Success

There are issues w/ our schemes on both sides of the ball. We complain endlessly about a lack of talent in this unit or that unit, or overall. And we don't have a lot of "pro bowl" caliber talent. But I will generally believe that we could be much better on both offense & defense if we had real coordinators who had a track record of success. We're not getting the most out of the talent we have.

Personally, I'd be shocked if it was the Chiefs again. What we're seeing is not an illusion - it's a weak & flawed Chiefs team this year. They're just not at that level anymore. Neither are we - which is frustrating given that they've been our biggest nemesis, and this is the year I think we would normally be able to finally get past them in the playoffs. But it might not even come to that. It might be Pats/Colts in the AFCCG, which would really give me such a feeling of deja vu, and of futility. Like, okay universe - you win.

"Delusional positivity" describes me so well. I mean, I remember talking myself into Tuel, Thad Lewis and Orton. I'm certainly capable of talking myself into Cooks saving our WR corps.

That's a hard watch - because they're so right. It makes it even more infuriating that we were so negligent of the WR position not just in the offseason, but at the deadline. I so hope that the Waddle story isn't true - the idea that we would give up a 1st rounder in '27 but not '26 is mystifying, if so.

I feel like he's back for the playoffs. It seems like every player that gets a long term injury these days is coming back sooner than expected - medical advances are outpacing conventional wisdom on recovery times.

A couple of things are true here: it's worth a swing, and we deserve to be clowned for it.

I mean, can't Brady just study what other OC's do and copy it at this point? I don't understand our offense at all. I can't pretend to understand schemes, but just eye test-wise, it seems very easy to defend.

I like that we've been trying. But a better time to "try" would have been the offseason.

I can't anymore w/ the Allen narratives. I've lost track of the # of "Allen always chokes in the playoffs" comments I've seen from other fans. When he has basically been immaculate. And if he's reverting a bit this year on the turnovers, it's pretty obvious why to those of us who watch the team every week. No one to throw to, no one open, and just trying to make something happen - because if he doesn't, we'll lose.

On that point, I will take new coordinators all day. One thing I have never understood - we have a QB like Allen, and we promote from within on the coordinators, instead of hiring experienced, proven & successful candidates. Which we obviously could. I'm okay w/ McD as HC/culture guy, IF we have top-tier coordinators running the offense & defense. All of that said, in no way do I want to lose more games to see if that happens. I hope we win out and still grab the 1 seed.

Only 1 from KC. I guess we differ on "fortunate." I'm not sure I consider it too lucky when we're coughing the ball up a lot, but happen to recover.

I didn't see us having fortunate bounces in the playoffs - particularly that KC game.

I agree & McD's road record is clear. But Super Bowl runs come in all shapes & sizes. Maybe being a WC team & underdog will actually help. I'd bet that every game we play is close, and down to the 4th quarter - if we get a bounce or 2, this could still be the year.

A bit too much negativity here. For starters, this is a depth move. Because we have had more than our fair share of injuries on the defensive side. While it would be nice to sign a pro-bowler, there aren't too many of those floating around at this time of year. And we have no idea what we'll get out of Lawson, if he ends up playing. He's 31, which isn't exactly over the hill at his position. But we need players. Too many guys have been hurt.

We can make a run this year. As the OP states - getting Oliver, Brown & Kincaid back, and staying relatively healthy the rest of the way, will be key. Even as a WC, I'd be excited about the playoffs this year. We've been wildly inconsistent, but we're a scary match-up for any team out there. When we're good, we're as good/better than anyone.