The disease is 3-fold,

1) Injuries
2) Picking players that are a poor fit for what Capers wants to do
3) Capers not designing a scheme to fit the players he's been given

The cure is running more 3-3 and 4-2, and that is entirely in Capers hands. He certainly has the ability to get it done, but for some reason he refuses to adjust.

As I said when we hired him 6 years ago - I don't trust him. He is very, very stubborn about making adjustments, even when the results of doing what he's been doing are disasterous - which has now finally led to MM stepping in and getting involved with what Capers is doing (at least a year too late IMO).

He does not have the personnel to run the 2-4, yet game after game, down after down... he refuses to adjust. TT has given him talent stacked on the DL, and has himself refused to invest in LB's. If your scheme is predicated upon outstanding linebacker play, and the GM refuses to upgrade the talent at linebacker - you had best adjust as quickly as possible, or your defense is going to be in big trouble.

If we had SF's linebackers?? I wouldn't bitch as much about the 2-4, but we don't have their linebackers - we have 2 slugs slogging away in the middle. We need to run much more 3-3 and 4-2 to minimize our weakness at LB, and take full advantage of the talent we have on the DL.

This year I think we will finally see more of the cure than the disease. Peppers is a big upgrade, even if his snaps need to be rationed, and MM getting involved with the defense should help.

We'll see.