Capers=God

[Patler]

We replaced the two worst coaches on our staff with solid ones. Win or lose things will be far more enjoyable to watch this year.

We won't be able to call the defensive schemes from the stands or television as much anymore

That is something we talked about before on here. I think it is an important factor. The original staff had coaches with minimal success and rather unimpressive resumes. Several were first time hires in the highest positions they ever had. Contrast those backgrounds with guys like Capers, Trgovac and Perry.

[Fritz]

I am happy too but just want to remind everyone that in the preseason teams don't usually blitz much and offenses are not as well prepared as they will be during the regular season...

And some of the sacks came against Buffalo rooks, I think.

But for now, it's good.

[red]

I am happy too but just want to remind everyone that in the preseason teams don't usually blitz much and offenses are not as well prepared as they will be during the regular season...

And some of the sacks came against Buffalo rooks, I think.

But for now, it's good.

its just nice to see a blitz where we send more then one guy, and he doesn't have to stand 5 yards off the line and count to 3 mississippi before starting his rush

[pbmax]

We replaced the two worst coaches on our staff with solid ones. Win or lose things will be far more enjoyable to watch this year.

We won't be able to call the defensive schemes from the stands or television as much anymore

That is something we talked about before on here. I think it is an important factor. The original staff had coaches with minimal success and rather unimpressive resumes. Several were first time hires in the highest positions they ever had. Contrast those backgrounds with guys like Capers, Trgovac and Perry.

There is also a matter of time and perception. Jim Bates was given tremendous credit (and almost promoted to HC) for simply being competent. He had several of the same coaches (Nunn, Sanders, Washington) but quickly corrected some of the worst flaws of the Slowik catastrophe.

I am not sure that Mark Duffner or Joe Baker were the difference, but few coaches have been so celebrated by simply being average. That team was 19th in points allowed and 7th in yardage. A negative turnover differential of 24 didn't help. Some of the numbers that year were misleading (they faced more runs than all but five teams as everyone was trying to run out the clock with a lead) but Football Outsides had them ranked 21st in the league in 2005 a marked improvement over being ranked 29th in 2004.

[ThunderDan]

We replaced the two worst coaches on our staff with solid ones. Win or lose things will be far more enjoyable to watch this year.

We won't be able to call the defensive schemes from the stands or television as much anymore

I was at the game last week and commented on having to concentrate to figure out what the D was doing instead of knowing where every player was supposed to be!

[Lurker64]

So far so good, it's interesting to note that the preseason defensive playbook is about 1/3 of the total defensive playbook, and doesn't contain any of the disguised blitzes or pressures.

[MichiganPackerFan]

For now I'm very pleased to see a different personality on defense. I like aggressiveness and swagger. It's just the pre-season, and any real swagger will develop as the season progresses. I'd rather see an aggressive defense rather than a Mike-Sherman-esque one that plays not to lose.

[The Leaper]

Capers is an excellent coach...so much more experience and savvy than Sanders could ever hope for.

Love the intensity and focus of the assistants as well. This was the kind of coaching staff McCarthy should've put together to begin with.

[Chevelle2]

So far so good, it's interesting to note that the preseason defensive playbook is about 1/3 of the total defensive playbook, and doesn't contain any of the disguised blitzes or pressures.

I suspected this was true, but did Dom ever address this specifically?

[Noodle]

I'm sure folks saw the article where Rogers was talking about how much harder it was to go against this D in practice than in years past. He basically said what many here have been saying: you always knew what the old D was going to do -- same press coverage, same front looks, same same same.

Now, it's bodies flying in from all sorts of angles, leading to quicker decisions, leading to more mistakes, leading to . . .

The only question I have is why it took so dang long to figure out the team need to make a change.

[MOBB DEEP]

Now, it's bodies flying in from all sorts of angles, leading to quicker decisions, leading to more mistakes, leading to . . .

similar to the way capers had kirkland and the boys gettn it done for steelers

LETS GOOOOOO........!!!

[Tarlam!]

This was the kind of coaching staff McCarthy should've put together to begin with.

Hindsight is 20/20. The Bates defense M3 inherited was run in Season 1 by a Bates disciple. Season 2, that same disciple/defense goes 13-3. Finally, Season 3 shows the true fallibility of the disciple, not necessarily the Bates defense.

You don't fire your defensive coach after going 13-3, do you?

[Tarlam!]

... Rogers was talking about how much harder it was to go against this D in practice than in years past. He basically said what many here have been saying: you always knew what the old D was going to do -- same press coverage, same front looks, same same same.

The teams around the league probably are in the same boat, but coming from Rogers, it's not surprising.

He practiced week in week out against that defense. Eventually, your instincts for it are gonna peak. I'll bet he didn't say anything remotely negative about the Bates defense when he was first challenged by it.

[sharpe1027]

We replaced the two worst coaches on our staff with solid ones. Win or lose things will be far more enjoyable to watch this year.

We won't be able to call the defensive schemes from the stands or television as much anymore

That is something we talked about before on here. I think it is an important factor. The original staff had coaches with minimal success and rather unimpressive resumes. Several were first time hires in the highest positions they ever had. Contrast those backgrounds with guys like Capers, Trgovac and Perry.

I think it was an honest mistake. It is likely that the previous coaches misread the following and were implementing Pee Wee rules:

The rules of youth football are generally thought to be the same as the National Football League (NFL) rules. However, many local organizations modify youth football rules for their own leagues in order to protect the boys, or allow for more "even play." Here is a list of a few rule changes that have been implemented in various locations around the country:

•No defender may line up in a gap
•No blitzing
•There must be two backs in the offensive backfield
•No special-teams plays
•No rushing punts or place kicks
•Only the 6-2 defense may be used
•No heavy kids running the ball or playing linebacker
•Only balanced offensive lines may be used
•The quarterback may not run with the ball
•Scouts may not record anything using video, audio, or even pencil and paper
•On a change of possession (i.e. turnover or a punt) any lineman in the game at the time of the turnover, both offense and defense, must come off the field for 3 plays. Minimum of 5 lineman must leave the field for each team.
•All defenders must be stationary at the snap
•No more than 5 men on the defensive line, and at least 2 men 10 yards off the ball
•Linebackers are not allowed to blitz. The linebackers must read the play before moving forward. This call is subjective on the part of the refs, but if they believe that a linebacker is immediately rushing towards the line of scrimmage when (or just before) the snap, they will throw a flag.
•Quarterback must take the snap with his hands under the center.
•If a boy carries the ball over the line of scrimmage in the one half, he may not do so in the other.
•If your team is winning by more than 18 points you have to take out your 4 best players also known as "franchise players" (the other coaches pick them)
While these rules may seem too easy, they are for the kids' protection. Importantly, you'll find that as your child ages, the game will become more and more like professional football, particularly in high school and college ball.