Fake-Fat Sunny Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 I know some folks want to rewrite history and wax philosophically about how GW's work as a well-paid DC work in DC makes them consider maybe he got a raw deal here, but I think that it mostly emphasizes that he is a great DC, but what we see so far of MM shows GW was in over his head as our HC. This doesn't mean MM is perfect at all (he makes rookie HC errors virtually every gameI but a comparison between the outcomes of 3 years under GW compared with what we can see or is developing under MM reveals that the comparison ain't even close. Certainly one of the primary measures I look at is the co-ordinator hires and whether the HC has picked guys for the job who can get the job done. To date: OC MM- Clements has had some struggles trying to put lipstick on the pig of Drew's play. To the extent MM and Clements merely said how high and what color wgeb TD informed them that it could work with Drew it doesn't speak well for them, but ifthey endorsed or argued for this move it speaks to them being a bit over confident in what miracles they could produce. Over time we will get the truth. However, beyond this central problem I like what I see of our offensive braintrust. OL- I agree with Simon that one can see the positives JMac has brought to the OL which has produced several sack free games even blocking for someone folks call the statue. In addition, they have blocked for WM racking up 4 100 yard games in his five starts. Even in the debacle against NE, pundits are actually pointing to the OL performance as not being at fault for this disaster. JMac inherited a troubled OL at best and has found at least part of a starter to replace Ruben from a UDFA on the Ravens PS, likewise he inherited MW who had not only disappointed folks with his play but had a major meltdown of unprofessionalism this off-season due to a death in his family. JMac seeked to play a key role in adjusting his attitude and bringing him along. We faced disaster with injury to Teague but GW acquired replacement Tucker filled this role under JMac's guidance. Overall, I like what I see ven though challenges lie ahead as Jennings is probably gone this off-season. The redzone issues speak to the effectiveness and outside the box thinking of this crew. The switch to use of Bannan has proved to be masterful as it was effective in producing TDs and served to mostly light a fire under Smith without simply giving up on the young player. WR- Though unsettled as the passing game has its issues, Evans appears to be developing well. Moulds still has his acrobatic athleticism and though he does seem to get out of control from time to time he is piling up some catch numbers this year. Reed has not responded as of yet and he will probably be down to his last chance. Aiken is still a younster but definitely produced this weekend and overall has made us feel fairly comfortable with the loss of Shaw, Again contract issues surrounding Moulds cap hit next year create some uncertainty but I feel pretty good about WR. TE- This also seemed to be a non-area of contribution until Campbell turned into Ben Coates this weekend. Also Peters seems to have emerged on ST and as a pro and his soft hands and speed in a big body was what kept him around anyway. His blocking ability was actually the big question mark and the fact he made the roster as a tackle bodes well in this regard. Euhus has not broken out bit has not disappointed yet either as expectations for a rookie TE are relatively low anyway. At any rate since MM is a former TE one has to feel hopeful about this position. RB- WM. Major kudos to TD if this works for the rest of this season like it has worked so far. Henry still seems to have trade value in some circles. Folks speak highly of Shelton though I have yet to see little yet to make me forget Dash and Centers, A great reception by him this past weekend got called back by a penalty so hope springs eternal. At any rate WM! GW- Mike Sheppard fired with a year left on his contract. Kevin Killdrive fired with a year left on his contract. Pat Ruel and Vinky fired with a year left on their contracts. Summary- Even with some big O questions big advantage to GW DC- MM- Jerry Gray certainly merited an extension as he has proved he not only is a great tactician in quickly mastering the LeBeau design as defensive signal caller on a top 4 D, but has proved himself a strategiv wizard with a series of halftime adjustments which have simply shut down opponents. Even after the NE debacle this crew is still statistically in the top 5. Solving the weak pass rush problem is still an issue. GW- He deserves some credit for picking a good guy and for the learning he got in his first DC stint which provided a basis for the coach he is today. Nevertheless, he was a defensive genius and bears at least some of the shared blame for the D meltdown on his watch which was fixed in conjunction with LeBeau coming aboard with a non0GW D scheme. Even if you want to blame the bad players GW had for the failure of his scheme, who really attracted Robinson and Jenkins here and should have known they were done. Summary: Same guy so only a slight advantage to the MM era/ ST MM- Bobby April and what is arguably the best ST in the league with likely Pro Bowler Moorman, likely Pro Bowl KR guy McGee and a dual betwen Clements and Fast Fredy as to who is the best PR guy. Lindell is solid inside the 35 and works well with this coverage unit but shows that TD was wrong with statements that good kickers are a dime a dozen. GW- The fact that his buddy Smith was the best performer of his co-ordinators does not say much. Negatives like them giving up two returns for TDs in one game against the Jets and the brain cramps of Wire on SE acting on a Smith recommendation to go for the block (matching a stupid fake punt call against Jax shows how feeble they were. Summary- Great credit to April for pushing for use of starters on ST (an insistence that apparently got him canned in St. Louis) gives a huge advantage to MM here. Again, MM has picked guys who arguably anddemonstrably can do their jobs and GW did not on what is one of the primary measures of a good HC.
nodnarb Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 i doubt MM was referring to GW there. I bet it was the OLine coach first, Gilbride second. We're only NOW beginning to see what our line can do. It took them a while to gel, but McNally has this line playing much better than we've seen in years. Yes, years. Bledsoe has a pocket. THey're picking up stunts. MWilliams isn't getting burned, and he's still the least penalized guy on the line. In the NE game, Drew seemed to be sensing pressure that didn't exist. That was a weebit disturbing.
BillnutinHouston Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 Fake, I find your posts extremely frustrating. Usually buried deep within mega-lines of rehashed thoughts, lies some decent commentary. If you could just become a bit more concise, I might actually stop skipping the final 2/3 or your tomes and actually read what you have to say.
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted November 23, 2004 Posted November 23, 2004 Fake, I find your posts extremely frustrating. Usually buried deep within mega-lines of rehashed thoughts, lies some decent commentary. If you could just become a bit more concise, I might actually stop skipping the final 2/3 or your tomes and actually read what you have to say. 130221[/snapback] There's a reason I've got the obtuse bastich on ignore.
Fake-Fat Sunny Posted November 23, 2004 Author Posted November 23, 2004 Fake, I find your posts extremely frustrating. Usually buried deep within mega-lines of rehashed thoughts, lies some decent commentary. If you could just become a bit more concise, I might actually stop skipping the final 2/3 or your tomes and actually read what you have to say. 130221[/snapback] Cliffnotes begin: Sorry, I'll try to meet brevity needs to the extent it does not interfere with me thinking in print. Cliff notes end. Sorry about that. As I've said before I appreciate the insights I have gotten from TSW responses and because of that I do try to remember to stick "cliff notes" on posts which summarize them (particularly on topics I generate and less so on replies). However, in general I usually hatch these long diatribes to think things through myself and the replies (particularly those which disagree with my take are a wonderful benefit but are unrequired on my part to make this a fun exercise. I have several Bills buddies and family whom I discuss things with and the writing process allows me to think out loud and actually makes these conversations more enjoyable and efficient. The complaints that folks for some reason feel a need to post (taking the time to complain my posts take up too much time seems amusingly contradictory to say the least) are mostly amusing and fall on deaf keyboards. Yet, i will try to be responsive through cliff-noting missives such as yours which nicely fine some value in my rants. Generally, if i'm looking for a response I'll say si fairly directly or post a poll.
Recommended Posts