12-24-2018, 06:24 PM
Random thoughts:
Merry Christmas, everyone!
- If we continue to play Richardson in "running downs", then we are going to lose to any run-first team we play. He is TERRIBLE against the run. He takes sides and flies past the hole/runner. He is OK vs. a double-team, but that's only because the double-team keeps him from flying up the field. It's pretty obvious to me that he wants sacks; he's not interested in playing the run. He is our biggest weakness vs. the run.
- The other half of the problem vs. the run has been Zimmer's schemes. For whatever reason (I can't get into the mind of that mad scientist), he has our LBs doing some strange things (especially vs. motion): things that actually take our LBs AWAY from the hole. I didn't see it yesterday (much), but that's probably because he didn't want to put in such complex schemes with a backup LB in there. My suggestion: keep it simple. Let the LBs do their job vs. the run. If there's a team that is fully committed to the run (Chicago, Seattle come to mind), we can't beat them- unless we fix our leaky run defense.
- Xavier got dinged up- again. What is it with him and Waynes? They can't seem to play a whole game without getting hurt (at least for a time). I hope that Rhodes is OK, especially since groin injuries can be difficult to overcome in a short amount of time. Hopefully it is just another example of him tapping out with a minor injury, rather than actually being hurt. I like our DB depth (I'd like it more if Hughes were still around); but I'm not sure we can afford to lose Rhodes or Waynes. Yes, Hill could come in and do OK. And Mack's been good in the slot. But if those 2 are on the field- who's left? I don't think we have anyone behind them- other than maybe using a safety.
- Where has "this" Barr been all year? Again, I think it goes back to Zimmer. For whatever reason, Barr is being allowed to do things (now) that he wasn't doing previously. It seems to me that he was being used as a "traditional" 4-3 LB for most of the season. Now, all of sudden, he's being used like a hybrid 3-4 LB (I know that we still run a version of the 4-3, I'm just making a comparison) or, what I would call a "bandit": he's lining up all over the field and free to make plays. Against 2 bad teams, he has been spectacular. Let's see if he can continue wreaking havoc vs. the Bears.
- Our own running game appears to rely on wearing the other team down. We're not good enough to just run the ball at will and have success (early). We need to keep pounding it... and- eventually- we'll start to see some success with it. But that only works if the game remains close. If we get down early, I'm not sure we can afford to patiently grind it out. Maybe... but we can't let the Bears get too far ahead. They thrive on the errors of other teams. Best case scenario: our defense keeps the Bears to FG's only, giving our OL time to wear down their DL. If that happens, we can do the same thing to the Bears that we did to Detroit.
- The other thing that appeared to help our running game, was some play-action passes on first down. This forced the Lions to be more "honest" on first down. The first few series, we ran it on first down- and it didn't take the Lions long to figure that out. Once we started to mix it up a bit more, the running game became more effective. I'm OK with Zimmer's "run early and often" game plan. But we can't become predictable with it. The "Randy-Ration" didn't work because we didn't have a plan in place for when team's actually doubled Moss. If our whole game plan is just to run it as much as possible, that makes us too predictable- and good teams can stop anything- if they know it's coming.
- I'm still not happy about Cousins. At some point in the year, he turned into a game-manager. That has cut down on the turnovers quite a bit. But it has also turned him into a "check-down first" kind of QB. I realize that guys aren't "open" downfield... but that's what good QBs do: they throw receivers open... and put the ball in a place where only their receivers have the chance to get it. Yep, that means throwing into tight windows. But we don't have the OL to be a smash-mouth, control the clock kind of team. Maybe next year (depending on how much the OL improves), but this year we need a QB who can take the team on his back at times.
- Speaking of the OL: when you hear that there is a holding call, you already know who its on don't you- even before the ref announces it. It's Compton or Remmers. They just aren't good. And during yesterday's broadcast when they announcers said that the team might move Reiff to OG, I wanted to burn down the TCO Center. Remmers was- at least- an average RT. Then they moved him to RG, where he sucks. Why? To make room for Hill? He's in his best spot right now: backup swing player. Why does the team think that they can just move OL to new positions? How often does that work? Can anyone think of a time where an OL switched positions (on any team) and was as good- or better- at the new spot? I can't. Doesn't mean that it hasn't happened... but I can't think of any examples of when it has. Reiff is (slightly?) above average... and O'Neill is doing great. Elf is struggling, which- I hope- is just the result of a missed offseason of strength and conditioning. But our OG's suck. If we don't strive to improve them this year (draft high!), then I might have to start subscribing to NJVike's newsletter.
Merry Christmas, everyone!
