BGO Blind Pig: Week 4 at Cowboys

[Boone]

The guys try and exorcise some demons following last Sunday's embarrassing drubbing at the Linc South. And try to gather all the blind faith, desperation, self-delusion, and homerism necessary to predict a win in Dallas on Sunday. Flash poll question: Black uni's - Hot or Not? Bonus points awarded for a Kermit the Frog quote 🐸.

 

[Neophyte]

"Linc South" - I'd laugh if it weren't so true.

 

[Canadian Hog]

Great job, guys! I enjoyed that.

The frustrating part with this organization right now is that everything seems to be a result of their own doing. John eluded to it earlier in the podcast in talking about the depth situation...

A lot of the holes we currently have (d-line depth, interior o-line, secondary woes) are basically self-inflicted roster construction wounds.

If the talent and roster is lacking in certain spots, that puts more emphasis on the coaches to scheme things in a manner to set these guys up for success - and that doesn't appear to be happening either.

Rivera has talked a lot about guys having to play better, but what I am seeing for the past two weeks falls squarely at the feet of the coaching staff.

You have two teams in Detroit and Philly who were also in transition phases since Rivera came aboard, and they flat out kicked in our front door. That is inexcusable. At the very least, there needs to be an element of competitiveness and life, and there wasn't.

Sidenote...why the hell is it taking us almost three quarters every week to give our very best player some looks? Why can other teams scheme ways to get there top receivers and weapons balls early and often, but we need a chocolate Christmas calendar as we wait for Terry to get ball? Again - coaching!

We know there is talent on this team - you can plug a lot of these players on other rosters and I am convinced some would play out of their skin.

Obviously I am frustrated and am hoping this week is at least watchable.

As for the Del Rio, Turner question - that question was asked simply from the standpoint of which move gives Rivera a better chance of success long-term. I don't feel a head coaching change is in the cards even remotely right now - I don't think Snyder can afford that and he likely recognizes that Ron is about as good as he is going to get from a good reputation standpoint. However, continued poor play as we all know leads to scapegoats. Somebody will take the fall and I was just curious as to who people thought Rivera would more likely be able to live without.

 

[Boone]

The dilemma going forward is two-fold. It has been the constant coaching and front office turnstile that has kept this franchise from having any sustained success over the past 30 years. You cannot succeed by impatiently blowing it up every 3-5 years over and over again. Good teams don’t operate that way.

But we may have hired a HC in Ron Rivera whose best equates to 1 good season every 3-4 years, often seemingly in spite of the coaching vs. because of it. That’s what got him sent packing in Carolina.

So what does one do with that?

Quite possible (as Om alluded to on the pod) that Rivera was a great choice in terms of bringing character, professionalism, and class to the organization in order to right the ship from a ‘culture’ vantage point, but not a very promising hire in terms of building a great team and getting the most out of them on Sunday.

That represents a real dilemma going forward.

 

[Canadian Hog]

The dilemma going forward is two-fold. It has been the constant coaching and front office turnstile that has kept this franchise from having any sustained success over the past 30 years. You cannot succeed by impatiently blowing it up every 3-5 years over and over again. Good teams don’t operate that way.

But we may have hired a HC in Ron Rivera whose best equates to 1 good season every 3-4 years, often seemingly in spite of the coaching vs. because of it. That’s what got him sent packing in Carolina.

So what does one do with that?

Quite possible (as Om alluded to on the pod) that Rivera was a great choice in terms of bringing character, professionalism, and class to the organization in order to right the ship from a ‘culture’ vantage point, but not a very promising hire in terms of building a great team and getting the most out of them on Sunday.

That represents a real dilemma going forward.

Those are all great points. I get it, people want results and they want results fast - myself included.

However, given the utter mess that Rivera took over, as well as the boatload of other challenges thrown onto his plate since he started in Washington, if at the very least Rivera serves as a table setter for the next head coach, I don't think we can view that as a failed exercise bringing him in. (What I mean by table setter is someone who leaves the roster in good shape to allow the team to take the next significant step forward with some new energy/perspective). That all said, I believe that is still likely a few years away.

I wouldn't even be the least bit surprised if once Ron is done in the coaching capacity here, given what he has gone through personally, I feel he might be an ideal guy to slide into some other role in the organization with the reputation/character he is viewed as possessing.

 

[Boone]

Think what could force the issue is if we put up a 3-5 win season. Attendance and the general level of fan interest are at all time lows. Imagine the drop off if we have a terrible season. Something will have to give. There won’t be anything but a cold wind and some opposing fans at FedEx.

 

[Neophyte]

I honestly believe that attendance and fan interest are being more impacted at this point by Snyder owning the team and the circus surrounding him than by team performance.

Personally, I'd go to a game, even with the current non-performance, if only Snyder were 100% out of the picture.

 

[Boone]

I agree attendance would climb if he were gone. But the hit on that front is already part of the current poor attendance. Non-competitive losses are gonna crush attendance if that’s how things evolve. And that gets everyone’s attention in Ashburn.

 

[SkinsOrlando]

Rivera is hot trash, Boone to paraphrase "young team, give em credit, fyi my garage is bigger than your house suckers thanks for the check, I can retire." Sorry for the delay in watching the pod been a bit busy here.

 

[36ST21]

This team is either 32nd in the league or firmly in the bottom 5 in:

1. Coaching (I include lack of discipline/penalties here)
2. Owner/organizational culture
3. Starting QB
4. Quality depth on both sides of the ball
5. Luck (avoiding injury, bounces, etc.)
6. Several other categories that I've forgotten

Rarely have I seen a team with fewer bright spots and/or hope for the future. Dotson and McLaurin are the real deal, and I hate to see their potential wasted in this crapshow.
At least the Commanders are a rock solid known quality for betting purposes.
Might as well let Howell start the rest of the year. Best case, he proves to be better than Wentz (a low bar indeed). Worst case, he implodes (not unlikely given numbers 1,2,4,5, and 6 above) and improves draft position for the new staff (and hopefully new ownership) next year.

 

[Boone]

Gibson and Samuel are playing their hearts out. Jon Allen. There are a few guys doing everything they can. But it's not enough.

 

[China]

Gibson and Samuel are playing their hearts out. Jon Allen. There are a few guys doing everything they can. But it's not enough.

I feel sorry for the individual players that work hard, play well, and it's all for naught. All the more reason to shake things up before we lose more good players that don't want to be here anymore.

 

[36ST21]

For years now, I've been hoping that the players I grow to like/respect either get traded or leave as FAs. I hate to see good players waste their precious, short careers in this perpetual dumpster fire.