re: This team DOES need a Coaching purge

It's all about discipline, and the guys blowing tackles are not disciplined football players. If you're a professional defensive football player you need to know how to tackle. It's utter bullshite if position coaches have to waste their time teaching an absolutely fundamental aspect of the game. Players need to play better.

As for Galette and Lewis, those guys play angry football all the time. Each play they are out there trying to earn their paychecks. The rest of the guys, save for Lofton, are soft.

His defenses line up where it should be and many people didn't want to accept the fact that we stayed #4 overall because the remaining schedule post-Greer injury wasn't against very great offenses:

14th ranked Atlanta
18th ranked Seattle
25th ranked Carolina x2
30th ranked St. Louis
32nd ranked Tampa Bay

Our deficiencies were masked because we somehow got a constant pass rush to come alive and had 2 legit #1 cornerbacks as our starters. Jabari Greer was a solid #1 corner in 2012, 2013 he was now the #2 and defenses couldn't zone into one corner.

Our defense played well above their heads last year and we only have a legitimate few average/above average players.

Keenan Lewis is a solid #1 Corner, we have no one else worth a damn from #2-#4 (everyone knows that now). So missing Corner #2.

Byrd has had a solid track record and Vaccaro is playing awkward this year to say the least. So we're somewhat set here.

Lofton is our only good linebacker and he's just a solid run stopper with decent coverage. He won't be making plays everywhere like Bowman, Willis, Kuechly, David, Davis, etc. Parys Haralson is a solid OLB, but he's not anything spectacular, so you're still missing 1 OLB or 1 ILB if you want to put Galette as a 3-4OLB.

DE we have one of the best run stopping defensive ends not named JJ Watt, but he's not a pure pass rusher. He never was in college and coming out he's never been, but he's one of the best at eating up blocks and letting his teammates do damage. Too bad Akiem Hicks, Brodrick Bunkley, and J Jenkins aren't getting it done up thee middle. The other DE is a pure pass rusher that is lackluster in run defense.

No on anticipated Patrick Robinson, Corey White, and Champ Bailey to fall off the earth. No one thought Akiem Hicks and J Jenkins after last year's promise was going to play like Sedrick ellis post-2009.

We have collapsed since last year, but we have had nice stops.

2013
Week 1: Defensive Stop (Atlanta)
Week 2: Defensive Stop (TB, missed fG -> Offense wins game)
Week 6: Defensive Stop Twice, turnover, Offense can't pick up a single first down twice -> Defense collapses on drive #3 (NE)
Weel 11: Defensive Stop with 2 minutes left -> offense drives and wins on FG (SF)
Week 14: Defensive Loss on last drive (Carolina)


This year...seriously its just a bad concoction of it all both sides. Should have seen it from the start with uncharacteristic mistakes.

Week 1: Brees throws an uncharacteristic INT in the redzone. Up 3 with 1:20 left Matt Ryan goes:
Start @ 20
13 yards Douglas (A33)
12 yards Julio (A45)
21 yards Hester (N34)
Spike
FG
OT - Offense fumbles...Loss

Week 2: up 1 with 12:12 left
Following Cleveland Drive: 7 plays 32 yards - Punt
Following New Orleans Drive: 8:59 left: 11 plays 52 yards - Punt (iirc this was the drive where we threw all day and sat MI when he was previously 10 for 80 yards; Mark Ingram rushed 3 yards, Khiry Rushed for 4 yards, Austin Johnson rushed for 8, Khiry rushed for 2, Drew was 5/6 42 yards and a sack)
Following Cleveland Drive: ends up 4th and 6, Hoyer completes a 10 yard, then 13 yards, then a 28 yarder, and game.)

Detroit: Clearly this was all on Corey White, case closed

SF: This is just head bashful

This is a team that is just plays bad when they're expected to. They can't cause turnovers, they can't tackle properly, and they're just playing defeated on the defensive side.

The other side the team can't pass block for Brees, leads to sacks, fumbles, and untimely INTs. They can't run block at all lately. Mark Ingram goes on a 3 game stretch that is GREAT. We run into 3 solid defensive lines and we can't create a hole at all.

We are playing a center (Goodwin) that should be benched for the slightly better newbie (Lelito). This is Olin Kreutz and Brian DeLaPuente all over again. Gotta make some changes at some time to send a message, let the hungry guys play.

We can't fix the guard position, so we're just SOL until the offseason.

Agree with everything but OC. Playcalling is not the issue. DB coach needs to get gone in a hurry.

quote:

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I still love Sean but he needs to make changes.

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we need help with player personnel too though. People may hate on Vitt but look at what he has to work with.

what pisses me off is our special teams. Besides Morestead booming the ball on punts, our kicking game hasn't done us any favors.

the last few years we've had inconsistent place kickers (Graham missed a few vs. SEA) in the playoffs after Hartley was cut.

absolutely no help in the punt return game.

and look at what Sproles did for the Eagles this year. That should tell you something.

covering punts haven't been that bad though.

its just amazing about our punt return game. Its like they are just going through the motions out there. I guess they spend about 5 minutes on that at practice?

I mean it just fricking sucks. They are just conceding the fact that they are going to fair catch it or let the ball go and see if they get a favorable bounce.

And when someone does try and return it... forget about it. Bottled up immediately.

maybe our player personnel just sucks there too? I don't know.