Bill Voth examines this past offseason's moves (and where they went wrong)

[davos]

And it looks like he was right, honestly.

 

Sad thing though: The list I've seen of next year's free agent tackles wasn't exactly inspiring

 

 

I don't know about that at the tackle position overall but at LT, I agree.    

 

Notable upgrades from Chandler: Chris Clark, Andre Smith, Nate Garner

 

The best of the potential UFAs in Bobby Massie (IMO) will be re-signed.  

 

A young former starter that could be in a career prove-it situation is Donald Stephenson of KC.  He'd be a nice target coming off his PED suspension.  Jeff Allen coming off his injury there could be let go as well.  More west coast blockers but solid. 

[CarolinaNCSU]

Vote is great per usual. 

 

A lot of things went right last year. From having Star fall to us, staying mostly injury free, to the huge winning streak...a lot went right.  This year, a lot has gone wrong.  Here's to finding some consistent happy middle ground in the coming years and actually building something. 

[Mr. Scot]

I don't know about that at the tackle position overall but at LT, I agree.    

 

Notable upgrades from Chandler: Chris Clark, Andre Smith, Nate Garner

 

The best of the potential UFAs in Bobby Massie (IMO) will be re-signed.  

 

A young former starter that could be in a career prove-it situation is Donald Stephenson of KC.  He'd be a nice target coming off his PED suspension.  Jeff Allen coming off his injury there could be let go as well.  More west coast blockers but solid. 

 

My favorite coaching candidates all favor West Coast Systems, so...

 

[AU-panther]

DG seems committed to his philosophy of not reaching or overspending. 

 

Over the long haul I think that is the proper way to go about building a franchise.  In the short term it could be painful.

 

His philosophy seems to be directly opposite of the previous regime.  Based on our history that should be a good thing.

 

Up to this point most of the moves he has made have been of the short term variety.  Regardless of what you think about his offseason acquisitions this past year they will have little effect over an extended time.

 

How he handles the coaching staff and the negotiations with some of the young players on the team ,such as Cam and Luke, will have a far greater impact on the long term health of this organization.

 

And it looks like he was right, honestly.

 

Sad thing though: The list I've seen of next year's free agent tackles wasn't exactly inspiring

 

 

Fortunately for us that list will change somewhat in the offseason.  I would think (or hope) more players will be released for cap reasons by other teams.

 

[top dawg]

Really nothing here that we didn't already know.  We'll see what happens after the season.

 

 

For me, what bothers me the most is that we lost the opportunity to get another quality receiver in a draft that was purported to be the deepest at wide receiver in years, and has actually turned out that way.

[Snake]

And it looks like he was right, honestly.

Sad thing though: The list I've seen of next year's free agent tackles wasn't exactly inspiring

Honestly if we can just get a mid grade tackle or two we are better off.

[CBDellinger]

Really nothing here that we didn't already know. We'll see what happens after the season.

For me, what bothers me the most is that we lost the opportunity to get another quality receiver in a draft that was purported to be the deepest at wide receiver in years, and has actually turned out that way.

This article is not about the fact that we already know... It's that a lot of people either have forgotten or chosen to ignore how we got here.

There is not a conspiracy... There was a plan that failed and a large part of its failings were events that no one could have predicted nor anticipated based on the past.

[top dawg]

This article is not about the fact that we already know... It's that a lot of people either have forgotten or chosen to ignore how we got here.

 

True, perhaps, but pretty useless in the grand scheme of things in my opinion.  At this point, many of us are much more concerned with how we are going to fix things in the future, and waiting to see how Gettleman's philosophy and approach are going to fare the coming offseason. 

[CBDellinger]

True, perhaps, but pretty useless in the grand scheme of things in my opinion. At this point, many of us are much more concerned with how we are going to fix things in the future, and waiting to see how Gettleman's philosophy and approach are going to fare the coming offseason.

Yeah... at this point we are all hoping the long approach works... Or at least is in play.

Otherwise it's LOLcity!!!

[jarhead]

To me there is plenty of blame to go around this season but to me Gettlemen doomed us with  the moves and lack of moves with the OL, WR, and defensive backfield.

 

Lacking a OL and decent targets gives Cam  somewhat of a pass, but his mechanics and his speed making reads still  has me concerned.

 

I have never been impressed with the Shula offense and blame Rivera for not bringing in a competent OC given he is defensive oriented.

 

[MHS831]

2 things damned this season:

 

1.  Greg Hardy's legal troubles

2. Cam's injuries

 

Hardy's absence made us vulnerable vs. the run and made CJ less effective at LDE.  This exposed the secondary.

 

Cam's inability to scramble and run has made the line porous because defenses can send blitzes at him again.  In addition, his time on the sideline prohibited him from getting comfortable with a totally new cast of WRs.

 

It was the perfect storm, as someone said.

[Mr. Scot]

2 things damned this season:

1. Greg Hardy's legal troubles

2. Cam's injuries

Hardy's absence made us vulnerable vs. the run and made CJ less effective at LDE. This exposed the secondary.

Cam's inability to scramble and run has made the line porous because defenses can send blitzes at him again. In addition, his time on the sideline prohibited him from getting comfortable with a totally new cast of WRs.

It was the perfect storm, as someone said.

I think their exact words were "perfect s--t storm" (which is probably more accurate)

[thefuzz]

What DG has done this season was smart, although very painful.

 

It will pay out in years 4 and beyond for us though.

[Woodie]

Cam's inability to scramble and run has made the line porous because defenses can send blitzes at him again. 

 

I agree with everything you said, but this point may be biggest reason for the offenses struggles.  I don't think this line is significantly worse than last years'.  Even Gross gave up too many sacks and pressures, and wasn't dominant in run blocking.  The biggest difference is that last year Cam was healthy and able to overcome their deficiencies, and teams had to gameplan for his running.  Things like keeping an extra guy to spy on him, not bringing the house because of his ability to break tackles and outrun the defense for a big play, and not blitzing so often for fear of being burned.  All that lead to fewer defenders bullrushing our line. 

 

But this year, teams have no fear of Cam avoiding the rush and hurting them with his legs, so they are free to pin their ears back and send everything at him.  That is overwhelming our inexperienced and overmatched OL, resulting in the continuous jailbreaks Cam faces.  As a result, there's a bit of the domino effect going on.  Without Cam's rushing yards, our running game is virtually non-existent.  Also, big plays made last year, are not there this year, and because he's facing almost immediate pressure on passing plays, Cam is anticipating pressure even when it's not there...leading to poor mechanics and bad decisions.  Hopefully, with the expected OL upgrades this off-season and Cam having time to heal, next year the offense should look significantly better than what we are enduring now, no matter who our OC is.