Quote:
Originally Posted by mussop
I agree they suck but how are these safeties any different than they were last year? We obviously need to upgrade that area but what difference will that make if they line up in the wrong spot? There is no way you can lay the entire suckiness of our defense on the safeties. They are part of the problem but there are bigger issues involved. It starts with coaching. Richard Smith didnt have this problem with pretty much the same secondary. That aught to tell you something right there.
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I partially agree with you, but partially disagree.
The reason we didn't get beat like this last year is that Bush is running a scheme that asks the Safeties to be more than warm bodies in the running game. With Smith's defense we basically just conceded small and medium gains in an effort to not give up the big play. Now we play upfield on the DL and make actual stops but then give up big runs as well.
Neither approach is right or wrong, they are right or wrong according to personell. And we are playing a style of defense that our personell does not supprt (mainly our entire secondary minus Dunta cannot tackle or hit). This is where I agree with you. Just look at the teams that play aggressive D and who lines up at safety (Polomalu, Reed, Rhodes). And look at the Eagles D that lost Brian Dawkins and kept blitzing.
You will notice in every thread last year calling for Richard Smith's head, I posted about us playing that way because of personell issues. Then you will notice me screaming at the top of my lungs all offseason for a Safety (if not a 1st then something). And you will notice in all of the preseason threads me saying more aggressive is not necessarily better if you give up big plays.
But the truth is no style or scheme works when your players are bad. That is why I would place the blame in this order.
1) Smith/Kubiak for thinking you can play a winning season with these guys.
2) Our Safeties for being terrible
3) And Frank Bush for running a scheme that cannot possible work with these players.