(10-31-2024, 08:12 AM)flsprtsgod Wrote:

(10-30-2024, 03:25 PM)imtheblkranger Wrote: If Detroit can finally figure it out, we can someday too

Here's the issue: coaching can only take talent so far. It is and always will be Players not Plays in the NFL. It's very, very rare that you change coaches and instantly have a winner, whether that's as a team or as a unit of a team. We brought in Nielsen and made the following changes to the starting defense: Antonio Johnson in for Jenkins, Darnell Savage in at nickel, Ron Darby in for Williams, Erik Armstead in for Smoot (I guess? Who the hell knows at this point), and then some rookies who have barely played so far. Does anyone really believe that an offseason scheme change is going to fix the problem? Really? 

Now, they can fire Nielsen, I'm ambivalent about that, but does anyone expect a coaching change or a scheme change to fix what's broken here? I think you're kidding yourselves if you do. This team has a talent deficit, especially in the defensive line, and no amount of coaching is going to fix it. This says nothing of the two years spent acquiring players built to play 43 and forcing them into 34 then wondering why the 34 isn't working. We can go back to to a guy with Caldwell's style of "keep it all in front and avoid the big play" if we want, or we can keep Nielsen and add actual talent to the roster who can run man, or fire him and replace him with a guy with a similar scheme. In short, I don't think firing Nielsen isn't going to make this all that much better because he's not really the problem; the problem is the roster and until that gets sorted every coach is going to struggle here. The only real hope we have is that Maason Smith and Jordan Jefferson grow up and create a strong interior duo that we can supplement with an additional rotational guy. Fix the middle and you fix most everything else IMO.

This is pretty much the same defense as last year except a few spots.  We had a ton of injuries on D last year as well. We added 2 high to mid draft picks at DT, Armstead, Darby, Savage, a healthy Miller, and added a good slot corner in Jones.  Now we are 15 spots worse than last year.  

 Coaching absolutely makes a masive difference if you get the right guy.  We don't have the talent to be a top 5 D but we have the talent to look much better than we have.  Before the injuries started to stack up on D last year our defense led the league mid season with 15 turnovers.  We are now on place to set the record for the fewest turnovers in NFL history.  Crazy to think coaching doesn't matter lol.  Our core of this defense is still here with actually a few upgrades, Armstead is one big upgrade but the coach plays him out of position and subs his guys in and out like it's a hockey team.  We have an upgrade at nickel as well but it took the coach mid season to figure it out.  If coaching didn't matter teams wouldn't fire coaches every year.  Huge differences when teams get the right coach.

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