Week 13 Game Day Chatter | Saints @ Cowboys | 11-29-2018

[Smitty]

I think we may have the best 2 young LBs as a tandem in the league. Let that sink in. Our draft guys hit it big on these 2.

Or simply, the best LB corps in football. When Lee is back, think about those three.

And then Damien Wilson and Joe Thomas as reserves, that's solid as hell.

 

[BipolarFuk]

I think officials will be watching him like a hawk now. He has developed a habit of launching himself like this, and for better or worse you just can't do it anymore.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

At this point I'm more impartial than most (to say the least) but I don't get all the ref-blaming. The Saints had a bunch of ticky-tack calls against them, too. The first half was like 10-1 penalties against them so it was normal for that to equalize a little bit.

Which calls against the Saints were ticky tack in your unbiased opinion?

 

[DLK150]

I think a couple of those sacks were basically for no loss of yards though. There weren't really 7 drive killing sacks. More like 3 critical sacks or so. Still way too many. And way too many times the Oline was just beat.

Some of them could have been avoided by just throwing the fricking ball away.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Or simply, the best LB corps in football. When Lee is back, think about those three.

And then Damien Wilson and Joe Thomas as reserves, that's solid as hell.

I just hope our coaches are smart enough to not pull LVE or Jaylon Smith off the field in favor of Lee. The players really feed off LVE. He started doing that wolf call last night and you could see the team was going crazy. I guess the played something over the PA system as well. The man is a monster. We would be idiots to pull him off the field. And Jaylon Smiths speed is insane. The dude has catch up speed like very few LBers.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Some of them could have been avoided by just throwing the fricking ball away.

I agree. Watching some of these replays though, man our O-line was getting shredded. But I guess that's what happens when no body practices.

 

[Smitty]

This may be true. He may actually be a good motivator. But he leaves tons to be desired as an offensive guy. Maybe a bolder more innovative OC with him as HC would work, but then you also have the DC to worry about. Marrinelli wasn't this good on his own and Richard will either be a DC or HC somewhere else next year. So the D won't be as good. Then it depends on what they do at OC. Garrett can't do it without major talent at both coordinator positions because I think the walk around HC thing is BS.

Yeah, I've said many times he leaves a lot that can be upgraded. Most recently I agreed that Lincoln Riley would be one of the "hot names" I've bandied about that would make me move off from Garrett even with an 8-8 or 9-7 finish.

And if he had lost control of the team and finished 6-10 or something, then a punitive firing was probably warranted as well, even going into a coaching search without a replacement on hand (though that's mostly the concept I hate. I want a target that we've talked to and are stealing out from everyone else, some upgrade lined up ahead of time, like we did with Parcells, or like we could theoretically do with Lincoln Riley).

But the constant wailing and gnashing of teeth as if he's the worst coach or a bottom 5 coach remains misguided and largely a product of fans not watching other coaches with the same critical eye.

 

[Smitty]

How about this? He makes more mistakes than I like to see in a head coach that has been on the job for 8 years or whatever. How many challenges does a team get unless they win both challenges?

How easy of a rule is that? Garrett should know that by now, especially with how often he loses challenges. If the average football fan who is sitting on their couch can keep track of how many challenges Payton used, can we not expect Garrett to know?

He had no clue. Every down is precious in a game like that. You're trying to keep Brees on the sideline. To run up to the line and essentially waste a play when you don't have to, that's rookie mistake shit.

I'll give you the point that I don't know how many bonehead decisions go on league wide each week, but I witness my fair share when I turn on a Cowboy game.

I don't agree that it's a "rookie mistake shit." It's a rule that we all know and I guarantee you it's a rule that Garrett knows too. In the heat of the game, it's something that is probably lost track of. Not that he doesn't know the rule.

Now, is it a mistake to lose track of how many challenges Payton has left? Sure. But this is where you lose me with hyperbole.

It's a mistake. It's not a "rookie" mistake, unless you have some sort of evidence that no experienced coach has ever made that mistake before. And you cannot possibly quantify how often other coaches make similar mistakes, because you are neither tracking nor even watching the other coaches with anywhere near the amount of regularity that you watch Garrett.

All you have is anecdotal evidence -- and even that is without hard numbers, instead supported by your "feeling," of what is too many. But you aren't even able to accurately explain why the number you have selected as "too many," is too many.

You just have no idea. I don't have any idea either. None of us do.

That's what 90% of these Garrett debates devolve into. I'm a "Garrett lover," because I'm forced to defend evidence-less accusations that he is somehow the worst offender of all this, when in reality, no one has any clue if that is true. The constant rebuttal is "I never see (name a coach) making that mistake/this many mistakes." NO SHIT! You aren't watching (name that coach) every week!

And if your reference point is Bill Belichick/Sean Payton (oops, Sean Payton made more egregious errors last night than Garrett did)/Andy Reid (a CONSTANT game mismanager)/Sean McVay, or any of the other top coaches in the league, yes, I think we all agree that Garrett is not in that category.

It's a fair point that Garrett has not accomplished what you would expect a coach who is tenured as long as he is to have accomplished. But let's stick to that criticism then. It's time for him to win. Certainly a finish out of the playoffs, and the cries to replace him will get very loud. On the other hand, if he wins the division, it's hard to fire him after that.

But at any given time in the league there are probably at least a good 10-15 other coaches who are, at least, no better than Garrett is at their jobs, and make just as many mistakes if not more.

 

[Smitty]

Am I the only one really curious about how this went down? Does the team go to Rod and tell him, "This is the way it is" and that's it? Did they have to guarantee this to Richard to entice him to sign here? Did that irritate Rod and he puts up with it because he's a good team player, or did he just say eff it, I'm getting old so I don't care if someone else does it?

My recollection is there has been talk for a few years about how much longer Marinelli wants to coach.

That is probably part of the bargain..... hey.... this defense can be yours soon.

Also, let's not forget, Richard was fired. We didn't steal him away.

I like what he's doing, but this defense is very good. Byron Jones is a first round pick. Awuzie and Lewis are second and third round hits, and were already considered that before he got here. The LBs are apparently among the league's best. The DL is deep and has a Pro Bowl caliber pass rusher.

He's getting good results.... with good talent.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Which calls against the Saints were ticky tack in your unbiased opinion?

Some of the illegal contact/holding calls in the secondary. Those happen practically every play and Dallas guys were doing them, too. Obviously not every one is going to be called, just like holding on the OL.

 

[p1_]

Looney hasn't been a rock.

He's been good for a backup. But he's a backup.

Yes, he is a backup, and when you backup Frederick, there's a drop off.

But I would venture to say that hes been less of a liability than perhaps his less sturdy rookie teammate.

 

[Smitty]

I just hope our coaches are smart enough to not pull LVE or Jaylon Smith off the field in favor of Lee. The players really feed off LVE. He started doing that wolf call last night and you could see the team was going crazy. I guess the played something over the PA system as well. The man is a monster. We would be idiots to pull him off the field. And Jaylon Smiths speed is insane. The dude has catch up speed like very few LBers.

Yeah, I heard that playing. I wonder what that origin story is.

 

[Rev]

Yeah, I heard that playing. I wonder what that origin story is.

LVE hunts wolves.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Yeah, I heard that playing. I wonder what that origin story is.

They were talking about how he hunts and skins wolves last night.

 

[Landry]

Chuck Noriss fears LVE.

 

[Cotton]

Yeah, I heard that playing. I wonder what that origin story is.

They have nicknamed him the Wolf Hunter.

 

[DLK150]

I agree. Watching some of these replays though, man our O-line was getting shredded. But I guess that's what happens when no body practices.

Plus you're playing backups and/or scrubs. I wasn't surprised at all, really.

 

[BipolarFuk]

LVE such a great draft pick.

The Jones' better give McClay a minority stake in the fucking team or something since he'll never get the GM title.

 

[BipolarFuk]

 

[Sheik]

Greatness.