Reflections from Week 1

Reflections from Week 1

First and foremost, we are terrible in the trenches. This must be corrected immediately or it is going to be a long season for the team and the players alike. Both lines were dominated at the line of scrimmage. The Rookies clearly have talent and upside but looked somewhat overwhelmed in their first game. I continue to think we should have looked to add a DE in free agency before this game. The end position was an issue Sunday where most of the gains took place.

Overall I thought the linebackers had good games. Will Witherspoon made several key stops and looked to be back in good form. Gerald McRath made some good tackles. Akeem Ayers played solid in his first professional football game. Fans are complaining about Barrett Ruud and I fail to see why. I thought he had a fairly good game as a Titan.

As for the defensive backs, again overall I thought a solid game. Jason McCourty played very well. Chris Hope made some great tackles which was good to see considering some of the other missed tackles in the game. Michael Griffin continues to baffle me with his brain fart moments.

As for the offense, let’s address the running game first since it’s been a hot topic. I have complained for several years about our interior offensive line and this year appears to be no different. Yes, Chris Johnson looked rusty as one would expect but the blame game for the lack of a running game can be spread around. The interior Oline was dominated physically by the Jags defensive line.

I like Matt Hasselbeck and he is obviously a standup guy but we have to get better quarterback play. Again, it’s not entirely his fault as pass protection was poor but his inconsistency continues to trouble me. Still it is way too early to pull the plug and turn to Jake Locker. Damien Williams just has to play better to justify his opportunities. It was good to see Jared Cook but sadly he didn’t get much opportunity. I would like to see more Craig Stevens too.

As for special teams penalties were a concern. Also, the punting left much to be desired. I love Marc Mariani but he looked scared to try and field the ball. While it’s true the Jags were swarming I just felt we had some missed opportunities there.

Finally, overall the lack of discipline in poor tackling and penalties falls on the coaching staff in my opinion. The offensive playcalling was underwhelming to say the least. Conservative doesn’t begin to describe it. Poor clock management in the 4^th quarter may have cost us the game. All in all not a good start for this “new” coaching staff. None of the problems of the previous year appear to be solved and the offense looks eerily the same. Are we sure Jeff Fisher isn’t still roaming the halls of BSP?