Isn't Cornerback as Big a Need as OL?

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Angry

Tripp, I know that you watch the games more than once as do I. Even in the games that they get burned on double moves they make outstanding plays in the secondary in other parts of the game. Sometimes when you make big plays it also makes you vulnerable to big plays and I think that is the problem that everyone is having. To say that they have only played well in a couple of games goes beyond stretching the truth.

It's impossible to separate how much of the preparation for the game is Gray/Blache, and how much is just Rogers and Hall and Landry not being physical with the receivers. I'm not trying to do that.

I'm saying this group is a very reactive bunch. They never look like they have any idea what they are running. And it has an adverse effect on the outcome of plays. I'm not disagreeing with you that there's no talent here, or that they aren't underachieving to an extent.

But in Blache's defense (and Gray's), scheming for Rogers/Smoot and Hall runs into the same problem that the Raiders did when they were trying to scheme for Asomugha and Hall. Rogers may not be a great player, but he did have a great season in 2008, and a great half season in 2007. When Hall was getting absolutely smoked in Oakland, he was doing so because of man coverage scheme and reactive zones that were playing to the strengths of the Oakland secondary...because it allows Nnamdi to take away a side of the field. Hall was a fish out of water there. And, frankly, we were running the exact same scheme.

We're not running the same scheme at all this year. Everything we've done since the bye week has been cover two, cover three, quarters, quarter-half, stuff that makes Hall comfortable because he doesn't have underneath coverage responsibility. And we've taken our best defensive player in the secondary, and have completely marginalized him. We've taken Landry, and have exposed him to primary zone coverage responsiblities and restricted him. And worse of all, we've taken Smoot, and given him something to think about out there.

The film sees a complete disaster. I think there's more to it that that, but there needs to be some sort of tear down before we can rebuild. If Hall is going to be the centerpiece, then fine, get rid of everyone else. Get rid of Landry, of Rogers, of Moore, of McIntosh, of Fletcher and draft zone coverage players. We need a new scheme, and a new page, but there also has to be a talent shift.