Quote:Defensively. People thought this team was being built like the Seahawks. Which is partly true (that's why Bryant, Blackmon, and Clemons came here). Bradley didn't change his scheme nor how the LEO position works on defense. Caldwell has also targeted rather tall secondary players as well for his scheme when you look at guys like Cyprien, Gratz, and McCray. Offensively. I am not sure. I didn't mistake the fact that Caldwell came from ATL. If he was truly molded after the General Manager in SEA this team would be better already. LOL. Just kidding. It is what it is man. Ultimately. If Bradley was brought here to coach up the defense and coach up "cheap" talent, then that was NOT a very good decision by Caldwell or Khan or both.

 

You hire a man you think is capable of leading a team, not an offense, not just the defense, but the team in it's entirety. It's really odd how this usually plays out though when you look at the history of headcoaches that basically got the job off their abilities they displayed on one side of the football.

 

Billick was known for coaching outstanding offenses in the NFL (See the 98' Vikings) - He goes to BAL and is forever remembered for coaching arguably one of the greatest defenses ever for over a pretty solid period of time.

 

Dungy leaves TB for IND - His defense was "okay" but it was ultimately the offense that got him there, an offense he never had in TB.

 

Gruden did virutally the same thing in TB when OAK traded him there - Again, an offensive guru - who, when you look back at the 02' season will be known for it's defense - not the offense (thought it was good that year).

 

Mike Smith comes to mind as well. Mike made a good living here when we had a solid defense. He goes to ATL. And it's honestly the defense there that's held that team back. Not Matt Ryan and that offense.

 

At the end of the day though. It comes down to your Jimmy's and Joe's and not your X's and O's. And I really believe that. With that said. If the coach sees that Jimmy and Joe ain't compatible with his X's and O's. He needs to change something up schemactially in my book. If Gearhart is a North/South runner... stop running pitch plays and sweeps with him. If Robinson is a quick guy that's shifty.... stop lining him up in the I-Formation and expecting him to be Jim Brown. Same goes for any other player on the team.

 

I just don't expect the identity of the team to be the same as the Seahawks if we do become good.  I don't think that's how we'll be perceived.  I'm no longer expecting that kind of defense.   I think Caldwell believes Gus will get creative and scheme around specific talents ("what they do well") which was the basis for his defense in Seattle.  So it's possible that in the end, the defense ends up being nothing like Seattle just because the difference in the personnel.  As far as my theory about developing cheap talent, that was more trying to come up with the advantage of a pass heavy team in hiring a defensive coach, not really an explanation of why they hired him.  

---