In my opinion, daves, they hired exactly the right guy. There are fundamental aspects of playing defense that all 11 men on the field are required to adhere to. You can't have double standards. There is a fundamental and safe way to take on blocks and a fundamental way to tackle (break down, launch at the hitting zone right below the waist, head up, drive through and wrap). We had coaches who let PP do his thing. That did not work. It wasn't until rookie Budda Baker came into the lineup and started hitting people that the guys around him started to try to follow suit---everyone except PP.
No one wants to see any player get hurt. But, you can't play defense and play not to get hurt. It becomes a weak link in the chain and leads to more weak links, broken chains and double standards. No one is expecting PP or anyone else to play recklessly---but every player should be expected to play aggressively within the framework of the fundamentals. Look at Budda Baker. He's small and light, but he knows the fundamentals and he knows that trying to tackle up around the shoulder pads is a recipe for failure. PP is very capable of making routine plays. That's what should be expected, not pardoned.
