Finsfalife
Quiet Observer
I have said this before early on when Pennington was the guy and I will say it again, there is one underlying issue this team faces that consistantly causes us to lose leads, or hang close with teams we are outplaying. It is very simply a lack of talent at the skilled and difference maker positions that creates a sense of no margin for error. I voiced this preaseason and week 1, and sparano made it clear in his post game presser.....We have an extremely slim margin for error.
Our strengths lie in our Rbs and runblocking first and foremost, and we are near the top of the NFL all season in this dept. The issue is as Every analyst (steve young last night), and the game last night demonstrated is this league has become a passing league. Passing allows for comebacks, killing blows, and as we saw lastweek, inept teams wearing down defenses and hanging in games....TB lastweek against atl, Buff.
We do not have the skilled positions on O to move down the field quickly or deliver killer strikes. Instead we slowly mosy down with 6+ min drives where one holding call, or False.Sts, or dropped pass can force basically an automatic punt. On Sunday and all year we have seen this.
We also lack difference makers at the LB position. Lbs across the league each sunday make huge plays. We do not have it, we have finese lbs who cant shed blocks and who get to the qb w speed alone and make 3-4 tackles all game. This means the Safetys are making tackles in the second level 5 yds later, and leaving the Rookie Cbs on islands, where they will make mistakes to lee evans and terrel owens occasionally.
But heres the difference. Good teams, with solid passing games, and who can move the ball with 2 min left know they can move down the field and score. We cannot, when our avg Td drive this year is 5:30+.
Yes our defense did not hold on sunday, but for all their **** this year, they have kept us close in most games. Currently without real LBs we will be a bend and not break defense. with the obvious occasional break happening.
Going forward we need a more open and consistant attack to be an elite team. No one comes out guns blazing each week on O and D. Saints, COlts.....but the good teams O gets them back in games, and the D steps up. Last week Colts down 20-0, Saints down 17-0 to us...with those deficits we would be toast, but like i said games like those happen to even great teams bc of the parody of the NFL.
The call 1st and goal on the 3 was retarded, and so we woulda been up 14-0, but thats life. Say what you want aboout Sparano, he makes this team a good team where most would make this team a below avg team. That was the first game I can remember us losing to a team we should have beat on paper in his time here. He will learn from his mistakes in gamecalling, and henning a paul p should be let go because of some of the calls they have made....
inexcusable....but cmon and see the offense is anemic, and we have No room for error. Every team is payed millions to play, and outside of the browns, everyteam is an NFL team. We wont come out sharp every week, and when we do we need to finish strong. Both are hard however when it is such a fight and struggle to move the ball more than 4 yds a play. I dont mean to beat a dead horse but get playmaking WRs and run 4 WR, an compliment our fantastic running game. on 2nd and 15 dont run a ****ing draw. Bc until we do, games like the Saints, who everyone knew would be coming back strong, or not burrying the bills when we had the chance will continue to happen. Jumping up and down and screaming on a 12 yd pass play to a stumbling WR should not be an offensive highlight, but a functional part of the offense we can count on more than 5 % of the time.
Our strengths lie in our Rbs and runblocking first and foremost, and we are near the top of the NFL all season in this dept. The issue is as Every analyst (steve young last night), and the game last night demonstrated is this league has become a passing league. Passing allows for comebacks, killing blows, and as we saw lastweek, inept teams wearing down defenses and hanging in games....TB lastweek against atl, Buff.
We do not have the skilled positions on O to move down the field quickly or deliver killer strikes. Instead we slowly mosy down with 6+ min drives where one holding call, or False.Sts, or dropped pass can force basically an automatic punt. On Sunday and all year we have seen this.
We also lack difference makers at the LB position. Lbs across the league each sunday make huge plays. We do not have it, we have finese lbs who cant shed blocks and who get to the qb w speed alone and make 3-4 tackles all game. This means the Safetys are making tackles in the second level 5 yds later, and leaving the Rookie Cbs on islands, where they will make mistakes to lee evans and terrel owens occasionally.
But heres the difference. Good teams, with solid passing games, and who can move the ball with 2 min left know they can move down the field and score. We cannot, when our avg Td drive this year is 5:30+.
Yes our defense did not hold on sunday, but for all their **** this year, they have kept us close in most games. Currently without real LBs we will be a bend and not break defense. with the obvious occasional break happening.
Going forward we need a more open and consistant attack to be an elite team. No one comes out guns blazing each week on O and D. Saints, COlts.....but the good teams O gets them back in games, and the D steps up. Last week Colts down 20-0, Saints down 17-0 to us...with those deficits we would be toast, but like i said games like those happen to even great teams bc of the parody of the NFL.
The call 1st and goal on the 3 was retarded, and so we woulda been up 14-0, but thats life. Say what you want aboout Sparano, he makes this team a good team where most would make this team a below avg team. That was the first game I can remember us losing to a team we should have beat on paper in his time here. He will learn from his mistakes in gamecalling, and henning a paul p should be let go because of some of the calls they have made....
inexcusable....but cmon and see the offense is anemic, and we have No room for error. Every team is payed millions to play, and outside of the browns, everyteam is an NFL team. We wont come out sharp every week, and when we do we need to finish strong. Both are hard however when it is such a fight and struggle to move the ball more than 4 yds a play. I dont mean to beat a dead horse but get playmaking WRs and run 4 WR, an compliment our fantastic running game. on 2nd and 15 dont run a ****ing draw. Bc until we do, games like the Saints, who everyone knew would be coming back strong, or not burrying the bills when we had the chance will continue to happen. Jumping up and down and screaming on a 12 yd pass play to a stumbling WR should not be an offensive highlight, but a functional part of the offense we can count on more than 5 % of the time.
