They have to fix special teams. Improve KO return by kneeling. KNEELING. Take the free 25 yards. Improve field position by not fielding punts inside the 10. Fair catching anything 10-20. Open field tackling...I don't know how to improve that. Practice? These are professionals right? Beat a block and make the tackle or force a fair catch. Yes the offense and defense have problems too. They just aren't as blatantly obvious.
The NFL doesn't want kick returns. They are begging the teams to kneel it, and giving them the ball at the 25 should be a decent incentive. However, I predict that more teams will do what the Patriots did last week... kicking a pop-up kick with hang-time to be fielded within the 5, and there will be zero chance of the returner getting to the 25. Of course, requires a really good kicker to do that and you have to have faith in your coverage teams.
That's the big thing. It's back fired for the NFL. They set the rule to have it brought out to the 25 if kneeled, but more teams are opting for shorter kick offs to force the returner to bring it out.
If they didn't see this coming as a result of their new rule, then Goodell & Co. are even dumber than we thought.
Remember when firing Joe Marciano was going to fix the special teams? Joe Marciano, Bob Ligashesky, Larry Izzo...
Did they all fall short of the goalline though? I feel like there's been plenty of kneeling opportunities but that's gut feeling not statistical. Punt returns are still a gut sinking proposition too. And forget coverage units lol the Chiefs game was a matter of time before they broke one. They couldn't get off blocks or wrap up to save anything.
Special teams is a function of overall talent on the roster. When you whiff on mid round picks, and you have to use late round picks and street free agents as starters, guess who compromises the special teams unit?
Like who? Brock? Hardly... you see what Tannehill and Kapernick signed for? The Texans were routinely in cap hell under Kubiak. Having to let go half of the O-line (much better players than Jones/Brooks), having to start all rookies in the secondary... plenty of WTF blunders in that regime's decision making.
Well Kaep got 13 million guaranteed, Tannehill 21.5M, and Osweiler 37M. I don't think Brock is better than Tannehill, certainly not almost twice as good. Also Lamar Miller is the 4th highest paid RB by guaranteed money. I like the guy but that's laughable. Not every move is bad, Mercilus, Joseph were good signings. But only takes a couple of really bad moves to make your team stuck in mediocrity
Their cap situation is fine.... as opposed to the Kubiak era that suffered because just when the team finally acquired enough talent to get good, it took 2-3 years too long which required cutting viable/productive members of the offense. I have no problem with the Texans replacing Brooks/Jones with Allen/Martin. Cushing, Brown, Joseph will all leave at the right time... as did Foster/AJ80. Even the Brock contract is easily escapable. Also, it should make enough sense as to why the Texans had to pay Brock (or any FA QB) what they did... not sure who else you wanted them to pay. Fitzpatrick?
I'm not really arguing the Kubiak cap situation was good. Honestly I don't remember but those teams had a lot of talent
And they went 8-8, 8-8, 9-7, 6-10 with it. Do you honestly not remember that either? Like I said, took them 2 years too long. The 6-10 season disappointed me more than the fluke-ish 2-14 one, mainly because it reeked of hubris and wishful thinking. Also, you're trying to say their current cap situation is bad... when its not.
I'm not saying the current cap situation is bad, I'm saying they've wasted too many picks and now way overpaid a couple guys. I think it will haunt us later but we'll see
If that's not painting an ominous cloud over their cap situation, what is? What are you trying to say? Its the NFL... "overpaying" guys means nothing in terms of long-term haunting. They've also hit on a huge percentage of early round picks... including McKinney who is really thriving in this system (definitely a breath of fresh air over injured Cushing and useless Brooks Reed).
Tackling is our biggest problem in general. Those Lagarette Blount and Brisset TDs were a damn shame.
