Slow Starts A Concern?

Many coaches feel play action is something you set up by running the ball first. However, I have always felt it can be even MORE effective when used early. Especially with the general school of thought, early play action would get a defense bitting on the run even more.
Hell, I'd run play action often and early to get a jump then settle into some more striaght forward play calling and come back to it sporatically

 

Malapoo, I feel the same way about the staff as you do, but I think our slow starts and strategy is a product of the personel dicisions. The first year of Fox's tenure was a known strong D and an O which was meant to be made mistake free as much as possible. In other words, keep it close and hope for the best. The second year an upgrade in the running game and a new QB allowed the OC to put in some more plays . By the second half of the season we actually looked like a pro team. For some reason the staff were chooping at the bits to get rid of our FS who was developing nicely and decimate our OL. Thinking that Jake, the recievers and the running backs could pick up at the same pace as the prior year the offense hit the field in 04 like a fool. Jake got hurried and flushed, the backs took a beating at the LOS and our receivers generally never got a ball on target. From there on it was retrograde ball back to the first year and a change in the O scheme to accomodate what we had to do to keep the game close so to have a prayer.
These things IMHO is why I say that Fox reminds me of a savant idiot.

 

Y'all go snag you a copy.

Watch it, study it, re-live it.

2001: Never Lose the Feeling.

Then, maybe, just maybe, more around here will come to appreciate Fox and Hurney, not loathe them.

 

I don't loathe them and didn't mean to imply I did. But the glitter has dispersed a bit and I think some are looking at them more realistically now instead of thinking Fox is a genious he will win the SB every year for 5 years running (ok bit extreme there).

I think Fox is a good motivator, I think his staff adjusts during games pretty well when needed. I like Fox. But I no longer think he has "all the answers" as I to some degree believed earlier in his tenure. In fact I think he has some serious work to do.

Starting slowly and feeling out the opponent works if you're at least an equal and preferably a better team. But you go up against a better team and get too far behind, you may not come out the winner in the end. Our offense has gone 3 and out too many times in the first half which puts us behind - then when the offense gets clicking, the defense is tired and can't stop that final opponent's drive which even if we've caught up puts them ahead for the win.

I do believe that Fox & company can learn from the mistakes they have made in the past and improve. At least I hope that they would at least amongst themselves acknowledge that they've got some work to do.

What I'm talking about is something like when you get older and realize your parents DON'T know everything - you don't HATE them, you just realize they aren't these magical all powerful and all knowing super heroes. Same with Fox - it's his first head coaching job and he's still got lessons to learn. He didn't score a 100........yet.

 

All I know is that the brass that run that team that has won three of the last four Super Bowls would have laughed Joel Segal right out of the board room.

To bulid a champion, you must have balance. The money used to pay Moose can now be used in other, greater areas of need, such as right tackle, safety, as well as stabilizing the contracts of Mitchell andf Minter.

 

I don't think there's any Fox/Hurney bashing here. I just suggested some modifications for the offense. I still like it as a whole, and the idea of run first. But we can be more creative starting off games, which I think is why this topic is being discussed.

 

I wasn't referring to this particular thread....just the overall tone of the TBR family over the past 24 hours.

 

I guess the question for some of us is WILL they spend it WISELY? As much as I hear extending Mitchell (who I think we desperately need) I also hear that he may be among those let go. Even before injuries, I think many of us felt some of their offensive decisions were at least questionable. It seemed they pinned their hopes on a guy who never took a game snap - maybe that's the fault of our medical folks (and haven't they been stellar for us all along) and yeah the guys who wound up on the line eventually were adequate but you'd like better then adequate.


I have no issue with us NOT paying Moose what he's getting in Chicago. I just want them to use that money wisely. I'm hoping they're as unhappy with our Oline as I am and that we have some backup plan if our young secondary doesn't make solid progress this year. I also want someone to light a fire under that defensive front - throw down the gauntlet and challenge them to dominate the league.

 

It was John Fox who took the worst NFL team in the last 20 years from 1-15 to 7-9.

It was John Fox and the play of his offense/defense/special teams that got us within 3 points of a Lombardi Trophy.

It was John Fox who went 6-2 in the second half of 2004 without his leading receiver, top two running backs, his all-pro defensive tackle and his leading special teams tackler.

And, it will be John Fox who shows us again why he was the best man to run this team.

Just my opinion. Doesn't make it right, and it won't fly with you. But I am entitled to express my views too.

 

And it's easy to know why. When a guy like Moose gets cut, ya just gotta role with it. There's gonna be a lot of negativity over the subject.