FanPost

Frustration is the Name of this Game


Watching this team play is excruciating. I’ve been outspoken about my thoughts regarding our coordinators. Unimpressive just doesn’t begin to say it. Del Rio seems determined to stick with things that don’t work. On the other side of the ball, Turner’s play calling at times defies logic. But to be fair, the offense didn’t lose this game. They definitely didn’t win it either. But this loss is on the defense. Washington was lining up with 9 men in the box and giving up runs up the middle. Then we tried a 6 DB approach and watched the Saints receivers running wide open. Between the blown coverages, the miscommunication, and the overall confusion on the defensive side of the ball, something has to be fixed pronto. So, while acknowledging that the defensive coaches have forgotten more about football than I will ever know, a few questions beg to be asked.

1. William Jackson and St. Juste are press corners. Both of them have said they prefer to play man coverage when they get to disrupt the WR at the line of scrimmage. Why are we asking them to play zone? Several times today our corners were lined up deeper than our safeties. Why are press corners playing 15 yards off the ball?

2. Our safeties are awful. My bias is on full display here. I don’t like small safeties and I don’t like slow safeties. McCain is 5’9". He can’t play free safety in the NFL. Landon Collins can’t cover. He runs a 4.8. On several occasions during today’s game he was asked to cover a guy with 4.3 speed. That’s on the coaches. He’s not a safety. If they want to try him as a LB, go for it. Stop playing him as a safety. I don’t care that he’s making almost a million dollars a game. If he would help the team more by being on the bench, then that’s where he belongs. Last year, when Collins was hurt and McCain was playing in Miami, this same defense was one of the best in the NFL. Where are DeShazor Everett, Jeremy Reaves, and Kamren Curl? Everett is one of the fiercest hitters in the league and he balled out last year. What has McCain done to deserve to start in his place?

3. Collins is due to make $13 million next year. Not a penny of it is guaranteed. So the only guarantee is that Collins is not on this team next year. Why is he still playing instead of next year’s obvious starter - Kamren Curl?

4. We used our first round draft pick on Jamin Davis. He’s a 4-3 OLB. For some reason our defensive mind trust decided to put him in the middle. Now that he’s proven he’s not up to the challenge wouldn’t it make more sense to move him back outside to his natural position? I mean permanently.

5. Lastly. Why is Jeremy Reaves still on the practice squad?