C.johnson

[SloppyJoe]

He is at his best playing the back-up role. He got tried at the end of games from playing more snaps and by the end of the season he couldn't hold up too the run.

This is another awesome effect of our crappy bend, don't break defense. When you let the opposing team drive the entire length of the field every possession to just try to stop them in the red zone, the defense gets tired quickly. This technique worked fine in '03 when we had depth, but we had no depth this year. That's why you saw opposing teams putting up big points in the second half, and especially the 4th quarter this year. Trgo sucks.

[Seamonk]

We still have the offseason to get better. You guys aren't including the offseason at all in your thought process. It IS possible for a player that was pretty mediocre or not used a lot to get better and making more plays for the team. All I'm seeing is people talking about free agent additions and draft possibilities and that would be our only way to get better. I'm sorry, but just a couple years ago Justin Tuck was regarded as a waste of a draft pick because a team could just run in his direction. Players CAN improve in the offseason. The draft picks will still be there, the free agent signing will still be there, but assuming CJ won't get any better in the offseason is just absurd. Hell he could come back beastly.. or pull a disappearing act like Keary Colbert.

Sadly, since people aren't sold on the bend but don't break strategy, what it's supposed to be good at is the run. In a more aggresive scheme, players get too caught up in committing to one area such as the run or the pass, that means they are more easily throw off by play-action and misdirection (pretty much the Weakness of the New York Giants, it's why we've always been able to run all over them whenever we've played them).

However, in a bend but don't break scheme, players are more designed to be in position and to make a play, basically relying more on the players' skill than anything. Our problem isn't the bend but don't break strategy, it's becoming too soft of one. We stopped giving the illusion that we're going to bring the heat, we stopped challenging the other team's offense, and therefore that in turn became a weakness.

Lucas has lost his confidence, Marshall is out of place, Godfrey is still learning the system and we're still trying to cover top-tier wide receivers with linebackers. The real problem is... our coaching staff is horribly overrating our players. The good thing is, with holes like these, it allows other players to step up, players like Charles Johnson.