Re: Common theme
 

Why would we? In the 2 games I've seen, he looks slightly bigger, slower and lost a step. The youth movement is the only way you are going to get better at this level.

Re: Common theme
 

No way, I can't take anything from McCown, he did his part. Int or not, we gave up too many points!!! We had at least 2 defensive drives where WE COULD NOT STOP CAROLINA and it looked like WE WERE ASLEEP AT THE DEFENSIVE WHEEL! Carolina scored 27!!!!

We lost games so far in 2015: 27-22, 26-19, 31-19, and it goes back to 2014 like that.

Opponents are already averaging mid-20's points per game. Offense simply cannot outscore them. It's pure math - our defense cannot stop teams from scoring at-will!!! Until our defense improves and begins to stop teams, it doesn't matter what the offense does so long as the defense is a doormat!!!

Re: Common theme
 

Think of the Dan Fouts era Chargers. Offense like a pinball machine, defense like a sieve!

Re: Common theme
 

Yes, both side of the ball are to blame depending on the game, pretty sure this is NOT the kind of balance the team is striving for.

Re: Common theme
 

McCown played well but the knock on him has always been accuracy. Payton was asking too much of him to make that throw to a smaller receiver in the endzone. And my other problem with taking that shot is there was still over 1:30 left in the game. Does anyone really believe our D was going to stop Carolina from scoring even if we would have scored that TD and taken the lead. We were doing just fine picking up 5-10 yards at a time eating up the clock.

Re: Common theme
 

Common theme: leaving points on the field.

Against Tampa, we let them block an extra point earlier in the 4th quarter. With 3 minutes left in the game, we found ourselves 4 points down and 70 yards to go. Don't think Tampa had the mental edge with that? Our offense fumbled with that possession to squander the comeback, but it's the principal.

Against Carolina, we return a punt for a TD to break a tie only to stooge-up an extra point which forces us to go for 2 later in the 4th quarter which we fail to make. Instead of 27-24 with 3 minutes and the ball on our own 29 yard line, it is 27-22.

Common theme: missed extra points has put us at huge disadvantages at the end of the last 2 divisional games. Why is nobody talking about this?

Re: Common theme
 

I certainly noticed, but at the end it made no difference against Carolina. That doesn't excuse it, but it gets forgotten because of the way the game ended.

We didn't HAVE to take a shot at the endzone there, even down by 5 instead of 3. We just needed a first down. Had we been down 3, I have no reason to believe Payton would have called the play any differently. A field would have tied it, but a touchdown gives us the lead. So you have to figure he's gonna call that play no matter what.

That being said, I didn't like the call. Not just because it didn't work, but because it would have left way too much time for our leaky defense to stop them. The bottom line is we're doing very little right. McCown's performance was easily the highlight of our season, thus far, in my opinion.

Re: Common theme
 

In the past Brees had to put up incredible points just to keep up with our Defense.

Re: Common theme
 

We lost with a backup and along list of injuries to the best defensive play of the year.

That's actually pretty decent.

Re: Common theme
 

Agreed. That pass was 1 inch away from being a game winner and McCown being the talk of the NFL for the entire week. That was an awesome play by their CB. From what I've read he's gonna be a great one.