Last year when it was mostly Kubiaks roster. Imo its the choice of players where BOB really screwed up. He's probably on OK coach when he has a good roster.
That's typically how the GM/Coach duties are split. The coach is in charge of who plays, when they play, and how they play. The GM controls who is removed from and added to the available player pool. Naturally they have have input to each other on their decisions ('i like this guy! draft him!' or 'i hate this guy! cut him!'), but the buck ultimately stops with each of them in their respective roles. Both of them have failed miserably this year, but if this split of duties is true, then Rick Smith has been failing a lot a worse for a lot longer than BOB has.
Not buying it. Take a look at last years depth chart and this year's. Very few differences. Major differences QB change, healthy/injured Foster, and Myers retirement. You could argue every other change is a better player. 2014 Fitzpatrick Foster Prosch Graham Johnson Hopkins/Martin Brown Su'a-Filo Myers Brooks Newton Watt Powe Crick/Pagan Clowney Reed Cushing Dent Jackson Joseph Swearinger Lewis 2015 Hoyer Blue Prosch Fiedorowicz/Graham Hopkins/Shorts Washington/Strong Brown Aboushi Jones Brooks Newton Watt Wilfork Crick Clowney Mercilus Cushing Dent Jackson Joseph Moore Demps
The defense is a complete disaster. How did it go from what it was last year, to this? Vince Wilfork, Clowney... Did Joseph fall off a talent cliff.... is Cushing really that slow...Did Brooks Reed leaving matter? I'm not saying its coaching but I'm having a hard time believing that there isn't a problem in the locker room. Hard Knocks, Bobby O sucking, they are a joke. They got blown out twice in seven weeks. Mallet, it must have been Mallet, damn looker room cancer!!! At least the tailgating is still good.
That's the problem... i wouldn't be surprised if this is the case within their offices either. Nobody has a clearly defined role. Is Rick Smith the GM or just a figure head? Is BOB the coach or GM and Coach? If Rick Smith is, in fact, the GM, then he should to be in charge bringing in the players. Either figure out what style of play will produce a winning product and hire a coach that will accept and coach according to those methodologies, or figure out the style/methodology the coaching staff has been successful with using in the past, and find the players that fit that mold.
Not only that, but every coach has to reload through draft and free agency to some extent annually. BOB aggressively trading up is a big reason for depth problems. For the analytical NFL types, trading up is generally seen as a bad thing, for what it's worth. And the backups too. Most of bobs are completely worthless
So are you making the argument that the new starters are worse than their predecessors? I believe that Lewis is way better than Demps. Fitz marginally better than Hoyer/Mallet. But the rest, I think the 2015s are better players. Obviously Foster >>>> Blue but can't blame BOB for injuries. You could argue with a healthy Foster we are 4-3. Can't expect BOB to replace Foster after the draft occurred and FAs signed. Just bad luck.
Clutch is saying the BOB picked these guys over last year's guys. These are his guys. My point is that the new starters, picked by BOB are playing worse than the ones from last year. If those guys were better, then why let them go and replace them with worse players? And Demps replaces Swearinger and Moore replaces Lewis in theory. But they don't use a strong safety often like other teams do.
I have seen this play out before. I think Rick may survive the off season but if next year sucks then he will be sacrificed to give BO'B a fourth year maybe even a fifth I think at the end of this season some Coordinators will be put on the block first though BO'B: Please mighty Football Gods. . . . take this Sacrifice so I may coach one more year in the NFL!!! Romeo: hey! What the hell is going on here!!! BO'B: Sorry Ro . . . 2016 will be my year. . .I CAN FEEL it .. . .but I have to make a sacrifice to get a shot at it .. . Romeo: WAIT!! Uhm!! Rocket River
On Hard Knocks, even though they agreed, it was more Rick Smith "agreeing" with O'Brien than it was the other way around.
Everything we are hearing (from the team, not speculation from blog posts and message boarders) actually makes Rick Smith look better not worse. I think he's going to be gone but the coaching HAS got to improve.
