Official Fire Dom Capers Thread

[denverYooper]

"Frauds" is an overreaction.

They have been used to playing a certain way because they have the advantage of Rodgers applying a lot of extra pressure to the other team's offense as well as it's defense. Now they have to change. They are not just going to adjust their whole approach to the game in 2 games, bye week or not. Or at least they are not going to percolate that down into their gameplay that quickly. They have re-worked their approach at least some. My best guess is we are looking at a minimum 4 game burn-in.

That said, any approach has to involve the defense at least rattling the QB once in a while. Yeesh.

[woodbuck27]

Other Teams FIRE their DC during the Season:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000882266/article/pagano-on-raiders-defense-always-room-for-change

Pagano on Raiders defense: 'Always room for change'

By: Jeremy Bergman NFL.com

Published: Nov. 24, 2017 at 09:46 a.m. Updated: Nov. 24, 2017 at 10:03 a.m.


" ...After spending half of a season as an assistant head coach/defense in Oakland, John Pagano was "promoted" this week to defensive coordinator after the Raiders fired Ken Norton Jr.

A longtime defensive coordinator for the then-San Diego Chargers, Pagano will be charged with accomplishing the improbable, if not the impossible, in the final six weeks of the season in East Bay: Giving Oakland's porous defense a face lift, a makeover and a 180 in time for the playoffs.

In his first meeting with the Bay Area media Thursday, the coach of nearly three decades was confident that the Raiders could pull it off.

"There's always room for change and there's always room for doing things better," Pagano said Thursday. "Without telling you our game plan, it's about how we go out and execute the call, bottom line." ... "

Comment woodbuck27:

wist43...wist43...wist43...wist43........

[Pugger]

I don't recall McCarthy ever firing an assistant during the season so I don't think anyone will get the axe until January.

[woodbuck27]

I don't recall McCarthy ever firing an assistant during the season so I don't think anyone will get the axe until January.

Mike McCarthy needs a lot of time to think:

A.........lot..........of..........TIME !

[Joemailman]

Still on the bandwagon. Injuries in the secondary are a legitimate issue right now, but this defense can't stop the run. I'm afraid that will kill them next week at Carolina. The calls for Dom's head will intensify.

[pbmax]

After again being able to breathe not down two scores to the Browns, here is the problem Capers is trying to solve.

So many banged up corners and he either has rookies or safeties playing coverage as CBs. He wants to play zone to help them and bring a number of different people up to the line to pressure the QB.

Packers zones, despite progress in getting players who can play it, is a very mixed bag. But without it, Capers doesn't want to put single safety or Cover 0 (zero deep safeties) out there and blitz. So no pressure defeats even the best zone coverages they come up with.

So his solution after two big plays against zone yesterday was some form of Cover 2 man under.

The problem with both is that he has Dix at least and sometimes the other safety (Jones now) playing really deep. 20 yards off the ball in passing downs with substantial yards to go. The reason they do this is called Whitehead. As in, with Whitehead out there against a TE (think Tampa game) giving up a touchdown down the seam with no one available to help.

To recap:
1. No corners
2. Poor zone and man to man matchups
3. Deep safeties
4. Pass rush, or lack thereof. (thanks to Pugger)

You solve one of those, then the defense can be reconstituted. The best bet is to forget Whitehead and Burnett as corners, throw the rookies out there and let CBs cover and safeties do some damage elsewhere.

[Pugger]

After again being able to breathe not down two scores to the Browns, here is the problem Capers is trying to solve.

So many banged up corners and he either has rookies or safeties playing coverage as CBs. He wants to play zone to help them and bring a number of different people up to the line to pressure the QB.

Packers zones, despite progress in getting players who can play it, is a very mixed bag. But without it, Capers doesn't want to put single safety or Cover 0 (zero deep safeties) out there and blitz. So no pressure defeats even the best zone coverages they come up with.

So his solution after two big plays against zone yesterday was some form of Cover 2 man under.

The problem with both is that he has Dix at least and sometimes the other safety (Jones now) playing really deep. 20 yards off the ball in passing downs with substantial yards to go. The reason they do this is called Whitehead. As in, with Whitehead out there against a TE (think Tampa game) giving up a touchdown down the seam with no one available to help.

To recap:
1. No corners
2. Poor zone and man to man matchups
3. Deep safeties

You solve one of those, then the defense can be reconstituted. The best bet is to forget Whitehead and Burnett as corners, throw the rookies out there and let CBs cover and safeties do some damage elsewhere.

It also doesn't help to have a lousy pass rush. You give any QB with any skills time back there like we did yesterday he'll look like an All-Pro instead of the hack he actually is.

[Teamcheez1]

Oh, so that explains the last 5 years........

[mraynrand]

The season hinges on Rodger's shoulder healing and coaching Pipkins up to pro bowl corner status. Seems possible.

[pbmax]

It also doesn't help to have a lousy pass rush. You give any QB with any skills time back there like we did yesterday he'll look like an All-Pro instead of the hack he actually is.

Correct. That should have been #4. Perry back helps. But I actually think a rookie CB contributing is more likely to help overall.

But its also possible Pipkins and D Brown look like a concussed Damarious Randall in practice.

[pbmax]

Oh, so that explains the last 5 years........

Last five years Football Outsiders ranks (Defense/Offense)
2016 20/4
2015 9/11
2014 16/1 (I would contest this one as by the end of the year, see Seattle playoff game, the Defense was outplaying the Offense)
2013 31/9
2012 8/3

2 years the Defense was Top 10. Another year it was more than playing well enough to win in playoffs.

The consistent issue has been pass rush, made much worse by the loss of Shields.

[Fritz]

The season hinges on Rodger's shoulder healing and coaching Pipkins up to pro bowl corner status. Seems possible.

What I glean from the reading I've done is that Capers/MM like the talent the rookie CB's have well enough, but don't think they have a big-picture understanding of what the defensive plan is designed to do, and so can't be trusted not to bust a coverage and give up the easy TD.

I suppose there's no room for error, so I understand playing it safe with the safeties playing corner, but I'd be tempted to go with the talent over the understanding, and hope the understanding catches up - fast.

[hoosier]

Last five years Football Outsiders ranks (Defense/Offense)
2016 20/4
2015 9/11
2014 16/1 (I would contest this one as by the end of the year, see Seattle playoff game, the Defense was outplaying the Offense)
2013 31/9
2012 8/3

2 years the Defense was Top 10. Another year it was more than playing well enough to win in playoffs.

The consistent issue has been pass rush, made much worse by the loss of Shields.

I see two consistent issues: pass rush and receivers roaming free in the secondary. Even when the D has had a pass rush (think 2009) we saw communication problems in the secondary. Not every week like now but against teams that knew how to create confusion through motion and stacking (Pittsburgh, Arizona in WC game).

[Tony Oday]

I'm done with Capers, if we win the SB this year on defense alone I would still want him fired.

[pbmax]

I am curious if this kind of Jekyll and Micah Hyde performance is indicative of teams without a superstar/blue-chipper/field-tilter in the old Cliff Christl vein.

Matthews is only occasionally his old self, Collins is gone as is Shields. The two guys most likely to be the hinge that the defense moves around, King and Jones, are injured and being forced to play back respectively. And both are rookies.

Perhaps the problem with drafting late and not hitting it out of the park in later rounds is that you are missing one big time All Pro around which you arrange your other, less imposing parts.

Or am I being Captain Obvious too?