Woodley rips on James bettcher

[DVontel]

The person most responsible for this backlash on Bettcher is Bruce Arians.

We saw the games---we know---half-time adjustments were not even close to being as good and smart as what we saw from Todd Bowles.

We saw the Championship game---it got so ugly on defense that there were fights on the sidelines. Clearly, the defense looked like it was thinking too much, which, of course, causes hesitation, which causes missed tackles, coverages and mixups...all of which characterized the defense's play in that game.

I will say this again---James Bettcher was not qualified at this point in his young career to be an NFL defensive coordinator.

The players know this and they know it well.

It's like Malcolm Gladwell's the 10,000 hour rule---there were players in Bettcher's defense like Woodley who know the 34 defense better than Bettcher does. They know good adjustments when they see them.

Heck, first year ILB coach Larry Foote knows more about the 34 defense than Bettcher. He's had more than 10,000 hours playing in it at a position where he is the quarterback of sorts.

That said, Bettcher did a lot of things right in helping the team go 13-2. One thing about the Cardinals under BA is that the players take ownership of their play on the field---and the defense did its part until the last game of the regular season and then in its letting Green Bay back into the game (t be fair, BA called the full house blitz and Bettcher wanted a prevent) and then in matching the offense's woeful effort in the NFC Championship game.

The playoff are a different animal---and this is where coaching has to be at its very best.

LaMarr Woodley does not strike me as having sour grapes---he strikes me as being very invested in the Cardinals and their plight to win the Super Bowl. Woodley was injured and not even playing late in the year. I actually think that it's commendable how invested he remained in the team's performance, despite landing on the IR.

Now---he didn't have to go and call Bettcher "dumb." That was taking it too far. Bettcher wasn't being dumb, he was being what he is, inexperienced.

Woodley sincerely believes the Cardinals had a great chance to win the Super Bowl and he's frustrated that heading into the Carolina game Bettcher came up with a complicated game plan which strayed away from what the defense did best, that caused the players to think too much rather than play fast---and that when the players were trying to beg for adjustments especially at half-time, the players were not heeded.

What Bettcher did was something a lot of inexperienced coaches do---they try to do too much or they try to make changes instead of doing what the defense does best and trying to do it even better. It's a classic sign of inexperience.

Look---it isn't some wild coincidence that the last three Super Bowl winners had defenses run by Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick and Wade Phillips, 3 of the longest tenured, most successful defensive coaches of the modern era.

When you want to make a Super Bowl run, you have to beat coaches like these.

It would have been one thing if BA was a defensive guru and he was coordinating the defense---appointing an apprentice like Bettcher would be fine.

But, BA needs to be able to rely heavily on his defensive coordinator---and he was able to do that with Todd Bowles. But, quite honestly, one can't really take BA's rhetoric about winning a Super Bowl seriously, if he appoints a rookie DC who has no DC experience---it's just folly to think someone with that little experience could step in and take proper command and make consistently good, smart preparations and adjustments. There HAS to be a learning curve with a DC this young and inexperienced.

I get the impression that BA hired Bettcher because he wished that someone would have entrusted him as an offensive coordinator early in his NFL career.

But, what BA should have recognized is that the Colts, with a defensive oriented HC in Chuck Pagano would have never made the playoffs in Pagano's rookie season had he not hired the experienced Bruce Arians to run his offense. Had Pagano put the offense in the hands of someone who has never called a play in an NFL game before, how would the Colts have done?

The question is---what kind of adjustments have BA and Bettcher made this off-season to help Bettcher be able to match wits with the top coordinators and HCs in the league---and---can Bettcher learn on the job quickly enough?

It also helps with the right personnel to do it. Bettcher didn't have a Daryl Washington, Karlos Dansby & a resurgent John Abraham to work with like Bowles did. Also, Bettcher isn't anywhere close to the 3 great coaches you named, but they also had/have great pass-rushers/front-7 to work with, too.

 

[GuernseyCard]

The person most responsible for this backlash on Bettcher is Bruce Arians.

We saw the games---we know---half-time adjustments were not even close to being as good and smart as what we saw from Todd Bowles.

We saw the Championship game---it got so ugly on defense that there were fights on the sidelines. Clearly, the defense looked like it was thinking too much, which, of course, causes hesitation, which causes missed tackles, coverages and mixups...all of which characterized the defense's play in that game.

I will say this again---James Bettcher was not qualified at this point in his young career to be an NFL defensive coordinator.

The players know this and they know it well.

It's like Malcolm Gladwell's the 10,000 hour rule---there were players in Bettcher's defense like Woodley who know the 34 defense better than Bettcher does. They know good adjustments when they see them.

Heck, first year ILB coach Larry Foote knows more about the 34 defense than Bettcher. He's had more than 10,000 hours playing in it at a position where he is the quarterback of sorts.

That said, Bettcher did a lot of things right in helping the team go 13-2. One thing about the Cardinals under BA is that the players take ownership of their play on the field---and the defense did its part until the last game of the regular season and then in its letting Green Bay back into the game (t be fair, BA called the full house blitz and Bettcher wanted a prevent) and then in matching the offense's woeful effort in the NFC Championship game.

The playoff are a different animal---and this is where coaching has to be at its very best.

LaMarr Woodley does not strike me as having sour grapes---he strikes me as being very invested in the Cardinals and their plight to win the Super Bowl. Woodley was injured and not even playing late in the year. I actually think that it's commendable how invested he remained in the team's performance, despite landing on the IR.

Now---he didn't have to go and call Bettcher "dumb." That was taking it too far. Bettcher wasn't being dumb, he was being what he is, inexperienced.

Woodley sincerely believes the Cardinals had a great chance to win the Super Bowl and he's frustrated that heading into the Carolina game Bettcher came up with a complicated game plan which strayed away from what the defense did best, that caused the players to think too much rather than play fast---and that when the players were trying to beg for adjustments especially at half-time, the players were not heeded.

What Bettcher did was something a lot of inexperienced coaches do---they try to do too much or they try to make changes instead of doing what the defense does best and trying to do it even better. It's a classic sign of inexperience.

Look---it isn't some wild coincidence that the last three Super Bowl winners had defenses run by Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick and Wade Phillips, 3 of the longest tenured, most successful defensive coaches of the modern era.

When you want to make a Super Bowl run, you have to beat coaches like these.

It would have been one thing if BA was a defensive guru and he was coordinating the defense---appointing an apprentice like Bettcher would be fine.

But, BA needs to be able to rely heavily on his defensive coordinator---and he was able to do that with Todd Bowles. But, quite honestly, one can't really take BA's rhetoric about winning a Super Bowl seriously, if he appoints a rookie DC who has no DC experience---it's just folly to think someone with that little experience could step in and take proper command and make consistently good, smart preparations and adjustments. There HAS to be a learning curve with a DC this young and inexperienced.

I get the impression that BA hired Bettcher because he wished that someone would have entrusted him as an offensive coordinator early in his NFL career.

But, what BA should have recognized is that the Colts, with a defensive oriented HC in Chuck Pagano would have never made the playoffs in Pagano's rookie season had he not hired the experienced Bruce Arians to run his offense. Had Pagano put the offense in the hands of someone who has never called a play in an NFL game before, how would the Colts have done?

The question is---what kind of adjustments have BA and Bettcher made this off-season to help Bettcher be able to match wits with the top coordinators and HCs in the league---and---can Bettcher learn on the job quickly enough?

1. Arians said that it was Bettcher who was tasked with halftime adjustments for Bowles.

2. It's highly unlikely that Bowles didn't give his stamp of approval to this promotion before leaving town.

The first year D Stats for Bet were favourably comparable to the first of our last two D coordinators.

 

[Cardiac]

Maybe Betcher strayed a bit from what HE HAD the D doing all year long when it was performing so well because he lost the Queen chess piece, Honey Badger. Maybe Betcher knew he had to try something else on D because Honey Badger was a if not the key cog in how the D was playing with no legit pass rushers.

Maybe Betcher out thought himself and tried to be to clever.

I'm fine with Betcher as our DC and expect our D to be even better this year.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Wonder what the Defense would have looked like if we had signed Wade Phillips instead. I believe he was available.

 

[GuernseyCard]

Wonder what the Defense would have looked like if we had signed Wade Phillips instead. I believe he was available.

Wonder what the Bettcher "D" would have looked like with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.

 

[TRW]

The person most responsible for this backlash on Bettcher is Bruce Arians.

We saw the games---we know---half-time adjustments were not even close to being as good and smart as what we saw from Todd Bowles.

We saw the Championship game---it got so ugly on defense that there were fights on the sidelines. Clearly, the defense looked like it was thinking too much, which, of course, causes hesitation, which causes missed tackles, coverages and mixups...all of which characterized the defense's play in that game.

I will say this again---James Bettcher was not qualified at this point in his young career to be an NFL defensive coordinator.

The players know this and they know it well.

It's like Malcolm Gladwell's the 10,000 hour rule---there were players in Bettcher's defense like Woodley who know the 34 defense better than Bettcher does. They know good adjustments when they see them.

Heck, first year ILB coach Larry Foote knows more about the 34 defense than Bettcher. He's had more than 10,000 hours playing in it at a position where he is the quarterback of sorts.

That said, Bettcher did a lot of things right in helping the team go 13-2. One thing about the Cardinals under BA is that the players take ownership of their play on the field---and the defense did its part until the last game of the regular season and then in its letting Green Bay back into the game (t be fair, BA called the full house blitz and Bettcher wanted a prevent) and then in matching the offense's woeful effort in the NFC Championship game.

The playoff are a different animal---and this is where coaching has to be at its very best.

LaMarr Woodley does not strike me as having sour grapes---he strikes me as being very invested in the Cardinals and their plight to win the Super Bowl. Woodley was injured and not even playing late in the year. I actually think that it's commendable how invested he remained in the team's performance, despite landing on the IR.

Now---he didn't have to go and call Bettcher "dumb." That was taking it too far. Bettcher wasn't being dumb, he was being what he is, inexperienced.

Woodley sincerely believes the Cardinals had a great chance to win the Super Bowl and he's frustrated that heading into the Carolina game Bettcher came up with a complicated game plan which strayed away from what the defense did best, that caused the players to think too much rather than play fast---and that when the players were trying to beg for adjustments especially at half-time, the players were not heeded.

What Bettcher did was something a lot of inexperienced coaches do---they try to do too much or they try to make changes instead of doing what the defense does best and trying to do it even better. It's a classic sign of inexperience.

Look---it isn't some wild coincidence that the last three Super Bowl winners had defenses run by Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick and Wade Phillips, 3 of the longest tenured, most successful defensive coaches of the modern era.

When you want to make a Super Bowl run, you have to beat coaches like these.

It would have been one thing if BA was a defensive guru and he was coordinating the defense---appointing an apprentice like Bettcher would be fine.

But, BA needs to be able to rely heavily on his defensive coordinator---and he was able to do that with Todd Bowles. But, quite honestly, one can't really take BA's rhetoric about winning a Super Bowl seriously, if he appoints a rookie DC who has no DC experience---it's just folly to think someone with that little experience could step in and take proper command and make consistently good, smart preparations and adjustments. There HAS to be a learning curve with a DC this young and inexperienced.

I get the impression that BA hired Bettcher because he wished that someone would have entrusted him as an offensive coordinator early in his NFL career.

But, what BA should have recognized is that the Colts, with a defensive oriented HC in Chuck Pagano would have never made the playoffs in Pagano's rookie season had he not hired the experienced Bruce Arians to run his offense. Had Pagano put the offense in the hands of someone who has never called a play in an NFL game before, how would the Colts have done?

The question is---what kind of adjustments have BA and Bettcher made this off-season to help Bettcher be able to match wits with the top coordinators and HCs in the league---and---can Bettcher learn on the job quickly enough?

A lot of valid points/observations/hindsight Mitch. I think that from the start of the game from Palmer missing Fitz high on his first pass, the running game being putrid and the snowball effect came into play.

That game from the opening sequence just got away from them. It happens in the NFL all of the time. Even the NE Patriots have laid major eggs in playoff games. It happens.

Probably most germane to the issue, as you point out, a rookie Defensive Coordinator got his lunch money stolen by some bullies and got his butt whipped. Bad time for it to happen but, if he's smart, he learned something.

Disappointing but with injuries and an offense that gagged horribly, especially Palmer, the outcome was really never in doubt by halftime. They didn't lose to a worse team by any means, they were beaten by a very, very good one.

BA, Bettcher and the rest of the staff just got punked.

New year coming up and a chance to redeem themselves is at hand. We will see if they did enough and are fortunate enough to avoid major injuries this year and get to the SB. A LOT has to fall in place to get to the Big Dance and it is always a rough road.

Like most criticism there is some elements of truth in what was said but there is a whole LOT of other variables that decided that game besides defensive "adjustments" at halftime IMO.

 

[Buckybird]

The person most responsible for this backlash on Bettcher is Bruce Arians.

We saw the games---we know---half-time adjustments were not even close to being as good and smart as what we saw from Todd Bowles.

We saw the Championship game---it got so ugly on defense that there were fights on the sidelines. Clearly, the defense looked like it was thinking too much, which, of course, causes hesitation, which causes missed tackles, coverages and mixups...all of which characterized the defense's play in that game.

I will say this again---James Bettcher was not qualified at this point in his young career to be an NFL defensive coordinator.

The players know this and they know it well.

It's like Malcolm Gladwell's the 10,000 hour rule---there were players in Bettcher's defense like Woodley who know the 34 defense better than Bettcher does. They know good adjustments when they see them.

Heck, first year ILB coach Larry Foote knows more about the 34 defense than Bettcher. He's had more than 10,000 hours playing in it at a position where he is the quarterback of sorts.

That said, Bettcher did a lot of things right in helping the team go 13-2. One thing about the Cardinals under BA is that the players take ownership of their play on the field---and the defense did its part until the last game of the regular season and then in its letting Green Bay back into the game (t be fair, BA called the full house blitz and Bettcher wanted a prevent) and then in matching the offense's woeful effort in the NFC Championship game.

The playoff are a different animal---and this is where coaching has to be at its very best.

LaMarr Woodley does not strike me as having sour grapes---he strikes me as being very invested in the Cardinals and their plight to win the Super Bowl. Woodley was injured and not even playing late in the year. I actually think that it's commendable how invested he remained in the team's performance, despite landing on the IR.

Now---he didn't have to go and call Bettcher "dumb." That was taking it too far. Bettcher wasn't being dumb, he was being what he is, inexperienced.

Woodley sincerely believes the Cardinals had a great chance to win the Super Bowl and he's frustrated that heading into the Carolina game Bettcher came up with a complicated game plan which strayed away from what the defense did best, that caused the players to think too much rather than play fast---and that when the players were trying to beg for adjustments especially at half-time, the players were not heeded.

What Bettcher did was something a lot of inexperienced coaches do---they try to do too much or they try to make changes instead of doing what the defense does best and trying to do it even better. It's a classic sign of inexperience.

Look---it isn't some wild coincidence that the last three Super Bowl winners had defenses run by Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick and Wade Phillips, 3 of the longest tenured, most successful defensive coaches of the modern era.

When you want to make a Super Bowl run, you have to beat coaches like these.

It would have been one thing if BA was a defensive guru and he was coordinating the defense---appointing an apprentice like Bettcher would be fine.

But, BA needs to be able to rely heavily on his defensive coordinator---and he was able to do that with Todd Bowles. But, quite honestly, one can't really take BA's rhetoric about winning a Super Bowl seriously, if he appoints a rookie DC who has no DC experience---it's just folly to think someone with that little experience could step in and take proper command and make consistently good, smart preparations and adjustments. There HAS to be a learning curve with a DC this young and inexperienced.

I get the impression that BA hired Bettcher because he wished that someone would have entrusted him as an offensive coordinator early in his NFL career.

But, what BA should have recognized is that the Colts, with a defensive oriented HC in Chuck Pagano would have never made the playoffs in Pagano's rookie season had he not hired the experienced Bruce Arians to run his offense. Had Pagano put the offense in the hands of someone who has never called a play in an NFL game before, how would the Colts have done?

The question is---what kind of adjustments have BA and Bettcher made this off-season to help Bettcher be able to match wits with the top coordinators and HCs in the league---and---can Bettcher learn on the job quickly enough?

Dead on Mitch

 

[Buckybird]

Wonder what the Bettcher "D" would have looked like with Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.

Cards made a huge mistake not signing Ware when he was released & I said so at the time. Probably would've won the Super Bowl last year had we