job as a HC setting the tone for the team, and the offense cant beat good teams than why is he here?
And even if you really believe the O line is this teams Achilles heel thats keeping us from being great than IMO thats still on McD to a degree. He has been here long enough that if he was privately beating the table for more investment in the line we should have had it by now. And we haven't. He has seemed to be content with what Grier has done in terms of adding, and extending talent at the skill positions and feeling the lack of dominance on the O line can be schemed around.
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I want to believe this because I really like the guy at a personal level. But I just dont see him figuring it out here. I think he will get fired either this offseason or next. He will learn from it, go to another team, be a better OC for it all, do well, and several years down the line get another HC shot. And probably do better in that stint.
Good points. I’ve often wondered if the coach wants to show the world he can do it “his way” - speed, trickery, god knows what - instead of good old fundamentals.
He’s got little guy syndrome and wants to prove he’s smarter.
Yes in the 70s-80s.
Towards the end it wasn’t working as well.
That 1995 team was a mess
OttawaFinsUp
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Agreed.
I think the first step has to be with Grier. He needs to go. Let the new GM decide about McDaniel, but at this point I’m good with him gone.
He does have a good offensive mind IMHO, but his approach is way too fragile. If a single thing goes wrong, it all falls apart. It’s like an exotic car. Amazing when it’s running, but does you no good if it’s broken 30% of the time and can’t operate when it’s below zero. We need a system that is far more robust and reliable.
On the roster, we need to get bigger and stronger everywhere. Maybe focus on drafting more guys who are accustomed to playing tough football in bad weather environments.
It’s a take on an old saying lulz
We’ve already invested several years into his system…it’s been successful (somewhat), blowing it up for the 4364864266332675th time since Shula was forced out is just going to lead to more of the same.
It’s a vicious cycle. We fire a guy, a new guy with a completely different system comes in, does an overhaul, the fanbase (and owner) get impatient, and the guy gets fired, and a new person is brought in with all sorts of grandiose projections, who’ll then be fired 3 years later.
We’re basically the NFL Knicks.
The team is bad at fundamental football. Its that simple.
They can't block, they can't tackle, and they arent mentally strong enough not to commit penalties.
I dont care who you put in at QB, this team will fail until they play fundamentally sound football.
Until you fix that, the rest is irrelevant.