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.
