Smoot Lays the Smack Down (Preseason Week 1)

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Pocket$ $traight

I agree. He went for a pump fake. This happens all the time and especially on rookies. He acknowledged the mistake and will learn from it.

I am starting to feel bad for Tryon. Someone mentioned that he is fighting for the #4 corner. I wonder if he is fighting for a spot on the team. Throwing at him was almost a guaranteed first down.

It's also the coordinators responsibility to make sure that primary zone coverage players like Hall and Tryon don't end up in man coverage very often.

I mean, if Tryon develops into a nice man corner, that's one thing. There's nothing wrong with testing his weaknesses in the pre-season. You just don't release somebody based on their inability to perform a specific skill that is a non-essential quality of a dime back.

[Paintrain]

Jim Zorn/offensive staff-The logic behind giving your starters one or two series is all well and good when you have an established offense and you're just looking to get some reps. The Patriots had their offense in for the entire 1st half, the Eagles did the same. Both of them are well established but they wanted to get in a rhythm offensively. Our offense needed to play at least 5 drives in this game. What exactly did we learn from our starting offense last night? That for 2 drives Rinehart can hold up? That we can basically replicate 70% of our drives from last season? Last year since we had 5 pre-season games I understand doing that but in a make or break year for coach and QB, I'd think that he'd be more aggressive in getting the offense a good look with live bullets flying. This was a failure in the game planning and preparing for the season.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

Jim Zorn/offensive staff-The logic behind giving your starters one or two series is all well and good when you have an established offense and you're just looking to get some reps. The Patriots had their offense in for the entire 1st half, the Eagles did the same. Both of them are well established but they wanted to get in a rhythm offensively. Our offense needed to play at least 5 drives in this game. What exactly did we learn from our starting offense last night? That for 2 drives Rinehart can hold up? That we can basically replicate 70% of our drives from last season? Last year since we had 5 pre-season games I understand doing that but in a make or break year for coach and QB, I'd think that he'd be more aggressive in getting the offense a good look with live bullets flying. This was a failure in the game planning and preparing for the season.

Speaking of the Patriots. Tom Brady looked like he hasn't missed a beat.

[Skinny Tee]

Originally Posted by Paintrain

Jim Zorn/offensive staff-The logic behind giving your starters one or two series is all well and good when you have an established offense and you're just looking to get some reps. The Patriots had their offense in for the entire 1st half, the Eagles did the same. Both of them are well established but they wanted to get in a rhythm offensively. Our offense needed to play at least 5 drives in this game. What exactly did we learn from our starting offense last night? That for 2 drives Rinehart can hold up? That we can basically replicate 70% of our drives from last season? Last year since we had 5 pre-season games I understand doing that but in a make or break year for coach and QB, I'd think that he'd be more aggressive in getting the offense a good look with live bullets flying. This was a failure in the game planning and preparing for the season.

Yeah, I don't think Zorn can afford to leave them in that long. Having a lack of depth on the team means that we can't expose our starters to injury in a prolonged stay in a preseason game. The Pats and Eagles are pretty deep teams so they are afforded the luxury of leaving people in there longer.

Also, they don't rely on the output or welfare of one key player, as witnessed when Brady went down. They scheme their roster around their gameplan so the responsibility doesn't just fall to one or two key players.

[Trample the Elderly]

I think they should leave the first team in until they can score a touchdown, eff an injury. If Randy can't play, cut him. If Samuels gets hurt, there should be someone with talent that can step up.

Losers = those who do not win.

Jimmie Johnson = Winner
Tigger Woods = Winner
Pittsburgh = Winners
Lakers = Winners
Obama = Winner
Michael Felps (however you spell his name) = Winner

Big Losers = those who don't win and can't even score a point!

That's how I see it, plain and simple.

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by Skinny Tee

Yeah, I don't think Zorn can afford to leave them in that long. Having a lack of depth on the team means that we can't expose our starters to injury in a prolonged stay in a preseason game. The Pats and Eagles are pretty deep teams so they are afforded the luxury of leaving people in there longer.

Also, they don't rely on the output or welfare of one key player, as witnessed when Brady went down. They scheme their roster around their gameplan so the responsibility doesn't just fall to one or two key players.

Furthermore, Darth Hoody can do whatever the hell he wants in New England (that's what three SBs will do) and is not under the scrutiny that Zorn is by the ownership and the fans. Had Zorn left the starters out there for a couple of more series, and someone had gotten hurt, this forum alone would have blown up with "why the hell did Zorn leave the starters out there" comments.

[Big C]

hagans called for a fair catch on the 5 yard line. wtf? dont care if its preseason, you are vying for a spot on this team as a special teamer. thats unacceptable.

[MTK]

Too early to be making any season long predictions for guys like Barnes.

And can we start spelling Rinehart correctly already? My gawd.

[SmootSmack]

I was more concerned about how the backup DBs (Tryon, Barnes, Dutch, etc) looked frustrated after getting burned. They can't let themselves get down mentally when playing that position. They have to be able to get right back out there as if nothing just happened.

[MTK]

With how shaky the OL has been and the injuries, I think the coaches were overly cautious and didn't want to risk any further injuries to them or to JC. That said I think in the next two games we'll see the starters get an extensive look in these next 2 games.

[Hog1]

While it IS early, I am disappointed what transpired last night. I did not see the game and can only hope that our starters basically did not see the field.
For the good of all, a statement needs to be made with the steelers. We don't necessarily need to win, but our first needs to prove it can do some damage against their first.............
HTTR

[JWsleep]

Disappointing, to be sure, but I'll withhold some judgment until I see more.

We saw that we have some problems in pass D, at least when we leave these guys out on an island. But we're trying to see who will step up, and that's one way to do it. (To say no one stepped up last night is an understatement!)

As for the O, the pass-pro was better than we feared, at least until Devin Clark began to get beaten like a drum. But we did not do much in the run game, which concerns me as well. Of course, the Raisins are one of the best defensive teams in the league, but still.

Overall, though, not scoring ANY points and giving up 500 yards of O is not acceptable in any context. Sure, we can take the positives here (what else is there to do?), but WTF? As a skins fan who lives and dies with this friggin team, I do not want to be subjected to a pathetic beat-down like that in ANY CONTEXT! It's preseason for Baltimore too, but they looked fine. Why did we suck so very bad? Oy.

[JoeRedskin]

It was only a preseason game. But it was only a preseason game for Baltimore also. As others have pointed out, to perform so dismally is disconcerting.

The last time we had a truly poor preseason was in Gibbs 2nd season where expectations were high and the players seemed to have a cavalier attitude about the offense's lack luster performance ("It will be fine in the regular season"). We went on to a losing record. I am hoping this year and the reaction to this preseason game is not a repeat of that debacle.

[freddyg12]

Those teams that played their starters longer on O (philly & NE) likely have fewer bubble players on their rosters that they need to look at for extended periods. For all those that have commented on d. clark's performance, consider it part of the coaches strategy to get some serious looks at these guys. The backup O linemen might be playing a lot this year so they really need to make the right decisions when its time to trim the roster.

[GMScud]

Equipment Manager: Ladell Bettis?? Really?