Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

I think that I'd be one of those people in the minority who'd be pissed off if Spags was canned - probably because I really wanted for the Saints to hire him and was very vocal about it, and I don't like to be proven wrong. ;-)

But, with all the unlearning the players had to go through after all the garbage GW had been shoving down their throats during his tenure - next year will undoubtedly be much better and it would be a huge mistake to part ways with Spags at this point in time no matter who'd be available to potentially replace him.

And, the offense had an off year also. They were good, but nowhere near what they can be and will be once again under SP's guidance next season. In a handful of games this season the defense gave the team a chance to play for the win, but the offense dropped the ball - quite literally - and that is why I don't understand why suddenly a losing record is entirely on the shoulders of Spags?!

Oh, and I do fully agree with canning McMahon's a$$... that has been the case for years now.

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

If you accept the argument that Spags system works and we just don't have the players to fit, then after the worst defensive season in history you must also conclude that practically every player will need to be replaced in order for us to succeed with Spags at the helm.

Seriously??? Somebody needs to explain these "systems" to you? Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few years or dont know much about football, it should be obvious. You want examples - here you go .
Spags's successful defenses in NY and StL were built around creating a strong pass rush with just the front four so that the remainig 7 could be used in either coverage or to stop the run. You need AT LEAST one dominant lineman in order to create that element. In StL, Sags had Long, and in NY, he had several. Name ONE D-lineman on the Saints that other teams consider dominant - NONE!! Spags has incorporated the blitz more this year than he normally dooes because of that deficiency.
Williams "system" was to blitz blitz blitz which is because he realized we couldnt create a pass rush with just our front four. Fans that had been calling Smith, Ellis and Franklin "beasts" quit doing so because they realized how ineffective they were. The other part of Williams' system was to get players to strip the ball, which is why our D has been such a crappy tackling unit.
As far as Gibbs is concerned, who knows what the hell he was trying to do. I dont even know if he had a defensive philosophy. He just plain sucked as a D coordinator.

Finally, if you re-read my post, I never blamed the DC for evaluating and acquiring our personnel that we have, so I'm not sure where you came up w that. A a matter of fact, my point is the opposite: I didn't think we had the personnel in place to fit into Spag's defensive philosophy. That being said, I think Spags is doing a decent job of developing some of these players and getting them to understand what he's trying to get them to do. I think we have 1 or 2 D lineman that have the potential to develop into that dominant lineman that we need to make this system more effective.

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

How so?

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

Did any of you guys read what Lofton had to say? He kinda hinted that this anonymous player is just too dumb to figure it out.
I wonder if it was Sed Elis?

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

Well, as far as your original comment goes...



I also agree that it is based on faulty logic, because even if one accepts the argument that Spags' system works and that the Saints' personnel just didn't fit into that system, it would be a stretch to conclude based on that that they need to practically replace every player in order to get Spags' system to work next season.

Players learn and unlearn new/old playing styles and habits and adapt to new situations, just like everyone of us has the ability to adapt to new situations in our lives and careers. Therefore, I think that even though the defensive personnel might not have fitted perfectly Spags' system this year - it doesn't necessarily mean that they won't fit it come next season, if not perfectly then in all probability at least somewhat better.

I think that they only need few key additions and subtractions on some important positions on the defense along with the learning curve already starting to plateau as far as most players are concerned - and they can be a very effective defensive unit next season. That along with the offense playing like they should, which wasn't the case in every game this past season, and the Saints will be playoff and Super Bowl bound next season without having to make any wholesale purging of the defensive roster.

And just to conclude, you shouldn't use superlatives like "you must also conclude" when talking about correlations and deductions/inductions based on very limited evidence - as was the case with your argument - because one can rarely make a convincing argument when trying to force the reader to come to a certain conclusion without letting them do it for themselves.

Just my 2 cents... :-)

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

Just my 2 cents;

No matter the coach nor "system", the basic fundamental of tackling should be a prerequisite of being a professional football player.

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

I saw more out of Spag's system then GW's. Even with how terrible they were- I saw more from his system. The game where Drew threw 5 int's against the Falcons I think we had 5 stops in a row of their offense. That's a pretty good offense. I don't think I can remember us ever doing that under GW. Matter of fact all I can remember is watching teams march up and down the field on us and praying for some form of magical turnover to save us again. Just my opinion, but I think we were due some growing pains going to a real system. I saw many bright spots the second half of the season. The biggest issue we had was nothing came together at the same time. If the D was on point the offense was failing. If the D and offense were playing well the ST's **** the bed. I can't wait to see how these guys play next year under his system. Hicks, TJ, and Cam on D-Line have me excited. I like our LB situation a whole lot better than any time under GW. I like 42 back at safety, interested to see if CW keeps improving, and like Mack as a backup. Probably could use a really good corner, but either way I think we have some things to look forward on D.

Re: Spags: I hope hes canned
 

This, this, this! Tackling was HORRIBLE! That is something that can't be blamed on the system.