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(10 hours ago)Millhouse Wrote: Hopefully that was the case, and hopefully they don't go vanilla this next ps game.
I want them plain vanilla the entire Pre-Season. Why would you want to give anything away in games where scores are meaningless?
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(10 hours ago)Millhouse Wrote: Hopefully that was the case, and hopefully they don't go vanilla this next ps game.
They may have been vanilla as for lack of pressure. But the big plays they gave up were miscues that hopefully get cleaned up.
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(9 hours ago)Sled21 Wrote: I want them plain vanilla the entire Pre-Season. Why would you want to give anything away in games where scores are meaningless?
To make sure the players are mentally capable of processing the defense you are going to be running while playing at full speed.
Not saying you show everything, or even the majority of things, but if you go just pure plain vanilla the entire time the players aren't getting any full-speed practice in the actual defense.
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(9 hours ago)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: To make sure the players are mentally capable of processing the defense you are going to be running while playing at full speed.
Not saying you show everything, or even the majority of things, but if you go just pure plain vanilla the entire time the players aren't getting any full-speed practice in the actual defense.
I understand they need game action, but in the 6 weeks of TC, they are getting many full speed practices.
I do agree and hope they do not go full vanilla Monday Night against Washington. My guess is this will be the last chance our starters get in preseason as they will all sit week 3 against the Colts.
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(9 hours ago)Sled21 Wrote: I want them plain vanilla the entire Pre-Season. Why would you want to give anything away in games where scores are meaningless?
It's a double edge risk to me. One hand they would be more prepared for the season by being more non-vanilla, maybe not full blown playbook, but a happy medium. On the other it's on tape for all to watch, mainly the Clowns. I see them as the weak link of the team by far, and I would rather risk them bein more prepared is all.
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(8 hours ago)Millhouse Wrote: It's a double edge risk to me. One hand they would be more prepared for the season by being more non-vanilla, maybe not full blown playbook, but a happy medium. On the other it's on tape for all to watch, mainly the Clowns. I see them as the weak link of the team by far, and I would rather risk them bein more prepared is all.
I get not wanting to show our hand early, but I definitely lean the other way. We should be running what we are gonna run at full speed. It is a new system. We have a lot of guys out (Trey, BJ) or returning from injury (Sample, Wilson, Dax, Turner) or rookies (Stewart, Knight). Get the kinks out now, rather than week one.
Also, all we are gaining by staying vanilla is an edge on Cleveland in week 1. I am assuming we'd run our stuff once the season starts? If we need the element of surprise to beat the Browns week 1, we have big problems.
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(8 hours ago)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I get not wanting to show our hand early, but I definitely lean the other way. We should be running what we are gonna run at full speed. It is a new system. We have a lot of guys out (Trey, BJ) or returning from injury (Sample, Wilson, Dax, Turner) or rookies (Stewart, Knight). Get the kinks out now, rather than week one.
Also, all we are gaining by staying vanilla is an edge on Cleveland in week 1. I am assuming we'd run our stuff once the season starts? If we need the element of surprise to beat the Browns week 1, we have big problems.
This is the NFL, it is setting expectation a division road game is easy is a mistake. Thr Browns are more than capable of beating us week 1 and to say otherwise in my opinion is foolish.
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(8 hours ago)Luvnit2 Wrote: This is the NFL, it is setting expectation a division road game is easy is a mistake. Thr Browns are more than capable of beating us week 1 and to say otherwise in my opinion is foolish.
agree, i remember a few years ago, Steelers had some great wins but also lost to some of the worse teams in the NFL, so they were like a game over 500, these are the best players in football, even the best like Burrow can have a off game and a average QB like Murray can have an elite game etc.
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I want it all played out there in preseason. Get the muscle memory going. Get the communication going. Rehearsing in real game conditions is better than practice. Also if you are worried about what your opponent sees, then work on disguising things better.
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(7 hours ago)Goalpost Wrote: I want it all played out there in preseason. Get the muscle memory going. Get the communication going. Rehearsing in real game conditions is better than practice. Also if you are worried about what your opponent sees, then work on disguising things better.
I understand your sound reasoning. It was not long ago a lot of posters wanted our starters to not play at all or very little in preseason.
If they are going to play, it probably makes sense to not play a vanilla defense.
Getting back to Trey, I think he may choose to sit out week 1, but I just don't see him sitting out up to 10 games. I also don't see FO trading him unless some team offers a huge deal (won't happen).
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(7 hours ago)Goalpost Wrote: I want it all played out there in preseason. Get the muscle memory going. Get the communication going. Rehearsing in real game conditions is better than practice. Also if you are worried about what your opponent sees, then work on disguising things better.
as an ex coach (not at NFL/college level), but as a whole you never open your playbook up especially giving too much on tape before you even start the season. Also part of the reason you are going to be a bit more basic in first game especially with a new DC, it takes a bit more time for players , vets and especially rookies to understand the system. Lets revisit this after Washington and see and hear what players say .
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(7 hours ago)Essex Johnson Wrote: as an ex coach (not at NFL/college level), but as a whole you never open your playbook up especially giving too much on tape before you even start the season. Also part of the reason you are going to be a bit more basic in first game especially with a new DC, it takes a bit more time for players , vets and especially rookies to understand the system. Lets revisit this after Washington and see and hear what players say .
I think you hold some back. But this team has to change strategy. I get that with a new DC it gives you an advantage game 1.You want to take advantage of it. Personally I’d see how things go early versus Cleveland. But previously they held stuff back as do most teams offensively & defensively. It’s balls to the wall this year.
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Much better to put the schemes in and get them working than to run around in man to man vanilla for 3 preseason games.
What big secret(s) do people think we’re hiding? We gonna roll out an all-LB scheme? A 2-9 cover with 7 DL dropping into prevent?
This isn’t The Manhattan Project.
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(8 hours ago)Luvnit2 Wrote: This is the NFL, it is setting expectation a division road game is easy is a mistake. Thr Browns are more than capable of beating us week 1 and to say otherwise in my opinion is foolish.
I did not say it would be easy, I said we should be able to beat them regardless if we stay vanilla or not.
We fancy ourselves a PO team and they were one of the worst teams in the NFL.
If we fail to win, it is a huge red flag. Like NE last year.
Plus, I think you gain more getting the reads down in real time, real game situations than you lose by tipping your hand a bit. Not saying you have to show everything, but we should be running the D we are gonna run.
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(6 hours ago)RunKijanaRun Wrote: Much better to put the schemes in and get them working than to run around in man to man vanilla for 3 preseason games.
What big secret(s) do people think we’re hiding? We gonna roll out an all-LB scheme? A 2-9 cover with 7 DL dropping into prevent?
This isn’t The Manhattan Project.
My point exactly, isn’t repetition with D schemes better than playing vanilla defense for the whole preseason. Once we play that first game at Cleveland, everyone will know our defensive schemes. If we can’t beat Jaguars in game 2 because they saw our defense in game 1, we are in deep dodo..
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(9 hours ago)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: To make sure the players are mentally capable of processing the defense you are going to be running while playing at full speed.
Not saying you show everything, or even the majority of things, but if you go just pure plain vanilla the entire time the players aren't getting any full-speed practice in the actual defense.
Maybe not full, full speed but i think coaches are comfortable with what they do in practice, especially with a new scheme. It probably has more to do with alignments and where pressure could be coming from. If they run it "full speed"(no touching the QB) in practice, that's enough for them and no one else has any tape to prep for it.
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I just want to point out the Eagles offense was vanilla and second string. It's not like they game planned for the Bengals any more than the Bengals game planned for the Eagles.
I believe they seen alot more mid and outside zone against a heavy personnel/run team than they had against their offense and they had some issues.... This is why I've mentioned I would have loved to see them practice against the Eagles all week before the game.
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I want the first play of the game, week 1, to be something complex to show me they are ready to go on full engines ahead, like a reversal. I dont wan't a safe run up the middle or a 3 yr toss to the side...
oh yeah, i forgot.... Zac is the guy who has to come up with that... and manage the game too at the same time.. horrible...
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(6 hours ago)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: I did not say it would be easy, I said we should be able to beat them regardless if we stay vanilla or not.
We fancy ourselves a PO team and they were one of the worst teams in the NFL.
If we fail to win, it is a huge red flag. Like NE last year.
Fancy ourselves a PO Team that has a potential Super Bowl Caliber Offense coupled with a likely Lower Tier Defense again in 2025.
I think the Shemar Stewart & Demetrius Knight picks were a step in a better direction for the Defense but they will require Time to develop
& much more seemed needed. They Tweaked what they had in 2024 & added a New Unproven (in the NFL) Defensive Coordinator.
This is my Red Flag and I Hope Al Golden ends up being a Defensive Genius because he may have to be for it to work out to a Super Bowl Level
at least in the short term.
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(7 hours ago)Essex Johnson Wrote: agree, i remember a few years ago, Steelers had some great wins but also lost to some of the worse teams in the NFL, so they were like a game over 500, these are the best players in football, even the best like Burrow can have a off game and a average QB like Murray can have an elite game etc.
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