LinvilleGorge

I hope everyone who thinks our D is awful is watching the Cowboys make J.J. McCarthy look like an All-Pro. This is what truly awful defense looks like if you've forgotten our defense from last year that fast.

No. I wouldn't say that the defense ranked #2 in the league in yardage allowed but #21 in points allowed was the second best overall defense in the league. That's why it's important to look at both metrics.

#17 in yards and #16 in points allowed this year. #32 in both yards and points allowed last year. That's leaps and bounds.

Honestly, given how historically abysmal our D was last year, I think everyone would've happily taken a league average D going into this season and that's basically what we've been. The D has improved leaps and bounds. It's still not good but it's not that bad either. The problem is that the offense is still pretty abysmal for the same reason - we're handcuffed at the QB position. And when you're handcuffed at QB the margin of error shrinks to near nothing.

Our overall record is just an anomaly. The offense is overall bad. The rushing offense is pretty good but the passing offense is abysmal. The defense is about average. That combination should have you solidly in the top 10 of the draft but we've caught enough breaks here and there that the overall W-L record has a lot of fans thinking that we're better than we are when in reality we've found ways to win several games we probably should've lost. I can't really fairly judge Canales right now. I have my issues with him but overall I think he's doing a pretty decent job of playing the cards he's holding which at the end of the day that's the coach's job. This is the hand, now play the cards as best you can. The whole has been greater than the sum of the parts.

He's actually pretty consistent. He's just consistently subpar and that's precisely the issue. His average is subpar then he'll have a couple disastrous games and a couple of legitimately good games but it all averages out to being pretty bad.

Therein lies the issue. Sadly this mediocre at best game isn't a bad game for Bryce and that's the real problem.

They're probably quietly very happy that Parsons looks likely to have blown his knee today. That'll get some of the heat off of them for that trade when their D has been absolutely bottom of the barrel. Their offense is at or near the top of the league and their D is at or near the bottom of the league. So yeah, I guess roughly .500 sounds about right.

The only argument for Bryce not being to blame is that this is basically the expectation for Bryce. Bryce had a "good for Bryce" game. That's the problem. "Good for Bryce" isn't good enough and puts a TON of pressure on the rest of your football team and the staff. The margin of error shrinks to nearly zero.

Parcells was just acknowledging basic football reality. When you range between below average and bottom of the barrel in all physical traits compared to the level of competition, you have no margin for error. You have to be nearly perfect. Not just that, but everyone around you has to be as well. It's really hard to be nearly perfect against NFL competition.

I wouldn't say it ended. I mean, the Bucs are in freefall and have lost 5 of their last 6. This is a live look at the Bucs and Panthers racing to the finish line in the NFC South...

When the opposing QB has a near statistical sweep over your guy you're usually going to lose and he didn't have a statistical sweep because we made life easy. He was sacked more than Bryce. Pressured more than Bryce. He threw balls downfield into tight windows. We were outplayed at the most important position in the game and that usually = L. You usually need some extenuating circumstances to overcome that.

I was remembering it being a little longer than that but that might be right. Fitz is 2/4 on 50+ for the season. I'm honestly not mad about the call. But we should have someone else practicing QB sneaks since little Bryce and geriatric Dalton can't do it. Let Rico or one of the TEs or XL or somebody do it. Somebody with the power to move the pile.

Watching a guy who has been one of it not the worst QB in the league this season feeling himself as much as JJ McCarthy is pretty damn wild. LOL

This is just the law of averages working out. We're not a very good team that got lucky and caught two playoff bound teams in poor weather conditions winning the turnover battle in those games and ultimately ending up with two unlikely wins. That gets balanced out by taking two bad unlikely losses.