Experience is not transferable

[Big Unit]

I'm a football fan, and a parent. Seems to me that this year is a perfect example of one of the more frustrating universal truths, applicable both to children, and to players: Experience is not transferable.

I HATE seeing a DB peek into the backfield, only to get burned; HATE seeing tacklers take the wrong angle, or commit stupid penalties; HATE seeing raw quarterbacks force a pass that just isn't there. Just like I HATE when I see my kids make the same mistakes I did at their age, even though I've warned them against it. I know better - why shouldn't they? I'm sure coaches feel the same way about players - they know better; why shouldn't the players?

I'm sure the first several weeks of this season were incredibly frustrating for Gregg Williams, and for Jeff Fisher; just like seeing my kids make mistakes I warned them about is incredibly frustrating for me.

No rookies anymore, though; not with 13 games under their belts. Experience is not transferable, but now even our new players have a full college season under their belts. They've seen it before, been there before, and are reacting with discipline, and aggression. I like it.

Hope next year we don't have to go through an inexperienced quarterback; hope we'll have only one or two players new to the NFL. Hope my kids are done with their rookie mistakes, too, dammit!

 

[-X-]

It's funny ... when I read your thread title, I thought it was gonna be about how coming into the NFL almost negates what you've learned in college (to an extent) and/or that changing teams (and subsequently systems) can also come with a big of a learning curve. Meaning, the experience you've gained from being on one team or in one system isn't necessarily transferable to a new team or system.

I think we all hate seeing players make mistakes or get burned, but that's part of the chess match between offenses and defenses. While it would be nice to see a QB pull it down and take a sack or throw a ball away in the face of pressure, sometimes it's more advantageous (or even necessary) to try and fit it into a tight window or let your receiver out-muscle or out-maneuver a defender to make a play. It's up to the defensive player or defensive coordinator to figure out how to capitalize on those situations where the pressure generated results in a throw that gives a better chance of making a defensive play. Conversely, sometimes it's up to a defender to take chances when an offense is moving the ball too freely. In zone, for instance, it's a defenders job to get into his area and get his eyes back to the QB as quick as possible while being aware of any receivers coming into his zone. Reading the QB's eyes and jumping routes is what most of these defenders do, so now it's up to the QB and/or OC to find ways to run picks, employ play-action and pump-fakes, crossing routes, drags, etc., to give zone defenders more than one look.

My point being, sometimes the "blame" gets distributed unfairly. Sometimes credit needs to go to the other team for *forcing* mistakes, and sometimes (often times, actually) we have no idea if a receiver ran the right route, or if the protection was executed incorrectly, or if a defender was caught in a pick-route, or if the safety was supposed to provide over-the-top support but was exploited by two looks, etc. And that's why I try not to put players on blast for bad plays or bad games. No player is on an island, because the game changes constantly. By the minute, sometimes, because coordinators are finding new and innovative ways to exploit trends and tendencies based on what's going on during the course of a game. I don't think coordinators get enough credit, and sometimes they get too much blame for what players do on the field - and similarly - what happens to the players as a result of the plays being called and the schemes being employed.

I do, however, agree with you about kids. They'll never get it until and unless they learn the hard way. Which is how we learned too. lol.

 

[Big Unit]

One thing I hope for next year - regardless who our QB is - is that he'll have confidence in our receiver corps. We now have receivers who go after the ball; still have to be smart to not throw into double coverage, but trust the receiver, too. In my opinion, that was part of Sam Bradford's problem - didn't have that level of trust in receivers, once Amendola left. He was too eager to check down, to avoid the big mistake.

All the Rams are smarter, seems to me; but still room for growth, in guys like Ogletree, Greg Robinson, the defensive backfield. Fun to watch them finally "get it". Hope most of learning the hard way is behind them.

And in my opinion, success breeds success. Five inexperienced guys on defense is a train wreck; if it's only one guy, easier to cover for him, so his inexperience mistakes hopefully aren't so costly.

 

[leoram]

Health is not transferable either. When was the last time this team would be considered healthy?

The officials have experience but are seemingly taking to Fishers coaching late in the season?

We wouldn't have two shutouts if not for several Raider and Redskin blunders when they were in scoring position.

And I'm lucky, so far my kids have actually learned from most of my mistakes. Unfortunately, they seem capable of inventing some of their own.