(12-05-2022, 09:15 AM)Caldrac Wrote:

(12-05-2022, 09:08 AM)carp8dm Wrote: That pass rush is so freaking bad.  It needs to be fixed.  I think Lovie Smith is out in Houston at the end of the season.  Hire him as the new DC.  I bet he can turn around our D into at least some respectability. 

Here's the thing, the DC is so freaking bad, I'm not sure what we have in terms of our defense.  Compare how god aweful our offense was last year with how good they look this year.  Every week, the offense has some new added play that I haven't seen before.  Yesterday, there were 2 really good plays, one a run play and the other a pass route that looked like they just installed it for this week.  The offense is improving each week.

Now compare that with the defense.  They are getting worse by the week.  The defense looks pedestrian, and honestly I feel like Caldwell is in over his head.  He seems like a good guy, but damn, this isn't working out.  He's got to go.  With that said, I think if we bring in a capable Defensive Coordinator, a Lovie Smith, and you give him an offseason I think he can do what Pederson did with the offense.  Trayvon Walker and Devon Lloyd played extrememly well the first 6 weeks or so of the season.  They have completely gone off the rails since.  I gotta believe that there's some disconnect between the DC and these players.  This is Caldwell's first season as a DC, it didn't work out.  Let's move and get an experienced DC.  Houston is going to fire Lovie Smith after this season, when they do, we should hire him immediately.

Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer make the most logical sense to me in Jacksonville. Spielman is just doing analytical work for a sports network/company and Zimmer is doing analytical work over at Jackson St. Deion Sanders is now in Colorado so it seems like you'll be seeing a lot of departures from there.

The fact that Spielman was here earlier in the year for a potential role at an executive level and the fact that Baalke has invested all of this cap space and draft capital over the last two years for this end result on defense? Just unacceptable. Pederson has elevated the offense, he's made Lawrence a lot more competent with his play calling.

However, when the offense has captured a lead or two late this defense manages to fold under pressure by failing to add the needed pressure to get their opponents off the field. I think these two moves are vital to this team's success. There's nothing on Baalke's track record that would lead you to believe that he has a knack for finding offensive talent and he's mismanaged the one area where he was decent at in San Francisco with the defensive moves.

He needs to go. That's the number one need now. He needs to go. Spielman needs to be implemented before free agency begins and Mike Zimmer needs to be brought in to breakdown the film, analyze the players and determine if they can go 4 - 3 or stick with the 3 - 4 in 2023. Either way he can coach the defense to a competent unit.

You're not gonna get me to defend Baalke.  His overall performance has not been good, and I'm sure there are plenty of executives that Pederson could get to come on board here that would be an upgrade from Baalke.  Baalke has more misses than hits in terms of draft.  But his free agency work may keep him here for another year.  (You gotta give him credit for Zay Jones and Kirk, and I guess Engram has been an upgrade, not to mention Ridley's acquisition may be a game changer).  I just don't see us firing him for at least another year.  

If we do, great!  But even with Baalke gone, Caldwell has to go too.

Dude, Walker and Lloyd were playing with their hair on fire for the first month or so.  They were getting to the QB, they were doing well in zone coverage, they were playing fast and loose.  Over the past 8 games...  They look like complete scrubs out there, hell Lloyd hardly take any snaps now and in September/early October we were singing his praises!

Both players have regressed and they were 1st rounders that started the season hot.  You can't blame Baalke for the way Llyod and Walker have fallen off.  I hope Pederson recognizes this and at least upgrades the DC.

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