The biggest problem is that the franchise needs continuity and fluidity throughout the entire organization. You can't handcuff a general manager into having to keep a head coach which probably deferred a lot of guys from even wanting to interview throughout the entire process. Rex was on board because he knew he was getting another couple seasons regardless of what Idzik's plan was and how Rex fit into his plan. Who knows what type of defense Idzik wanted to build after coming from several franchises that built their winning success on a basis of a cover 2 4-3 scheme with speed rushers on the outside. We have built the defense completely opposite from what Idzik is accustomed to even within his two years here. We drafted an interior defensive lineman, a cover 2 corner and a safety without much range or coverage skills to try to fit into Rex's scheme or at least it seems that way. It's the whole round peg into a square hole idea in that the general manager is catering to the head coach that he didn't choose. That's why the general manager usually picks the head coach because he's a guy he knows, wanted and understands what they're going to be doing with the players he drafts. He takes Richardson & Pryor as it seems Rex would have wanted and then drafts Milliner to attempt to be a man to man savior on the outside. The other problem is what Idzik has done to Rex which has handcuffed him on offense. He spends high draft picks on guys like Geno Smith and Brian Winters and it's obvious they only got a year and a half to play because they were higher round draft picks. We'll probably never know who Rex wanted to start but it was glaringly obvious how other guys should've been playing over specifically Winters who was absolutely terrible in all of his starts. Lack of a better option or not you have to bench guys that are terrible and give another guy a shot because of the fact that they simply can't do much worse. The whole competition mantra seems like a front as there is little competing. Idzik brings in Chris Johnson and the offense continues to jam him straight up the middle, even when Bilal Powell has shown a good ability on those plays to cut up defenders. Why? Because Idzik signed him and he's seemingly forced to play despite the fact that there's another option that will be better but he's not making $4 million a year on the general managers 'brilliant' signing. Either clean the coaching staff out and let Idzik go get his guys or bag this whole experiment and clean out the entire organization and start fresh. But we need to stop tying draft picks and signees into playing for the general managers sake, and drafting players only the head coach wants or only the general manager wants. The competition thing works if put into place the correct way, but it's been botched and if Woody fires Idzik and keeps Rex and straps another general manager to him it's just going to be another fail maybe with a playoff appearance thrown in there. It's the perfect time to clean out the coaching staff because we have no promising young quarterback on the team that would need to 'learn yet another system,' and we have very versatile young defensive players specifically on the defensive line that can seemingly play in any front.
I obviously hope I am wrong, too. First of all blaming it all on Smith would ignore that the decision to play Smith was a huge part of the problem. Unlike last year, when the only real alternative was playing Simms, they had a quality player to go to in Vick. How would Idzik and Ryan escape accountability for that? Well, imo they SHOULDN'T, but that doesn't mean Woody won't. Let them escape, that is. Nothing will surprise me, although I do think Woody will not allow them to bring Smith back as the starter next year, no matter how bad his other decisions will prove to be.
I am not sure I followed Vilma's lengthy post, but I suppose the best reason to fire Ryan is that I believe Idzik should be fired, and Woody should not, a second time, attempt to interview candidates when he's already in effect told them they have to work with Ryan. A middle ground is to fire Idzik on Black Monday and let the future GM either retain or fire Ryan. That might appeal to Woody, but ironically it would not be a great deal for Ryan, as he would still be under contract and could not interview for available HC jobs. Hm.
We've been doing the quick fix for so long that I'm ready for a new approach. Let's see how this slower methodical approach plays out.
Idziks job was to provide his coach with pieces to do his job. Not to impose his own defensive scheme on the coach.
Yeah, like John Idzik, and he sucks. Not that anyone willing to work with Ryan would have to, by definition, suck. THe point instead is it limits the pool of available candidates, to some extent leaving out candidates who might be better than those willing to accept Ryan. More to the point is Woody has been so second guessed about his prior approach, we have to wonder whether even a doofus like him would want to go that route again.
What if Idzik doesn't know how to provide pieces to a coach whose scheme he's not familiar with or particularly understands? Not everyone general manager understands how to build a team for every coach and scheme in the league.
And Rexs job is work with what he is given. Not try to instill his own philosophy and put players out of position and not adjust with said players whatsoever. This goes both ways.
The two conflicting points are the exact reason the general manager should choose the head coach. They need to work together and with these two it seems like an upstream battle to get them on the same page regardless of what they say in the media. Rex doesn't throw anyone under the bus especially a guy who is theoretically positioned higher than him on the food chain in a bubble year for him as a head coach. He's just unwilling to adjust in game planning to the talent Idzik has given him.
No corners? Best of luck with that one, maybe a lesser D minded coach would have completely capitulated.
