“If This Wasn’t Lovie’s First Season”
October 16th, 2014
Just the thought of watching that horror show at the Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway last Sunday makes Joe want to bury his face in his hands. Joe had seen bad Bucs football, but that joke might never be topped.
Then, after postgame chats with players and performing simple math from what he learned, and figuring out just how badly Lovie Smith got outcoached by John Harbaugh, well, Joe just shakes his head.
Another person scarred by that eyerake of a football exhibition is none other than the “Custodian of Canton,” eye-RAH! Kaufman of the Tampa Tribune.
While making his weekly appearance with the one and only Chris “Mad Dog” Russo yesterday on the channel that bears his name, “Mad Dog Radio,” part of the family of sports channels heard exclusively on SiriusXM Radio, Kaufman noted Lovie should thank his lucky stars he has yet to reach the halfway point of his first Bucs season.
Chris “Mad Dog” Russo: OK, let’s start with Lovie Smith and your awful Buccaneers. You know, Atlanta was bad. But that was on the road, Thursday night, I mean it kind of snowballed. Six possessions, six touchdowns, five thrown by Flacco in 16 minutes and three seconds. [It was] 28-0 after one, 38-0 at the half. I mean to have two games like that in a space of a month is as bad as it gets. What is the reaction to the Ravens walking in there Sunday afternoon.
eye-RAH! Kaufman: Everything you just said is right on target. When Flacco had five touchdowns in about 16 minutes, Chris, I did a quick check. I knew the record was seven. I didn’t know how many guys shared it. Turns out it is seven different guys. I think he could have broke it by halftime if they didn’t call off the dogs. And now, you know the theme and it is very sad to hear, “Well, we played better in the second half we moved the ball” – of course you moved the ball! It was 38-0. They relaxed! All they wanted to do was run some clock. So you and I don’t want to hear any nonsense about how well they played in the second half against the Falcons and the Ravens game. That ain’t going to fly.
Russo: Oh my God, no (laughs). Gee, whiz.
Kaufman: If this wasn’t Lovie Smith’s first season, people would be calling for his head, let’s be brutally honest, here.
And to be more frank, as Jack Woltz said in “The Godfather,” Greg Schiano was fired for less and Raheem Morris was fired for being equally brutal in giving up 165 points in a four-game span. At least “Rah” had a 10-win season.
No, Lovie should not be fired. Joe thinks it is crazy to let go of any coach after one year, much less a guy with a resume like Lovie’s. Let’s not be stupid.
Lovie hinted he doesn’t currently have the horses to run his defense. If he has to go on another spending spree this offseason to get said horses, Joe doesn’t think the fanbase and maybe not Team Glazer will easily swallow another season of “We’re still learning the defense,” unless there are several wins included.
Look, at least 10 teams every year learn a new defense. Few have the luxury of a Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David on the roster, and these same new defenses don’t get jacked up like the Bucs have been.
October 16th, 2014 at 8:50 am
They were ranked something like 15th on defense last year.
Same question:
Which individual player is playing better in 2014 than he did in 2013, now under the current regime’s system and coaching?
tickrdr
BTW, Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David are “leading” the 32nd ranked defense.
Doesn’t that sound weird?
October 16th, 2014 at 9:05 am
And if this keeps up for the rest of the year he will be getting fired. Learning and getting better is one thing, taking a massive step back from a 4-12 team is absurd. That we are even discussing the possibility of Lovie going one and done shows what a spectacular failure this season has been so far.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:10 am
@tickrdr
Mark Baron and Mason Foster are playing better. Still not good enough, but better. You can add Banks to the list as well.
On offense…hmmmn…so many new faces its hard to say.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:13 am
@bucrightoff
He won’t get fired this year even if we lose the rest of the games.
Lovie is here to stay, people. You may as well get use to it.
The question on my mind is this…if we end up with a top 3 pick, will Lovie use it on a QB? Or will he blow it on a defensive player?
I don’t want him blowing a first round pick on OL…his record on picking OL sucks.
I could see him spending it on a DE though.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:15 am
I was and am supportive of Lovie’s hiring. Five years of Raheem and Schiano were very unsettling for the franchise. Lovie had a long and fairly successful run in Chicago. So let’s all calm down.
His biggest mistake so far hasn’t been on the field but in managing fan’s expectations. The whole “we’re here to win now” was just not realistic.
Still, it would be easier to swallow these losses if they weren’t such blowouts.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:15 am
The biggest shock for everyone is yet to come and that will happen in the offseason. If they don’t franchise Gerald McCoy, there’s no good reason for him to stay here if a real winner comes calling for him.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:15 am
@Bonzai: Mason Foster effing sucks. Not sure what games you are watching, but he just isn’t a good player.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:21 am
If he doesn’t have the horses to run his Defense then you run someone else’s D or you modify your own. This just proves he is probably not a great coach, or even a good one for that matter. Adapt or die in the NFL. Stopping the other team at this point is silly, just try not to embarrass the team on Sunday’s is all we can hope for.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:25 am
Hey Joe,
Lets be honest! I was fired because I had two (2) bad seasons AND I had no NFL experience. The reasoning (valid) was that I would not improve in the long run and in fact, was getting worse not better.
All the Big Puppy did was complain about my lack of NFL experience and now all we have heard was how “cerebral” Lovie was down in his basement all winter getting ready for being the HC at Tampa. Well, his players are not playing for him and his defense is the worst in the league.
Lovie was supposed to be a defensive genius so any normal fan would expect to see a tough, gritty performance each week. The Bucs are not playing hard (exception Steelers game) and they do not seem to be an inspired defense. Ok, Tedford being sick and the Big Puppy with his Glennon hate speeches is not helping the offense any, but as fans you should be able to expect a good, if not great defense and good play on special teams.
The Big Puppy lamented that “no way possible” would Lovie be fired if the Bucs go 1-15. I think he should have been fired for passing on Johnny Football, but that is another story. Why would the Glazers fire a 2nd year HC who has zero NFL experience and not expect more out of an NFL veteran coach? What (besides Tedford) excuses can Lovie offer that any other HC in the NFL has not had to deal with.
All franchises have injuries…all have games….look at my buddy over at the Patriots. He did what good NFL coaches do. He had injuries with players…he had gaps in talent, but he coached his players and they came out tough after an embarrassing loss to the Chiefs.
Lovie is just…blah…blah…blah.. Time to make a change…time to make it now. We just missed on Chip Kelly. Lets start early and get Bill Cowher or Rod Marrinelli or someone really good for 2015 cuz Lovie ain’t gettin no better. Hey, Big Puppy…I take that bet that Lovie gets fired if he goes 1-15!
Greg Schiano
October 16th, 2014 at 9:40 am
No one wants a Cowher or Marinelli (0-16 sound familiar), David Shaw, Kevin Sumlin or Marc Helfrich..those are the guys you target, then with the first pick you take Marcus Mariota and build your offense around him, Evans, Sims & ASJ. The defense is stocked, Frazier is a bigger moron than Lovie, get a real MODERN ERA (post 2006) DC in here and coach up a scheme that actually works in today’s NFL.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:42 am
@Jonny 2.3
Apparently, you are confusing foster with Fletcher.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:43 am
Joe
your always late to the party. Of course he should be fired along with the entire staff. if your going to endure futility, lets do it with a new staff so by the start of next season they are accustomed to the program.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:44 am
when a commenter creates a new name to make his point without being recognized, it demonstrates what a true loser really is.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:46 am
My fear is we will be right there to get Marriota or one of those top tier quarterbacks and he will go defense for the whole draft. Then we will be terrible for years to come.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:51 am
flmike,
What if they like Prescott better and know they can get him in the 2nd rd? Then they take a DE in the 1st or someone else.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:54 am
JOE
I’ve been saying the same for a while. Other teams get new coordinators every year and more times than not seem to flourish. We don’t. For some reason our players don’t respond. No matter who has been coaching defense. I don’t get it. Other teams with new coordinators don’t get steam rolled like this. Is Lovie’s defense more complex than Advanced Calculus? $hit! Is it that complex and intricate? FUK NO!!!!
October 16th, 2014 at 9:58 am
How can Lovie and lapdog be trusted to spend after they got zero return on their loser list of FAs this year? Player evaluation is the biggest problem and who evaluates the talent and makes decisions based on that evaluation?
McCown
Johnson
Collins
Dietrich-smith
Cousins
Omameh
Jenkins
Nevermind the list of quality NFL starters that were dumped in lieu of this list of backups and underachievers.
Sht makes me sick.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:59 am
If we just wore white jerseys all the time, everything would be better.
October 16th, 2014 at 9:59 am
Uh, Big Joe, where in any unwritten owner’s guide does it say, you don’t fire a coach after one season, not one with a high profile resume? That is nonsense. How many failures and years does it take to acknowledge that resumes don’t win ball games? 1, 2, 3, 4 ? Player selection gets better in year 2? Stop it. Put out the fire and at least put up some smoke. Tell me more about this 1 year thing?
October 16th, 2014 at 10:16 am
Why would licht come out before the season and say he doesn’t expect the fans to be patient if the cover 2 defense requires such a tremendous leading curve and Lovie has indicated he doesn’t have the right personnel?
October 16th, 2014 at 10:16 am
Foster and Barron playing are playing better?
Thanks for the laugh.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:16 am
lets talk straight here, yea this is lovies first season, but what the hell he has been in this league coaching in one capacity or the other for years. along with his choice of DC. these two men are supposed to be pro’s, and with this supposed talent (OR LACK OF ?) on this team, what is their excuse? I am not buying it. this brand and product they put on the field every sunday is pathetic. lovies defense is a long running joke in the NFL. he will not waver, nor will he adjust, and we will have to live with it, because the glazers still have contractual obligations (salaries) they have to still pay to the last coach and his staff. when they fire a regime, they generally do not pay out in one lump sum, this is not lotto, they stretch it out over the course of said contract. so they are not going to pay lovie his staff and schiano and his staff and another head coach and his staff. so get used to this garbage after awhile you will get used to the stench. and by then they will be ready to clean house and try again. we should all be accustomed to this same playbook by now right? I mean they do it every 3-4 seasons so what’s new. the lovie smith disaster (LSD) will wear off eventually, everyone will come back to reality, AFTER ALL we have been served this garbage since they have been in the NFL. and I guess the STENCH aint to bad right?
October 16th, 2014 at 10:17 am
Right on DallasBuc!
I freakin puked on the coffee table watching Michael Bennett gettin after oh Peyton Pizza Manning in the Super Bowl. The same genius who passed on Johnny Football let him get away without getting anything in return.
How is it that Michael Bennett goes to Seattle and is a defensive monster but in Tampa he is let out the door without any compensation??
Lovie’s Defense is 32nd and yet Michael Bennett was not wanted?
October 16th, 2014 at 10:19 am
Zuttah is the main player released that makes no sense.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:21 am
DallasBuc,
Jenkins, Omameh and Cousins were just roster churn. No real investment. To your point, the expensive FA’s we did acquire all have issues.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:22 am
Shiano was the brain trust who released Bennett
October 16th, 2014 at 10:26 am
Biff- they replaced veterans that are starting in the league somewhere else. Lovie and lapdog do not know what they are doing with respect to player evaluation. Virtually every offseason move has been a mistake at best and disaster at worst. No more excuses.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:27 am
Incognito Says:
Zuttah is the main player released that makes no sense.
———————————————
Saw where he’s a good fit in Baltimore’s ZBS. He may have not performed as well here.
Regardless, the Bucs didn’t want him at Center and he didn’t want to play RG.
Bad move bringing EDS in though.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:33 am
Lapdog Licht spoke out loud into recording device on Buccaneer radio network pregame show before the ATL game that the Great Dane Fletcher has a great opportunity to replace Mason Foster on the depth chart while filling in for him. I would take Dom over this no-talent ass bag any day.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:47 am
It took the Bucs nearly 30 years after becoming an NFL team to win the Super Bowl. Figure at least that long to win another one. Those fans around 30 years of age will be grandparents waiting for the next appearance in the big game. Those over 45 will be elderly or dead. Go Bucs and hurry up about it.
October 16th, 2014 at 11:01 am
flmike Says:
October 16th, 2014 at 9:40 am
No one wants a Cowher or Marinelli (0-16 sound familiar), David Shaw, Kevin Sumlin or Marc Helfrich..those are the guys you target, then with the first pick you take Marcus Mariota and build your offense around him, Evans, Sims & ASJ. The defense is stocked, Frazier is a bigger moron than Lovie, get a real MODERN ERA (post 2006) DC in here and coach up a scheme that actually works in today’s NFL.
———
Did you not know the Bucs run the exact same scheme as the one the Cowboys used to shutdown the Saints and bottle up the Seahawks on the road? Did you not know that the Panthers, Seahawks, and Jaguars all run similar schemes? Seriously, who is the moron here? We’re talking about 3 of the better defenses in the league that are running the same scheme and you’re saying that scheme (the same one we run) doesn’t work. Frazier effing sucks…but that is nothing compared to your misinterpretation of the facts.
October 16th, 2014 at 11:04 am
I mean are you guys all just trolling or are you really that stupid??? Yeah this defense is playing bad, sh*t the whole team is playing bad and there’s a lot of factors involved, but firing Lovie Smith would be the WORSE thing the Buccs can do. I’m disappointed like all of you, but don’t criticize/blame the scheme. The Seahawks run a similar scheme and they won the super bowl last year and the Cowboys are running the same thing this year!!(Please don’t be stupid and try to argue against this)
“Lovie’s defense is a long running joke in the NFL” <– comment by a previous idiot… No, its not… The Bears led the league in takeaways the year he was fired! Also, if he was a joke, then why does he have a reputation of being a defensive guru. I mean it's common sense people!!
Our roster is bad, yeah the players he brought in from FA didn't turn out to be studs, but the players we had weren't studs either! It's going to take YEARS for this team to rebuild.
So lets drop the Kleenex and put those Tampons away… I mean it's bad enough our players look like idiots on the field. Let's stop making this fan base look like idiots on this forum…
October 16th, 2014 at 11:07 am
We aren’t going to pay 3 different coaches at the same time sorry guys… Lovie gets a year 2 no matter what…
For those using the Browns as an example or thinking of using them as an example… It was because of the change at GM and some other facts that I don’t care to look up again because my memory isn’t working this morning….
It’s the Glazors fault we are in this mess to begin with… Idc Gruden got fired he was starting to lose the team and put us into the senior citizens club by the time he was done here… But you don’t go and make your DB’s coach into a HC just because you were scared to lose him to Denver(I think it was them?)… Then after that sh!tstorm… You fail to lock down Chip Kelly and panic and go back to the College Coaches and think well if one was too relaxed lets get the COMPLETE opposite who btw was a MEDIOCRE Big East coach… Then the drill sergeant leads us to an 0-8 record in his second season with billboards calling for his head… So then the Glazors think man we used to be good in the 90’s with Dungy lets get someone who is exactly like him that should be a good hire…. Completely forgetting there was a reason Lovie was fired from Chicago even after winning 10 games or whatever the hell it was.. Try a coordinator from a WINNING franchise for once that WASN’T fired… Bevell Quinn Fangio Roman Lombardi Gase Kromer
October 16th, 2014 at 11:15 am
Like I said in the thread above this one. This team ain’t learning sh*t. So everyone can throw out that “it takes time” crap right now!
October 16th, 2014 at 11:15 am
Sorry Brandon, but it isn’t the same scheme. Sure we all run a 4-3 D, but we run a piss poor Tampa 2 full time. Dallas does not. They might run 25% of their defensive plays as a T2, but it isn’t 100% of the time. Hell, no NFL team runs 100% Tampa 2 except for us. The other 4-3 Ds out there are adjusting as we go.
Now if you were just talking about running a 4-3D then yes we are terrible at it, but if you were referring to the T2 then no we don’t all run it.
October 16th, 2014 at 11:19 am
Brandon Says:
Did you not know the Bucs run the exact same scheme as the one the Cowboys used to shutdown the Saints and bottle up the Seahawks on the road? Did you not know that the Panthers, Seahawks, and Jaguars all run similar schemes? Seriously, who is the moron here? We’re talking about 3 of the better defenses in the league that are running the same scheme and you’re saying that scheme (the same one we run) doesn’t work. Frazier effing sucks…but that is nothing compared to your misinterpretation of the facts.
______________________________________________________________
The Cowboys ran more man to man last week in one series against Seattle than the Bucs have all year. Rod has adapted the scheme to his talent, Lovie think it needs to be the other way around. None of those other teams run Tampa 2 as their base defense. Wanna hear something shocking? Every team in the NFL has zone concepts in their defense. Almost all use a 2 deep safety look too. Only one, the Bucs, chooses to run zone as their full time base defense. Dallas did last year with Monte, to the tune of a nearly historically bad defense. This year they are mixing up substantially more. Its not like it just clicked for them, Rod changed things, something Lovie appears staunchly against.
And by the way the Cowboys still rank in the middle of the pack in defense and their game against Seattle was one of the top 3 rated defensive performances this year. It was a great performance but not a true indicator of their defense. They are a middle of the pack unit (which we would obviously kill for at this point)
October 16th, 2014 at 11:22 am
Remember this guy?
1. 1976 Buccaneers (0-14)
The Bucs’ debut season was football’s equivalent of the 1962 Mets — but without the wit of Casey Stengel to make things a bit more entertaining. The Bucs were shut out five times and averaged fewer than nine points per game. Their defense was almost as futile, and the Bucs’ margin of defeat was 20 points per game. Tampa Bay’s quarterback, Steve Spurrier, threw only seven touchdown passes all season. His longest completion was 38 yards. The Bucs carried their losing momentum into the 1977 season, losing another 12, to begin their franchise history 26 games in the red.
“The coach (John McKay) stopped talking to us after the third game,” defensive lineman Pat Toomay told the Columbus Dispatch in 2001. “During the week, he wanted nothing to do with us. I can’t blame him, really. We had so many guys get injured that nobody knew who was hurt and who wasn’t. By the end of the season we were getting guys out of the Canadian league and off the streets.”
October 16th, 2014 at 11:34 am
Great reads ALL of these long posts.
Mine’s short and simple, FIRE LESLIE!!!
October 16th, 2014 at 11:36 am
Also with Dallas you can read an article about Bucs and Cowboys Defense on the Bleacher report. I would post the link but you know how Joe gets. Just Google “bucs and cowboys run different D” and read the article (Tampa 2 Defense Dying a Slow Death as Lovie Smith’s Buccaneers Go with It).
October 16th, 2014 at 12:06 pm
@Skyline Crew
Question is if we would have hired Marinelli instead of Frazier would Lovie be running his version still or trust his Marinelli??
Also I seem to remember the Bears running quite a bit of man coverage than we do… It’s completely depressing watching the Bucs defense look like the 2012 version with much better players… That right there is proof we have bad coaching going on.
October 16th, 2014 at 12:09 pm
trust Marinelli*
October 16th, 2014 at 12:19 pm
Defense
The whole “A” plan fell apart when they couldn’t get Marinelli from Dallas.
That was going to take a big load off Lovie
Plan “B” or “C” or whatever they are using now
isn’t working
Offense
The whole “A” plan fell apart when Tedford got ill.
That was going to take a big load off Lovie
Plan “B” or “C” or whatever they are using now
isn’t working
I don’t think they have the backup plans quite figured out for either and that is what they are working on as they go
Looks like it could be a while
October 16th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
It is Lovie’s first season and we are calling for his head. Right now. But I’m sure we’ll have to suffer with this crap for God knows how long. Everybody knew we were in trouble when he cut Revis. We need more good players not less. How stupid can you be? If Lovie ran this idea past the Glazers they should have fired him the minutes he suggested it. What a moron.
October 16th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
Agreeing with DallasBuc:
Reposted from last night:
IMHO, the two main roles for the head coach are:
1) Choose the best players from the current roster and potential draft picks, as well as potential free agents available; both with respect to the starting lineups, as well as the backups and PS.
2) Once that is done, then offensive and defensive schemes are implemented, taught to the players and then honed over time to improve their individual play, as well as their gelling into a cohesive team.
So, with respect to role # 1:
Has Lovie Smith chosen the best players for this roster overall, and then the best starters?
Without comment, I offer:
Jamon Meredith — backup tackle Colts
Davin Joseph — starting RG Rams
Donald Penn — starting LT Raiders
Jeremy Zuttah — starting C Ravens
My memory may be inaccurate, but these were all released or traded PRIOR to training camp/OTAs/preseason.
Was Casillas better than Lansanah in TC/preseason?
Was Tim Wright given any chance to compete at TE?
While Patton has been OK, was Eric Page given an adequate opportunity?
Louis Murphy was our best receiver in preseason, hurt but cut too.
Josh McCown was signed and named the starter before the first pass was thrown?
Maybe he needed all of his guys to run his system, but……..?
With respect to role #2:
Has Lovie Smith “coached them up”. I do agree they have gotten better since the start of the season, but are they playing smart, disciplined football; or do they show lack of discipline, stupid penalties, poor tackling and fundamentals, disorganization, poor clock management, and unimaginative play-calling?
Again without comment, I offer:
Mike Evans gets “stripped” of a sure TD in exhibition by carrying the ball on his “inside” hand.
Illegal procedure, illegal shift, and illegal formation penalties.
Delay of game penalties not the fault of the QB.
Available timeouts not being judiciously spent.
An illegal hands to the facemask on defense in OT, after a stop on 3rd and 10.
Ridiculous interceptions thrown by our “veteran” QB.
So, you decide: are we a well-coached team?
If so, tell me which individuals are playing BETTER than last year, with the obvious exception of a certain gangly QB!
tickrdr
@ Bonzai: Perhaps Barron and Foster are playing better, but it appears the Bucs defense is weakest right up the middle, so I respectfully disagree.
October 16th, 2014 at 12:51 pm
My question is;
What happens when the Bengals, the Bears, the Lions and the Browns do the same stuff to us? Is Lovie’s job on the line at the end of the year? I think it should be. How do you get beat this bad at the professional level?
Every year we are told how little difference there is between two NFL teams. Well I am seeing a huge difference between us and the Falcons and us and the Ravens.
October 16th, 2014 at 12:56 pm
….look outside and tell me that this team is worth florda days like this on your day off..
October 16th, 2014 at 1:17 pm
I never thought I would think back upon the Schiano days with positive thoughts, but this team makes that team look amazing. I always said that Bill Sheridan should have got the ax a long time ago, if Schiano found someone who could call good plays on third downs he would have been a successful coach.
October 16th, 2014 at 1:44 pm
Basically same group of guys was much better last year, Joe. Can’t believe you’d swallow that load of garbage from Lovie. Even if it’s true, it just makes him look clueless. If he didn’t have the horses, why did he only add three guys? If he didnt have the horses, why talk all summer to anyone who would listen about the team being “relevant?” More BS from where I’m sitting.
October 16th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Here is the real scoop…..Glazers are tanking on purpose to move team to London, England. NFL wants to expand and this way the brats can be closer to their precious soccer team. Mark it down…..it is coming.
October 16th, 2014 at 2:12 pm
Listen to me now and hear me later
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/10/09/nfl-drawing-much-better-at-wembley-than-englands-soccer-team/
October 16th, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Phillip Says:
October 16th, 2014 at 12:06 pm
@Skyline Crew
Question is if we would have hired Marinelli instead of Frazier would Lovie be running his version still or trust his Marinelli??
Also I seem to remember the Bears running quite a bit of man coverage than we do… It’s completely depressing watching the Bucs defense look like the 2012 version with much better players… That right there is proof we have bad coaching going on.
____________________________
I don’t believe that Lovie would. He might, but not sure what he is doing now. Whomever is running the D scheme is not doing it right. I believe that the Vikings used to run some man when Frazier is there. I would suspect that Lovie is running how the D is played. By not jamming the receivers we are letting them do whatever they want.
October 16th, 2014 at 2:56 pm
I read far too many posts that claim Dallas and Seattle play the same cover 2 or tampa 2 as the bucs. They don’t, no matter what big dog says. Last yr, Dallas played cover 3. This year, it’s cover 3 with a mix of man and zone. Seattle plays a hybrid press man at the corners w zone underneath and over the top. The traditional tampa 2 scheme can be exploited easily w unbalanced sets, spread and no back sets. This is why so many teams have modified or abandoned it all together.
October 16th, 2014 at 3:08 pm
@Phillip Lovie won’t venture away from what he believes in, it’s not in his dna. Ron Rivera left Chicago and went San Diego to run their defense because he wanted to incorporate different aspects into the cover 2 and Lovie wouldn’t let him. It was the same with Marinelli in Chicago, he did what Lovie wanted.
October 16th, 2014 at 3:39 pm
I think Dallas had the worst defense in the NFL last year, or one of them with Rod Marinelli.
Now look at them.
If I remember correctly, Tony Dungy sucked here too, at first.
I agree, this is embarrassing to watch, but what are we to do ?
Fire Lovie, and start over, again ?
To me, what is even more scary, is our evaluation of talent! We spent big this year on “talent” that has yet to deliver much.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:04 pm
The bottom line is the defense doesn’t work without a pass rush and without a defense you lose. If Lovie has any brains, he will Draft 3 DE’s and at least 1 DT in the next draft. No other way to win. Everything else doesn’t matter as much.
October 16th, 2014 at 4:17 pm
The defensive line sucks but the offensive line is a survived abortion. That needs to be the focal point of the draft, build a good line. But the defensive line could be incredible, wouldn’t matter with that offensive line.
October 16th, 2014 at 10:55 pm
I understand that Lavonte David and GMC are best suited for the 4-3, but we need to consider a different 4-3 scheme and let the “Tampa 2” die. It’s time to move to a blitzing 4-3 or something more aggressive. If GMC and David weren’t Pro-Bowl caliber players, I’d be all for the complete overhaul to 3-4. There just aren’t enough players available to make the Tampa 2 work anymore.
October 17th, 2014 at 10:41 am
@Chris…. Actually Marinelli was the DLine coach and the mighty Kiffin was their D coordinator. Marinelli runs a variation of the Tampa 2, which is the scheme they’re currently running. Monte’s scheme was the one that got smoked last year.