HappyDays

It feels like the blitzes have no cohesive plan attached to them. I'll use a successful KC blitz as a counterexample: The video is more about Stroud failing to adjust the protection, but the blitz itself is very well planned and everything on the front and back end is designed to make sure it's successful. The blitzing CB is right at the line so no need to work through a bunch of trash and give the QB time to adjust post-snap. There's a simultaneous simulated pressure on the other side to draw Stroud's attention. Meanwhile the safety is capping the blitzing CB's man and immediately getting in position to come down and cover him. So it is not just Spagnuolo throwing random blitzers from random depths and crossing his fingers they get home. Every aspect of the rush plan and the coverage works in tandem. And this isn't a one-off, Spagnuolo is famous for these diabolical blitzes especially on critical downs in critical moments of the game. I just don't see that sort of thing frequently enough from Babich. Quite the opposite. I see a lot of predictable blitzes where the QBs have easy answers and plenty of time to find them. Any decent OL is easily able to diagnose and pick them up without trouble. So many times I see a blitz where the filling coverage player is playing soft/off which means there is 100% going to be a wide open pass catcher in that gap... You have to accept if you are blitzing there is a chance you will give up a big play, that is the trade off. You can't blitz and also protect against the big play because then you are just gifting the offense a free 7-8 yards with YAC potential. Don't just dip your toes in, do a cannonball. Like the double CB blitz we ran against Detroit. There was potential for that play to go horribly wrong for us, but we took the big risk and got the big payoff. I would much rather go that do or die direction than the wishy washy version that reveals a lack of confidence in your own play calling.

Unfortunately that's not how it works in the NFL. Players with major fundamental problems don't get chance after chance in real games to work through them. He's had three full years of training camps, practices, and some spot starts, and he hasn't shown even a bit of progress in any of the areas he needed to improve. He still commits too many penalties, he still is late reading his responsibilities, he still loses the ball in the air. I don't know that there is anything there to build on at this point.

That's fair. I guess I'm just looking at it in the context of his game as a whole. I've been guilty of this too where we just keep lowering the standards for him. So now a play where he gives up a TD is seen as good tight coverage and he just got unlucky to be beat by a depth caliber WR. I'm over the mitigating factors at this point. He is what he is which is a player that gives up a lot of chunk plays. It really frustrates me because I can't even pinpoint what is going wrong. Like I said the flashes have been there. He is just beat too often. And it isn't just in zone, even in man which is supposed to be his strength he is regularly getting out leveraged and then either giving up a catch or committing a penalty to try and make up ground.

If we're lowering the standard to backup CB then I agree, I can't be mad about a backup getting beat on that play. A legit starting CB can't get beat by a 400 yard WR on that play, especially stacking it with all the other mistakes he made throughout the game. But yeah I agree with the second part, Douglas is unquestionably still the CB2. I hate to say it but I trust him to get back to his previous standard of play more than I trust Elam to suddenly develop. Every time he's gotten a chance he's shown flashes but can never find any level of consistency.

Not even close to OPI. Just normal hand fighting on both sides.

It was a great throw but let's not give too much credit to Elam either. He gave up leverage to his man and left space for the throw to be fit into. It is not a case of "nothing he can do." What he could have done is prevented a JAG receiver from bullying him along the sideline and making a pretty effortless catch by NFL standards. If Elam can't stop that play he is practically useless as a starter in the NFL because that's the kind of play his skill set is supposed to be good for.

I mean that I don't feel confident either Elam or Douglas are CB2s. Douglas almost certainly will be back as the starter there once he's recovered, I thought there was a chance Elam could steal the job but he was just okay last week and bad this week so that seals it. I wasn't happy with Douglas' play in his last couple games either though. I'm worried he hit the age 30 wall and can't hang with NFL athletes. When it happens it happens suddenly.

Respect your opinion but I thought he was terrible... He had an easy matchup against one of the worst WR groups in the NFL and gave up a bunch of chunk plays, whether on legit catches of penalties. I'm concerned that we don't have any legit CB2 on the roster right now. Defenses just keep attacking that side of the field for the past few weeks and it's too easy for them.

No joke, the Chiefs have somewhat changed my perspective on games like this. When you're a great team every opponent gives you their best shot. The goal is to win by any means necessary. Every week is different... no style points.

We came out sloppy and flat but came back from a 14 point deficit against a divisional opponent. I'm not satisfied but I'm not mad. Allen will turn it back on in the playoffs like he always does and this team needs to be ready to win a bunch of shootouts.

Whatever, might as well interfere at this point. Take as much time off the clock as possible

We don't have a #2 CB on the roster

All I was saying is that the team tends to come out flat too often... Which is obviously true. I don't think that will be what hurts us in the playoffs though.

I don't really know what we're arguing here. We gave up 44 points to a team that in the preceding and following weeks scored 20, 21, 12, and 19 points.

I'll be the one to say it - Dorian Williams should get the start over Milano even when Milano is recovered from injury. We can't wait and cross our fingers he returns to the caliber of player he once was. Next year he'll get his shot again.

Someone in his earpiece reminded him they want Travis Hunter

If you don't think we came into that game flat, I don't know what to tell you. Allen put the cape on when he realized he needed to but don't let that take away from how the team looked especially in the 1st half.

Hopefully avoided something major

Yes, of course.

Oh yeah, the Pats are a bad bad football team. Thanks for the gift guys. Really worried about Allen's hand. I guess worst case scenario is he sits the rest of the season and we get in as the 3 seed at worst.

Clinched the division and had the Rams loss the following week. Had a big win against maybe the best team in the league and this game happens...

It's been a common refrain under this regime, the team comes off a big win and looks completely flat

Awful time for a false start. Come on guys...

I can't believe how sloppy this offense is tonight. We are fortunate to recover both of those.

I was posting that as a rookie QB threw a dumb rookie INT. I'm not going to say that pick changes my post though. Our defense has shown very little resistance to an awful offense today.