12-4.....and why it was so bad.

[teeray]

That really almost made me cry. I wanted Hue Jackson so badly in the offseason and now it turns out he really wanted the job. Instead, we settled for Shula again for "continuity". I'm depressed now. I also wanted Chip Kelly when he was coming out, but we kept Rivera for his 3rd year.

Hue Jackson also got shut out against the Colts and is the reason their game against the Ravens was closer than it should have been.

Not saying he isn't better than Shula, but he wouldn't magically fix everything either

[Kevin Greene]

 

 

Riverboat Ron would most likely be gone, along with Shula, who IMO is the worst part of this football team outside of the cap mess.  Now, we are most likely stuck with Ron for at least 1 more if not 2 more seasons, and I don't know if he has it in him to get rid of Shula.

 

 

 

There it is Huddlers, our fate and it sucks.

[MHS831]

I'm not sure if you're being serious or not. "Before the lucky streak started"? Should that phrase be used during the firing meetings?

 

Tongue in cheek  (winning streak)

[MHS831]

Should I go through the list of "ifs and buts" that could have resulted in 3 winning seasons and 3 straight playoff appearances?

Sure you can, and if that happened, contracts would have been extended.  The point was, how fine the line between firing and extension. 

I highlighted 4 plays that were pretty lucky--not based on football skill or coaching--that could have easily skewed that 12-4 season.  They were all based on human error-the opponents' (or refs'). I fully understand that the scoreboard is the only thing that matters, but there was a fair wind blowin' last season-during the win streak, one that saved Rivera.  He did not coach the ball over Ryan's head, and we should have been beating them worse.  Florence's interception in SF--he was out of position if memory serves me.  Nobody caused Wallace to drop the ball--but the fact he was deep and all alone was perhaps a flaw.  The Keuchly play in the endzone was a seemingly desperate attempt to avoid a TD.  Lester was out of position as well.  Just speculation and reflection--everyone knows the wins counted and they are permanent. 

 

The entire point was about ifs--how close Rivera was to being fired--4 lucky plays that had nothing to do with anything other than freak luck---would have changed his fate.  Just an interesting thought--not trying to say anything more than this is a fickle league where luck is as important as anything.  Had these 4 counts of good luck been reversed, would Rivera be the coach now?  Hypothetical--I get it. 

 

[thefuzz]

Say this all you want now, but show me one of your posts from week 17 last year that the coaches needed to be fired.

The lynch mobbing on this forum over the past 24 hours is ridiculous. I could understand all of this if the team was healthy and losing like this, but damn. The injuries are extensive, we're starting players from Canada, and signing off of the Rams practice squad. I'm not sure if play calling is the issue here.

 

I don't know how to go back and look, and which thread it was in, but it's locked now.

 

 

I sated going into the playoff game last year, and I can't remember the exact wording but it was something like this:  "If we can't score any more than 14 points a game in the playoffs, expect this run to be over before it gets started good".....

 

 

The OC was a problem then, and it's amplified now.

[Panthers8969]

It's reminiscent of the 2008 team. Way overpowered in one area (rush attack then, front four more recently) and doing just enough right elsewhere to put up the Ws. Underlying problems were exposed in the playoffs.

Except going into 2009 the refrain was "we're returning 21 of 22 starters from a 12-4 team!"

lol "we dominate in time of possession though"