This is a bad TEAM. It isn't just one player. The TEAM is bad, from the top down.
Playcalling: Our offensive playcalling has been poor so far, and shows no signs of change. We abandon the run way too early, and the passing game is short yardage only. I thought we had a $53 million dollar RB?
Discipline: Stupid penalties at the worst time. This falls on Saban.
Heart and physicality: These are hallmarks of a good team...we lack these traits this year. Again, a reflection of the head coach.
OL: Hudson Houck, are you on vacation?
Special teams: Why are we coaching our ST coverage units to rush to the KR or PR, and then break down and whiff? These guys need help in how to tackle in the open field. Coaching is a problem here as well.
Looking at the offensive side of the football, there is a lot of blame to go around.
The OL: Completely inept. This line has regressed. This line may best Oaklands for worst in the league honors.
The QB: So many of you are afraid to acknowledge the truth here. The fact is, as bad as the OL is, Culpepper is only marginally better. He has made the line look worse by staying in the pocket and hanging on to the ball way too long. Culpepper seems incapable of throwing the ball away. Culpepper may not be all of the problem, but he is a big part of it.
The RB: Ronnie has actually played fairly well, but he still wants to dance around out of the backfield. He needs to take the ball and run, not try to play schoolyard juke and jive.
TE: Randy McMichael has been erratic so far this season. He needs to step it up. He did better in Huston, but this game requires consistancy.
Recievers: Chambers continues to prove that a decent corner can cover him man on man and a good corner can take him away entirely. Booker is good, but turning to run before the ball is there is a rookie mistake. Hagan is...well, pretty much invisible. Welker is the lone bright spot here, bringing fire and enthusiasm to the game.
Defense:
DL: Doing a pretty solid job, but starting to show their age as the games wear on. A good unit, but we are only about a season or so away from a complete rebuild there due to age. Would probably be doing even better if the offense could stay on the field for more than one set of downs.
Linebackers: After years of being a strength of the team, the LB's position has finally become average. Some of this is the coaching and playcalling, which is insisting on running the most ineffective blitz packages I have ever seen. I'm starting to long for the 4-3 again.
Secondary: What can I say...they are a real weakness at this point. Will Allen really turned it on today, but he can't do it alone. There still seems to be a serious lack of communication in the secondary, and there are way too many players getting wide open.
Can this team turn it around...I don't think so. I expect improvement, but a turnaround just isn't going to happen. It has become all too obvious that a break even season will be a major achievment for this squad. While I continue to root for them and hope for a miracle, they have shown no sign of this being possible. Last year we started off strong and played close in every game...something we simply haven't done this season.
Don't be surprised if we bring up the cellar in the East this year. Why must the Dolphin's break my heart every year :shakeno:
Playcalling: Our offensive playcalling has been poor so far, and shows no signs of change. We abandon the run way too early, and the passing game is short yardage only. I thought we had a $53 million dollar RB?
Discipline: Stupid penalties at the worst time. This falls on Saban.
Heart and physicality: These are hallmarks of a good team...we lack these traits this year. Again, a reflection of the head coach.
OL: Hudson Houck, are you on vacation?
Special teams: Why are we coaching our ST coverage units to rush to the KR or PR, and then break down and whiff? These guys need help in how to tackle in the open field. Coaching is a problem here as well.
Looking at the offensive side of the football, there is a lot of blame to go around.
The OL: Completely inept. This line has regressed. This line may best Oaklands for worst in the league honors.
The QB: So many of you are afraid to acknowledge the truth here. The fact is, as bad as the OL is, Culpepper is only marginally better. He has made the line look worse by staying in the pocket and hanging on to the ball way too long. Culpepper seems incapable of throwing the ball away. Culpepper may not be all of the problem, but he is a big part of it.
The RB: Ronnie has actually played fairly well, but he still wants to dance around out of the backfield. He needs to take the ball and run, not try to play schoolyard juke and jive.
TE: Randy McMichael has been erratic so far this season. He needs to step it up. He did better in Huston, but this game requires consistancy.
Recievers: Chambers continues to prove that a decent corner can cover him man on man and a good corner can take him away entirely. Booker is good, but turning to run before the ball is there is a rookie mistake. Hagan is...well, pretty much invisible. Welker is the lone bright spot here, bringing fire and enthusiasm to the game.
Defense:
DL: Doing a pretty solid job, but starting to show their age as the games wear on. A good unit, but we are only about a season or so away from a complete rebuild there due to age. Would probably be doing even better if the offense could stay on the field for more than one set of downs.
Linebackers: After years of being a strength of the team, the LB's position has finally become average. Some of this is the coaching and playcalling, which is insisting on running the most ineffective blitz packages I have ever seen. I'm starting to long for the 4-3 again.
Secondary: What can I say...they are a real weakness at this point. Will Allen really turned it on today, but he can't do it alone. There still seems to be a serious lack of communication in the secondary, and there are way too many players getting wide open.
Can this team turn it around...I don't think so. I expect improvement, but a turnaround just isn't going to happen. It has become all too obvious that a break even season will be a major achievment for this squad. While I continue to root for them and hope for a miracle, they have shown no sign of this being possible. Last year we started off strong and played close in every game...something we simply haven't done this season.
Don't be surprised if we bring up the cellar in the East this year. Why must the Dolphin's break my heart every year :shakeno:
