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And are the opportunity areas something that they can improve on this year? Or through FA/Draft in future years?
Offense: B-
OL so improved, maddeningly inconsistent, JJ their north star, hoping for more in the future from ISJ/KJO
Defense: C
Bend dont break
Hopefully will improve with what they got as the year progresses
S.Team: B+
Some great coverages, heads-up play, Joseph is scary as is Wright (but for totally different reasons)
Coaching: A-
I find it hard not to go with an A at 5/1, even with concerns about Donatell
Are we grading relative to the NFL or (on the curve) against recent Viking teams?
Offense a C for me. This was the unit that should be carrying the team and really hasn't so far. Cousins hasn't looked particularly great, new scheme I get it, Running game hit or miss, and other than Jefferson, WRs that are having a hard time getting separation down field.
Defense C
Bend but don't break, the grade is much higher since the D was a big reason for the win on Sunday. This unit wasn't going to get fixed in one offseason.
Special teams. B
Pretty good overall, I would Give Ryan Wright an A as his field position is making other teams have to drive the field to get a score.
Coaching. B+
5-1 for a new staff is great. Will be interesting to see how they adjust in the 2nd part of the season.
In keeping with the school theme....
Offense
Our offense is the brilliant kid who shows so much potential, but is held back by a learning disability.
Defense
The tools and drive are there, but bad parenting and poor discipline result in too many absences and missed assignments.
Special Teams
The kid who, after years of neglect and verbal abuse, ascends to class president. When his election victory is announced at the assembly, the student body stands and slow claps.
Coaching
The new kid from another high school. His name is Sunshine. He's good looking, the chicks dig him and he somehow aces everything. You want to hate him so badly, but damned if he isn't a pretty decent guy too.
Well done @MB, for some odd reason I had flashbacks to Back to the Future reading that....Biff and all
KOC IS the sunshine kid...I hope he keeps on winning cause he's too nice and full of cliches' to digest otherwise.
I agree that the experienced Offense should be carrying the team and it has not - C minus
Defense with so many new starters and players playing in new positions/scheme is sort of what I expected so - C plus
Nice to see a pass rush come to life and the TO's created
ST - Top 5 punt game including coverage and OK Kicking game - B+
Coaching - we are 5-1 and with no great grades above to account for that I guess I have to assign to Coaching - A
We are one of the least penalized teams with the least number of penalized yards and our opponents are the opposite, so in a way, we create mistakes for the opponent.
Then our TO differential of +5 shows favorably on overall coaching. I haven't seen anything great in game or adjustments but the few trick plays called by KOC have been effective as well.
I really think we have benefitted greatly by the mantra "It's not who you play but when you play them". To be 5-1 is very surprising to me but I want to see us build off the pass rush this past weak and the OL to rebound back to prior games and we might start seeing some better progression overall.
Offense- B-
Like others said, this is actually kind of a disappointing unit so far relative to wear I thought they'd be. And it's not even the OL's fault! Wild how much can change in a year in the NFL. Kirk, the WRs, and the run game have been inconsistent, but clutch late. That counts for something.
Defense- B-
Z'darius has been a blessing to this team. Dantzler has been very solid even though he sometimes gets a bad rap from fans. Considering our top 2 draft picks have not contributed, the improvement year over year is good to see. Learning curve with a 3-4 for sure. Unlike with the offense which I still think could reach "A" level by the end of the season, I'm not sure what the ceiling is on this defense for 2022.
Special Teams- B+
Joseph has been okay and Wright has been very good. Coverage and field position have been heavily tilted in our favor so that's been fun. Reagor addition seems kind of meh but maybe the big plays are coming.
Coaching- A-
So far KO and his staff seem like the real deal. Players are having fun and penalties are way down. I will be extremely interested to see how the team comes out after the bye week. You never know on these things but if KO has the gang focused and ready to rock it will be awesome.
O: B-
D: B-
ST: B+
Coaching: B+
5-1 with a lot of home games and a lot of room for improvement.
O: The OL is only going to get better, the questions are can Kirk take command of this offense and can we find an effective running attack
D: Do we make a move for some front 7 help? Can our 2nd round pick and Brian A get on the field for an influx of speed and talent in the second half of the season? We don't need a top 5 defense, but somewhere between 10-15 will get this team deep into the playoffs. Can we swing a deal for one of the Panther DL players? Based on our production from 1st and 2nd round picks this year, and seeing what LA has done building a team, I would give up a first for Burns and slide Hunter to RE in a heartbeat
ST: Joseph is an enigma but I believe in him. Coverage has been great and our PR/KR are threats with the ball
I think this team has a minimum of 6 more wins in them (Arizona, at Washington, at Chicago, at Detroit, vs Indy, vs NE), the rest are 50/50 toss ups
12 wins and the #2 seed overall
Offense (B) - I like the more aggressive approach on offense, but things still feel like a work in progress. They have stretches of looking great and then stretches where they can't move the ball. Sometimes there is bizarre play calling like after a turnover in Miami, they lose 5-yards on an end around with Jefferson and then run up the middle for no gain on 2nd and 15. Jefferson has been incredible, but Thielen has had a slow start and I was hoping to see more consistency out of Osborn. TE play has been a standout part of the offense and the running game has been alright. I like where things are headed and I am hoping that over the next few games things will really start clicking. I also want to call out that this is the best OL they have had for quite a while. They had an off game against Miami, but Darrisaw has been great and Ingram has helped to solidify the right side.
Defense © - I was not sure what to expect with the D transitioning over to a 3-4, but so far the transition has gone better than expected, though they are far from being a dominant group. I still think they need a year or two to get the right personnel for the scheme, but there are encouraging things. I love how the D is opportunistic. They come up with big plays at key moments and situationally play well even if they are not a dominant unit.
Special Teams (B+) - This is the best special teams we've had in a while. Going with Wright at punter was risky, but it's paid off and he arguably helped them win the Miami game. The return game actually has some teeth and the coverage units have been good. There has been some inconsistency with the kicking. Too many 50+ yard FG attempts and missed extra points. Wright has had some inconsistency, but seems like he is getting strong. I also like that they have blocked a FG for the first time in years and going for things like fake punts, which has been refreshing.
Coaching (A) - There has been a dramatic change in situational football. They went from being historically bad at the end of halves to having the top point differential at the end of halves this season. Clock management has been a lot better, which contributes to not giving opposing teams opportunities at the end of halves. Offensive play calling is still a work in progress, but I appreciate that the offense is more aggressive and they are trying to go for first downs and TDs when ahead rather than just trying ti run out clock and kick. The biggest thing has been how disciplined the team is. They are not killing themselves with penalties and if anything we are getting more favorable calls. They have also done a great job of keeping the team healthy. Some of that is luck, but it seems like there approach to resting players during the preseason and having fewer intense practices is resulting in a healthier team so far, though it is worth noting that the Rams who approach things similarly have been plagued with injuries this year. I really feel that coaching has been the biggest reason they are 5-1 this year and are winning close games.
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