11-27-2018, 11:05 PM
Haven't had the time to post recently so I thought I would do a thought drop on recent games:
- Injuries: One of the things that I think about is how much injuries affects the season. You look at the injury report of the Bears versus the Vikings and it was a stark difference. Likewise, the Packers were decimated this past week. Given the cap, you can't insulate yourself against injury at every position; the roster composition, in many ways is a crap shoot.
- Performance: Another thing that I find interesting in the players who have "disappointed" me versus those who have surprised me. Obviously, it is harder for veterans to keep up their high performance of last year. Moreover, as there is more film on a player, the smart coordinators can find ways to exploit weaknesses learned. Obviously, Barr has been disappointing. I would also add Rhodes and Joseph who both don't seem to be dominating as in recent years. On the other hand, I have seen huge growth in unexpected places. Obviously, Anthony Harris has made a huge jump. I also want to throw this out there, is Alexander now the best blitzing DB on the team? Maybe that is game planing and schemes but he always seems to get there when he blitzes. Likewise, I have to say I think Waynes has developed into the best tackling DB -- even better than Smith. Kearse and Weatherly have also made quite a jump this year. Frankly, I did not expect meaningful contributions from Harris, Alexander, Kearse, Weatherly and O'Neill this year and it is great to see this development. It really shows some great coaching and talent spotting (especially n the defensive side).
- Barr: I don't see Barr on the team next year and I see Kendricks sliding over to his position and moving a thumper inside (Gedeon?). I think Kendricks have the tools to take Barr's place and he does get washed out in the running game at times because of his size.
- Cousins: I like Cousins and think he is a ore than capable QB. He can make incredible throws and reads defenses well, Where he falls short, to me, is the field of his perception. Basically, he can lock into one plane of action and does not process other planes. So, he process the defensive pass defense very well; his mind focuses on defense position, etc. But, when doing so, his mind does not process what is happening immediately around himself. That is why his pocket presence is seen as poor and he gets passes blocked. The best QBs are able to both focus on the defensive backfield/WRs and the pocket at the same time. He just doesn't have that ability to split his attention. That is fine, but RS must recognize that and make it so Cousins doesn't need to process the pass rush so often.
- Saints/Rams: Of the two, I would rather face the Saints in the playoffs. Remembering the games, I thought the Vikes played the Saints closer and absent some bad luck and injuries, would have beaten them. The rams, on the other hand......