Ethan in Cleveland

This is a good post. I grew up on Bruce Smith, Reggie White, and guys like LT, Lott, and Derrick Thomas. I don't remember their great moments in the playoffs or SuperBowl except for Bruce Smith safety that could have been a TD. Perhaps it is just nostalgia. Maybe they were so good it forced teams to double and triple team them which opened up opportunities for others. But I really liked what you said. If you are going to have a bunch of really good but not great players, they just can't disappear for entire games or stretches of the season.

Wilfork is HOF eligible. Richard Seymour is in the HOF. Ty law is in the HOF. McGinest was a HOF finalist I believe. Harrison is a HOF finalist. All not there during the entire dynasty but certainly for some of it. Rousseau makes PFF stats and not a lot of actual plays. I do like him as a player. He is just horribly inconsistent. Zero impact yesterday. Even Von made more impact than Rousseau yesterday. Taron is a great player and probably 2nd most skilled player on the team. Maybe 3rd after Cooper now. Bernard is wonderful but still has size limitations. Beane has tried but the just has not been able to find a true star on the DL.

I'm sure the same thing was said in Tampa Bay in 2002

I want to pile on but I don't have the energy. I would just like for once the McDermott defenders to say when is enough?

The mantra of being 1/11th and do your job is just stupid. NFL games are won and lost when superstars make plays. No one says Chris Jones is 1/11th of the Chiefs defense. Same for TJ Watt. Bruce Smith and Reggie White were not 1/11ths. Even back end guys like Deion Sanders or Ed Reed needed to be accounted for. This team needs a superstar on defense particularly the DL. Beane sat on his future draft picks and did nothing to help the DL. I get it that Beane swung for the fences with Miller. It didn't work because of injury not because the idea was wrong. Now we are again in SuperBowl contention and Beane did nothing to fix the DL. He did go get Cooper but that was a mess of his own doing.

Rinse and repeat. Same story for 8 years. McD feasts on bad QBs and can't stop the above average ones.

I chose to see Paul McCartney in Paris and missed watching all but the last two series in real time. Apologies.

Annual Rousseau disappearing act

He's done. I got flamed for it before but he is a cap casualty this off-season. Sad but injuries destroyed him. His leg injury was catastrophic. All the reports from training camp said he was slow and hesitant. No different than he is now. Williams is the better player now and they need him back in the line-up

We had our chance at Jim Harbaugh and let it slip away. Now Ben Johnson is there Anything but the SuperBowl and I would move on from McDermott Certainly another home playoff loss would convince most of the people on this board.

OP when does McD get criticism? How many coaches does he need to scapegoat before he is finally held accountable ???

I can't stand McDermott and wanted him gone years ago, but I agree with this logic and I did in the moment. I mean for Christ sake make a play on 3rd and 17. An incomplete pass there and they are punting.

Hey we can score here and still have 3 TO. Then we can force 3 and out!!! Lol

Game over Don't take unnecessary hits

Game is over. No injuries in garbage time please

No they didn't. McVeigh was going for it on 4th night matter what

Please..we will be lucky to be 3rd.

Ok McDermott apologists how do you spin this one???

It woudl have been 4th and 3 or 4 i think and they would have gone for it. I hate McDermott but I don't think that was wrong to take the penalty and push them back.

McD just blew 1:05

McD is a moron!!! You call TO after the forst down play

Gotta call to

Wow. Gutsy call by McD. Not sure if it is right but nit sure it is wrong either

If you were McVeigh do you go for it there?

Not even close... That game had multiple turnovers. The defenses on both sides made plays. This game no defense has shown up