Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
There are 2 theories of coaching. You shape your game plan to your personnel or you shape your personnel to your system. Wilks has done the latter. It’s fair to say I’m not a fan of that thinking, but frankly they weren’t going to win regardless of the system. This way he can at least see who can play a 4-3. Sadly the answer appears only a handful of people. Only Nkemdiche seems to have improved his performance. Bethel, Peterson, Mayowa & Benwikere seem okay. The rest seem to be fish out of water.
Both Jones & Peters looked solid in a 3-4. I think Golden fit that system as well. They’re struggling to understand how to create impact now. The LBs are a disaster. I don’t care what PFF says; Bynes is not effective. He’s okay against the run, though he does get suckered by motion. Against the pass he doesn’t get a deep enough drop in his zone. Finally he has no awareness on crossing routes. Bucannon can’t cover backs, TEs or receivers. He has no clue about position or looking back for the ball. No matter who they put in the other spots, they’ve had zero impact. Reddick just doesn’t seem to play with passion. Hodges plays hard but lacks athleticism.
Beyond Peterson the cornerbacks offer little except for Benwikere when he plays the nickel. They’d be mediocre in either alignment. Bethea is not what he used to be but he’s sound. My biggest concern is Baker and I don’t think it’s a 4-3 problem. His tackling has been sloppy and his cover skills are poor. He exhibits little catch up speed. He can play the ball but he’s not a dependable defender. Every move fools him. Though he’s fast, he gets consistently beat on fly routes. He’s going to take a great deal of work. He’s not even close to the old TM, but then who is?
Since I don’t expect Wilks to change philosophy, this will be hard to fix in a year. There’s a chance the line will slowly adapt, but Mayowa not Golden seems best suited. The linebackers will likely all need to change. If they can fix Baker maybe they can squeeze another year out of Bethea. Ironically the defense wasn’t the part that needed fixing. Still if they can get the linebackers the defense may adapt enough to be competitive next year, though I doubt it will be outstanding.
A couple of things on coaching. Where’s the accountability for all the absurd penalties, especially the pre-snap ones? After this much time there should no longer be plays where 2 defenders take the same man. People still don’t know their responsibilities. That should not be acceptable. These are professionals and this defense is not exotic.
There’s enough talent on this side of the ball to win a couple of games, but they aren’t pitching any shutouts. I think they will be hard pressed to win three and only the difficulty of losing 16 will save them from total embarrassment.
Both Jones & Peters looked solid in a 3-4. I think Golden fit that system as well. They’re struggling to understand how to create impact now. The LBs are a disaster. I don’t care what PFF says; Bynes is not effective. He’s okay against the run, though he does get suckered by motion. Against the pass he doesn’t get a deep enough drop in his zone. Finally he has no awareness on crossing routes. Bucannon can’t cover backs, TEs or receivers. He has no clue about position or looking back for the ball. No matter who they put in the other spots, they’ve had zero impact. Reddick just doesn’t seem to play with passion. Hodges plays hard but lacks athleticism.
Beyond Peterson the cornerbacks offer little except for Benwikere when he plays the nickel. They’d be mediocre in either alignment. Bethea is not what he used to be but he’s sound. My biggest concern is Baker and I don’t think it’s a 4-3 problem. His tackling has been sloppy and his cover skills are poor. He exhibits little catch up speed. He can play the ball but he’s not a dependable defender. Every move fools him. Though he’s fast, he gets consistently beat on fly routes. He’s going to take a great deal of work. He’s not even close to the old TM, but then who is?
Since I don’t expect Wilks to change philosophy, this will be hard to fix in a year. There’s a chance the line will slowly adapt, but Mayowa not Golden seems best suited. The linebackers will likely all need to change. If they can fix Baker maybe they can squeeze another year out of Bethea. Ironically the defense wasn’t the part that needed fixing. Still if they can get the linebackers the defense may adapt enough to be competitive next year, though I doubt it will be outstanding.
A couple of things on coaching. Where’s the accountability for all the absurd penalties, especially the pre-snap ones? After this much time there should no longer be plays where 2 defenders take the same man. People still don’t know their responsibilities. That should not be acceptable. These are professionals and this defense is not exotic.
There’s enough talent on this side of the ball to win a couple of games, but they aren’t pitching any shutouts. I think they will be hard pressed to win three and only the difficulty of losing 16 will save them from total embarrassment.
