jhns
09-24-2007, 04:44 PM
This board doesn't seem as bad but everywhere else I go there are a lot of people acting as they do after every loss. This is the first board I have decided to post on because of this. On most every other board it seems that fans have lost all logic when making posts.
I am not sure how people are surprised by the slow start. We are still 2-1 though and in first place for our division. It is obvious that this team was not going to come out of the gate hitting on all cylinders. We have so many new starters this season, along with a new d-coordinator. Not only that but if you really take a look at this team, other than safety and o-line, it is very young. I am not sure why people expected this team to be putting up 30-0 blowouts straight out the gate. Every time a team changes this much, they always suffer from problems.
I do not think our team is as bad as some want to think. If you look at these games, we have only had them close because of costly penatlies and turnovers. The offense has rolled all over people. This is one of the youngest offenses in football. There are 3 guys on the o-line that are old but other than that, every starter is going to be playing in the NFL for a long time barring injury (knock on wood). If you haven't noticed, this team is looking like it could be an offensive powerhouse for many years once everything starts clicking.
The defense is another story. I do not like our d-tackle situation and from my understanding it is the d-tackles that are the problem when a Bates defense gives up so many yards. They are supposed to hold the middle and create lanes for the LB's to roam behind them and stop the run. Even LB's that are not good have had success under this scheme. If the DT's get pushed or don't cause double teams, traffic builds at the second level and the LB's have a much harder time getting to the ball. Other than this, which may not be a problem for long, they have the same problem as the offense.
Six new starters just from last year to this year. Then you have to look at all of the youth on the d-line along with the new scheme. They do need an adjustment period but should be playing better than they are. I still feel that it will be worked out and it isn't time to panic yet. Bates is just learning what he needs to teach and what he can run that will work. If we can somehow find a way to get the DT's to be productive this season, I don't see our defense being near as bad as it has looked. I highly doubt it is even near as bad as it has been against the run by the end of the season.
In all, I would say give it some time. We have a hard stretch of games comming up and then a lot of mediocre teams after that. Shanahan doesn't allow his teams to play sloppy football. If it keeps up, people will get benched without question. When the rookie type mistakes stop happening and the turnovers are cut back, this team is going to win a lot of games. Trust me that it will be corrected and soon. I have never watched a Shanahan team be penalyzed and turn the ball over that much through an entire season, and a lot of those years where with far weaker teams than this one. This fact alone is what keeps me confident that the team isn't that bad. It isn't like we have one of these crap coaches that just allows sloppy play constantly and never figures out a way to fix it.
With all of that said, I will say that this team can easily go 12-4, winning the West, or it could be 8-8 if something isn't corrected soon on defense.
I have been real irritated by people just going off about how horrible this team is because of the first few weeks. I would rather be crappy in the first half of the season and put it together at the end than visa-versa. Just look at the Steelers team that won the SB. Noone thought they where even making playoffs by midpoint in the season.
I am not sure how people are surprised by the slow start. We are still 2-1 though and in first place for our division. It is obvious that this team was not going to come out of the gate hitting on all cylinders. We have so many new starters this season, along with a new d-coordinator. Not only that but if you really take a look at this team, other than safety and o-line, it is very young. I am not sure why people expected this team to be putting up 30-0 blowouts straight out the gate. Every time a team changes this much, they always suffer from problems.
I do not think our team is as bad as some want to think. If you look at these games, we have only had them close because of costly penatlies and turnovers. The offense has rolled all over people. This is one of the youngest offenses in football. There are 3 guys on the o-line that are old but other than that, every starter is going to be playing in the NFL for a long time barring injury (knock on wood). If you haven't noticed, this team is looking like it could be an offensive powerhouse for many years once everything starts clicking.
The defense is another story. I do not like our d-tackle situation and from my understanding it is the d-tackles that are the problem when a Bates defense gives up so many yards. They are supposed to hold the middle and create lanes for the LB's to roam behind them and stop the run. Even LB's that are not good have had success under this scheme. If the DT's get pushed or don't cause double teams, traffic builds at the second level and the LB's have a much harder time getting to the ball. Other than this, which may not be a problem for long, they have the same problem as the offense.
Six new starters just from last year to this year. Then you have to look at all of the youth on the d-line along with the new scheme. They do need an adjustment period but should be playing better than they are. I still feel that it will be worked out and it isn't time to panic yet. Bates is just learning what he needs to teach and what he can run that will work. If we can somehow find a way to get the DT's to be productive this season, I don't see our defense being near as bad as it has looked. I highly doubt it is even near as bad as it has been against the run by the end of the season.
In all, I would say give it some time. We have a hard stretch of games comming up and then a lot of mediocre teams after that. Shanahan doesn't allow his teams to play sloppy football. If it keeps up, people will get benched without question. When the rookie type mistakes stop happening and the turnovers are cut back, this team is going to win a lot of games. Trust me that it will be corrected and soon. I have never watched a Shanahan team be penalyzed and turn the ball over that much through an entire season, and a lot of those years where with far weaker teams than this one. This fact alone is what keeps me confident that the team isn't that bad. It isn't like we have one of these crap coaches that just allows sloppy play constantly and never figures out a way to fix it.
With all of that said, I will say that this team can easily go 12-4, winning the West, or it could be 8-8 if something isn't corrected soon on defense.
I have been real irritated by people just going off about how horrible this team is because of the first few weeks. I would rather be crappy in the first half of the season and put it together at the end than visa-versa. Just look at the Steelers team that won the SB. Noone thought they where even making playoffs by midpoint in the season.