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- May 25, 2013
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The rose colored glasses of the silly season are out in full force, like Wayfarers on the beach. Every draft pick looks like a genius move, free agents fill every hole from the previous roster, and the coaches all have expert pedigrees that point the team toward stardom. I read all the same reports from 32 teams with a jaundiced eye.
But the real groundwork for success in the NFL this time of year lies in the hands of the coaches. How the leadership teaches and plans development is the critical factor now that rosters have been formed. Injuries can derail even the best laid plans and it's how the depth is developed now that will make or break a season filled with inevitable losses. Good teams make sure the next man up is ready and won't be the weak link that the opposition can exploit and wreck a gameplan.
The greatest difference between last year's regime and the current staff led by Sean McVay is a focus on teaching methods that support a simpler, sounder system. Let's begin with the defense. Gregg Williams is a good coach but inferior to Son of Bum. Williams (like Haslett) is a gambler who crafts impact plays that at times creates confusion for the offense, but too often confuses his own players. He preaches passion and accountability. He will use techniques that will either motivate a man to greater things (Ogletree) or push them to the brink of quitting (Joyner). I suppose if all 11 players sell out on every play, they could overcome Williams' propensity for getting out-coached (see Niners, Bucs, Lions, Saints, 2nd Cards game, Patriots, Falcons) as a playcaller, but I was consistently disappointed more in the scheme than I was with the players last year. I believe Fisher and the players would agree. In contrast, Phillips is a teacher first and foremost. He's more interested in focusing on the fundamentals of the game than on supporting a bounty system, encouraging players to get in the opponents heads, or turning the men into wild dogs who care only how far they can bend the rules. Phillips engenders trust and builds men up to care about their assignments within a scheme that has solutions for most of the problems an offense will pose. He has a tried and true teaching method that supports his system and allows the players to build on their strengths and mask their deficiencies.
Yet as much of a disparity as there is between Williams and Phillips, the potential excitement everyone feels about this team centers on the competence being displayed on the offensive side of the ball. How many times did each of us see the offense line up and in our hearts we knew the play was doomed to failure before the snap of the ball and then watch in horror as they ran the exact play we knew was coming and get the same results we saw dozens of times in the past? Did Boras ever establish an identity for the offense beyond ineptitude? There were some flash plays and stretches where it appeared that success was possible, but I've never seen fewer on a Ram team and I go back to the 60's. In contrast, McSnead began by hiring proven quarterback coaches, an OLine coach that produced the #1 rushing attack in football, and followed that by plugging the chasm at LT with an All-Pro, acquiring a couple accomplished route runners, drafting a potential difference maker at TE, moving OLine players to positions where they have a chance to succeed, and taking a QB who felt "lost" for an entire year and making him feel "confident" and capable in what he's learned so far.
While i realize I'm wearing something now that makes everything look rosy, allow me to set down my shades and take a breath. While everything that's happened since Sean was hired is an undeniable improvement, the game of football is so complex and injuries can derail even the best of teams (imagine the consequences of losing Donald, Tree, Johnson, Goff, Whitworth, or Gurley). As raw as the TE position is, as long as it takes for a passing game to develop chemistry, as long as it takes for an OLine to form cohesion, and as long as it takes for a second year QB in a new system to develop the mental acuity to outthink defensive coordinators with decades of experience in tricking signal callers, is how long it will take to elevate this team to the heights we all expect to see.
So while we may have to wait a year for the plan to develop, at least we can enjoy the progress and process that is now in place.
But the real groundwork for success in the NFL this time of year lies in the hands of the coaches. How the leadership teaches and plans development is the critical factor now that rosters have been formed. Injuries can derail even the best laid plans and it's how the depth is developed now that will make or break a season filled with inevitable losses. Good teams make sure the next man up is ready and won't be the weak link that the opposition can exploit and wreck a gameplan.
The greatest difference between last year's regime and the current staff led by Sean McVay is a focus on teaching methods that support a simpler, sounder system. Let's begin with the defense. Gregg Williams is a good coach but inferior to Son of Bum. Williams (like Haslett) is a gambler who crafts impact plays that at times creates confusion for the offense, but too often confuses his own players. He preaches passion and accountability. He will use techniques that will either motivate a man to greater things (Ogletree) or push them to the brink of quitting (Joyner). I suppose if all 11 players sell out on every play, they could overcome Williams' propensity for getting out-coached (see Niners, Bucs, Lions, Saints, 2nd Cards game, Patriots, Falcons) as a playcaller, but I was consistently disappointed more in the scheme than I was with the players last year. I believe Fisher and the players would agree. In contrast, Phillips is a teacher first and foremost. He's more interested in focusing on the fundamentals of the game than on supporting a bounty system, encouraging players to get in the opponents heads, or turning the men into wild dogs who care only how far they can bend the rules. Phillips engenders trust and builds men up to care about their assignments within a scheme that has solutions for most of the problems an offense will pose. He has a tried and true teaching method that supports his system and allows the players to build on their strengths and mask their deficiencies.
Yet as much of a disparity as there is between Williams and Phillips, the potential excitement everyone feels about this team centers on the competence being displayed on the offensive side of the ball. How many times did each of us see the offense line up and in our hearts we knew the play was doomed to failure before the snap of the ball and then watch in horror as they ran the exact play we knew was coming and get the same results we saw dozens of times in the past? Did Boras ever establish an identity for the offense beyond ineptitude? There were some flash plays and stretches where it appeared that success was possible, but I've never seen fewer on a Ram team and I go back to the 60's. In contrast, McSnead began by hiring proven quarterback coaches, an OLine coach that produced the #1 rushing attack in football, and followed that by plugging the chasm at LT with an All-Pro, acquiring a couple accomplished route runners, drafting a potential difference maker at TE, moving OLine players to positions where they have a chance to succeed, and taking a QB who felt "lost" for an entire year and making him feel "confident" and capable in what he's learned so far.
While i realize I'm wearing something now that makes everything look rosy, allow me to set down my shades and take a breath. While everything that's happened since Sean was hired is an undeniable improvement, the game of football is so complex and injuries can derail even the best of teams (imagine the consequences of losing Donald, Tree, Johnson, Goff, Whitworth, or Gurley). As raw as the TE position is, as long as it takes for a passing game to develop chemistry, as long as it takes for an OLine to form cohesion, and as long as it takes for a second year QB in a new system to develop the mental acuity to outthink defensive coordinators with decades of experience in tricking signal callers, is how long it will take to elevate this team to the heights we all expect to see.
So while we may have to wait a year for the plan to develop, at least we can enjoy the progress and process that is now in place.
