Personnel Usage

[NJL52]

What is everybody else's take on the understanding of strengths and utilization of those strengths amongst our coaching staff?

We started this year as superbowl favorites for one reason, we have all the talent and good players that a team needs.So the only reason why we have done so awful is either a. bad coaching, or b. players not achieving. And for a couple reasons, I am going with a. First, it is hard for a superbowl favorite to be so unlucky that all of their 22 supposed stars all have bad seasons. Second, I sincerely question Saban/Caper/Mularkey's ability to adjust.

Perhaps the only thing Wanny did correct in his tenure at Miami was personnel decisions. He alowed the players to do what they did best. Madison and Surtain were aloud to be completely cover corners and he alowed them to press as much as their hearts desired. Zach Thomas was the most intelligent LB to come along in many years, however he is very undersized, slow and weak. Wanny/Bates' scheme was to do whatever it took to keep blockers off Zach and allow him to think for himself and make plays. The exact plan that has made him a future HoF'er.Jason Taylor is one of the most dominating pass rushers in the NFL. Wanny allowed him to do just that, pass rush.

With Saban and Capers Madison was asked to play run coverage, play zone and was very limited in his press coverage. Zach Thomas has been forced to blitz and has been asked to take on blockers. Jason Taylor has been moved to a tweener at LB/DE. Essentially, Saban/Capers has taken our best players, who all have highly specialized abilities, and asked them do deviate from the norm.

It's like a living parody out there.

Why haven't Saban and Capers adjusted? I still think they are good coaches, they just can't adapt.

I picture a kid playing with the little wooden squares/circles/triangles/crosses etc where the objective is to put them into the correct shape hole. Saban has been given a bunch of Xs and refuses to find the X slot and instead decides to force it into the circle to no avail. Perhaps once he drafts some circles then he can figure out this game.

 

[DolfanISS]

I think they are starting to adjust. Over the last 2 weeks I have noriced Crowder is a much better blitzer than Zach. Why haven't I noticed this earlier??? I think they have just started sending Crowder more often. he hasn't gotten their yet but he;s come close and blows up his blockers unlike Thomas who is esily handled.

 

[RoninFin4]

Interesting take, aren't we in the top 5 in total defense? I was at the Bears game two weeks ago, and I don't remember a time when our D has played better. It takes time to adjust to Saban's scheme, but I'm happy with the quality of the D that I've seen this year, and it will only get better with more of his type of defensive players added.

 

[NJL52]

In response to my own statement, things have improved. Zach Thomas has blitz alot less lately and has been used slightly more to his abilities. Crowder has taken over the blitzing role. They got rid of Madison so that solves that problem. And Jason Taylor has been used a lot less as a linebacker in the past few games.

Coincidently, we have realy came around recently. Go figure, perhaps we were that good, at least on defense, we just wern't being coached correctly.

 

[HybridPHIN 23]

i guess some of the methods have been unusual...... but i can't complain with the results.
i dunno where this comes from because JT and Zach are playing as well as they always did... BTW Zach was pressuring the QB well last sunday and nabbed his 1st sack. I believe they're blitzing him just about as much, Crowder a lil more tho.

 

[Ronski_doodle]

I agree with you about missuse of Zach and Jason,but Zach is not slow,he is football fast.
No way do I want Wanny anywhere near our talent.

 

[Disgustipate]

Perhaps the only thing Wanny did correct in his tenure at Miami was personnel decisions. He alowed the players to do what they did best. Madison and Surtain were aloud to be completely cover corners and he alowed them to press as much as their hearts desired. Zach Thomas was the most intelligent LB to come along in many years, however he is very undersized, slow and weak. Wanny/Bates' scheme was to do whatever it took to keep blockers off Zach and allow him to think for himself and make plays. The exact plan that has made him a future HoF'er.Jason Taylor is one of the most dominating pass rushers in the NFL. Wanny allowed him to do just that, pass rush.

What Dave Wannstedt did was spend a crippling amount of resources on Defense in order to run a pure vanilla speed that relied on having overwhelming talent.

With Saban and Capers Madison was asked to play run coverage, play zone and was very limited in his press coverage. Zach Thomas has been forced to blitz and has been asked to take on blockers. Jason Taylor has been moved to a tweener at LB/DE. Essentially, Saban/Capers has taken our best players, who all have highly specialized abilities, and asked them do deviate from the norm.

Except they've succeeded in their new roles.

Jason Taylor is on pace to have one of his best career seasons. Not only is he making plays rushing the passer, he is making plays in coverage. You did by some chance notice him dropping back into coverage on his own accord and picking off Grossman last week? Or the near-interception in the endzone? And you are completely wrong that he has been playing less linebacker this season. They played the most 3-4 fronts I've seen all season vs. KC. Hilariously enough, most of LJ's productive runs came from Miami lining up in the Wannstedt-ball style 4-3.

Zach Thomas has decline some this season, but he had what was probabaly his career season last year in the very same scheme. He had I believe the 2nd highest number of tackles behind the line of scrimmage last year. This year he has had problems keeping his weight up, which is resulting in problems for him all around, not just blitzing.

PS- He doesnt need to take on blockers anymore then he did in Wannstedt's defense. He still has 2-gap protection infront of him.

The Defense undeniably fits the defenders.

 

[columbuslarry]

I think our problem on offense is we are designed to throw the ball deep and Culpepper was brought in to do so when he wasn't healthy we had to go with harrington who throws a terrible long ball he never even comes close to his receivers.Thus we have to adjust playcalling which is why were trying to creat big plays with all these trick plays. If our offense could score 21 points we would win nearly every game.