This are the reasons we probably suck this year. No decent RB, QB, TE, RT, C, 1 WR, No pass rush, decent but not great LB (this isn't a knock on Vilma it's a knock on Hobson and our depth), pretty good but not great secondary. Here is why we might not suck. Great draft a key pick up in the first wave of cuts, Ramsey turns into Curt Warner of a few years ago, the players show up in shape at training camp, the coaches actually teach the players how to play and devise a scheme on both sides of the ball that covers up our weaknesses and exploits our strength, game manegment improves dramatically and the rest of the league continues to be mediocre and inconsistent allowing even a well managed weak team to sneak into the playoffs.
Excellent post, Winston, but I don't see the rest of the league "continuing to be mediocre and inconsistent." True, the Patriots, for example, are not the team they were. And the Colts couldn't wait to self-destruct. Even the Superbowl-winning Steelers looked for all the world like they lucked out immensely. The Eagles? Without TO they're finished. But then there are teams like Dallas and Miami and others who are gonna come on strong, IMO. But you nailed it when you say we may have "coaches that can actually teach the players how to play and devise a scheme on both sides of the ball that covers up our weaknesses and exploits our strength, game manegment improves dramatically." When I was at TC last year, I was amazed at how little instruction I witnessed. And it was from the top down. Edwards walks around, basically bullshitting with other people, while pretending to be interested in the relaxed walk-throughs. Heimerdinger followed the lead and basically folded his arms over that fat belly of his, even supported his head, for Christ's sake, on his one folded arm, while remaining motionless on the field. Henderson was a little more animated than these two, but only to the point of not wanting to up-stage Herm's relaxed demeanor. The ONLY coach last year hustling around the field, barking at players, actively getting involved with obvious instruction, hobbling around from end to end, waving his arms and lining people up to show them position, etc., was Mike Westhoff. THE ONLY guy, and I am not kidding. Herm set such a country-club pace to that TC it was absolutely pathetic, IMO. At the time, I could only observe it and self-doubtedly tell myself that maybe this isn't too good, but maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Then, during the first quarter of the opener at Arrowhead, I came to the realization that I had been right all along... that this team was woefully unprepared and that the season was going to be a very long one. Little did I know they were so unprepared that it cost us 2 QB's and the loss of about 9 starters total. We all know about the clock manglement (intentionally mispelled),so no need to get into that, but at least this year we've got Mangini setting the pace. Believe me fellas, and I don't think I'm wrong about this, but you will see a VAST improvement in the preparedness of this team, whatever the team looks like and whomever we get in the draft and F/A to start with. If we play the opening game having accomplished nothing else this year, this will be a VAST improvement over last year.
