(01-14-2025, 10:23 AM)The Real Marty Wrote:

(01-14-2025, 09:47 AM)flsprtsgod Wrote: The defense suffers from Baalke's inability to fit players to the scheme. The Travon Walker pick is the premier case study of this issue, taking a guy #1 who should be playing with his hand down on the end of a 43 line when the scheme calls for him to play linebacker in space. He had two full offseasons to get the right players in here to fit Caldwell's 34 but the guys he brought in just weren't the right guys for that look (ie no true Nose and all lighter linemen like RHH, Foye is a 43 Mike, Lloyd is a bust at ILB, etc.). Then this year we switched to a man-heavy look but we have zone scheme DBs who can't cover on the back end so we've got Johnson and Darby and CIsco getting burned all over the place instead of in position because they aren't man coverage guys. Getting Jarrian helps but clearly not enough, Prince might be a guy in another season but now we don't even know what kind of defense we're going to run next year and we've got all these players who I don't think really fit together in any scheme, some of them signed to long term deals. It's just a mess because the guy bringing in players doesn't understand the concept of "fit", he just goes on his tape measure and hubris to create the previously alluded to Isle of Misfit Toys.

What kind of defensive coordinator tries to force players into his scheme when they don't fit, and then refuses to change his scheme when it is obvious they can't execute it?  And what kind of head coach would sign off on all these player acquisitions, then go out and hire a defensive coordinator whose scheme didn't fit those players?  

Don't let the coaches off the hook.  We had a massive failure in the coaching department.

A coach brought in with instructions to implement his scheme, if they wanted a guy with Caldwell's scheme they would've just kept him. They hired Nielsen on his Man/Attacking plan. Now I can't explain his in game management, but if he'd just said "[BLEEP], these guys can't do this, we're going to do what the last guy did" ya'll would lose your minds. And you're assuming that anyone signed off on those acquisitions, we all know that Baalke ain't working with anyone on that stuff, lol.

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(01-14-2025, 11:34 AM)TheDogCatcher Wrote:

(01-14-2025, 10:49 AM)Caldrac Wrote: Agreed on finding a 5th guy. Have been eyeing Ty Robinson out of Nebraska & Rylie Mills out of Notre Dame as day three picks for this reason.

Better get the memo over to Baalke fast so he can scout them. They might not even be on his radar.

They have short arms, so you're probably right.

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