Is there any chance at all that Shula will be fired soon?

[tondi]

Cam has been bailing out this crappy offense with his legs for 3 years.  Now that he's become a pocket passer and isn't running for 50 yards a game, the offense sucks and our "vaunted" running game has been exposed.  Throw in our Discount Dave offensive line and you have a recipe for disaster without someone with a little imagination and ability to adapt calling the plays.

[Paa Langfart]

I think the chance of Shula going before the end of the season is as good as McDerp and Rivera being fired.

[Sloth]

I hate Shula. I hate the style of offense he runs. I think Newton masked a poo ton of play calling deficiencies when healthy. I wanted Hue Jackson (the guy that's going to brutalize us in two weeks) as OC in the worst way.

 

That said, the OLine is so fuging bad I really don't think it matters much right now. Every single Guard and Tackle we've trotted out there have been terrible. Bell looked decent for two games then fell apart. Chandler plays like a fringe DT asked to fill in at RT. Silatolu has been bad. Turner has been bad. The other guy that rotates with Turner has been bad. Kalil looks bad because he's trying to cover for two bad Guards.

 

I don't think you can start fairly judging Gettleman for at least another year, but at first blush it really looks like he screwed up by not addressing the line in some way.

 

Edit: I don't think Shula goes anywhere. Maybe at the end of the season but I doubt it with the line play we've had.

[FootballMaestro]

Cam has been bailing out this crappy offense with his legs for 3 years.  Now that he's become a pocket passer and isn't running for 50 yards a game, the offense sucks and our "vaunted" running game has been exposed.  Throw in our Discount Dave offensive line and you have a recipe for disaster without someone with a little imagination and ability to adapt calling the plays.

 

I wish I could pie you 10X!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Paa Langfart]

 

Shula, just doesn't appear to have a good feel for the game. All those run plays, running down the clock were ludicrous. Kicking a FG in the third qtr?. Whah?

 

 

 

That was Riveras decision to make.

[teeray]

I have defended Shula as much as anybody, and to me, this was his worst game since Buffalo last year.

There is a serious issue with the o line that is making it hard for any OC to deal with, so just replacing Shula or changing play calls is not going to suddenly make everything okay.

But the bottom line is it looks like we can't just assume the defense is going to play well, and Shula needs to go back to the drawing board.

I was worried this week when he said he needed to call more running plays. Not that I disagree we need to establish the run, but because we need to do something that works. It reminds me of the Buffalo game were he got butthurt for being called to conservative against Seattle so he just flipped to other extreme and had us chucking the ball 40 yards down field every other play.

Don't worry about what fans are saying, don't worry about media critiques, just figure it out and do what is effective.

If need to pass 40 times, then fugging do it. If we need to rush 50 times, fugging do it. Don't run the ball more because someone said u should, do it because it is working.

Honestly, I love watching offenses, and with this o line I don't know what we should do. But Shula is getting paid 6 figures to figure this poo out. And if he doesn't he is already the scapegoat and he will be unemployed in January

[rayzor]

Shula can't block. Not defending him, but he isn't the larger issue on offense at the moment.

management of the offense is one of the largest issues on this team.

management of this team as a whole is a large issue.

we can't block because we spent $15mil on a guy who refuses to control his life off the field and that lack of control put him and the team into the position they are in right now. then spent a 2nd round draft pick that could have been used to help the OL on a guy meant to replace that guy we spent $15mil on who can't get playtime with that guy he's supposed to be replacing suspended from the team (or exempt or whatever you want to call it).

and in fact we did nothing to help out the OL because gettleman was sure that he could go with scrubs on the outside of the line and expect them to give cam any protection in a year that cam has surgery on his ankle. that was dumb.

now with a weak OL, still hurting QB and continually beat up and overpaid RBs we call plays that involve the RB running between the tackles and passing plays that take several more seconds that the OL is capable of holding off defenders?

i'm sorry, but proper utilization of our existing resources is a pretty huge problem.

if your OL can't block, work around that. don't act like it's not an issue and call plays like everything is fine.

[Gladniator]

management of the offense is one of the largest issues on this team.

management of this team as a whole is a large issue.

we can't block because we spent $15mil on a guy who refuses to control his life off the field and that lack of control put him and the team into the position they are in right now. then spent a 2nd round draft pick that could have been used to help the OL on a guy meant to replace that guy we spent $15mil on who can't get playtime with that guy he's supposed to be replacing suspended from the team (or exempt or whatever you want to call it).

and in fact we did nothing to help out the OL because gettleman was sure that he could go with scrubs on the outside of the line and expect them to give cam any protection in a year that cam has surgery on his ankle. that was dumb.

now with a weak OL, still hurting QB and continually beat up and overpaid RBs we call plays that involve the RB running between the tackles and passing plays that take several more seconds that the OL is capable of holding off defenders?

i'm sorry, but proper utilization of our existing resources is a pretty huge problem.

if your OL can't block, work around that. don't act like it's not an issue and call plays like everything is fine.

 

Absolutely excellent post.  We did go with scrubs, but I'm saying that as someone who has only seen game footage.  Coaches see practice and other factors in addition to what I see.  That being said, they have looked like scrubs the past two games after decent outings against supposedly better D-lines.  I'm hopelessly confused on that.  No idea what's going on.  The $15 million was a gamble back when it was done and it may work out to the best (long-term) if Hardy get's convicted.  That sucks (losing Hardy) but it isn't as if the team hasn't experienced much worse in the past (Carruth anyone?).

But your last few sentences were just spot on.  I can't see Gettleman as being the kind to sit back and accept that for an entire season.  I just don't.  In the past, we would have definitely waited all year to make a change at OC, but I don't see Gettleman as hindered by that kind of pollyanishness (yeah, I know that's not a real word).

[rayzor]

i don't trust gettleman when it comes to the trenches. he invests too much in the DL and not nearly enough in the OL. he has no balance.

[FootballMaestro]

Absolutely excellent post.  We did go with scrubs, but I'm saying that as someone who has only seen game footage.  Coaches see practice and other factors in addition to what I see.  That being said, they have looked like scrubs the past two games after decent outings against supposedly better D-lines.  I'm hopelessly confused on that.  No idea what's going on.  The $15 million was a gamble back when it was done and it may work out to the best (long-term) if Hardy get's convicted.  That sucks (losing Hardy) but it isn't as if the team hasn't experienced much worse in the past (Carruth anyone?).

But your last few sentences were just spot on.  I can't see Gettleman as being the kind to sit back and accept that for an entire season.  I just don't.  In the past, we would have definitely waited all year to make a change at OC, but I don't see Gettleman as hindered by that kind of pollyanishness (yeah, I know that's not a real word).

 

I would love if Gettlmean said, "You're QB is throwing the ball really well, but he's injured. Please don't get him killed, and start mixing up the offense. If you can't do it, we may have to make a move".

 

And you know Gettleman knows some good coordinator's (if it's not Ramsdell) that still exist, out there. He has to.

 

 

Poor Rivera,

[FootballMaestro]

i don't trust gettleman when it comes to the trenches. he invests too much in the DL and not nearly enough in the OL. he has no balance.

 

Yeah, but aren't they Hog Molly's to?

 

I guess he felt he could plug in OL just like he did defenders, not realizing it takes a bit more skill on offense.

 

[davos]

I have defended Shula as much as anybody, and to me, this was his worst game since Buffalo last year.

There is a serious issue with the o line that is making it hard for any OC to deal with, so just replacing Shula or changing play calls is not going to suddenly make everything okay.

But the bottom line is it looks like we can't just assume the defense is going to play well, and Shula needs to go back to the drawing board.

I was worried this week when he said he needed to call more running plays. Not that I disagree we need to establish the run, but because we need to do something that works. It reminds me of the Buffalo game were he got butthurt for being called to conservative against Seattle so he just flipped to other extreme and had us chucking the ball 40 yards down field every other play.

Don't worry about what fans are saying, don't worry about media critiques, just figure it out and do what is effective.

If need to pass 40 times, then fugging do it. If we need to rush 50 times, fugging do it. Don't run the ball more because someone said u should, do it because it is working.

Honestly, I love watching offenses, and with this o line I don't know what we should do. But Shula is getting paid 6 figures to figure this poo out. And if he doesn't he is already the scapegoat and he will be unemployed in January

 

Great points.  It's all about balance and smart play calling given what we have available.  

[beastson]

The thing about Shula which is frustrating is it's fixable. We are moving the ball. It's not like we're constantly going 3 and out. People mention our oline and it needs to be fixed as well, but its not like we're playing a high school oline. They do ok in spurts. I remember hearing the announcers say we were doing good on 3rd down at a certain point. He just calls the wrong plays during the worst times. We come out every game looking like we're about to run the scoreboard and he calls something that puts in a bad position, he's bad at situational football

 

We have to attack the endzone more when we get down there. Stop playing for a FG and stop relying on our defense to hold teams to 0 points every game. Let's be honest we have a very good D(healthy), but it's not an all-time great defense. We have several weaknesses. Our offense do their job, you looking at a different ball game cause it then forces the opposing team to score and become one dimensional. Atleast thats how I see things

[WolfpackRob]

No. But he should be.

THIS.