I'm 99% sure I saw Hitchens or Ragland line up as a DE because whoever was supposed to be there was standing out in the middle of the field waving his arms like a lunatic.

There was a ton of confusion in the first half, before they were exhausted. It was just crazy. I've never seen a team where one unit is so polished and well-oiled and the other is like the Bad News Bears.

Totally agree with this. I don't get all the blame going to Ford for a number of reasons:

1. Ford was probably the #1 or #2 difference maker on our defense this year, so without him, we don't get the one seed.

2. It's a call that usually starts with a warning, but either way, it's not much different than an illegal procedure, etc. Penalties happen in football. Our team commits too many of them overall, it's not just a Dee Ford issue.

3. We had several chances to stop them before AND after the penalty, including over time.

Yep.

Yeah, but we had them stopped. If he's not in the neutral zone, the game is over and we're headed to Atlanta.

That's not on the coaching or whatever. Line up behind the ****ing ball man. This isn't rocket surgery.

I've always been a little surprised by coaches pounding the fundamentals during summer camp. It's like, "OK guys, this is how you cover a wide receiver - or - this is how you shed a block." Seriously? But, that's what every team does and the successful teams do it best. That's just good coaching. But it also comes down to motivated players. Like Scott Frost said, "There are those that can't and then there are those that can, but won't."

Good coaches pound the fundamentals and also recognize those that can't or won't and then don't sign them to big contracts. Ultimately, it falls on coaching. This isn't brain science.

Doesn't matter!! Water under the bridge at this point. It is in that moment when IT COUNTS and matters THE MOST.:shrug:

Even more INEXCUSABLE to commit a mental error that you actually have total control over that your opponent cannot influence whatsoever especially when being forewarned.:rolleyes:

Andy,Bob and the staff knew the score going into this game how bad our defensive deficiencies were (i.e. lack of talent) therefore when you lack physical talent you must play smarter (not being out coached) with razor sharp focus with very good technique at all times to at least slow them down. That didn't happen.

And in spite of our defensive deficiencies(lack of talent and lack of good coaching) and our offense being 1/2 hamstrung the majority of the game we STILL put 28pts up to go ahead. And because Dee Ford was not mentally razor sharp focusing on what he could control in that moment which had nothing to do with our opponent's influence and why we are sitting at home.

Sure our defense should have never gotten to this point EVER !! I get your point! But you can't play that card because we knew going in what our challenges were therefore you control what you CAN CONTROL and that was NOT DONE !!


Like I said, BB knows his opponent offensively and defensively better than they know themselves most of the time and plays chess against himself better than any coach when it comes to prepping and what to throw at his opponent both offensively and especially defensively to surprise his opposition. Andy and Bob know Bill does this and they did not prepare for this and why our D players were lost most of the game.

My point is control what you can control when those crucial moments come when going against a superior opponent and we did not especially Dee Ford and we paid a dear price.

We were given a gift by our opponent and we chose not to receive it.

And where would we have been if you took away Ford's 13.5 sacks and 7 forced fumbles?

I totally agree with what you said in your full post but the reason I sectioned this partial statement of yours was, I wonder how come a coach wasn't watching for this very thing to make sure the players were lined up correctly? Or was there a coach screaming at him to move back ? Now with that asked, this is still on Dee no doubt and is on him totally BUT like I said it is all about preparation and if I am AR I appoint someone to watch for these things because this is a HUGE GAME and he knows Dee is not the sharpest tool in the shed.:thumb: You know the very simple act of calling a timeout in OT to give your D a breather which should have happened but didn't as Collinsworth and someone else on this board pointed out.

My point again, "things you can control" in the heat of the moment.;)

Apples to oranges my friend.

Football is an existential game that is played "in the moment" and when that moment comes you can't rely on the past to perform in the present, but rather you must perform "in the present" in that moment when it presents itself". And why I started a thread on game day, called "Greatness is a choice".

Dee made his choice to be careless rather than great when it counted the most.:rolleyes:

I think we should pay Dee Ford, we need a really highly paid defense that can't perform.

Pay Chris Jones too, we'll have a super highly paid defense that still sucks, it's a great strategy.