Can MacDonald fix these players?

[CallMeADawg]

He doesn't have enough experience to be a head coach IMO.

LTH

Yet Ravens fans are in tears because they lost their heir apparent head coach they prefer over the one they actually have.

This is the worst take I've seen. Not a single source on this matter would come anywhere near agreeing with you.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

I read how guys who the Ravens brought in as free agents had career years this year. One example was Clowney. Based on that I am keeping the faith that we have guys who will do well with him in charge.
If he has a reputation like that, that could also make Seattle an attractive landing spot for defensive free agents to come taking a cap friendly "prove it" deal.

 

[CallMeADawg]

I read how guys who the Ravens brought in as free agents had career years this year. One example was Clowney. Based on that I am keeping the faith that we have guys who will do well with him in charge.
If he has a reputation like that, that could also make Seattle an attractive landing spot for defensive free agents to come taking a cap friendly "prove it" deal.

If Van Noy and Clowney want to come here with Mike, and at a friendly price, I'm down with bringing them in. Both had an incredible year for the Ravens

 

[chris98251]

Well new regime and coaching style will put everyone on their A game, it also depends on who he brings in as position coaches, teachers of the techniques that were taught in Baltimore, guys not willing to learn should be gone, he looks like he can be very intense also.

 

[12forlife]

"1. Brooks - I hope we just let him walk in free agency. He was mostly terrible and I think someone is going to overpay him. Please don't let it be us."

Is this what most of you guys and girl or three think about Brooks? I think it's amazing he was ready to go at the beginning of the season after the ACL and played well. Look out next season

Brooks is a tackling machine, that's not the argument. The reason Brooks is not a good LB is he is to much chase and tackle. He doesn't play downhill with enough anticipation, to much read and not react quickly enough, and finds himself blocked out of the play. He is also dog water in coverage. We can find a cheaper option in the draft/FA with the same or better production imo.

 

[Chevy]

Brooks is a tackling machine, that's not the argument. The reason Brooks is not a good LB is he is to much chase and tackle. He doesn't play downhill with enough anticipation, to much read and not react quickly enough, and finds himself blocked out of the play. He is also dog water in coverage. We can find a cheaper option in the draft/FA with the same or better production imo.

That's probably due to scheme. Too much read and react is also on the defensive coordinators scheme.

 

[chris98251]

Agreed keeping it all in front of you leads to chasing a lot, shooting gaps and reading tends to make you play more down hill.

 

[projectorfreak]

They will thrive until coach realizes that they do or don't give enough of whatever it takes to do so
These guys were not merely scrubs the hawks took and a lot of em were highly regarded but coaching had their way and now we have a new coach so give it A COUPLE SEASONS AND WE'LL FIND OUT lol
Go Hawks
Nobody knows , not even coach . only one who does is the players

 

[LTH]

Yet Ravens fans are in tears because they lost their heir apparent head coach they prefer over the one they actually have.

This is the worst take I've seen. Not a single source on this matter would come anywhere near agreeing with you.

I just think they need to find a really experienced OC.

Glad I could bring a smile to your face. I'm not expecting immediate success. Doesnt mean it's not going to work out in the long term. I'm curious to see how JS supports him.

LTH

 

[CallMeADawg]

I just think they need to find a really experienced OC.

Glad I could bring a smile to your face. I'm not expecting immediate success. Doesnt mean it's not going to work out in the long term. I'm curious to see how JS supports him.

LTH

The Ravens and Michigan both run his defense and were both #1 in the country.

I think he's going to be just fine. I'm guessing you pulled your opinion that he's too inexperienced out of thin air. Unless of course you want to share the source of this ridiculous take?

 

[Parallax]

I imagine Jones, Woolen and Spoon will thrive under MacDonald. Others too. Adams, Diggs and Wagner are gone. Others will depend on price. I don't see this coach overpaying. He's shown he can do a lot with guys on less expensive or "prove it" contracts.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Brooks as he stands is not a great fit for MacDonald's scheme. Brooks coverage skills are very bad, he's a huge liability here. MacDonald likes rangy LB's that are capable of executing complex zone reads. Another issue with Brooks that there is a lot of hesitation in his game. He's not great at attacking and shrugging off defenders. He's always a half step slow to read the situation.

Another thing worth noting is Patrick Queen turned things around immediately when Roquan Smith entered the building.

 

[RiverDog]

1. Jodyn Brooks
   Brooks were better than Queen, until MacDonald/
2. Darryl Taylor
   Dude had holes in his game, but .....
3. Tariq Woolen
   Pro-bowler in year one but seriously regressed
4. Dre'mont Jones
   Can he be a probowler?
5. Devin Bush
   Former first rounder.

Just a FYI, here's PFF's positional rankings for the above players:

Brooks: 69th amongst 82 ranked LB's.

Taylor: 103rd amongst 112 edge defenders.

Woolen: 52nd amongst 127 cornerbacks.

Jones: 55th amongst 130 interior defenders.

Bush: Didn't get enough snaps to qualify for a ranking, but his individual rating was pretty bad, 57.5 overall, just above Jordyn Brooks' 57.3.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Yet Ravens fans are in tears because they lost their heir apparent head coach they prefer over the one they actually have.

This is the worst take I've seen. Not a single source on this matter would come anywhere near agreeing with you.

The old "experience" card. For the 733rd time......EVERY coach in the history of the NFL was a Rookie HC at some point. ALL of them.

 

[RiverDog]

I imagine Jones, Woolen and Spoon will thrive under MacDonald. Others too. Adams, Diggs and Wagner are gone. Others will depend on price. I don't see this coach overpaying. He's shown he can do a lot with guys on less expensive or "prove it" contracts.

Witherspoon is such a good talent that IMO he'd thrive under any system. Jones could definitely benefit from a new system as he was a solid player in Denver. No matter what system he's in, Woolen needs to learn how to tackle.

Adams is obviously a goner. Don't let the door hit ya where the Good Lord split ya! He might hold onto Diggs. It's hard to see them hanging onto Taylor and Brooks.

The nice thing about having a new regime in charge is that they don't feel the urge to try to save face and avoid admitting that they made a mistake on a trade or draft pick. It didn't take Pete too long to jettison Aaron Curry. IMO we won't see the turnover like we had on our last regime change, but it's still going to be significant. Guys like Brooks and Taylor are dead wood.

 

[SeaWolv]

1. Brooks - I hope we just let him walk in free agency. He was mostly terrible and I think someone is going to overpay him. Please don't let it be us.

2. Taylor - I have absolutely no hope for him anymore. I'm not saying cut him, but I'd go about free agency and the draft as if he's not going to play a contributing role. Anything he produces is a bonus.

3. Woolen - I don't think he really needs to be "fixed", he just needs to heal. The offseason should be good for him.

4. Dre'Mont - I think he'll thrive under MacDonald as much as anyone on the defense. This is an excellent hire for his chances of improvement from a so-so season.

5. Bush - Another free agent. He was a force as a rookie with the Steelers, but I think injuries took a lot from him. I think coaching will only do so much. I'd take him back at a modest salary though.

Jordyn Brooks - PFF grade 57.3
Darrell Taylor - PFF grade 50.9
Riq Woolen - PFF grade 67.1
Dre'Mont Jones - PFF grade 61.7
Devin Bush - PFF grade 57.5 ()

Looks like PFF agrees with your Woolen assessment. Jones and Bush seem to be borderline and may be better as depth signings. Brooks and Taylor appear to be just bad, as you said.

A couple of other borderline defensive players per PFF Grades:
Jarran Reed - PFF grade 63.5
Quandre Diggs - PFF grade 55.1

 

[WarHawks]

I'm especially looking forward to seeing how double M helps Woolen, Spoon, Taylor and Brooks develop. If they can take big steps forward that will be a huge improvement.

 

[SeaWolv]

I'm especially looking forward to seeing how double M helps Woolen, Spoon, Taylor and Brooks develop. If they can take big steps forward that will be a huge improvement.

I agree with Rat, Taylor and Brooks need to go.

 

[SoulfishHawk]

Taylor, yes. Brooks? Hell no.

 

[Rat]

I agree with Rat

What a dark timeline we're living in...