The juice Spoon brings is exactly the ingredient the team needs. When he gets a mic in his face and says that part of the reason he does what he does is because of the coaching and scheme allows him to, it has to sharpen the focus of the other players. And that it what made the team great in the early years - every guy looking around and seeing what the others were doing with their opportunities. It's the competition. Make the system digestible so that guys can just play with their hair on fire.
You know Bryant is looking at Spoon and wondering if the team would have been ad dominant if he was at nickel that night. AND he for sure will approach his next opportunity with an elevated fire in his belly.
Same with Brown. Same with Adams. It becomes contagious, and soon, the defense isn't playing to beat thr opponent, they are playing to each individually be perfect and be the reason the bench clears to cheer, ooh, and ahh at what they've done, and ad a unit, that they become that feared group that no one wants to play.
Yes, the league has changed since 2013, but violence, intensity, ferocious play, and intimidation still count a ton. Especially in a league where physicality has waned, players don't tackle the way they used to and are prone to avoid heavy contact. In thatclimate, a team that can become a wrecking crew, can flourish, regardless of the rules.
Oh, and BTW, it's not like our O does t benefit from the rules changes that favor offenses. AND, we've got some dogs on that side as well.
It is inevitable that this team will challenge for a title very soon.
Pete - thanks for waking up.
John- thanks for stacking the team
Russ - thanks for being you
The 53 that make up this Hawks team - thanks for turning this rebuild into revenge against a league that left you for dead not 13 months ago.