Random thought. With the parity in the NFL and so many games being decided by 3 to 5 plays a game. I have always felt that in game, coaching decisions can win or lose 3 to 4 games a season. Don't get me wrong, 80% to 85% of the games, the players decide the outcome, but there is a percentage of games that great coaching can impact the outcome.
Does anyone else agree with the impact of coaching on the W/L record? Examples are ill advised 4th down calls, punts, or just bad play calls during a game. Another example, Gregg Williams' 4th down defensive call that got him fired.
I went through this seasons record and found I think 7 extra wins we could have had if we were better coached.
Heck, go even further than that and cut out the really stupid GM decisions made (like taking Johnson over Hyde, relying on an injured Conley at CB, you can still lose Hopkins if ownership don’t want him around for instance). We’d have had a solid team.
But the point is, this team, with these players, was actually really close to going 11-5, if it wasn’t for our 250 yard a game rushing D, an OL that can’t run block, choosing the wrong type of running back, and silly mental errors at key moments.
To be clear the games that were close enough to say coaching was the problem, are;
Minnesota (complete **** show that got OB fired)
Titans 1 (ran through us at ease)
Browns (badly coached in adverse weather)
Colts 1 (The snap)
Colts 2 (Fumble)
Bengals (lack of motivation, that is a terrible football team)
Titans 2 (250 yards rushing, yet it’s still a close game)
That’s 11-5 if this team made only a couple of better off season decisions and were coached better in game.