Between the coaching staff, the personnel department and the GM, I have figured out who is to blame and who needs to be replaced this off-season... well, kind of:
From Kubiaks' Monday presser:
(on if having DT Damione Lewis at the start of the season would have allowed assistant head coach/defensive line coach Bill Kollar to do things differently on the defensive line) “Well,
we had the guy
we thought was going to be that person for us when
we went with Frank (Okam) coming out of training camp, but that didn’t work out. (DT) Damione (Lewis) has been a pleasant surprise. I mean, he’s played nine or 10 years in this league and he’s brought a nice presence to our room and what it means to be a pro and how important this job is to you and how quick it can go away. I’ve been very impressed with the way he’s played. He’s done a good job.”
Whomever is included in the “we” highlighted in red are the persons that should be replaced this off-season. As silly and petty as this may seem, the ability of the organization to assess itself this season and in previous seasons has been its downfall. I actually believe the team has done a good job bringing talent in. However, once players are here, the organization has no clue how to assess their performance, manage them, who to keep, who to bench or release, etc… Retaining Frank Okam in his third season out of training camp is as obvious an example I can think of. Well, turns out they not only kept him as backend depth on the roster, but they went into this season thinking they could rely on him to play a significant role. Wow! Where were these guys in 2008 and in 2009? Or, how about the 2010 training camp when he appeared disinterested, winded, and very sluggish. Or, where were they when his college coaches and NFL scouts were complaining about his lack of motor and disinterest in football.
CONTINUE ARTICLE HERE