Jim Haslett

[TheMalcolmConnection]

I feel like a lot of hate for Jim Haslett has been based on a simple stat. People see his Pittsburgh defenses drop year after year, but that doesn't tell the whole story. Wasn't Dallas the worst defense in the league last year? I think the Eagles were almost as bad. There are a thousand more factors that make for a bad defense (or offense). I have a hard time thinking that a coaching change would have had more than subtle improvement. It's a happy medium of personnel and coaching. How many times have you ever seen someone say, "Wow, that's a top 3 defense, but they're ranked in the bottom five. That's GOT to be a coaching issue."? That's rare. And if you want to quote stats from NFL.com or ESPN.com make sure you tell the whole story. The Bills were top ten, but you don't exactly have to go nuts yardage-wise to beat them. The Eagles won the division, but teams had to throw a shit ton to catch up.

Not saying Haslett is a great coach, but I'm not saying he's a bad coach either. We're all too quick to say, "Wow, well if Wade Phillips comes in here, he'll make that 3-4 work!"