Ok... so whats really going on?

LTH

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I thought they would beat NY....They didn't. The first thing I noticed is that NY is better than I thought they were.

I think what we are seeing is a team that has a lot of talent, learning a new system on both sides of the ball. They are inconsistant, they are making mistakes all consistant with learning, and being uncomfortable in a new system.

The D is beat up with injury which is why they are not playing to their potential. They are still learning.

The O has a problem with the O line.

We have seen both the offense and defense flash.

Ok... so now is when the coaching staff has to shine. This is a mental as well as physical game. This was an important game coming off a loss to a play off team. They needed to get this win, it didn't happen Mac didn't get his team up enough to win this one at home.

Fortunately the Niners lost. Next week is the biggest game of the year up to this point. This coaching staff has to figure out a way scematically to over come the injuries on D.

Grubb has to figure out schematically how to over come a offensive line that gave up 7 sacks. They have to find a way to get Geno in a rhythm.. maybe that's getting the run game going early so the O line sets the pace for the game.

I think it's about how many games are they going to lose before they get comfortable with the new system and now added on, to get healthy.

it's now about adjusting to the circumstances. How is Mac going to keep the teams head in it? If they lose to the niners it will be 3 in a row. Mac has to stop the skid. Very tough thing to do as a first year coach.

Everybody is learning including the coaching staff. They are learning the players, personalities, tendencies and heart.

I have alway believed the fan base had to high of expectations for this year. Over 9 wins is like way optimistic. This team has the talent to be a very good football team I think they are for real, they just have to grow into their potential.

Thoughts?
 

calinator

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This already feels to me like the type of year where they are mid/below average for most of it but near the end look like they are finally gelling and understanding the system more but it's too late in the year/too early in Mac's regime where we see shades of optimism for the future. Kind of how I felt in 2012/13 year where they fell short against the Falcons in the playoffs.
 

mistaowen

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Anyone objectively looking at this season knew it would take a year or two to get the roster Mike wants to run his scheme. This is still 70-80% Pete's guys who for 4-5 seasons were arguably the worst defense in the NFL. This team does not control the LOS on offense or defense like MM wants to and it will take draft picks and FA signings to fill out the core. I really wouldn't be shocked to see an almost entirely different starting 11 in two years. My issue overall has been the complete lack of physicality. NE, Lions, and now Giants have really pushed the LOS around.
 

calinator

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Anyone objectively looking at this season knew it would take a year or two to get the roster Mike wants to run his scheme. This is still 70-80% Pete's guys who for 4-5 seasons were arguably the worst defense in the NFL. This team does not control the LOS on offense or defense like MM wants to and it will take draft picks and FA signings to fill out the core. I really wouldn't be shocked to see an almost entirely different starting 11 in two years. My issue overall has been the complete lack of physicality. NE, Lions, and now Giants have really pushed the LOS around.
Agree. Although, I see Witherspoon in the least staying and probably Murphy if he can hopefully stay healthy.
 

knownone

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Anyone objectively looking at this season knew it would take a year or two to get the roster Mike wants to run his scheme. This is still 70-80% Pete's guys who for 4-5 seasons were arguably the worst defense in the NFL. This team does not control the LOS on offense or defense like MM wants to and it will take draft picks and FA signings to fill out the core. I really wouldn't be shocked to see an almost entirely different starting 11 in two years. My issue overall has been the complete lack of physicality. NE, Lions, and now Giants have really pushed the LOS around.
This is not even remotely objective. Seattle has turned over nearly half their starters, and most of the remaining starters, Williams, Witherspoon, Woolen, Love, Mafe, etc., are all excellent players, many of whom were extended under MM.

There are no excuses for this defense. They should, at the very least, be a middle-of-the-road unit. If MM can't put that together, we have more significant issues than talent fitting his scheme. They have the talent, and turning this defense around was why Mike was brought in and Pete was sent packing.
 

mistaowen

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Agree. Although, I see Witherspoon in the least staying and probably Murphy if he can hopefully stay healthy.

Yeah Murphy and Spoon are core guys. Mafe was on fire to start, Hall really seems to be making the jump as well. Otherwise.... blank canvas IMO. LB play is poor, DL isn't generating much push and cannot build a wall like the scheme needs. Tre Brown should be competing for his starting job this week in practice. Safeties are meh.
 

mistaowen

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This is not even remotely objective. Seattle has turned over nearly half their starters, and most of the remaining starters, Williams, Witherspoon, Woolen, Love, Mafe, etc., are all excellent players, many of whom were extended under MM.

There are no excuses for this defense. They should, at the very least, be a middle-of-the-road unit. If MM can't put that together, we have more significant issues than talent fitting his scheme. They have the talent, and turning this defense around was why Mike was brought in and Pete was sent packing.

Lol ok. Whole new scheme, DL mostly unchanged, ILB new yes, 1 new safety in an otherwise unchanged secondary. The team that struggled to control the LOS last year still isn't controlling the LOS this year. How is it not objective to look at this and think some more significant changes are coming to how the roster is built?
 

HawkinNY

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Ok ...so are we on the fire MacDonald trip after the first 3 games? This does NOT surprise me in any shape or form.
No but after 3 years of this they should. I don’t blame him though. I blame John. He is not able to draft an offensive lineman except cross. And he brings in guys no team would care to have on their roster to have them be starters. And the secondary allows receivers to catch everything. Watch NY get crushed next week and jones look awful. Cause he’s been bad all year.
 

JPatera76

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The must pivotal and important player on the team is injured.. Murphy...a guy who commands 2 or 3 players on offense to account for him makes that entire defense feast. Without him.. they're the same defense last yr.
 

Rat

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I'm very doubtful that Murphy is being regularly double and triple-teamed with Leonard Williams next to him. I'd be happy to see anything you have that backs that assertion up.
 
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CPHawk

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It’s the age old narrative that games are won in the trenches. Unfortunately JS has struck out a ton on OL draft picks. He’s basically Sean Figgins batting average in the OL dept.
 

DarkVictory23

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Lol ok. Whole new scheme, DL mostly unchanged, ILB new yes, 1 new safety in an otherwise unchanged secondary. The team that struggled to control the LOS last year still isn't controlling the LOS this year. How is it not objective to look at this and think some more significant changes are coming to how the roster is built?
To be fair, the most significant change we made for controlling the LOS was the rookie we drafted in the first round... who was out injured.

One of the best players in that front 7 we retained from the Pete era was Mafe... who was also out injured.


Coming into this game, we were still (even after the Lions game) #1 in pressure rate, #2 in QB knockdown rate, and #3 in Hurry rate. We don't really need to pull the panic alarm just yet.
 

knownone

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Lol ok. Whole new scheme, DL mostly unchanged, ILB new yes, 1 new safety in an otherwise unchanged secondary. The team that struggled to control the LOS last year still isn't controlling the LOS this year. How is it not objective to look at this and think some more significant changes are coming to how the roster is built?
Jenkins, Dodson, Baker, Hankins, and Murphy are all new starters. Williams and Love were both extended after MM was hired. That's seven guys who were brought in or retained because they fit his scheme.

It's not objective to say, "This is still 70-80% Pete's guys," when, in this case, Pete's guys would be the best-performing players on the defense: Mafe, Hall, Williams, Witherspoon, etc. That's an excuse. And while MM will certainly bring in better scheme fits, that's not an excuse for playing historically bad defense. The talent is better than that.
 

BGHawk

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I think they accidentally won a few games, but don't know how they did it. MM..if you sneak in here to read posts..FIGURE IT OUT!!
 

Shane Falco

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I wasn't as hyped as some fans seemed to be on this year's team considering the level of competition up til now aside from Detroit. But I thought we'd really start to see trouble AFTER the Giants game. lol
 
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