The poor tackling vs the Bengals has been brought up quite a bit. I didn't remember the tackling being all that bad until AFTER the Grimes Pick6. I have NFL Replay, so I burned through it real quick. During the first 1st, 2nd & first drive of the 3rd (ending in Grimes Pick 6 which was around 7:52 minutes in): There were 5 missed tackles. From 7:32 minutes into the 3rd until the 12:54 (Gio's ridiculous run) into the 4th (a little over 10 minutes): There were 15 missed tackles. By the time our offense took the field in the 3rd quarter, there was only about 2 minutes left and we punted first play of the 4th. that means the defense was on the field for over a quarter with about a 2 minute break. That would kick any defense's ***. Should they have stopped the first drive of the third sooner? I guess. Its pretty hard to fault the defense on a drive that ends in a Pick6. Besides, all defenses allow 80 drives...it happens. Sometimes the other team does things right too. But you have a defense that defended a 7 minute drive, run the entire length of the field for the TD then turn right around and have to play defense again with virtually no breather. That effects a team. And the numbers show that. None of that was an excuse, btw. Its just an explanation as to why the tackling went from fine to horrible so quickly. I think these numbers show the team doesn't suck at tackling at all, but that they suck at tackling if they have to play over a quarter straight.
It's based off of how to argue. You've given an explanation and a justification as your argument. It's valid - not an excuse because there's nothing left to defend your argument against.
Tackling issues have plagued this D all season long, why should last nights game be any different. Coyle doesn't know how to teach players a simple basic fundamental aspect such as tackling. On 3rd and long, every other team in the NFL puts 4 on the line to rush, jams receivers at the LOS and positions their DB's at 1-2 yards in FRONT of the first down line. We don't.
I don't agree with the notion that tackling has been poor all season. I do agree that Coyle is not the best game planner though.
Just need to square up, wrap up, and drive through. Also, don't be tired because you've been on the field the last 10 minutes or son Sent from my Transformer TF101 using Tapatalk 4
Have you seriously watched 31 other teams on 3rd down? If so you may have noticed the Vikings allowing conversions on 51% of. 3rd downs.
Grimes played his heart out out there.....but the guy was tired and you could tell. When the defense is out there that long....their quality of play will diminish steadily, all there is to it.
Again, the defense being tired is in part due to bad circumstances, but also in part due to their own inability to finish drives. They allowed too many 3rd and long conversions after repeatedly making good stops on 1st and 2nd downs. They had a lot to do with the 90+ plays they allowed, and consequently, with them being tired.
Not this game. They allowed the 80 yard drive. By the end of that and the Pick 6 they were gassed. Everything after that point until our offense put together a solid drive well into the 4th is because they were gassed. You're saying they allowed too much and that's why they're tired, when the numbers absolutely show they allowed so much BECAUSE they were tired.
I was getting fairly annoyed by Grimes' tackling late in the game but then he completely upended some guy on a great play and shut me right up.
I noticed that too. Coyle is putting guys in the right spots, they just have to make plays. Wheeler is sometimes too fast for his own good. He seems to miss angles and tackles pretty consistently. But in the defense of the team, the tackling in the NFL is pretty poor. Watch the Seahawks...that team knows how to tackle....
Being tired is an issue, especially the way the 3rd quarter unfolded for us. That's why Cincy was able to move the ball in the late third and fourth...they had two long drives in that early third quarter that took the wind out of our guys sails...
Forget which drive it was, early to mid fourth quarter, our O went 3 and out. I thought we were done then.
Agree with the comments on the youth and over pursuit. We have a lot of speed, but they play a bit uncontrolled. Didn't help that we played on a wet field and there was a lot of slipping as well. They played their hearts out though. Despite the missed tackles, the shoddy refs, and the long tiring drives, they never caved. Coyles put them in positions to succeed. Great team effort and defensive win.
Some of it was fatigue and some of it was just mismatches, Grimes against big receivers. I'm not sure what Wheelers excuse was.
No team ever earned a win more than this team did against Cincinnati. They got a breather and got it done when it had to be done. They wanted it bad and they went out and took it away from the other guys by hanging on when Big Mo was against them and then playing their butts off in the fifth quarter. Fantastic win. Made my week. On the tackling, it's the NFL, guys. The people they're trying to tackle are sometimes unusually fast, strong and elusive. Sometimes you're in no position to square up, grab on and run through. Sometimes all you can do is get in the vicinity of there, extend and try to trip the guy up, or grab hold and wait until someone else arrives to help. Sometimes you grab air. The fans helped. they made a lot of noise. Total team win. That large mollusk squeezing through and wrapping his tentacles around Dalton in the end zone was the biggest tackle of the game.
### Missed tackles continue to be a major problem for this defense. Philip Wheeler's 13 are third-most among NFL outside linebackers. Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/spor...blame-teammates-canes-heat.html#storylink=cpy
The DL at least got to rotate, so were able to stay a little fresh. Starting DL snaps: Wake 69 Soliai 46 Starks 60 Vernon 71 DL backups: Shelby 25 Aaitui 7 Odrick 65 Jordan 24 The back 7 is was a little different story Ellerbe 93 (every defensive snap) Wheeler 89 Misi 36 Grimes 91 (they let him rest for 2 snaps right after the pick 6) Patterson 74 Jones 93 Clemons 92 Reserves back 7: Trusnik 16 Jenkins 3 Taylor 1 Sanford 25 Wilson 46 After all the snaps they played, I cannot say anything negative about the efforts of Ellerbe, Wheeler, Grimes, Jones and Clemons. That isn't counting special teams either. Not that I would anyway. Ellerbe played his best game of the season, especially in coverage. QB rating of 10 against him. That's as good as it gets.