Kliff Kingsbury. Your review of him after year one?

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DVontel

DVontel

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Thanks for the support on the early opinion of KK. I'll say this though, for all of the people who think I hate Kyler, his compact release and ability to move make me feel he can succeed in systems outside of the Air Raid. Now, my opinion is that he ends up more like a Stafford or Rivers if he continues his current path, or could end up as "bad" as Winston/Mariota's early run of things. Stafford/Rivers would be quite alright with me. I'd buy his jersey and enjoy some football.
You say you don’t hate Kyler, but you say this. Smh.
 

slanidrac16

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Thanks for the support on the early opinion of KK. I'll say this though, for all of the people who think I hate Kyler, his compact release and ability to move make me feel he can succeed in systems outside of the Air Raid. Now, my opinion is that he ends up more like a Stafford or Rivers if he continues his current path, or could end up as "bad" as Winston/Mariota's early run of things. Stafford/Rivers would be quite alright with me. I'd buy his jersey and enjoy some football.
The fact that everyone on this offense now has a year under their belt as well as the adjustments Kk has made all indications point to an uptick in production.

We will add some pieces to the offense but unless we add some significant help on defense I would not expect more than an 8-8 season.
 

Totally_Red

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Gotta use Johnson more in passing situations and sub both running backs in for Drake occasionally. This isn't Texas Tech. It's a long NFL season and rotating
running backs increases their longevity and keeps them fresh for the fourth quarter. It doesn't hurt to sub a running back to see if he does better ---and then ride
the 'hot hand'.

Overall he gets a B from me for his willingness to accept input from players and staff and adapt to the NFL. He has a bright future if he retains those attributes.
Toward the end, B.A. was very set in his ways and wore out his welcome IMO. (see Amos Jones situation).
 

slanidrac16

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Gotta use Johnson more in passing situations and sub both running backs in for Drake occasionally. This isn't Texas Tech. It's a long NFL season and rotating
running backs increases their longevity and keeps them fresh for the fourth quarter. It doesn't hurt to sub a running back to see if he does better ---and then ride
the 'hot hand'.

Overall he gets a B from me for his willingness to accept input from players and staff and adapt to the NFL. He has a bright future if he retains those attributes.
Toward the end, B.A. was very set in his ways and wore out his welcome IMO. (see Amos Jones situation).
I think part of DJ’s problem is he is not very smart at picking up offensive assignments . Even when Ariana was here it was brought up. Missed assignments with Wills and now with a Kingsbury. Smart coaches aren’t going to let mental mistakes be the cause of a play to fail.
 

Zeem_Freeze

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“Didn’t win at the college level”

Don’t care 1 bit.... what makes you successful in college football (recruiting and facilities) literally doesn’t exist in the NFL....

Foolish to compare the two.

Solid B on my grade of KK
 

CardsSunsDbacks

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“Didn’t win at the college level”

Don’t care 1 bit.... what makes you successful in college football (recruiting and facilities) literally doesn’t exist in the NFL....

Foolish to compare the two.

Solid B on my grade of KK
I think it was reason for concern until we were able to see who he was at the NFL level. Now I think it is clear to see that guys like to play for him, he is willing to make necessary changes and he is really good with play design and scripting plays. He clearly still has things to work on as a coach, but it seems clear that he has a good foundation to become a very good coach.
 

HGC

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I think it was reason for concern until we were able to see who he was at the NFL level. Now I think it is clear to see that guys like to play for him, he is willing to make necessary changes and he is really good with play design and scripting plays. He clearly still has things to work on as a coach, but it seems clear that he has a good foundation to become a very good coach.

This is how I feel. I hated the hire and thought Kliff would be exposed rather quickly. There’s plenty of room for improvement but all things considered I think Kliff did a nice job. I’m cautiously optimistic heading into year two.
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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Gets a C from me.

first and foremost, the most impressive was his flexibility. His ability to adapt to the NFL, to different personnel, and to different teams in a weekly basis was impressive. Particularly coming off two coaches ( it counting wilks) that we’re famous for being stubbornly stuck with their systems. This gives me the most hope for the future.

another positive is that his players seemingly bought in and genuinely enjoyed a tough season. Posters poo-poo’ed the whole cellphone break thing preseason. But I think he connects with this gen. That’s a good thing long term imo.

his willingness to overlook contract for playing time - DJ - is a positive

in the flipside his consistent awful 2 minute drills and situational football (other than 4th downs) just killed me. I mean it just didn’t improve. Not a little. I can’t recall any issue other than Amos teams being so consistently bad. In the face of KK’s ability to flex with his offense this seems odd to me.

the red zone improved over the course of the season, but not to an extent I’d like to see. Hopefully offseason improvement here as it’s scheme-related.

penalties. And lots of them. We had the fifth most penalties in the league. By comparison the least penalized team had 42 less penalties called on them. That’s 2 1/2 plays per game less with a negative impact. IMO penalties are 90% on the coaching staff. Yes you have boneheads. And yes some of the penalties are judgment calls. But most penalties are avoidable. And excellent coaching typically lowers the number of penalties. Five of the lowest 10 penalized teams are playoff teams (oddly enough four of them are bottom dwellers). Only one of the ten most penalized teams is a playoff team. It comes from the top down.

hopefully the situational football will improve. I say hopefully because it’s not a given. While Kk is a first time nfl head coach he’s not a first time head coach. A two minute drill is a two minute drill at every level.

the penalties are fixable with proper weight.

his ability to improvise, maximize offensive talent, and be flexible offensively bodes well for the offense.

his next step is to somehow translate his strengths to the entire team, not just the offense. As someone earlier used the term, his ability to effectively become the “CEO” of the team is crucial.
 

Harry

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"C"

If Klingsbury ends up not being the answer, then you have the conundrum of what to do with Murray if the new HC comes in with a traditional offensive philosophy which doesn't play to Murray's strengths. Will it be back to the drawing broad at QB?

You don’t do that. You pick a coach that uses a dual threat QB or 1 smart enough to adapt, like Andy Reid. Give if 3 years and this system will be the tradition.
 

cardpa

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Arians was more than happy to trust Bowles with his defence; a de facto HC on that side of the ball. Belichek supervises and has more input on the 'D' side, which is his bailiwick. There isn't a HC in the League who is equally knowledgeable of both sides of scrimmage.

Yep, I agree no, HC is as knowledgeable on both side of the ball though I think Belichick is probably the closest to that, however KK is pretty distant from the defense in any way shape or form. I think most HCs have at least a reasonable grasp on what is happening on the side of the ball they are less familiar with and probably have some input into some decisions made on that side. I suspect KK doesn't dwell or spend much time at all on the defense preferring to let Vance handle 90-95% of the load with his staff while KK focuses on the offense. It would not even surprise me if KKs interaction with the defensive players is not nearly as intense, close, personal, or whatever adjective you would like to use here as it is with the offensive players.

I guess it would make for some interesting viewing to see how much interaction KK has with players from each side of the ball during warmups and practices and during the games. What is his demeanor during games when the defense is on the field? Is he focused on how the defense is playing or is he more involved with the offense (head buried in the play book) while the defense is out there? One would have to go re-watch some games to see.

My feeling and it's a gut feeling not based on anything I can point at is KK seldom really knows how well or how poorly the defense is playing because his emphasis and focus is more on the offense than the performance of the entire team. I would prefer my HC to have a pulse on all phases of the game and how each are performing and be prepared to make decisions based on those observations.
 

TJ

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Pros:
  • Creative offensive play calling that appears to work with the right talent in place
  • Players coach who'll take responsibility for team's shortcomings
  • Young and can relate more to players than a coach in his 50s
Cons:

  • Lack of player development (e.g. not getting Isabella or KeeSean Johnson reps towards the end of the season)
  • Too much deference to DC. A HC should have some involvement with the defense. Vance is not Wade Phillips.
  • Appears to be way too emotionally connected to Kyler Murray, which could make for awkwardness if Kyler is struggling. Saw him making a lot of excuses for his porous performance against the Rams and Steelers.
  • Completely removed David Johnson from the offense. Yeah, he got supplanted by Drake, but he's still a dynamic threat when split wide

Overall, I think he's a good coach with enough prowess to make this team a contender. Obviously, Keim did not give him much to work with, but when he gets better talent, especially on defense, I feel like the complexion of the team will look much better.
 

GuernseyCard

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Yep, I agree no, HC is as knowledgeable on both side of the ball though I think Belichick is probably the closest to that, however KK is pretty distant from the defense in any way shape or form. I think most HCs have at least a reasonable grasp on what is happening on the side of the ball they are less familiar with and probably have some input into some decisions made on that side. I suspect KK doesn't dwell or spend much time at all on the defense preferring to let Vance handle 90-95% of the load with his staff while KK focuses on the offense. It would not even surprise me if KKs interaction with the defensive players is not nearly as intense, close, personal, or whatever adjective you would like to use here as it is with the offensive players.

I guess it would make for some interesting viewing to see how much interaction KK has with players from each side of the ball during warmups and practices and during the games. What is his demeanor during games when the defense is on the field? Is he focused on how the defense is playing or is he more involved with the offense (head buried in the play book) while the defense is out there? One would have to go re-watch some games to see.

My feeling and it's a gut feeling not based on anything I can point at is KK seldom really knows how well or how poorly the defense is playing because his emphasis and focus is more on the offense than the performance of the entire team. I would prefer my HC to have a pulse on all phases of the game and how each are performing and be prepared to make decisions based on those observations.

This is your narrative and you're free to believe it, but you're short on evidence in support of this conjecture, built on conjecture.

When the DC lays out the plan for the upcoming game you can be reasonably certain that KK's in the room and interjects as need be. Do you think H-C's with a defensive background like Zimmer in Minny stay away or are silent when the upcoming O-plan is laid out?
 

cardpa

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You don’t do that. You pick a coach that uses a dual threat QB or 1 smart enough to adapt, like Andy Reid. Give if 3 years and this system will be the tradition.
I agree Harry but as we know it seems when a HC gets replaced it is generally with someone who was not like the one who got fired.
 

cardpa

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This is your narrative and you're free to believe it, but you're short on evidence in support of this conjecture, built on conjecture.

When the DC lays out the plan for the upcoming game you can be reasonably certain that KK's in the room and interjects as need be. Do you think H-C's with a defensive background like Zimmer in Minny stay away or are silent when the upcoming O-plan is laid out?

Most posts here are built on conjecture just as your statement is that you can be reasonably certain KK is in the room for the final defensive game plan. None of us know that for sure. If it wasn't for conjecture, there wouldn't be many posts here. I also stated it was my gut feeling and it was based solely on that.
 

wa52lz

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Well...I have met someone close to Kyler (100% confirmed) who puts it all on Kilff though Kyler would never say it publicly
Marcus Fitzgerald?

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Solar7

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This is your narrative and you're free to believe it, but you're short on evidence in support of this conjecture, built on conjecture.

When the DC lays out the plan for the upcoming game you can be reasonably certain that KK's in the room and interjects as need be. Do you think H-C's with a defensive background like Zimmer in Minny stay away or are silent when the upcoming O-plan is laid out?
KK literally had a quite this year about trying to put in some defensive input and being kicked out of the room. It was partially a joke, and it was early on, but I don't think most coaches in this league are completely detached from their defense. You manage the whole team as a head coach. Many don't even call plays on either side of the ball.

John Harbaugh, who might have the best team in football, didn't create his offense or defense, and was a special teams coach coming in. Being in charge requires the ability to delegate while still having a sound grasp on everything going on.
 

Sandan

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I couldn't read the whole thread but bottom line

We almost doubled our wins, that is progress
 

AZCB34

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Incomplete. There is little in his history that suggests he will be anything other than mediocre when it comes to wins and losses.

I did like how he didn't seem stubborn about his offense and how to adapt it more for the NFL.
 

devilalum

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He’s like a super talented rookie player that show flashes of brilliance but needs to pull it all together in year two if he actually wants to be great.


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