One week from Black Monday

[Girlzarefanstoo]

1 minute ago, Superman said:

 

I think he'll regret drafting Melvin Gordon in the first round. It also seems like the skill positions have basically disappeared the last two years; who are your receivers? Inman has been okay in a few games. 

 

But yeah, biggest issue is injuries, for sure.

We are going to be hurting for receivers.  Keenan Allen was on a record setting pace when he had a freak injury - lacerated kidney against the Ravens after making an unbelievable touchdown catch.  He'll return healthy, but Malcolm Floyd is retiring, Gates (TE) is aging and not the threat he has been though he can still play the game.  TT has to grab several WRs to see who sticks.  Inman has shown good promise and he and Rivers are beginning to hit stride with each other.  

 

Melvin has had a bad year every time he goes up a level.  He is improving, but to be absolutely honest.  Our OLine played 18 different combinations of players as of 2 weeks ago - no telling how much higher that number is today after the Raiders' game where only one guy finished in the same position as he started on the OLine.  Being a rookie RB is tough enough, being one with a completely unsettled line... disastrous.  He'll get the fumbling under control and when he stops hesitating and just hits the hole he's going to be amazing.  If he can be durable and mature into his role I still have good hopes for him.  We saw quite a few times this year what he's capable of.  

[Superman]

2 minutes ago, Girlzarefanstoo said:

We are going to be hurting for receivers.  Keenan Allen was on a record setting pace when he had a freak injury - lacerated kidney against the Ravens after making an unbelievable touchdown catch.  He'll return healthy, but Malcolm Floyd is retiring, Gates (TE) is aging and not the threat he has been though he can still play the game.  TT has to grab several WRs to see who sticks.  Inman has shown good promise and he and Rivers are beginning to hit stride with each other.  

 

Melvin has had a bad year every time he goes up a level.  He is improving, but to be absolutely honest.  Our OLine played 18 different combinations of players as of 2 weeks ago - no telling how much higher that number is today after the Raiders' game where only one guy finished in the same position as he started on the OLine.  Being a rookie RB is tough enough, being one with a completely unsettled line... disastrous.  He'll get the fumbling under control and when he stops hesitating and just hits the hole he's going to be amazing.  If he can be durable and mature into his role I still have good hopes for him.  We saw quite a few times this year what he's capable of.  

 

I really like Keenan Allen. Even the play he got hurt on, what a great catch. He's a monster. It was no surprise to me that Telesco drafted him, seeing as how Bill Polian loved him also.

 

Green is a good TE also. 

 

I don't have a problem with Gordon's talent. I just don't like RBs in the first round, and he didn't justify it with a great season. He could and hopefully will get better, but he could also be the next Montee Ball. These high usage Wisconsin RBs don't work out so well.

[Girlzarefanstoo]

30 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

I really like Keenan Allen. Even the play he got hurt on, what a great catch. He's a monster. It was no surprise to me that Telesco drafted him, seeing as how Bill Polian loved him also.

 

Green is a good TE also. 

 

I don't have a problem with Gordon's talent. I just don't like RBs in the first round, and he didn't justify it with a great season. He could and hopefully will get better, but he could also be the next Montee Ball. These high usage Wisconsin RBs don't work out so well.

Let's hope he breaks the mold and you're wrong.

I'd like to see Rivers given a big say in who is brought in at receiver.  The 3 of the last 4 big FA signings have been busts - the only decent one was Eddie Royal and we let him go.  Really bad decision as Rivers had amazing chemistry with him especially on 3rd or 4th down.  Even if he had slowed down he was wiley.  

 

I'd give anything for another set of 3, 6' 5" wrs and te for Phil's last years.  Vincent Jackson has been so wasted at TB.  

[dgambill]

I kinda have the feeling we will move on from both our GM and Coach. Can't say for sure but its hard to see us bring back the whole staff as is considering the ineffectiveness we saw this year on both sides of the football...even when we DID have Luck. I'm not a big fan of retreads but I also would like to see someone with head coaching experience as well. Small list I suppose to choose from. Its going to take a lot of money to bring in a big name but that's Irsay's issue. I like some of the Chargers coaches if they clean house. I feel like we got the wrong Manusky lol...and I like McCoy and how he has worked VERY VERY well with QBs wherever he has gone. That would be nice for OC/DC if they are available and clearly they've worked together. That leaves HC/GM....not sure where we go with this as the GM typically hires the HC but wouldn't be hurt if we lure Cower out of retirement. As long as we don't end up with some Rob Ryan/Mike Smith combo or something hopefully we can reach where we want to go next year. We should be a very desirable destination. I can imagine if Cower came here he likely would convince Wisenhunt to be the OC and maybe pick up Lebeau to be the DC. Could be worse I suppose. I'd rather have John Harbaugh and Ozzie but that would never happen so its hard to tell where we go from here. Just no college guys please.

[Superman]

12 minutes ago, dgambill said:

I kinda have the feeling we will move on from both our GM and Coach. Can't say for sure but its hard to see us bring back the whole staff as is considering the ineffectiveness we saw this year on both sides of the football...even when we DID have Luck.

 

At the same time, we're 5-3 with backup QBs and no offensive line and no pass rush. It was a long held belief that this team and coaching staff wasn't good enough to beat anyone without Luck on the field. That's been debunked. If there's an argument to be made for keeping Pagano, that's it, IMO.

[dgambill]

11 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

At the same time, we're 5-3 with backup QBs and no offensive line and no pass rush. It was a long held belief that this team and coaching staff wasn't good enough to beat anyone without Luck on the field. That's been debunked. If there's an argument to be made for keeping Pagano, that's it, IMO.

Good point. That said who did we beat those games? I think a lot of those we were favored to win regardless of the qb we had. It isn't like we were beating world beaters. The Denver game was impressive after changing Chud into the OC..but past that I can't think of 1 signature win. Even the great game we played with NE was marred by a couple terrible coaching decisions...so I'm not sure I can say Chuck has done enough....but your right...he NEVER lost the locker room...the team never gave up.

[BOTT]

35 minutes ago, Superman said:

 

At the same time, we're 5-3 with backup QBs and no offensive line and no pass rush. It was a long held belief that this team and coaching staff wasn't good enough to beat anyone without Luck on the field. That's been debunked. If there's an argument to be made for keeping Pagano, that's it, IMO.

If that's Chucks argument he better get his bags packed.

[bozo]

If we're 5-3 with backup QB then Luck should stay on bench because he was 2-5

[Girlzarefanstoo]

19 minutes ago, bozo said:

If we're 5-3 with backup QB then Luck should stay on bench because he was 2-5

O U C H ! ! ! !  That will leave a mark 

[BOTT]

1 hour ago, bozo said:

If we're 5-3 with backup QB then Luck should stay on bench because he was 2-5

Sound logic

[Superman]

8 minutes ago, BOTT said:

Sound logic

 

Don't act like you don't see that user name...

[Superman]

2 hours ago, dgambill said:

Good point. That said who did we beat those games? I think a lot of those we were favored to win regardless of the qb we had. It isn't like we were beating world beaters. The Denver game was impressive after changing Chud into the OC..but past that I can't think of 1 signature win. Even the great game we played with NE was marred by a couple terrible coaching decisions...so I'm not sure I can say Chuck has done enough....but your right...he NEVER lost the locker room...the team never gave up.

 

Those wins came against cupcake competition. Still, the argument wasn't that the Colts couldn't beat good teams without Luck. The argument was that they couldn't beat any teams without him. None of those wins have been pretty, but it's hard to dismiss them outright, and to at least a small degree, they are a credit to Pagano.

[dgambill]

18 hours ago, Superman said:

 

Those wins came against cupcake competition. Still, the argument wasn't that the Colts couldn't beat good teams without Luck. The argument was that they couldn't beat any teams without him. None of those wins have been pretty, but it's hard to dismiss them outright, and to at least a small degree, they are a credit to Pagano.

Chuck definitely held the team together and kept them motivated. I don't buy into the story that we couldn't beat ANYONE. The only ones saying that would be people on this board. I do think first Houston game would be one to point to in saying we were an underdog and obviously the Denver game...but Irsay I think was expecting us to compete for a championship.....and we never looked even close to that kind of a team even when we were healthy. I give him credit...the players love him...they play for him...but I have yet to see the X's and O's type of coaching and gameplanning where I've felt like our coach is making a big difference on the field. We rarely come out just firing on all cylinders or come out of half time with great in-game adjustements. He kept the team together through a tough season and that's great...but for me to say this is a SB caliber coach...I just don't see it...I don't see him as being able to be a difference maker. That's why I expect us to move on. Irsay expects more...and even though the whole season wasn't Pags fault...there was enough evidence especially early in the season to suggest that he never really had us on the right track...and over his career there just isn't a lot of signature wins on his resume or growth out of the team...Andrew or the defense.

[Superman]

1 hour ago, dgambill said:

Chuck definitely held the team together and kept them motivated. I don't buy into the story that we couldn't beat ANYONE. The only ones saying that would be people on this board. I do think first Houston game would be one to point to in saying we were an underdog and obviously the Denver game...but Irsay I think was expecting us to compete for a championship.....and we never looked even close to that kind of a team even when we were healthy. I give him credit...the players love him...they play for him...but I have yet to see the X's and O's type of coaching and gameplanning where I've felt like our coach is making a big difference on the field. We rarely come out just firing on all cylinders or come out of half time with great in-game adjustements. He kept the team together through a tough season and that's great...but for me to say this is a SB caliber coach...I just don't see it...I don't see him as being able to be a difference maker. That's why I expect us to move on. Irsay expects more...and even though the whole season wasn't Pags fault...there was enough evidence especially early in the season to suggest that he never really had us on the right track...and over his career there just isn't a lot of signature wins on his resume or growth out of the team...Andrew or the defense.

 

Agreed. The standard isn't whether you can beat teams without your QB, it's whether you can win a championship with your QB. 

[Surge89]

2 hours ago, dgambill said:

Chuck definitely held the team together and kept them motivated. I don't buy into the story that we couldn't beat ANYONE. The only ones saying that would be people on this board. I do think first Houston game would be one to point to in saying we were an underdog and obviously the Denver game...but Irsay I think was expecting us to compete for a championship.....and we never looked even close to that kind of a team even when we were healthy. I give him credit...the players love him...they play for him...but I have yet to see the X's and O's type of coaching and gameplanning where I've felt like our coach is making a big difference on the field. We rarely come out just firing on all cylinders or come out of half time with great in-game adjustements. He kept the team together through a tough season and that's great...but for me to say this is a SB caliber coach...I just don't see it...I don't see him as being able to be a difference maker. That's why I expect us to move on. Irsay expects more...and even though the whole season wasn't Pags fault...there was enough evidence especially early in the season to suggest that he never really had us on the right track...and over his career there just isn't a lot of signature wins on his resume or growth out of the team...Andrew or the defense.

 

Great post.

 

but...

 

If Pagano had full control of his team (without Grigson being a constant hindrance) and 2 well equipped X's and O's coordinators what do you think the potential of this team is?  Imo it is pretty darn high... 

[dgambill]

17 hours ago, Surge89 said:

 

Great post.

 

but...

 

If Pagano had full control of his team (without Grigson being a constant hindrance) and 2 well equipped X's and O's coordinators what do you think the potential of this team is?  Imo it is pretty darn high... 

Hard to say...that's IF you believe all the stories in the press etc. I don't put a lot of stock in all that. I look at what Irsay does to signal to me the truth. At this point it seems if anyone stays (a big if) it will be Ryan. Seems he has agreed with more of his performance than what Pagsno has done with what Ryan has given him. Gotta admit this team has improved from a talent stand point. Is there enough...probably...do we have holes in some key areas...absolutely but the difference in our OL and what NE trots out there or other teams isn't that wide...they are better taught...they work to minimize their weaknesses. I do agree we need better coaching..teaching...so certainly new OC and DC may improve us but the voice the mission comes from the head coach...the game plan is decided by the head coach and the vision comes from the head coach...the assistants carry it out. Motivating players...building a locker room I agree Chuck is great at. Making the adjustments recognizing how to attack teams and improve our players...not sure I can say Chuck is that guy. So far it's been a LOT of retterict....one liners....I haven't seen enough games where I came away saying WOW we out strategize do our opponent...chuck and staff really gave us an advantage. Been a lot of Andrew Luck carrying us to victory over the years..and we see exactly where we would be without him. I imagine Irsay sees that too...and probably will make a decision to move in a new direction/ new voice identity next year.

[Superman]

1 hour ago, dgambill said:

Making the adjustments recognizing how to attack teams and improve our players...not sure I can say Chuck is that guy.

 

Agreed.

[Superman]

On 12/28/2015 at 2:11 PM, Superman said:

Teams that probably won't change coaches

Pats, Seahawks, Cardinals, Jets, Bills, Panthers, Packers, Texans, Bengals, Broncos, Steelers, Ravens, Chiefs, Raiders (I don't like JdR but they've been good enough this year), Washington, Eagles, Vikings, Bears, Falcons, Bucs. (There's always room for a surprise, like the Broncos last year, and other examples, and maybe someone surprise retires, but I think all those coaches are safe, barring significant developments. Cases can be made against those in italics.)

 

Teams that probably will change coaches

Titans, Dolphins (both have already moved to interims, so that's obvious)

Chargers (pretty sure McCoy is out)

Lions (Caldwell is a bad coach, and they're hiring a new GM)

Niners (made a bad hire, should go ahead and fix it now)

Colts (Pagano's contract is up, and all indications point to him being gone)

Browns (Pettine has routinely mishandled Manziel, and the locker room is fractured, and they've gotten worse this season)

 

Should but probably won't

Cowboys (Garrett gets his big extension, then shows to be incapable of surviving without his starter; yes, Weeden is bad, but he just put two pretty good games together; Garrett is safe because he just got a new deal and he'll get the benefit of the doubt due to Romo and Bryant being hurt, but he's probably just not a very good coach)

Rams (Fisher wants to stay, and management just said they want him to stay, but he's entirely underwhelming, aside from the annual Seahawks win)

 

Who knows?

Jaguars (management was prepared for a long build, and it's been three years with Bradley now, but they're actually showing promise now)

Giants (I think it's long overdue, but 2 rings in 8 years for a franchise that values stability makes this questionable)

Saints (Payton recently said he plans to be in NO for a while, but they could be due for an overhaul, especially if they change GMs)

 

 

Titans, Dolphins, Niners, Eagles and Browns have all fired their coaches. 

 

Giants appear poised to part ways with Coughlin, although some reports say the two owners are split on him. Lions ownership has sent mixed signals about Caldwell, and they may not do anything until they find a GM. McCoy seems to be hanging on by a thread in San Diego. My gut says he'll stay, as of tonight. Cowboys have committed to Garrett. Rams appear ready to keep Fisher.

 

And of course, we're waiting for the hammer to drop on Pagano. And for the Saints and Payton to figure each other out.

 

Could be nine coaching changes this year...