12-4.....and why it was so bad.

[hdevonxz]

"Following that 1999 NFC Championship Game, Shula was fired as offensive coordinator after the Bucs finished no higher than 22nd in total offense during his tenure."

" Mike Shula was hired as head coach at Alabama in May 2003..... The season was marked by close losses and fourth quarter collapses. In games decided by one score or less, Alabama was 0–6 on the season"

" The Tide struggled the rest of the year, as the offense could not consistently move the ball once inside the red zone"

Does any of this sound familiar? ??

2011 offense was ranked #7

2012 offense was ranked #12

Era of Shula

2013 offense was ranked #26

2014 offense so far is ranked #26 again. ...

 

[Ricky Spanish]

The team looked set up for sustained success last year.  Young franchise QB winning games in the 4th Quarter, the 2nd ranked defense in the NFL with the defensive player of the year at MLB.  A defensive line that lead the NFL in sacks that featured two rookies playing a significant number of snaps.  

 

Problem is, they didn't upgrade ANYWHERE on the roster.  They downgraded the offensive line, the WR's are about the same, the secondary is worse.  You can't have this huge amount of turnover on the roster year to year and expect to win every season.  

 

I agree with you, however let me add that the amount of turnover we experienced is not in the long term goals of the team. We absolutely HAD to let all those guys go this year because we couldn't afford to keep them. When we get cap healthy, we'll be able to retain our better players again, and I trust Gettleman not to shaft us with retarded long term contracts like Hurney did. 

[Happy Panther]

Rivera and Shula showed us they can make it happen. We put up a lot of points in our last 12 games.

 

Hardy gone and our current O-Line hurts but we can still win games.

[OneBadCat]

We took away everything that made us 12-4.  A speedy WR to could make chunk plays,  a FS who made the whole secondary believe they were better than they really were. Gross not adequately being replaced. Not to mention Steve Smith. And despite all the buzz around his release the man made a difference on the fuggin field and he always spirit. Hardy made his own mess. That's not on us obviously we need him.

 

 

This all G-man's fault for A. Sacrificing the team for the cap. B. Believing Rivera can be come Bill Belicheat

 

We may very well lose Cam for this sht. Gman is a complete asshole at this point. Even if we miraculously win out and go to the super bowl. He's still an asshole for making us suffer through this crap. 

[thefuzz]

We took away everything that made us 12-4.  A speedy WR to could make chunk plays,  a FS who made the whole secondary believe they were better than they really were. Gross not adequately being replaced. Not to mention Steve Smith. And despite all the buzz around his release the man made a difference on the fuggin field and he always spirit. Hardy made his own mess. That's not on us obviously we need him.

 

 

This all G-man's fault for A. Sacrificing the team for the cap. B. Believing Rivera can be come Bill Belicheat

 

We may very well lose Cam for this sht. Gman is a complete asshole at this point. Even if we miraculously win out and go to the super bowl. He's still an asshole for making us suffer through this crap. 

 

We all knew that we would have to go through this, at least those of us who look at the cap.

 

 

IMO, and this goes back to the reason I started the thread, is the 12 wins last year got the fans, and the ownership all excited, and thinking we were one of the league's best.....we aren't.

 

 

I do believe that we are heading in the right direction, I don't believe that this is a good team....yet.

[thefuzz]

You were probably colored shocked when JR let G-Man cut Smitty too. 

 

I don't see Rivera as a problem, and I don't see him getting fired any time this season or offseason, he'll get and should get the first half of next season at least. BUT Shula needs to be fired right now he is fuging pitiful.

 

No, I wasn't shocked when SS was cut, it was the right call.

 

 

I agree with you that Shula should go, but I never wanted him here from the start.  We were forced to sign an OC to a very short contract.....and you know what you get when you have to do that.

[AceBoogie]

No, I wasn't shocked when SS was cut, it was the right call.

I agree with you that Shula should go, but I never wanted him here from the start. We were forced to sign an OC to a very short contract.....and you know what you get when you have to do that.

Maybe the right call 3 or 4 years from now, but even then who knows how the contract situation would have played out. This team is definitely missing Steve Smith this year, probably in the locker room more than the field

[thefuzz]

Maybe the right call 3 or 4 years from now, but even then who knows how the contract situation would have played out. This team is definitely missing Steve Smith this year, probably in the locker room more than the field

 

 

Would you rather have SS for another year, or Luke/Cam for the next 5 or 6?

 

 

That is the type question you have to ask.

 

 

Steve Smith was a cap casualty, CJ and Kalil may work their way into the same spot over the next 2 years....it happens.

[Paa Langfart]

You were probably colored shocked when JR let G-Man cut Smitty too. 

 

I don't see Rivera as a problem, and I don't see him getting fired any time this season or offseason, he'll get and should get the first half of next season at least. BUT Shula needs to be fired right now he is fuging pitiful.

 

 

I dont see how you cant see Rivera as the problem or a big part of it.  Rivera picked Shula.

[Snake]

Agreed.  I think that our division was not as good as advertised, we were healthier than most normal NFL teams, we got great mileage out of an older LT, and the ball bounced our way more times than not.

 

 

Last season is going to hurt us badly in the long run.

 

 

I doubt it in the long run. This year sure, but I think we will expell a few demons after this season because its not looking like we win many more games at this rate. Really this is 2010 with better QB play.

[thefuzz]

I doubt it in the long run. This year sure, but I think we will expell a few demons after this season because its not looking like we win many more games at this rate. Really this is 2010 with better QB play.

 

The 12 wins caused us to extend Riverboat....I'm not fully convinced that he is the answer for this franchise.

[top dawg]

Wow, I though you were going to say something to the effect that it got our hopes up, and that we were dealing with fool's gold, but this is dangerously near another Rivera bashing thread (but I don't think that it is).

 

The truth of the matter is, Rivera doesn't look too convincing or in control right now, and he hasn't done his best job.  But, he has also had to play the hand that he was dealt.  To me, the question of whether Rivera is fool's gold has still not been answered because he has never been in an optimum situation talent wise.  His relatively short body of work has been after the team was gutted, under the pressure of cap hell, and with second and third stringers at key positions, if not near entire position-specific classifications team-wide.  This year it can be argued that we have even taken a step backwards in talent.

 

Ron has done more with less as far as I'm concerned---just like Cam.  We got very lucky last season with the talent playing above its level, but seem to be just as unlucky this season (and it's just the football universe evening itself out is all). 

 

I say this only because I still can't in good conscience separate the failures of Rivera from the failures of Gettleman.  In my opinion, if we can give Gettleman a pass because of the cap and the current train wreck, then we can show the same grace to Rivera, who is a victim of this dearth of starting talent.   

 

Now I do blame Ron wholeheartedly for promoting Shula, but everyone makes mistakes.  The reason that I am loath to give Shula this same grace is that this is not his first pony ride.  Even the things that he does with the talent that he has just bespeaks of an OC that has lost touch and fails to adapt to the situation at hand in today's NFL.  

[thefuzz]

Wow, I though you were going to say something to the effect that it got our hopes up, and that we were dealing with fool's gold, but this is dangerously near another Rivera bashing thread (but I don't think that it is).

 

The truth of the matter is, Rivera doesn't look too convincing or in control right now, and he hasn't done his best job.  But, he has also had to play the hand that he was dealt.  To me, the question of whether Rivera is fool's gold has still not been answered because he has never been in an optimum situation talent wise.  His relatively short body of work has been after the team was gutted, under the pressure of cap hell, and with second and third stringers at key positions, if not near entire position-specific classifications team-wide.  This year it can be argued that we have even taken a step backwards in talent.

 

Ron has done more with less as far as I'm concerned---just like Cam.  We got very lucky last season with the talent playing above its level, but seem to be just as unlucky this season (and it's just the football universe evening itself out is all). 

 

I say this only because I still can't in good conscience separate the failures of Rivera from the failures of Gettleman.  In my opinion, if we can give Gettleman a pass because of the cap and the current train wreck, then we can show the same grace to Rivera, who is a victim of this dearth of starting talent.   

 

Now I do blame Ron wholeheartedly for promoting Shula, but everyone makes mistakes.  The reason that I am loath to give Shula this same grace is that this is not his first pony ride.  Even the things that he does with the talent that he has just bespeaks of an OC that has lost touch and fails to adapt to the situation at hand in today's NFL.  

 

Not a RR bashing thread at all, at least I didn't mean it that way.

 

 

Ron is a players coach, and those dudes normally get fired before they make the tough calls....like firing Shula.

[Lumps]

I normally try to keep a low profile on The Huddle after losses, especially to division rivals, but I felt I needed to touch on this.

Without last seasons run to the division title, I believe that the Panthers would be in a much better spot than we find ourselves today. I have touched on it a couple times in different threads, but figured I would toss it up here with the rest of the BS that is flying around.

Riverboat Ron would most likely be gone, along with Shula, who IMO is the worst part of this football team outside of the cap mess. Now, we are most likely stuck with Ron for at least 1 more if not 2 more seasons, and I don't know if he has it in him to get rid of Shula.

Last season was fun while it lasted, but I think that we will feel the repercussions for a couple more seasons to come because of it.

I agree, except I don't blame a 12-4 season. I blame an idiot owner who over the years gives extensions without due to players, coaches and GMs. It's not the record, it's idiocy ownership.