If you reflect on the season...it doesn't matter if we make the play-offs or had made the play-offs...this team was not going to win in the play-offs. We have too many things that need fixing.

1) Our ILB play has been poor all season long. TE's have devastated us, RB's get extra yardage against us. Our LB blitzes are ineffective, and there aren't enough LB 'Big Plays' to offset the below average play.

2) We lack a #1 WR. Henne is improving, the WR's are getting better, BUT..without that guy that can get open deep, inside, outside, and get YAC...we are missing a Mandatory piece of any offense.

3) Free Safety. Gibril Wilson is getting paid a lot of cash to play out of position. The guy is a Strong Safety...and on this roster? He is the 2nd best SS. We need a Free Safety. Wilson bites on inside moves, QB boots, and misreads all the time. Not to mention his inability to hual in an interception. 15 weeks....no INT's

4) OLB. Joey Porter has been a laibility on the run. he gets sacks against 2nd string Tackles...but disappears against quality OL. He's done. Send him on his way. I love Jason Taylor as a guy. I am glad he has not been washed up as a player...but he is not playing at a high enough level. Maybe if he was coming in on 3rd downs? we desperately need at least 1 guy to be a factor on every snap. Maybe if one of these guys was playing like they did a few years ago then the other would get more productivity...but...neither is being double teamed...and neither is a factor against the pass on a consistent basis.

5)....Coaching. I like Tony Sparano's style. I think he has the right attitude; however, he needs to sit back and evaluate himself first and then his Coordinators. He would be making a BIG mistake if he puts all of this season's woes on the players.

a) Talent evaluation. Not sure whether it was thinking they were good enough or not using them right...but...Wilford was signed for big money as a slow Big possession WR. Turner was drafted as a big Red Zone target who was known to not be fast...neither could get on the field. I fault the coaches for either being poor judges of potential or not being able to coach and develop. They picked them not me. Gibril Wilson was signed for big money...he was converted from FS to SS by the Raiders...our staff either were either poor judges of ability or poor coaches. Pat White. NUF SAID.

b) Talent Usage. Lex Hilliard showed NFL ability in the pre-season and in the last game...when they had to use him...why didn't they use him more this season? When Ronnie went down why not use him then? We have a lack of production at WR. Brian Hartline has been productive whenever they put him on the field...and in almost every instance..as soon as he makes a good play he is back on the sideline...waiting ...not playing. We still have a need at WR...Turner has not seen 1 snap in the regular season. A 3rd round pick whose pre-draft bio was a 'Big Red Zone ' target is not activated because they don't know who to take snaps away from? Gibril Wilson struggles and Clemons barely gets played. Hmm...if the starter is getting burned on the deep ball? What is the fear in giving the rookie playing time? He'll get burned on the short? Pat White, why are they inserting him when Henne has been on a roll?

c) Henning is a good offense 'designer' but his play-calling has hurt us. Either Sparano has to put shackles on this guy or he needs to fire & hire.

d) Pasqualoni has had to work with a weak group so I cut him SOME slack...but there have been times when something is working and he stops. Or times when the young rookie corners have been exposed by questionable cover schemes. AND...I know our ILB's are weak...but after 3 teams kill us with the TE...COME UP WITH AN ANSWER!!!!



That's about it...but it is a long list. We can't fix all of it in one year...and really we don't have to.

Improve the pass rush and the FS doesn't have to be Ed Reed.
Improve the ILB and you improve the pass rush via blitz and pass coverage against TE's
Get a legit #1 WR and it doesn't matter if #4 or #5 aren't getting playing time.

Do a better job or evaluating/coaching your talent...and you have better talent!

I agree with whoever said Sparano should have 1 more year to show he is the right choice. 2010 needs to be the year that he stands on his own 2 feet, thanks the Tuna for the help and opportunity; but, says " I got it from here" and makes this team ( players and coaches) understand that he is in charge and will hold people accountable.

I don't care what miracles happen next week...even if we make it...we have too much work to do to get excited.

1) We need to get healthy. We lost our starting QB,RB,CB,TE,NT, KR (backup RB ), & MLB to season ending injuries and a plethara of dings to the offensive line.

2) Continue to draft well. Ireland's first draft was on the foundational players...O-Line, D-Line, QB. His second draft was skill players ...DB's, WR's, & Pat White. I believe his third draft will focus on the middle of the field players...ILB, FS, TE, NT. DRAFTING well is a longterm fix, not a quick fix.

3) Get Henne and receivers to the next level. A lot of hard work, timing, communication, and repition.

4) Have an aggressive game plan that keeps the players engaged for a complete 60 minutes. I like the idea a getting many players on the field...but, we may be over-doing it w/ the substitutions. Find the best group of players and wind them up and let them go.

5) DEFENSE. We certainly do not have a championship D. It's in the rebuild stage. But, this D-fense has given up way too many points. The communication mistakes have to stop. Bad tackling has to be punished. This defense has to get nasty.

I think, if Will Allen is healthy, we've got the guy in the secondary that know what's going on, and Charlie Anderson has the speed to be more effective in coverage than what we've got now (AND he tackles better!), and I think Davis, Smith and some of the other young guys (Clemons, Wake, Sperry, Hilliard, maybe Thigpen and Turner) might be able to contribute next year but I mostly agree with your evaluations. This year's draft is possibly the most important since the new regime got here-it's the third year of the rebuilding process.

Rick

I agree 100% with everything realist said. A better TE would be good too, but we don't need a Tony Gonzalez, just someone slightly better than what we have. I still think we should consider re-signing David Martin.

Do you guys think Donald Lee is better than Fasano?

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"When you suck long enough, you get a Hickey"

I didn't comment on the TE because I think that position is being affected by the lack of a #1 WR.

I don't know if our guys are average or could be great because the D isn't being stretched. Haynos is developing...slowly..but he is getting better. At 6'8" and 270 lbs? If the D got stretched by a legit deep threat and our running game is still demanding attention Haynos would be a major impact in the soft middle. But right now there is now soft middle. When the secondary sits a safety and drops a LB it becomes Hong Kong in a hurry.

Once Henne's 'seasoning' is done...and he is in sync with th WR's...we will get a better idea of what our TE's look like.

My perspective is...what if Jeremy Shockey played for us? No deep threats, safety in the middle, young QB who at times throws too hard? Would he have 49 catches? Or would he have 30?

Guy can't block.

Rick

He wasn't when he was here. Sorry-I meant Donald Lee.

Rick



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/30/2009 11:42AM by dolphan4545.