Defensive Failures: Scheme or Players?

[Redskin]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

If Springs makes that much of difference from the corner position, then I think it's definitely the scheme. Again, I think the coordinator has to compensate for weaknesses and flaws. He's responsible for saying okay, we lack this that and the other. Let's make some adjustments here so that we don't get exploited to the tune of 200 yrds on the ground.

Ok we lack CB's so we should drop the safties back to help
But then we lack LB's and DL's so we need to keep the safties in to stop the run. Quite the pickle you would have to scheme from that.

[12thMan]

Originally Posted by Redskin

Ok we lack CB's so we should drop the safties back to help
But then we lack LB's and DL's so we need to keep the safties in to stop the run. Quite the pickle you would have to scheme from that.

But it's not a unique pickle in the NFL. Coaches change and adapt with the talent they have. Plain and simple.

Listen, even if we get a stud in the first round, what are the chances of the kid getting on the field at the start of the season. Slim to none, it goes against Gregg Williams' style.

Keep an eye on the defensive rookies of the year and ask yourself if this guy were a Redskin, would he have started and had that same impact within our system?

[Crat92]

Intelligence is the ability to make adjustments. GW had to change the D because of the players. PERIOD. The injury bug hit starting with Pierson P, Springs etc.. Those players were key to the D's overall success. Other players then had to do things they weren't used to doing(i.e. Kenny Wright starting). When we had the players, the scheme was great. We just gotta get more players.

[LMsexyAO]

Originally Posted by Crat92

Intelligence is the ability to make adjustments. GW had to change the D because of the players. PERIOD. The injury bug hit starting with Pierson P, Springs etc.. Those players were key to the D's overall success. Other players then had to do things they weren't used to doing(i.e. Kenny Wright starting). When we had the players, the scheme was great. We just gotta get more players.

Right. But like 12th man was saying, shouldn't a reasonable coach be able to adapt to injuries? That's a huge part of the game and no NFL team can expect to go 16 games with no major injuries. So you've got to think, GW couldn't come up with a halfway decent defense with one or two players out? I think that reflects poor depth and stubborness to adjust to the players' strengths.

[Crat92]

Originally Posted by LMsexyAO

Right. But like 12th man was saying, shouldn't a reasonable coach be able to adapt to injuries? That's a huge part of the game and no NFL team can expect to go 16 games with no major injuries. So you've got to think, GW couldn't come up with a halfway decent defense with one or two players out? I think that reflects poor depth and stubborness to adjust to the players' strengths.

Agree 100%! Can't pour syrup on sh*t and call it pancakes!

[SouperMeister]

Originally Posted by LMsexyAO

Right. But like 12th man was saying, shouldn't a reasonable coach be able to adapt to injuries? That's a huge part of the game and no NFL team can expect to go 16 games with no major injuries. So you've got to think, GW couldn't come up with a halfway decent defense with one or two players out? I think that reflects poor depth and stubborness to adjust to the players' strengths.

The Giants played half the season without their best defensive player (Strahan) yet they're still going to the playoffs. Blame the Gibbs/Snyder philosophy for paying above top dollar for every FA signing while trading away draft picks and letting cheaper depth players like Walt Harris walk. Harris would've been much better than Kenny Wright and Mike Rumph after Springs went down. I NEVER thought I'd appreciate Harris, but he had a hell of a year in SF.

[skinsfan69]

Originally Posted by SouperMeister

The Giants played half the season without their best defensive player (Strahan) yet they're still going to the playoffs. Blame the Gibbs/Snyder philosophy for paying above top dollar for every FA signing while trading away draft picks and letting cheaper depth players like Walt Harris walk. Harris would've been much better than Kenny Wright and Mike Rumph after Springs went down. I NEVER thought I'd appreciate Harris, but he had a hell of a year in SF.

I agree. I get so tired of every saying Springs getting hurt is the root of all problems. A smart organazation would have saw that Springs was not going to play a full season. He's not a durable player to begin with. They should have been prepared for that. Just another screw up by the worst FO in the NFL.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by skinsfan69

I agree. I get so tired of every saying Springs getting hurt is the root of all problems. A smart organazation would have saw that Springs was not going to play a full season. He's not a durable player to begin with. They should have been prepared for that. Just another screw up by the worst FO in the NFL.

The notion that Springs isn't durable is a myth, as has been pointed out on this board before. Yes he's missed a few games here and there throughout his career. But other than this year I believe there's only been one other time in his career that he missed significant time (when he missed 8 games). All that said though, they did "prepare" for that by signing Kenny Wright and trading for Mike Rumph (and later when Prioleau went down and Arch choked they brought in Fox and Vincent). Apart from Rumph those weren't horrible moves by the front office.

Furthermore, the Giants nearly crashed and burned without Strahan this year. It's not like they cruised into the playoffs without him. They backed their way in by the slimmest of margins.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by SouperMeister

The Giants played half the season without their best defensive player (Strahan) yet they're still going to the playoffs. Blame the Gibbs/Snyder philosophy for paying above top dollar for every FA signing while trading away draft picks and letting cheaper depth players like Walt Harris walk. Harris would've been much better than Kenny Wright and Mike Rumph after Springs went down. I NEVER thought I'd appreciate Harris, but he had a hell of a year in SF.

Harris isn't twice the player Wright is (not over the span of his career) yet he's getting paid twice the money over the next two years.

[dmek25]

Originally Posted by TAFKAS

Harris isn't twice the player Wright is (not over the span of his career) yet he's getting paid twice the money over the next two years.

i agree, but wouldn't the secondary look alot better right now with Harris?

[Beemnseven]

It's all hindsight now, but I remember thinking there was legitimate debate as to whether linebacker was the bigger issue for the '06 draft or cornerback.

I think it's perfectly reasonable to say that Shawn Springs was nearing the end of his career, that Carlos Rogers was a big question mark, and one more push for top-knotch talent in the secondary was needed.

I was all for the Kenny Wright move. I thought he'd be perfect in the nickel position, and was a solid pickup after noting his 15 game starting history in Jacksonville last year. So no one could have predicted his demise after being thrust into the position of starting corner. Rumph, Vincent, and Fox were all desperation moves. At that point, the secondary was already a cluster-fornication and anyone would have been an improvement over the current lot.

Either way, the front office has to be accountable at some point. Sooner or later, some of us are going to have to stop grasping at straws to defend these people and start calling it for what it is -- a dismal failure.