(10-23-2017, 03:57 PM)Last42min Wrote: I'm not convinced it's depth. I think it's better coaching, both in terms of individual preparedness and in-game adjustments.

This, the absolute 180 turnaround with mostly the same personnel speaks volumes to the adjustment in scheme to fit the players rather than vice versa with Gus Bradley  . We do have more depth than I've seen since that 2007 playoff run.

In 2007 we had a few injuries where people stepped up; Marcus Stroud has a knee injury but Rob Meier and Derek Landri really stepped up at the DT spot next to Henderson. Mike Peterson went down and we had Daryl Smith kick inside and Justin Durant step into a full time role on the weakside to keep rolling. Garrard missed a 3 game road stretch where Quinn Gray came in and went 2-1 against some tough teams. Chris Naeole actually went down during the stretch Quinn Gray started and Maurice Williams (who was a RT before we signed Pashos that offseason) came off the bench to man the RG spot and played realllyyyy well for us the rest of the way. Finally IIRC the SS we had to start the year Gerald Sensabaugh? went down and Sammy Knight played lights out as an over 30 veteran to keep us in the hunt and was instrumental in a few close victories. I think we had John Carney fill in for Scobee for a few games to start the season after Scobee was injured during pregame warmups vs. the Titans week 1. 

That 2007 year saw us have a boatload of injuries but people just kept stepping up and playing above their heads and the results were spectacular. While our current depth is fantastic, that 2007 year was really something in terms of depth!

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