Nick Underhill and Mike Triplett on the possibilities of a Head Coach change happening after the season
The best starters on that 2021 roster included LT Armstead, S Malcolm Jenkins, S Marcus Williams, Package LBer Kwon Alexander, Ducey...none of the players were with team in 2022 for DA
That 2021 team also featured Davenport, Marquez Calloway, TQS, Adam Trautman, Calvin Throckmorton, and Ceaser Ruiz, and Jameis Winston. The thought that 🦌 was handed a playoff caliber team is demonstrably laughable...but if you want to make an argument how a healthy Peat was the key to a playoff caliber team Im all ears.
I get what you are saying but if Winston doesn't get hurt on Halloween, hindsight tells us that we are fighting the 13-4 Bucs for the NFC South and ultimately, we missed the playoffs because the Rams forgot how to play football Week 18. For the most part, Dennis Allen was handed a team that could get you to the playoffs because we basically missed it because we lost a tie breaker. The team that the Dennis Allen put together in 2022 was much better than the team in 2021 and if Pete Carmichael stuck to the same offensive philosophy that we had in 2021, the season would have turned out much differently. We were a 9 win team (with Jameis and Taysom starts. TS couldn't start a game but he was the perfect relief..lol)
Whatever smoke 🦌 is tooting many of you are tooting the same stuff saying how great Penning was going to be, how many All-Pro selections McCoy was going to get.
We have great corners and capable WRs, but since 🦌 took over, we have had an aging MIKE and EDGE, a below average OLine, middling at best QB play, the best TE to play for the team is 37 and even knows he is best as a Red Zone package player, an incredibly talented WR that is perpetually unable to play, and a average set of rotational interior DLinemen.
There isnt enough on that 2022 roster for me to call it playoff ready. Do you really believe Andy Dalton was going to lead that team to glory if we only had the right OC and coach?
Here are things that we are failing to remember:
-You acknowledged the capable WRs but in 2021, those were the weakest point of our team and if I recall correctly, led the league in drop %.
-We had a below average O-line in 2021 due to injury. Our pressure rate in 2021 was higher than both 2022 and this season
-The run game remained off and on from 2021 to 2022. It's actually in a better position now
-"Middling QB play" in 2021 just happened to be top 7 in every metric and statistical category outside of yards per game (RZ, EPA, TD %, passer rating, TDs under pressure, etc, etc etc).
-We didn't need a Red Zone package player per se, because we had a QB that completed 76% of his passes in the red zone and 53% of those pass attempts (69% of completions) ended with 6 points
With the right OC and coach, either Winston or Dalton could have led us to a playoff run last season. And we most definitely would have won the NFC South with how it turned out.