Time for a Change

[CarolinaNut]

The root of the problem has always been Ron Rivera.  Don't let Mike Shula fool anyone, he is "a" problem but he isn't "the" problem.  I believe this team is going to drop about 3 straight and we will likely finish the season at 6-7 wins.  It is most definitely time for a change!  Rivera has overstayed his welcome for my liking he is simply just in over his head doing this job.

[Daeavorn]

1 minute ago, CarolinaNut said:

The root of the problem has always been Ron Rivera.  Don't let Mike Shula fool anyone, he is "a" problem but he isn't "the" problem.  I believe this team is going to drop about 3 straight and we will likely finish the season at 6-7 wins.  It is most definitely time for a change!  Rivera has overstayed his welcome for my liking he is simply just in over his head doing this job.

Shula is the problem, but hes like a weed. If you just pull out the top part it keeps growing back. Gotta cut out the roots (Rivera) to truly get rid of it.

[d-dave]

What bothers me most is the frustrating lack of consistency on offense.  Generally we've been top 10 defense since Luke came into his own (McD and Wilks are quite competent).  Offensively, we've run well, but the production has been all over the place.  Sometimes, it leads to great things, other times, to the toilet.  

As a fan, I am really unhappy that we never seem to see the development of a truly capable NFL offense where guys can really flourish.  Olsen was extremely talented and underused in Chicago.  KB is force fed the ball.  Funchess has been...underwhelming throughout his career.  Stewart has always been a quality RB.  Cam has been MVP, played extremely well in spurts, but last year he got the poo beat out of him, and we have no idea if he has recovered fully or not...

I think if we have another repeat of last season or worse, then it's time to tell Rivera, a two time coach of the year (how does that work??) thanks and happy trails.  Find a GM we can trust, let him choose his coach, hopefully we can retain Wilks (possibly HC?  I'm loving what I've been hearing about him for years), and get Cam healthy so he can play his game.  

If we string together a few wins and look like what we expect, then all of this talk goes away.  NFL - Not For Long in every possible way.

[Darvinsun]

1 hour ago, beastson said:

We don't game plan which is why we don't create mismatches for defenses. We just run our offense and if it works, it works... if it doesn't, it doesn't. 

Thats not a staple of a good head coach..it is a staple of an arse. Who doesn't have the time nor brain to figure out who needs to be on the field in what position and in what play. Offensive game planning is a foreign language to shila and Ron ..we don't game plan we just say we going to run over everyone..yea thats what rb richardson thought from alabama and you see where he at. So what do they do at work all week drink beer and tell stale jokes.

[Moorgan]

9 minutes ago, Darvinsun said:

Thats not a staple of a good head coach..it is a staple of an arse. Who doesn't have the time nor brain to figure out who needs to be on the field in what position and in what play. Offensive game planning is a foreign language to shila and Ron ..we don't game plan we just say we going to run over everyone..yea thats what rb richardson thought from alabama and you see where he at. So what do they do at work all week drink beer and tell stale jokes.

I think they are looking at the defense and they are saying, look out for this guy and look out for this guy, this is what we expect them to line up like, etc. And they take their playbook and say this is how our plays will work if you guys execute. Sure it's game planning in a general sense but I think it's more like going over why the offense will win or talking about how they think the game will go. And NOT saying we have evaluated their weakness and we can exploit it doing these concepts. So here's some plays we will practice this week that will take advantage of this weakness. Which, I think, is exactly what good coaches do. Or maybe they do this but are just terrible at it. I don't know.

[Pejorative Miscreant]

4 hours ago, top dawg said:

Win against some good teams, beat the teams you're supposed to beat convincingly (especially at home), and make a run in the postseason...and all will be forgotten.

We didn't do that last week.  But this is accurate

[Steve_Smith_Sr.]

I think RR and Shula feel some heat.  It was nice to see a "little" emotion in the presser after the NO loss.  2016 they got a free pass for getting to the SB.  They were able to blame DG for a lot of the problems, but now it's on them.  They got their new offensive toys, DG is gone, it's on them now.  So far it feels EXACTLY like 2016 to me.  I think they know that they aren't fooling anyone anymore.

Will JR do anything about it, doubtful - but the spotlight is on these two right now and I hope they continue to sweat it.

[jayflip]

It's on Ron. He's a pussy. 

I watched the SEA vs TEN game and saw how the Oline on TEN reacted to the cheap shot Sherman gave Mariotta. 

Ron would have condemned that behavior and said, "I would have taken that shot too." 

He's systematically castrated our team, and the product you now see on the field is a result of that passive mentality. 

The good news is, it will take one offseason to recapture the fire. 

[Peppers90 NC]

Coach forfeited before halftime. 

[Peppers90 NC]

1 hour ago, beastson said:

We don't game plan which is why we don't create mismatches for defenses. We just run our offense and if it works, it works... if it doesn't, it doesn't. 

Sadly, this is true. I started to realize this last year. I can't think of the last time we have exposed a weakness from the other team.

 

[gmonjimbo]

How good is John Matsko as an O-line coach? Matt Kalil for the second straight week has allowed a defender to go untouched, they struggle with delayed blitzes and stunts. Minnesota, ironically brought in 5 new offensive lineman and so far they are playing well. Also, Special Teams has been horrible for a long time. The defense has been the only consistent element of this team and its tied to having the better set of coaches. They have been able to develop guys like Mario Addison, Kurt Coleman, AJ Klein, and Josh Norman but I don't see that much development on the offensive side of the ball.

[heel31ok]

6 minutes ago, gmonjimbo said:

How good is John Matsko as an O-line coach? Matt Kalil for the second straight week has allowed a defender to go untouched, they struggle with delayed blitzes and stunts. Minnesota, ironically brought in 5 new offensive lineman and so far they are playing well. Also, Special Teams has been horrible for a long time. The defense has been the only consistent element of this team and its tied to having the better set of coaches. They have been able to develop guys like Mario Addison, Kurt Coleman, AJ Klein, and Josh Norman but I don't see that much development on the offensive side of the ball.

may be this is why it has taken us so long not to find a replacement for Gross...

[Mojo]

I don't think he's the ideal coach for a generational talent like Cam.  He definitely has a ton of positives, but paired with Cam I just don't think he's the best guy for the job.  He and Cam are pretty much polar opposites.  I think of the best QB's like point guards, as in being an extension of the coach on the field.  Rivera is a good guy and all but I don't think it's a great fit as far as a coach/qb tandem.   It's a balance and I'm not suggesting they have to be best buddies, but their personalities are too far apart imo.  Say what you will about Pete Carroll, but he and Russell fit well together, and there are other good examples out there in the NFL.

[xav8tor]

The punt decision told me all that I have to know. His explanation sealed it. I wouldn't have gone for three either. What we needed to do was gain momentum. At that point, it wasn't possible to give it away. We didn't have it, but it was ours for the taking.

Despite one poster trying to convince me that I was stupid to believe we don't game plan, all the evidence, not the least of which is admissions by the coaches, tells me we don't do it, at least not in the normal sense of the word. I'm sure you can find an example or two of the "play our game, impose our will" philosophy where it worked. But I bet that, across the league, for each of those, there are a dozen or more examples of when it didn't.

I am close to the age where many would say that I am an old fart. However, news flash all of you "sonnies" out there, with age comes experience, and no small dose of treachery. I don't mean bountygate style, but cerebral. And therein lies the problem. While we have some notable players who ooze cerebral capacity, that sort of thing is more than just lacking from top to bottom from the owner through the FO, down to the booth, and onto the sideline. Actually, the sheer ability may be there to an acceptable degree, but it can't be employed due to the underlying football philosophy of those calling the shots. I'd like to think that none of these people are dumb, but that they rose to their position on talent, not connections or sentiment, loyalty, whatever you want to call it.

Now, back to the being cerebral and treacherous thinking. Nobody has done it better in the last decade and a half than our upcoming opponent. Yes, they have a few true GOATS up there. Anyone who doesn't admit that is either a blind homer or an outright dumbass. However, they aren't, and never have been, riddled with them. More than anything else, they have a great philosophy, a/k/a, the Patriot Way. Furthermore, they use every available resource to plan, play, and win. Don't bother with the spygate and deflategate comebacks. Neither filled those hands full of rings.

Know what did play a major role? Meticulous game planning, right down to the smallest detail. Again, I encourage you to watch the one minute or so video of TB and BB designing a play or two just to counter Ed Reed in an upcoming game. There is zero doubt that they do such things every single week for every impact player on both sides of the ball. You can bet McDaniel and Patricia have similar sessions with their key players, and with Belichick as well. Sure Cam, and especially Luke, are digesting film, but do you think they have that kind of conversation with their coordinators, much less RR, and assuming they did, do you believe he then right there on the spot scribbles out a few plays to use that week? If you do, either prove it, or pass me that bowl bro.