1: We'll need to complete that list of Head Coach candidates. I can't believe this guy stops throwing inside the twenty. If by the third time I knew they wouldn't try for the end zone, the Ravens did too. He calls it conservative, but it looks timid to me.
The new guy doesn't have to be "proven" like the mantra says. Cowher was an assistant, and so was Tomlin. We just have to vet the candidates thoroughly.
"Proven" guys might want all the power, and I doubt that any of them could pick talent as well as Heckert. Parcells won't come back. I'd like to keep Jauron if I can, and keep the same system so we don't mess Weeden up...speaking of which
2: This Weeden guy is driving me crazy. I've got to allow for his inexperience, but I just don't know. Sometimes he looks as good as the best, but that Ravens game was atrocious. Well, we can wait and see. With the start he had, we can see if he gets more consistant the rest of this season.
On the other hand, he's pretty old. Might need to draft another guy high even if we decide Weeden's the man.
I read some of the fans lobbying for McCoy, but he just doesn't have the same kind of arm, and that's a cieling on what he can do. I saw this with Pennington and some other guys--good but not great. All the Superbowl quarterbacks for several years had strong arms.
We'd have some flexibility if we draft one. We could take a Tannehill type or something, and bring him along slowly.
3: I'd like to keep Heckert. Everybody talks about all the young talent on this team, and Heckert did that almost exclusively through the draft. I really liked that Gordon for next year's second-rounder move! That kid is scary, and he'll come in next season way ahead of the rest of his draft class! I'll take that deal every time!
4: I know Weeden was terrible vs the Ravens, but he still did enough to win against an elite team. I blame Shurmer for that. I like him, but the playcalling was predictable and too conservative. The Steelers until recently had a dominating defense, but since Big Ben's first Superbowl, they've attacked through the air and done very well.
A good coach doesn't lean that hard on even a very good defense by "making sure" of field goals. They take their shots at the end zone, and with those tight ends and Gordon, Weeden can make it happen as often as not. I'm not a football guy, but obviously even the best defenses can get worn down, and when you jump ahead they can't run as much.
5: I heard this clown on NFL Radio saying close games don't mean anything, but they obviously do. They mean that this team can go toe-to-toe with elite teams. They've lost in the end because they don't expect to win yet, and those veterans on the other side do.
And they save their dirty tricks for prime-time. Some rookie blocks the wrong guy, the quarterback's nervous and puts too much on the ball, some veteran reciever outsmarts a young cornerback...
No, the close games mean they have the talent to get there.
6: Besides inexperience, what's keeping them from turning the close losses into wins? Yeah--I think it's the playcalling. I like how Shurmer has shaped everybody up and got them playing well, but...could I let him stay and force a hand-picked playcaller on him? He'd have to accept it...but it could undermine him. No, probably got to replace him.
7: Seven more games. I'm sitting pretty. Let's just watch it play out. Another good draft, and this time some impact free agents, and we should be ready to challenge for the division if there's not too much disruption and a big system change...I mean if Weeden progresses...
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