I get that is just one game, but this team just doesn't look like the teams of pre-2016 that made you feel excited about the season. If this were just one bad game I would do my best to ignore it, but all of the issues seem like a continuation of a theme that slowly started emerging even prior to 2016. Under normal circumstances I would put this mostly on SK if it was strictly that he wasn't acquiring us talent, but it seems like BA has even more influence than most HC on who comes and goes, which is apparent because we also keep around players that are not performing. BASK was given genius status when we drafted Badger and were able to continue trucking through the injuries with "next man up", but I think that was more of an abortion than anything, because they had way more time throughout multiple seasons and offseasons to continue to improve this team and they have been unable to do that.
Our drafts have been mostly bad. They hold onto losing hands too long by pretending like certain players are doing way better than they are, or they are a matter of a time from getting better when the practice squad is where those players belong (with the exception of maybe a high rookie pick). There is no doubt that some of our 53 man roster who has been on it for more than one season could not get on the roster with another team, but for some reason, probably because BA has a soft spot for them, they stick around. The same thing even happens with coaches. When had glaring liabilities, some of which even cost us from progressing in the post-season, they were more often than not ignored. It only took us like 3 seasons to make the commitment to having at least as good as punting as college team.
Our defense looks like you would expect from a gutted unit and the secondary looks lost today. While Bethel is improved that doesn't say a lot, he is getting picked on just like Williams was. We can't blitz unless we can get home right away because we can't man cover. I just don't think our defense is going to be able to carry water for us and that is the only way it looks like this team could have a chance given our weak, stale and unimaginative offense.
CP is the best we have, but that is only because BASK are now going to be 3 years late in actually making a concerted effort to find our future franchise QB, or even a decent stop gap. Everyone else could see that DS did not have what it took to take over as that role. And that would have been fine if we was playing behind a younger franchise QB, but not when you need to get a real potential candidate in that spot.
CP is known for making risking and bad decisions, and maybe he could get away with it more often than not when he had accuracy and zip on the ball, but not anymore. CP's arm looked weak last year and he is barely practicing compared to other QBs to try to keep is arm alive. I saw 2 or 3 balls in the dirt in the early part of the game and one just thrown right to the other team without a Cardinal within 10 to 15 yards. We can't even get back to the deep game and try to stretch the field because it doesn't look like CP can wing them deep anymore. If we are going to have bland offense I don't see how we can succeed with it when you take the deep threat away. And even if we can throw deep we have to better efficiency at moving the ball to be able to take those shots.
My point is this team looks like you would expect from one that instead of constantly trying to evolve from both a talent, coaching and strategy/executing phase that has rested on their laurels and maintained the status quo for way too long. I know we had a couple bright spots, notably DJ, but we've had a lot more move in the other direction.
I'll keep my hopes high but my expectations have a ceiling until I see anything that makes this not look like more of the same we saw in 2016.
Our drafts have been mostly bad. They hold onto losing hands too long by pretending like certain players are doing way better than they are, or they are a matter of a time from getting better when the practice squad is where those players belong (with the exception of maybe a high rookie pick). There is no doubt that some of our 53 man roster who has been on it for more than one season could not get on the roster with another team, but for some reason, probably because BA has a soft spot for them, they stick around. The same thing even happens with coaches. When had glaring liabilities, some of which even cost us from progressing in the post-season, they were more often than not ignored. It only took us like 3 seasons to make the commitment to having at least as good as punting as college team.
Our defense looks like you would expect from a gutted unit and the secondary looks lost today. While Bethel is improved that doesn't say a lot, he is getting picked on just like Williams was. We can't blitz unless we can get home right away because we can't man cover. I just don't think our defense is going to be able to carry water for us and that is the only way it looks like this team could have a chance given our weak, stale and unimaginative offense.
CP is the best we have, but that is only because BASK are now going to be 3 years late in actually making a concerted effort to find our future franchise QB, or even a decent stop gap. Everyone else could see that DS did not have what it took to take over as that role. And that would have been fine if we was playing behind a younger franchise QB, but not when you need to get a real potential candidate in that spot.
CP is known for making risking and bad decisions, and maybe he could get away with it more often than not when he had accuracy and zip on the ball, but not anymore. CP's arm looked weak last year and he is barely practicing compared to other QBs to try to keep is arm alive. I saw 2 or 3 balls in the dirt in the early part of the game and one just thrown right to the other team without a Cardinal within 10 to 15 yards. We can't even get back to the deep game and try to stretch the field because it doesn't look like CP can wing them deep anymore. If we are going to have bland offense I don't see how we can succeed with it when you take the deep threat away. And even if we can throw deep we have to better efficiency at moving the ball to be able to take those shots.
My point is this team looks like you would expect from one that instead of constantly trying to evolve from both a talent, coaching and strategy/executing phase that has rested on their laurels and maintained the status quo for way too long. I know we had a couple bright spots, notably DJ, but we've had a lot more move in the other direction.
I'll keep my hopes high but my expectations have a ceiling until I see anything that makes this not look like more of the same we saw in 2016.
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