It's almost like the O and D are playing every other week at this point. Easily 5's worst game in years.
WFT happened to Westbrook? Can we sue the Eagles for fraud? I have no idea who they're dressing in the 36 jersey, but it sure isn't Brian Westbrook. Buck's got twice the speed and quickness right now, yet he's getting no reps.
I've been surprised today by how frequently I've heard folks say it isn't a big deal that the quarterback didn't realize overtime was capped to a single 15 minute period.
I realize that athletes aren't necessarily fans, and they don't always know all the nuances of the game. I get that.
But you can't look at the standings in the paper without seeing the column designated for ties. You can't listen to a OT game on TV without listening to the talking heads describe the rule. It's pretty basic, no?
Is it possible that when Donovan allowed that he had never registered to vote prior to this year's election, he was foreshadowing the extent to which he is an absolute dope? Andy says Donovan's ignorance had no bearing on the outcome of the game, and I believe him. Donovan sucked yesterday and no amount of "urgency" would have helped in OT. Still, is anyone but me shaking his head saying, "what the heck?"
Bumble - I know what you're thinking. This game was so pathetic you can't bring yourself to comment. For the sake of the guys who gain entertainment from your rants, I'll beg: C'mon, brother, let it go. Give us 10 reasons why the Birds must blow this puppy up and start from scratch. Lay out the plan. Who stays? Who goes? What's the plan moving forward.
You know I know nothing about football, but here are some opinions anyway:
Keep:
Westbrook. He's hurt. Has to be. The new contract is an albatros otherwise.
Andrews. Get him a good physchiatrist and keep your fingers crossed. Does anyone over 6 believe that the back is the biggest problem right now?
#10. Call me crazy, but I think the kid is a massive talent.
Sheldon Brown. The more I watch him and listen to him, the more I like him.
High-price CB. Assante takes some shit here, but I think the guy can flat out play.
Runyan. Always plays, seldom complains, always answers questions honestly. Makes a decent commercial.
Bradley. I don't know how well he covers tight ends, or anything else I should know, but he seems to get involved in a lot of plays (although I wish he were closer to the line of scrimmage when he tackles people sometimes).
Dump:
McNabb. 2nd best Eagles QB since I've been watching, and a decent enough dude, but he's now convinced me he's a dope. I can't stand watching him grin and manfuck opponents after tragic games.
Dawkins. Please retire so we'll all remember that you used to be good.
Reid. Boring. I no longer care that he is a fine football coach with one fatal flaw (a silly offense). 18 third downs yesterday; 0 runs. Wow.
Vera Wang. Can we get new cheerleader uniforms after 7 years? Spandex died with Ratt.
M. Reese. Was it really that exciting to tie the Bengals based on a missed field goal?
The sinle worst thing about having a mediocre team is having to watch games called by Dick, Moose & Goose. "Moose" tries hard, but "Goose" is a jackass.
I've got nothing to say because truth be told, I didn't see most of the game yesterday. Oddly enough every time I happened to watch a play, McDope was turning the ball over. I now schedule other things on Sundays to take advantage of my free time. I am openly rooting for them to lose out, something I have never ever done, in hopes that upper management sees the disarray this team is in, does the right thing, and fires Reid. In the words of Jack Nicholson in The Departed, "seems to me, in times like these, you kill everyone". Everyone must go, no one is safe. Burn it down, sweep up the ashes, burn it again to make sure you killed all of the crap, and bring in good football people to make this team competitive again.
There are way too many gaping holes to fix this mess in one off season, but here are a few things I'd try.
1. Reid must go. Hire a personnel guy and a defensive minded head coach. I'd hire Spagnuolo or someone who shows creativity in creating defensive pressure. This game, like every game, is defense first.
2. Let Mcnabb go. He's not getting any younger or better. He sucks at 2 minute drill and seems to be mentally regressing. Usher in Kolb, but absolutely grab a veteran backup.
3. Fish Westbrook. Very talented guy, but he is a cupcake who is always hurt. he is also only a change of pace back and not getting younger. At the very least you need to bring in a legit talent at RB to take 10 carries a game and do something with them.
4. Trade Reggie Brown-he sucks. The rest of the WR core is fine.
5. Deep six LJ. Celek seems to be a fine pass catching option. I'd bring in a TE who does nothing but block to make him a factor in establishing a run game.
6. Get a real FB, one who plays the position today in college, preferably for a run oriented offense. These guys grow on tress. This isn't that difficult.
7. Get a new kicker. Akers is D-O-N-E!
8. Say good bye to William Tra Thomas. Maybe move Herremans to LT, but address the mess that is this O line with draft picks. Have someone who isn't Reid picking them and someone who isn't Castillo coaching them.
9. Dawkins retires. Get younger and faster there with a guy who can cover someone faster than me.
10. Bid Lito farewell. He looks very soft to me, like he is playing half speed on purpose. Reid should've taken care of this mess this off season.
11. Look to upgrade OLB. Gocong is not an OLB. This position could wait as you cannot fill every hole in one off season, but Gocong is terrible and regressing.
12. Get a fat guy to man the DT spot. They get pushed around too much up front.
No way they make these kind of gains in one off season, but they could address 5-6 of them. They desperately need a good personnel guy as Reid's horrendous offseason moves of the past several years have left the cupboards bare of talent. I do NOT want Reid having anything else to do with talent procurement. They have 2 first round picks. To allow Reid to make those selections (or trade them), makes having them moot.
It seems simple to me. You see your needs (assuming you are honest and can admit you have a serious talent deficit to most of the league), you look at what USC, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and other big, talented schools have available, and you draft talent.
I can honestly say I have lost my passion for this team. Andy's inability to put an exciting, interesting product on the field has led me to apathy. I still watch the whole game, I try to catch as much of the other games as I can between wife and kids & dog's demands. But I know they're not that good, with a fatally flawed plan and a (now) terrible coach. The rest of the league has passed Andy bye, and their's nothing we can do about it. I still enjoy football, I laughed heartily when Buck got tackled by the 30 yard line, I got excited on Baskett's catch & run and Jackson's couple of plays. But I wasn't surprised or disappointed when they lost, amd I won't be disappointed when they lose again, whether it's next week, or Thanksgiving, or the week after that. I still don't get Andy's maddening inability/refusal to run the ball. Westbrook is hurt. so use Buck more. Does he remember the 3 headed monster ?? I know we don't have Duce anymore, but 2 weeks in a row, Buck makes a big play and then doesn't see the ball again. He plays very well against San Fran and Chicago when they use him, but they hardly utilize him at all when Bwest is active, even when it's obvious he's not close to 100%. Andy doesn't have McNabb's health issues, which have given him a pass the past few seasons. His glaring weaknesses in personnel, game planning and game day coaching are showing. He's not going anywhere though, becuase he's Lurie's boy. At least 1 more year, maybe 2 b/c Kolb's rookie year will give him another pass. Maybe McNabb can go to Minn os Chicago and pull a Randall, but seal the deal and win a SB -- that would be the sweetest revenge for everyone on Reid/Lurie ---- me included.
I wouldn't touch Spagnuolo. He is just too closely related to the problem. I would get a young hungry defense first coach, a GM and a veteran Offensive coordinator...that has worked for a variety of teams. All are important, but the GM has the task of determining who stays and gos. Ed Wade's and Bumble's assessments are right on. I am not convinced Kolb is the answer and if a new guy wanted to draft his QB that would be fine, too. You need a top flight RB from the draft too. A back that let's B West be himself. I would like to see what Joe Mays can do. You may be able to make Bradley a SLB and let Gocong play a hybrid end/LB on passing downs. A new FS yes. Some veteran beef in the middle, yes. Maybe some more tinkering, but I think that you can leave the defense intact for the most part. New QB check, new RB check, quality FB check. WR's I am okay with I guess. Blocking TE check. Offensive line....once your strength has now gotten old and is worriesome. You need a new RT, C, RG (unless Andrews gets healthy)....I think Herreman's can be part of the rotation. Max-Jean, okay. New kicker check. New offensive philosophy....boy, it's a dark dark day.
I don't think it's quite that dark. The talent level is close. If you change the coaching, that should be more than enough to put them over the top with just a little tinkering to the roster (exhibit A being ATL, exhibit B MIA). The talent level is there to compete against the Giants and Steelers of the league. Just need some coaches to keep the Bengals game from occuring.
I'm kind of with Phil on this in that I don't think the talent gap is insurmountable. We've got some decent players on this squad, and I don't see how it would take much to vault back into contention. Teams seem to rebuild pretty quickly in the NFL these days. The Giants, for instance, went from mediocre to dominant in a big, big hurry.
Big Dog, why not Spagnuolo? Just because he has an association with Reid? You sound like TMG damning Amaro (a long time ago) based on his association with Head. I'm not sure I'm following the logic. I'm associated with my boss in some ways, but it doesn't stop me from realizing his limitations even while supporting him.
Hey Ping, what's it going to take to turn things around? You know more about football than anyone I know. Let's hear the plam, baby.
Ed, I would argue the problem with Spags is that he continues JJ's defensive schemes/tendencies. Since I view JJ as 75% of the problem and Reid as 25%, this would be a counter-productive coaching change.
....and in all honesty, the reason why the Giants are good is because they have good players. Their defensive line is better than ours. It was better last year and they are better this year. You win with better players. How many coaches really, really make a difference? I am going to answer my own question...they don't make a difference unless they don't utilize their players/game plan correctly. The #1 job of a coach is to put your players in position to win. Any competent coach sees his teams strengths and weaknesses and adjusts correctly...right? For example, you are playing a team that is near the bottom of the league in defending the run and it's a windy day that isn't great for passing. Logic says that you run and play action off the run to set up a "condition appropriate" passing attack...correct? Or.....do you pass 60 times with a QB who is struggling?
Brian Baldinger was on WIP today and called that Birds game the wrsot game planned game he's ever seen. Said the Biurds never even tried to run vs. the worst run defense in the league. He also said, as we have surmised, that the Birds O line blows, especially on back side blocking on run plays. he actually said he sees a lack of effort to cut off backside LB and DL. Not shocking. Castillo blows.
Big Dog I agree talent wins in the end, but talent development is also crucial. These players are roughly the same when they enter the league, why don't the Birds players ever improve? Jean Gilles and Justice were very good college O linemen. Why do they both suck now? Laws was an absolute beast at Notre Dame. Why has he yet to make an impactful play despite being their first pick in the 2008 draft? I blame poor coaching there.
Ed I do agree if you bring in familiar coaches, Lurie and Banner can cram this same old offense down their throat and demand status quo, but I'd still bring in Spags because they'll do that to whomever they hire in 3-4 years when reid's contract expires.
Big Dog, why not Spagnuolo? Just because he has an association with Reid? You sound like TMG damning Amaro (a long time ago) based on his association with Head. I'm not sure I'm following the logic. I'm associated with my boss in some ways, but it doesn't stop me from realizing his limitations even while supporting him.
yes, you have to adjust to what the defense is doing....but you have a game plan coming in that dictates what you initially do. Then at halftime or on the sideline you adjust.
Bumble, you and me are on the same page. I am not saying the player procurement and development aren't huge...they absolutely are and that goes into the bucket of "better players". Maybe the procurement and talent evaluation initially is the problem. It's what came first, the chicken or the egg. I just think that the overall coaching ability is a little overrated as compared to bringing in the right people initially. You could be the worst college coach in the world and bring in studs and just rock....or you could be a genius and bring in second tier players and suck. Having coached a lot of sports, it's just talent that wins I am convinced....and not doing bonehead things to screw that talent up.
No doubt talent wins (especially at the professional level), but the value of good coaching can't be underestimated, at least in football. It's amazing how good teams seam to follow good coaches around.
At the level I've coached (kids teams), coaching is darn near everything. I've especially noticed it when watching sports I don't coach. In soccer, for example, my son has learned twice as much in three weeks from his incredible tournament team coach as he did in three years from his in-house coach. It's been eye opening to see. I used to think that guy's in-house team was great because he had all the good players. Not the case at all. What was it that Keith Jackson used to say about Bear Bryant?
16 Comments:
That's as thorough and complete an analysis as could possibly be made.
It's almost like the O and D are playing every other week at this point. Easily 5's worst game in years.
WFT happened to Westbrook? Can we sue the Eagles for fraud? I have no idea who they're dressing in the 36 jersey, but it sure isn't Brian Westbrook. Buck's got twice the speed and quickness right now, yet he's getting no reps.
well said
I've been surprised today by how frequently I've heard folks say it isn't a big deal that the quarterback didn't realize overtime was capped to a single 15 minute period.
I realize that athletes aren't necessarily fans, and they don't always know all the nuances of the game. I get that.
But you can't look at the standings in the paper without seeing the column designated for ties. You can't listen to a OT game on TV without listening to the talking heads describe the rule. It's pretty basic, no?
Is it possible that when Donovan allowed that he had never registered to vote prior to this year's election, he was foreshadowing the extent to which he is an absolute dope? Andy says Donovan's ignorance had no bearing on the outcome of the game, and I believe him. Donovan sucked yesterday and no amount of "urgency" would have helped in OT. Still, is anyone but me shaking his head saying, "what the heck?"
Bumble - I know what you're thinking. This game was so pathetic you can't bring yourself to comment. For the sake of the guys who gain entertainment from your rants, I'll beg: C'mon, brother, let it go. Give us 10 reasons why the Birds must blow this puppy up and start from scratch. Lay out the plan. Who stays? Who goes? What's the plan moving forward.
You know I know nothing about football, but here are some opinions anyway:
Keep:
Westbrook. He's hurt. Has to be. The new contract is an albatros otherwise.
Andrews. Get him a good physchiatrist and keep your fingers crossed. Does anyone over 6 believe that the back is the biggest problem right now?
#10. Call me crazy, but I think the kid is a massive talent.
Sheldon Brown. The more I watch him and listen to him, the more I like him.
High-price CB. Assante takes some shit here, but I think the guy can flat out play.
Runyan. Always plays, seldom complains, always answers questions honestly. Makes a decent commercial.
Bradley. I don't know how well he covers tight ends, or anything else I should know, but he seems to get involved in a lot of plays (although I wish he were closer to the line of scrimmage when he tackles people sometimes).
Dump:
McNabb. 2nd best Eagles QB since I've been watching, and a decent enough dude, but he's now convinced me he's a dope. I can't stand watching him grin and manfuck opponents after tragic games.
Dawkins. Please retire so we'll all remember that you used to be good.
Reid. Boring. I no longer care that he is a fine football coach with one fatal flaw (a silly offense). 18 third downs yesterday; 0 runs. Wow.
Vera Wang. Can we get new cheerleader uniforms after 7 years? Spandex died with Ratt.
M. Reese. Was it really that exciting to tie the Bengals based on a missed field goal?
The sinle worst thing about having a mediocre team is having to watch games called by Dick, Moose & Goose. "Moose" tries hard, but "Goose" is a jackass.
Ed Wade.
I've got nothing to say because truth be told, I didn't see most of the game yesterday. Oddly enough every time I happened to watch a play, McDope was turning the ball over. I now schedule other things on Sundays to take advantage of my free time. I am openly rooting for them to lose out, something I have never ever done, in hopes that upper management sees the disarray this team is in, does the right thing, and fires Reid. In the words of Jack Nicholson in The Departed, "seems to me, in times like these, you kill everyone". Everyone must go, no one is safe. Burn it down, sweep up the ashes, burn it again to make sure you killed all of the crap, and bring in good football people to make this team competitive again.
There are way too many gaping holes to fix this mess in one off season, but here are a few things I'd try.
1. Reid must go. Hire a personnel guy and a defensive minded head coach. I'd hire Spagnuolo or someone who shows creativity in creating defensive pressure. This game, like every game, is defense first.
2. Let Mcnabb go. He's not getting any younger or better. He sucks at 2 minute drill and seems to be mentally regressing. Usher in Kolb, but absolutely grab a veteran backup.
3. Fish Westbrook. Very talented guy, but he is a cupcake who is always hurt. he is also only a change of pace back and not getting younger. At the very least you need to bring in a legit talent at RB to take 10 carries a game and do something with them.
4. Trade Reggie Brown-he sucks. The rest of the WR core is fine.
5. Deep six LJ. Celek seems to be a fine pass catching option. I'd bring in a TE who does nothing but block to make him a factor in establishing a run game.
6. Get a real FB, one who plays the position today in college, preferably for a run oriented offense. These guys grow on tress. This isn't that difficult.
7. Get a new kicker. Akers is D-O-N-E!
8. Say good bye to William Tra Thomas. Maybe move Herremans to LT, but address the mess that is this O line with draft picks. Have someone who isn't Reid picking them and someone who isn't Castillo coaching them.
9. Dawkins retires. Get younger and faster there with a guy who can cover someone faster than me.
10. Bid Lito farewell. He looks very soft to me, like he is playing half speed on purpose. Reid should've taken care of this mess this off season.
11. Look to upgrade OLB. Gocong is not an OLB. This position could wait as you cannot fill every hole in one off season, but Gocong is terrible and regressing.
12. Get a fat guy to man the DT spot. They get pushed around too much up front.
No way they make these kind of gains in one off season, but they could address 5-6 of them. They desperately need a good personnel guy as Reid's horrendous offseason moves of the past several years have left the cupboards bare of talent. I do NOT want Reid having anything else to do with talent procurement. They have 2 first round picks. To allow Reid to make those selections (or trade them), makes having them moot.
It seems simple to me. You see your needs (assuming you are honest and can admit you have a serious talent deficit to most of the league), you look at what USC, Ohio State, Florida, Alabama, Texas, and other big, talented schools have available, and you draft talent.
Bumble
I can honestly say I have lost my passion for this team. Andy's inability to put an exciting, interesting product on the field has led me to apathy. I still watch the whole game, I try to catch as much of the other games as I can between wife and kids & dog's demands. But I know they're not that good, with a fatally flawed plan and a (now) terrible coach. The rest of the league has passed Andy bye, and their's nothing we can do about it. I still enjoy football, I laughed heartily when Buck got tackled by the 30 yard line, I got excited on Baskett's catch & run and Jackson's couple of plays. But I wasn't surprised or disappointed when they lost, amd I won't be disappointed when they lose again, whether it's next week, or Thanksgiving, or the week after that.
I still don't get Andy's maddening inability/refusal to run the ball. Westbrook is hurt. so use Buck more. Does he remember the 3 headed monster ?? I know we don't have Duce anymore, but 2 weeks in a row, Buck makes a big play and then doesn't see the ball again. He plays very well against San Fran and Chicago when they use him, but they hardly utilize him at all when Bwest is active, even when it's obvious he's not close to 100%. Andy doesn't have McNabb's health issues, which have given him a pass the past few seasons. His glaring weaknesses in personnel, game planning and game day coaching are showing. He's not going anywhere though, becuase he's Lurie's boy. At least 1 more year, maybe 2 b/c Kolb's rookie year will give him another pass. Maybe McNabb can go to Minn os Chicago and pull a Randall, but seal the deal and win a SB -- that would be the sweetest revenge for everyone on Reid/Lurie ---- me included.
I wouldn't touch Spagnuolo. He is just too closely related to the problem. I would get a young hungry defense first coach, a GM and a veteran Offensive coordinator...that has worked for a variety of teams. All are important, but the GM has the task of determining who stays and gos. Ed Wade's and Bumble's assessments are right on. I am not convinced Kolb is the answer and if a new guy wanted to draft his QB that would be fine, too. You need a top flight RB from the draft too. A back that let's B West be himself. I would like to see what Joe Mays can do. You may be able to make Bradley a SLB and let Gocong play a hybrid end/LB on passing downs. A new FS yes. Some veteran beef in the middle, yes. Maybe some more tinkering, but I think that you can leave the defense intact for the most part. New QB check, new RB check, quality FB check. WR's I am okay with I guess. Blocking TE check. Offensive line....once your strength has now gotten old and is worriesome. You need a new RT, C, RG (unless Andrews gets healthy)....I think Herreman's can be part of the rotation. Max-Jean, okay. New kicker check. New offensive philosophy....boy, it's a dark dark day.
I don't think it's quite that dark. The talent level is close. If you change the coaching, that should be more than enough to put them over the top with just a little tinkering to the roster (exhibit A being ATL, exhibit B MIA). The talent level is there to compete against the Giants and Steelers of the league. Just need some coaches to keep the Bengals game from occuring.
I'm kind of with Phil on this in that I don't think the talent gap is insurmountable. We've got some decent players on this squad, and I don't see how it would take much to vault back into contention. Teams seem to rebuild pretty quickly in the NFL these days. The Giants, for instance, went from mediocre to dominant in a big, big hurry.
Big Dog, why not Spagnuolo? Just because he has an association with Reid? You sound like TMG damning Amaro (a long time ago) based on his association with Head. I'm not sure I'm following the logic. I'm associated with my boss in some ways, but it doesn't stop me from realizing his limitations even while supporting him.
Hey Ping, what's it going to take to turn things around? You know more about football than anyone I know. Let's hear the plam, baby.
Ed Wade
Ed, I would argue the problem with Spags is that he continues JJ's defensive schemes/tendencies. Since I view JJ as 75% of the problem and Reid as 25%, this would be a counter-productive coaching change.
....and in all honesty, the reason why the Giants are good is because they have good players. Their defensive line is better than ours. It was better last year and they are better this year. You win with better players. How many coaches really, really make a difference? I am going to answer my own question...they don't make a difference unless they don't utilize their players/game plan correctly. The #1 job of a coach is to put your players in position to win. Any competent coach sees his teams strengths and weaknesses and adjusts correctly...right? For example, you are playing a team that is near the bottom of the league in defending the run and it's a windy day that isn't great for passing. Logic says that you run and play action off the run to set up a "condition appropriate" passing attack...correct? Or.....do you pass 60 times with a QB who is struggling?
Dog, but you also have to adjust to what the defense is doing, right? So if here's 9 guys in the box, you put it up regardless.
Brian Baldinger was on WIP today and called that Birds game the wrsot game planned game he's ever seen. Said the Biurds never even tried to run vs. the worst run defense in the league. He also said, as we have surmised, that the Birds O line blows, especially on back side blocking on run plays. he actually said he sees a lack of effort to cut off backside LB and DL. Not shocking. Castillo blows.
Big Dog I agree talent wins in the end, but talent development is also crucial. These players are roughly the same when they enter the league, why don't the Birds players ever improve? Jean Gilles and Justice were very good college O linemen. Why do they both suck now? Laws was an absolute beast at Notre Dame. Why has he yet to make an impactful play despite being their first pick in the 2008 draft? I blame poor coaching there.
Ed I do agree if you bring in familiar coaches, Lurie and Banner can cram this same old offense down their throat and demand status quo, but I'd still bring in Spags because they'll do that to whomever they hire in 3-4 years when reid's contract expires.
Bumble
Big Dog, why not Spagnuolo? Just because he has an association with Reid? You sound like TMG damning Amaro (a long time ago) based on his association with Head. I'm not sure I'm following the logic. I'm associated with my boss in some ways, but it doesn't stop me from realizing his limitations even while supporting him.
http://scrapplelog.blogspot.com/2005/11/ruben-amaro-jr-feedback.html
yes, you have to adjust to what the defense is doing....but you have a game plan coming in that dictates what you initially do. Then at halftime or on the sideline you adjust.
Bumble, you and me are on the same page. I am not saying the player procurement and development aren't huge...they absolutely are and that goes into the bucket of "better players". Maybe the procurement and talent evaluation initially is the problem. It's what came first, the chicken or the egg. I just think that the overall coaching ability is a little overrated as compared to bringing in the right people initially. You could be the worst college coach in the world and bring in studs and just rock....or you could be a genius and bring in second tier players and suck. Having coached a lot of sports, it's just talent that wins I am convinced....and not doing bonehead things to screw that talent up.
Dog -
No doubt talent wins (especially at the professional level), but the value of good coaching can't be underestimated, at least in football. It's amazing how good teams seam to follow good coaches around.
At the level I've coached (kids teams), coaching is darn near everything. I've especially noticed it when watching sports I don't coach. In soccer, for example, my son has learned twice as much in three weeks from his incredible tournament team coach as he did in three years from his in-house coach. It's been eye opening to see. I used to think that guy's in-house team was great because he had all the good players. Not the case at all. What was it that Keith Jackson used to say about Bear Bryant?
Ed Wade
Post a Comment
<< Home