Jim Haslett : Time For Him To Show Something ?

[TD Riggo]

This Haslett regime makes me appreciate the Greg Blatche defenses that everyone seemed to hate and crap on.   They had their deficiencies, but they weren't turnstiles.   They kept you in the game.

 

 

Please, NO. Don't go there!  If you hate Haslett's "Bend Don't Break" give-up-500-yards-per-week defense, then don't even contemplate "Grandma Chains" Blache coming in as a replacement!

[skinny21]

This needed to be bumped so that the ones who may be suffering from short term memory loss or selective memory, it will give you a little reminder of the ineptness of the defense earlier in the year.

So, the replies will be 'well they're playing better now', which I would kindly remind them of this very same scenario played out last year; the defense began playing better down the stretch.

So couple that with the additions to the defense along with players coming back from injury, and ask yourself how can they decline in performance?

Hey, if TK agrees, then there's GOTTA be something to it...

Just out of curiosity, which games this year would you say the defense was the biggest problem/culprit?

Edit: Interesting that the biggest problems with Haslett (this year) were the corners playing off and tackling. Anyone think we should we be giving him props for 'fixing' those?

[skins island connection]

Just out of curiosity, which games this year would you say the defense was the biggest problem/culprit?

Edit: Interesting that the biggest problems with Haslett (this year) were the corners playing off and tackling. Anyone think we should we be giving him props for 'fixing' those?

 

 Well, look at the Eagles MNF game; the defense looked unorganized and playing scared. In a few plays, the Eagles drove right down the field; yes, there was a turnover/TD come from it, but the inability to stop/slow down the Eagles offense in the first half was a glaring problem.

 At halftime, the Eagles had a comfy lead, and probably a combo of Eagles intentionally slowing the pace down / defense playing better kept it from being in the 50s.

 

 GB game; couldn't stop Aaron from passing like crazy; again, defense off kilter, and granted it was against Rodgers who is a very good QB, still passed at will and racked up points in the first half, then coasted the 2nd.

 

 Bears game; defense playing better, Cutler gets knocked out; a back-up in Josh McCown came in and made the defense look lost; no preparations/adjustments for a mobile back-up QB who brought the Bears back in the game.

 

 Lions; pride in continuing a winning streak at home against a certain team was lost forever in this game. It wasn't a high scoring game, it was a battle back and forth, and yes just as in the other games, the offense had alot to do with it.  One could say this was a good game against an under-rated team, and I can live with that.

 

 Broncos; the defense played well/great for the first half and going into the 2nd half, taking a 2 TD lead, then the wheels came off. Manning ate the defense up, and again it looked like the defense was predictable and playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Again, a ton of yardage by a QB against a defense which seemed to disappear during the 2nd half.

 

 These are situations where the DC should have had a handle on it from game 1. Towards last year, the defense seemed to come together as a unit; this year they appeared to be lost, and that falls on preparation and coaching, especially after getting players back from injury and additions to the roster.

 Yes the offense does play a part in the defense; I believe every offense is only as good as their own defense, and vice versa; but to a degree, not to the magnitude of points/yardage that was given up in the first 5 games of the season.

 

 I cannot see the team going through the same thing again next season as seasons past; talk of salary cap has nothing to do with the drop off in the defense, that falls on the DC.  The idea of getting salary cap money back and upgrading positions doesn't cut it with me; remember, this was the same defense that played pretty good the second half of last year, so how is that explained? If Haslett is Dc next year, regardless of which players we sign, it will be the same old story;  " oh, well he just got the players, he needs time to get them on track" excuses which can really be validated every single season, being there is always a player or 2 who isn't with the team the following year.  So that excuse is nothing more than a cop-out.

[skinny21]

Well, look at the Eagles MNF game; the defense looked unorganized and playing scared. In a few plays, the Eagles drove right down the field; yes, there was a turnover/TD come from it, but the inability to stop/slow down the Eagles offense in the first half was a glaring problem.

At halftime, the Eagles had a comfy lead, and probably a combo of Eagles intentionally slowing the pace down / defense playing better kept it from being in the 50s.

GB game; couldn't stop Aaron from passing like crazy; again, defense off kilter, and granted it was against Rodgers who is a very good QB, still passed at will and racked up points in the first half, then coasted the 2nd.

Bears game; defense playing better, Cutler gets knocked out; a back-up in Josh McCown came in and made the defense look lost; no preparations/adjustments for a mobile back-up QB who brought the Bears back in the game.

Lions; pride in continuing a winning streak at home against a certain team was lost forever in this game. It wasn't a high scoring game, it was a battle back and forth, and yes just as in the other games, the offense had alot to do with it. One could say this was a good game against an under-rated team, and I can live with that.

Broncos; the defense played well/great for the first half and going into the 2nd half, taking a 2 TD lead, then the wheels came off. Manning ate the defense up, and again it looked like the defense was predictable and playing not to lose instead of playing to win. Again, a ton of yardage by a QB against a defense which seemed to disappear during the 2nd half.

These are situations where the DC should have had a handle on it from game 1. Towards last year, the defense seemed to come together as a unit; this year they appeared to be lost, and that falls on preparation and coaching, especially after getting players back from injury and additions to the roster.

Yes the offense does play a part in the defense; I believe every offense is only as good as their own defense, and vice versa; but to a degree, not to the magnitude of points/yardage that was given up in the first 5 games of the season.

I cannot see the team going through the same thing again next season as seasons past; talk of salary cap has nothing to do with the drop off in the defense, that falls on the DC. The idea of getting salary cap money back and upgrading positions doesn't cut it with me; remember, this was the same defense that played pretty good the second half of last year, so how is that explained? If Haslett is Dc next year, regardless of which players we sign, it will be the same old story; " oh, well he just got the players, he needs time to get them on track" excuses which can really be validated every single season, being there is always a player or 2 who isn't with the team the following year. So that excuse is nothing more than a cop-out.

I may be off base (and I'm sure I'll get slammed for it), but here's my take.

Eagles/Packers - Defense struggled mightily - totally agree. To be fair, if the offense sustains more drives in the first halves (and doesn't put the Eagles in scoring position 3 times), I think things look a lot different. In hindsight, Rambo and Biggers probably should not have been out there. I think the number one mistake defensively out of those two games was not moving to press man against Rodgers when they starting their 3-step passing.

Detroit - shoddy tackling. Not a good game, but not too terrible. The biggest concern for me was (aside from the tackling) how we would have fared if Bush had played. Two big, big turnovers by Griffin and Aldrick's drop were the main culprits in my mind. D did enough to win.

Oakland - pretty good defense, but missing Pryor and McFadden put an asterisk on the effort. Offense and ST did not help much (again).

Dallas - great defensive game. ST and (to a lesser extent) offense messed this one up.

Bears - D started out hot, but were obviously not prepared for McCown. Not a terrible day, and if ST doesn't allow the TD we'd have likely won more comfortably. Not impressed with Haslett's lack of adjustments in the 2nd.

Denver - defense played great. Late meltdown, but Manning was going to score - it was a matter of time - again, Offense and ST were the problem.

San Diego - yes they had the last 2 drives against this D, but overall a very good game.

Overall, we've seen the rookies (and defense as a whole) grow more comfortable. Haslett has done a good job of adjusting his game plans, but has been poor at adjusting mid-game (per usual). He's gone to press man and the tackling has improved.

Defense has done their job (mostly) but has been let down by the other phases. I'd like to see better in-game adjustments (which may never happen with Haslett) and a better pass rush. Turnovers (and the resulting tds) and preventing big plays has been a big plus. Better push up the middle and better coverage by the linebackers would be helpful.

But again, overall, considering the offenses they've faced, the D has been at least decent. They've had their in game let downs, but I think their scoring has made up for it.

Not saying Haslett is necessarily the reason for it, but I don't think he deserves to be vilified either. To be clear, I'm not talking about his career, just this year and the 2nd half of last. Too facile to only judge based on the rankings.

[pjfootballer]

He hasn't shown me anyting, but I'd could show him the door.

[mitchellvii]

Two things for tonight's game.

 

1. NO blitzes on 3rd or 4th down period.

2. Leave a man short in the middle every down.

 

I wonder if Haslett is even aware we are getting killed across the middle every game?

[Chew]

 

I wonder if Haslett is even aware we are getting killed across the middle every game?

Right.  Woodhead's little punk ass torched us for little dump-down 7-8 yards passes right across the middle. 

[skins island connection]

Two things for tonight's game.

 

1. NO blitzes on 3rd or 4th down period.

2. Leave a man short in the middle every down.

 

I wonder if Haslett is even aware we are getting killed across the middle every game?

 

 I doubt he's aware a game is even being played.

 Typically, it takes an entire half for him to realize 'hey, we're getting abused on this play' before he makes any changes.

 

 The Vikings have what? AP, and thats about it; but watch, the QB will look like a seasoned vet, Gerhart will eat us up on trick plays, and for the most part the 1st half will belong to the Vikings. 2nd half will be different, but this is one game too far where Haslett tweeks or changes anything; lets just hope the score isn't 24-3 or something close, because they will come out blitzing Griffin and once again the defense will be on the field most of the game.

[skins island connection]

 Well, its the 3rd qtr and Ponder is looking pretty good.

 Preparation?

[steve09ru]

Josh Wilson continues to take bad angles on blitzes that should be sacks. He moved out of the path to the qb and into ap

[pjfootballer]

Wow. Still want Haslett? Ponder looks like Joe ****ing Montana tonight.

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

Ppl vehemently defended the defense lol

[MustangSteve]

It's time to show the Jack Ass the door!

[skins island connection]

 Gotta take a page from Richard Dawson on Family Feud;

 

 

  Survey Says???

 

  This absolutely positively HAS to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

 Something has to give; fire Haslett before he boards the plane home, then have a good old fashioned discussion on the 3-4 vs 4-3.

 

 the experiment has failed miserably, and as it always is, someone has to get the axe; if Mike won't fire haslett, then fire mike. Change HAS to come.

[RG3Hunna]

Ppl vehemently defended the defense lol

Lets see if they flip flop now hahhaha 

[jadams5214]

Not much can be said for Haslett after this pathetic effort.

 

The Skins had a 13 pt lead on Minnesota, whose offense is NOT designed to comeback from large deficits.

 

Ponder is such a terrible QB that he was benched earlier this season.  Minnesota was so desperate to find another QB that they started Cassel and even brought in Josh Freeman for one awful start.

 

Yet the Minnesota offense shredded the Skins' porous defense in the 2nd half.  Passing game was very effective and picked up some huge 3rd downs.

 

The pass rush was mostly non existent against a weak and injured Vikings offensive line. 

 

Most damning part of tonight was how Haslett once again seems to have no Plan B.  He came out with the defense playing soft and unable to stop Ponder yet no significant adjustments were made.  Cassel even made enough plays to move the offense once Ponder got injured.

 

Horrific loss tonight and Jim Haslett's putrid, bottom of the NFL defense is a big reason why.  Year 4 and we are still dealing with a bottom of the NFL caliber defense.  How low must the bar for Haslett be set to allow this mess to continue?

[RED06]

Nah, it's not time for Haslett to show ANYTHING else. He just needs to be fired. That's all and thanks for reading.

 

RED06

[mitchellvii]

WHY were we playing soft zone with our corners 10 yards off the receivers against a 1-7 team?  They ate us alive with screen passes because the corners were so deep.

 

And yet Haslett doesn't adjust.  Haslett acts like adjusting would be a personal insult.  Is he that dumb or that arrogant?

 

And why isn't Shanahan raising HELL with the refs about all the holding and the late hits on RG3's knees over and over and over again?

And please God, how many weeks do I have to watch us give up a 3rd and long to WIDE OPEN receivers?  I mean WIDE THE FREAK OPEN.

I swear, a 21 point 4th quarter lead is NOT safe with this Haslett defense.

[jtpop]

I am sick of watching the sorry D week after week, they never put together a complete game and consistently give up leads. Haslett needs to go the 3-4 needs to go and half of the unit needs to go. Did anybody in the building or watching the game know that when Cassell was in the game and we had a LB lined up man to man on a WR on a critical down where the throw was going? NO way can think that should be a planned coverage.

 

I would tell Shanahan if he has any hope of a contract extension he must revamp his defense and special teams from top to bottom including players and coaches. Offense is good enough to win but D and ST are absolutely a liability each time we take the field.

[The Robert Griffin Experience]

This absolutely positively HAS to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

 Something has to give; fire Haslett before he boards the plane home, then have a good old fashioned discussion on the 3-4 vs 4-3.

 

 

 

Why is it an issue of the 3-4 versus 4-3? Why can't it be "Haslett sucks"?

[skins island connection]

Why is it an issue of the 3-4 versus 4-3? Why can't it be "Haslett sucks"?

 

 Well, it COULD be a Haslett sucks issue, but thats a foregone conclusion.

 The ineptness of Haslett, his inability to get proper personnel in, lack of adjustment, continuous soft zone coverage, gee I could

go on and on about Haslett; truth is, it will be the biggest surprise to me if Haslett is here next season. It really, really would.

 

 Now, its been said that Mike wanted the 3-4, and that Haslett wasn't his first choice; ok, well its clear that Haslett was the wrong choice.

 Now it could go a little deeper than that.

 

 Given the players on the team now,  and it depends on who replaces Haslett, but what if the chosen one is a 4-3 guy? Does Mike back off and let whoever the new DC is run the defense that he wants, whether it is 3-4 or 4-3? Both forms have positives and negatives, but which one best suits NFC east opponents?

 

 Before the Haslett experiment/massive failure came here, the defense was playing good, and was ranked pretty high. Why drift away from something that works? Thats an answer that Mike needs to fess up to, because thus far it has been a disaster.

 

 Of course now when you look at the big picture, ANY big time/good DC will think twice about coming here. I couldn't blame them one bit, it seems like a damn circus side show at times, not to mention a possible control issue with Mike; if this new DC comes in, does great, while the offense sputters, then the calls for Mike's head will echo loudly throughout the land, and who would be the likely choice for HC? Surely not Kyle and his smug displacement.

 

 But IMO the 4-3 is better suited for this defense; the LBs now are built more for run control, not coverage, which is prob by design with the

 3-4, and being the league is evolving into a passing dominant league, bulky LBs will be as rare as FB in the near future.

[Riggo#44]

Yes, I think it's time for Haslett to be shown something alright:

 

[allskinz]

Please show Fletcher the bench.. and Haslett the door.

[RSanz]

I'm at my wit's end.  How many consecutive years does the defense have to be at the bottom of the league before Haslett is fired?  Somebody has to be held responsible for the absolutely, unabashed suck of this defense.  It is incredibly alarming to hear people on this staff saying that the "defense played well at times" in this game.

 

GTFO of here with that noise.  The defense needs to be overhauled, and it starts with the coordinator.  If Haslett is here next year, then Shanahan has lost all credibility.

[Commander PK]

He can show his back side walking out the door.