Success

I've been keeping a close eye on Tre. He really isn't bad at all. I think we're just looking for reasons to go bananas about the secondary - it's a bad unit overall, but Tre isn't this huge problem.

Gotta zag here - NO. I don't think his schemes are bad. We don't have a #1 OR #2 receiver right now. We have a roster of 3's and 4's.

I mean, it's all kinds of simple - we just have to start acting like the team we are: the best in the league & eventual SB champs. Post Hail Murray-style run incoming.

He can atone for everything w/ a blockbuster trade this week.

That's correct - but certainly not a reason to avoid acquiring him.

Time has passed, and I have done my usual rationalizations, and I'm looking forward to the remainder of the season w/ optimism that we'll win the division and likely get the 1 seed. My reasoning, or delusion, depending on your vantage point: - While all teams are banged up, we had some really key injuries the other night that without doubt impacted the game. I think if Kincaid had played, or even if Palmer was in the whole game, we win. It's actually pretty admirable how the D played in the 2nd half without either starting LB, and with a patchwork secondary. - On that last point - the defense DID look good in the 2nd half. Oliver & Walker are dominant on that line. Rousseau hasn't played to a level that we necessarily expect, but he is a force out there, and his speed is really evident when you watch him on downs. I think getting Hairston and Hoecht in particular could give that unit a real boost & make them at least average, and it wouldn't surprise me to see an add to the secondary by deadline. - I fully expect a WR add by the deadline, and hopefully during this bye week period. Even getting a guy like Meyers will elevate everyone. Coleman has been a disappointment, but he did have the top corner on him the other night. An addition would at least take some attention away from him. - It definitely feels like we have this kind of short stretch every year, and it's been pointed out that McD's teams always lose 2 in a row at some point. - The Patriots are being overrated right now. We really handed them that game, and people are raving about a 6-point win over the Saints. There is trepidation when looking at their schedule, but I think almost any of those teams could beat them. They're not at that level yet where teams like the Giants, Bengals & Falcons are any kind of gimme for them. I said it on another thread, but I'm getting some "Hail Murray" season vibes right now. I remember when we lost that game, it was pretty devastating, and a lot of uncertainty here on the quality of our team, and how things were going to go from that point. That was also in October. There was speculation we could collapse. Then we proceeded to win every game until the AFCCG.

I'd certainly be happy w/ 12-5, and think that will win the division as long as a W is against the Pats. But this is laid out too obviously. I could see us beating the Chiefs and losing to the Texans, or beating the Eagles and losing to the Bengals. Or beating everyone, of course.

Sometimes, you just have to make a change. We seem to be in an endless rinse/repeat mode - maybe we'll actually break through this year, but I think most feel that it's starting to look like a divisional round exit or worse. Maybe the AFCCG if we're lucky. And I feel almost silly complaining about that after the drought. But what are the chances McDermott is the 1st coach to break through and win a Super Bowl after this many years w/ the same QB? It just seems like he's not going to be the guy to bust through that ceiling.

Anyone else tired of the "bend don't break" philosophy?

I hope Beane is at least working the phones. Now is the time, with the bye week coming up. Get a guy in here & get him acclimated to this offense. It would just be incredibly disappointing if we did nothing to address a pretty clear deficiency.

There is some "is Josh regressing" chatter nationally today - but I'd have a hard time even calling last night one of those games he usually has. Once Palmer went out, the cupboard was really bare. The defense could focus almost exclusively on Shakir. The announcers were correctly observing that, too - not having Palmer along w/ missing Samuel and Kincaid really limited things. And you could see it on the field. The times Josh was able to evade pressure and keep plays alive, he still wasn't seeing anything downfield. Last night could have been Coleman's chance to really shine, but I have no idea what he's doing out there. When Josh tried to get the ball to him, he was covered like he was standing still.

Which is "fine." It's not sexy, it's not a huge needle-mover - but he would give us a good boost.

It's so hard to gauge on defense, imo. I really think our scheme is outdated and doesn't work. It's "bend, don't break" - but breaks often. I think a top-tier DC could use the personnel we have now to create a much more formidable D.

Might be asking a lot of a rookie in likely his 1st game, if he can come back that soon.

I am extremely bummed about Coleman. Thought he had turned a corner in that 1st game. When I think about that draft. We could have traded up for Thomas, or taken McConkey. Very hindsighty, but it seems like our guy has had the least impact out of all of the receivers taken early.

Oliver & Walker both looked elite out there.

We're just fans. We can overlook anyone & it doesn't make a difference.

The Pats schedule is soft, but they're also not an elite team by any means. They can lose to this same Falcons team we lost to. They could lose to almost anyone on their schedule. I think the next game w/ them decides the division.

This - along w/ news that Hairston's practice window might open up - is all great news. I was really worried about Palmer right after the injury. If he's back for the Panthers, that really is big. I thought Milano's might be more long-term also.

Shaheed is intriguing. We need that speed. It would kind of add to "everybody eats," but we also simply need another higher-end receiver. I was hoping Samuel could be more of a contributor but to rely on his health at this point seems illogical. Olave would move the needle much more.

I think "window" is used too much in sports. It's not as fixed as we make it sound, particularly when you have an elite QB.

This helped my mood today. We'll be a different team after the bye w/ some of the guys we're adding & getting back from injury. Even having Kincaid last night probably = a win. I'm hoping for post-Hail Murray kind of run.

I was really impressed with Oliver & Walker yesterday. I think Hoecht will actually be a very big addition, especially against the run. If Hairston plays like a high round pick, I could see the defense being significantly better than what we have seen so far. They won't be elite, but they could crack the top 15, which is what we need. I'm hoping for an add by the deadline in the secondary. On offense, if we can add a WR - in addition to getting Kincaid, Palmer & Samuel back - we can be a 30 PPG team again. Of course, we'd have to stay relatively healthy from there. But if we can, we can still be one of the top 3 teams by the end of this season. Parcells used to say that the season didn't really start until November, or something like that.

I knew it was bad - I didn't think it was THIS bad. They're really been riding the coattails of picking the best QB in the draft the year we got Allen. Otherwise, this is a truly terrible track record. And we overpay for quite a few pretty average players, giving us even fewer options to improve the roster. It's all pretty sad. Even if they replaced Beane today, it might take years for a new GM to right the ship.

As bad as that loss was - I think if any of Samuel, Palmer or Kincaid was in the game, we win. I can't remember us punting so much in a game. The announcers were talking about it at length in the 2nd half - Allen really only had Shakir to look to reliably, and you could see that in how the offense played. There were quite a few times where Allen was able to evade the rush but clearly could not find anyone open.