Players Say The Problem Is The Players

January 04, 2010 at 10:43am by Scott   •  4 Comments »

The papers keep running these quotes from players who are vocally supportive of Raheem Morris sticking around. But the thing is that it’s always the same players. Jeff Faine, for example, still wants Raheem to stick around.

“You draft a franchise quarterback, and you really let go of a good nucleus of a team last year I really think it’s unfair to move on, I really do. I think he deserves a chance an opportunity to develop what we’re trying to do. You can’t expect him to go undefeated in the first year, I think that was very, very unrealistic.”

No one expected “undefeated”, but it’s fair to expect something more than 3-13. It just is.

Tanard Jackson voiced his support as well.

“He should be our coach, he’s a great coach. He came in our first year had to work with what he had to work with. I know it’ll be different next year.”

Ronde Barber wasn’t asked about Morris directly, but did mention the future of the team.

“I know one thing for certain – this team won’t be the same next year. It never is, but it won’t be the same. There are areas where we have to get better,” he said.

“You have all offseason to do that. You have the draft to do that, you have free agency to do that. There are certainly some areas where we can improve. We just have to find those guys.”

We have a theme here, don’t we. Everyone seems to think that the trouble lies with the players. And they don’t even say it’s an execution problem — they are saying they don’t have the right players. And for the most part, I call bullshit.

Again, this is mostly the same core of players they had last year that won nine games. What are the real changes? Joey Galloway barely played last year. Derrick Brooks was switched out for Geno Hayes, and it turns out that Hayes is the best linebacker on the team. Cato June was moved for Quincy Black, and we’ll call that one a wash right now. Warrick Dunn was switched for Derrick Ward, which proved to be a downgrade this year. And finally you have Arron Sears who got replaced with Jeremy Zuttah, also a downgrade. That’s it. Who are the players they are suggesting that need to be replaced?

Both the offensive and defensive coaching schemes changed in the offseason, and then again during the regular season. That, to me, was why the season fell apart. And the responsibility for making those changes lies squarely on the general manager and the head coach. Hiring Jeff Jagodzinski, firing him, and then turning his responsibilities over to Greg Olson who for some reason was never originally interviewed for the coordinator job in the first place, was a huge misfire. Jim Bates brought some good credentials for the defense, but no one ever really bought into his system as was evidenced by the amount of time they spent in the Cover 2 even when he was still the coordinator. Either someone hired the wrong guy in Bates or someone didn’t get the right players to fit his scheme. Either way, that is also on the coach and the GM.

There are some definite needs for player upgrades (Piscitelli, Clayton, possibly some d-linemen), but for the players to say the problems were with themselves is not being realistic. The talent is there. The question is whether Morris should get a mulligan for being inexperienced and shitting a full season away with poor personnel decisions.