Perspective

[Bunskie]

Long time huddler, and I've noticed an influx of stupidity at unprecedented levels. Please stop.

Our billionaire owner, paid the highest salary ever for a coach who was known to make the most of his opportunities, and turn the poo college football programs he inherited into double-digit win programs within 3 year windows. 

I think it is pretty definitive at this point that he knows what the fug he is doing, and he is not some Chip Kelly flash in the pan. I know this because his first order of business, was looking at our roster unemotionally and parting ways with a former league MVP QB who he evaluated as no longer having 'it'. Sports Media I believe prior to this unanimously projected we would be a 2-14/3-13 win team. These projections were based on the fact that we have a terrible on-paper roster, that was no longer being held together by some generational talents, and a circus of an off-season with Covid-19. 

Into the second-quarter of the season, we have been competitive in each and every single game, and our strength of schedule indicates that the teams we have been competitive with but ultimately fell short in beating - are all thick in the playoff hunt with the exception of the 28-3 clutch master franchise who seem to have realized that our interior o-line is a gaping liability - for now. 

Point being - we are not supposed to be good right now - we were expected to look like the Jets. The fact that these losses sting - is because we are close. Enjoy the process. 

 

 

[Ricky Spanish]

[1989]

[bababoey]

Long time huddler?  You realize people have been saying that for the last 8 games.  No one on this board expected us to win much but when we started winning some people got all crazy and started talking playoffs.

[Bunskie]

Long time lurker of the huddle. Same difference lol :). Ya, we have plenty of people here that follow the franchise in-depth and know what's up. Regardless - the point that I'm making is that the constant negativity is misplaced. The fact we can compete at this level with the roster is exciting AF. 2010 Clausen-era roster was unwatchable, and it wouldn't be unfair to project that type of season onto us before the season had started.

[Seltzer]

Only the reactionaries and Lawrence fanboyz are truly upset, the former b/c a paper-thin roster somehow isn't producing miracles every week and the latter b/c we were never going to be incompetent enough to be picking 1st in the draft next year.

That being said, there's room for all of the fanbase to be disappointed b/c there have been opportunities to win these games and we haven't done it.  

To me at least the feeling is totally different from the last 2 years b/c it seems like we are again building towards something rather than trying to recreate glory (ala 2015) that had since passed.

Now is where Rhule & Co need to prove their worth, not necessarily in wins but in adjustments, especially on offense (I'm not trying to give the defense a complete pass but there's only so much improvement this group is going to have with that talent level).

But teams are figuring out how to attack this offense.  So much of the offense was wrecked by the Oline play, but even when the protection held up, it appeared the Falcons were had a pretty good bead on what we doing, especially in the 2nd Half.

Joe Brady's scheme has been good, but now is where he has to start proving himself as an OC

[BPF]

I think last night will be an outlier looking back in even in a few games. The one play that would've done amazing last night due to the focus of the middle of the field with all the blitzing would've been a few bubble screens. I absolutely hate bubble screens and feel like they should be completely stripped from playbooks, however, I was noticing multiple times last night that one or two of those would have really helped keep that defense more cognizant and spread rather than continuously allowing so much pressure up the middle. Also, saw a trend I haven't seen in a while were we were laser focused on one player on offense to carry us, and hopefully they noticed and rectify that, because that was always my biggest complaint with Rivera's staffs.