Threat Level Midnight: the Hitchens problem is getting worse.

[Direckshun]

How closely did you watch the first series from the Chargers game?

First snap, Hitchens is right where he needs to be and squares up Ekeler, they collide for what could have been a 1- or 2-yard gain but instead Ekeler just bounces off Hitchens and gains about 9 yards on first down.

Next snap, same issue. Hitchens can't seal the deal.

Couple snaps later, a screen to that one RB Kelly in the flat, who is completely uncovered because Hitchens doesn't see him and is actually running deeper into coverage, away from the dude with the ball. Kelly eats up so much space so fast that Hitchens can't even get to him despite the fact it's his side of the field.

We're all used to Hitchens not playing very well, but this is reaching a critical mass, particularly because we don't really have a valid replacement for him going forward.

He wasn't playing this poorly in 2019 or 2018. This is a new level of suck.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by Chief Northman

Don't care if I get ripped - Matt House might not be all he's cracked up to be.

The read/react from this group is horrible. They don't read keys consistently and are often flat-footed far too long after any given snap. The poor tackling is one thing, but it is evident that part of the mental game is missing and this is showing up with slow/late reactions and bad angles/shortcuts being taken in pursuit. Block defend is also bad from this group. I get it is early, but some of this is just poor fundamental football.

So the playoff run didn’t happen? Because given their talent level, these guys showed up when it mattered last year, especially in that Titans game against Henry. He certainly got the most out of that group last year all things considered.

It’s hard to have a group so void of talent and put it on the coach. Gay is the first real talent he’s had to work with, so I’m going to see how he develops before I write off House for not turning chicken shit into chicken salad.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

It's impossible to know what Spags is thinking, but I'd bet he's most miffed by the missed tackles. We've consistently seen our guys in great position to make the stop, only to whiff or just bounce off the ball carrier. If we can get these guys to tackle properly, we'll instantly look a lot better. If you throw Gay in there and he's not ready, you risk having him blow assignments and miss tackles.

But Hitchens does blow assignments and misses tackles. He blew 2 within the first 6 plays and missed a tackle on the 1st or 2nd play he was out there.

[Sassy Squatch]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

But Hitchens does blow assignments and misses tackles. He blew 2 within the first 6 plays and missed a tackle on the 1st or 2nd play he was out there.

I know, right? At least Gay is faster and younger.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by staylor26

So the playoff run didn’t happen? Because given their talent level, these guys showed up when it mattered last year, especially in that Titans game against Henry. He certainly got the most out of that group last year all things considered.

It’s hard to have a group so void of talent and put it on the coach. Gay is the first real talent he’s had to work with, so I’m going to see how he develops before I write off House for not turning chicken shit into chicken salad.

This. I’ll take December/January Performance over September all day long.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chief Northman

Don't care if I get ripped - Matt House might not be all he's cracked up to be.

The read/react from this group is horrible. They don't read keys consistently and are often flat-footed far too long after any given snap. The poor tackling is one thing, but it is evident that part of the mental game is missing and this is showing up with slow/late reactions and bad angles/shortcuts being taken in pursuit. Block defend is also bad from this group. I get it is early, but some of this is just poor fundamental football.

It's interesting to note how much sharper our secondary has looked in terms of making the smart, fundamentl play than our LB corps has.

I absolutely blamed that goofy looking stumble-**** that we had before we brought in House for obvious breakdowns in our LB corps - it's only fair to ask the question w/r/t House.

Maybe he ISN'T the right guy for coaching this particular scheme. Because we damn sure don't seem to see guys improving in it and that's pretty much a coach's only job.

Though you could maybe consider Ragland a feather in his cap. Reggie really did a nice job of making himself useful in a specific role last season when he appeared to be on his way out. That's doing a nice job of salvaging a distressed asset.

Just gotta hope that we see the same kind of forward momentum this year, I guess. If we don't...yeah, maybe that gig has to be put under review so to speak.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by staylor26

So the playoff run didn’t happen? Because given their talent level, these guys showed up when it mattered last year, especially in that Titans game against Henry. He certainly got the most out of that group last year all things considered.

It’s hard to have a group so void of talent and put it on the coach. Gay is the first real talent he’s had to work with, so I’m going to see how he develops before I write off House for not turning chicken shit into chicken salad.

I just think it's fair to look at the relative performances of the secondary vs. linebacker corps.

Though to your point, Thornhill and Mathieu is a lot of assets to have thrown into the position group in terms of draft capital and cap space. Then again, Gay was also a 2nd rounder and Hitchens wasn't cheap.

Breeland is very much like Wilson and Niemann has a similar pedigree to Ward.

It just looks to me like we're getting more out of our cap/picks in the secondary than we are in the LB corps. May just be that the talent is worse; maybe we don't scout LBs as well. It could also be that the secondary coaches are just doing a better job with their guys than House and his people.

[Chief Northman]

Originally Posted by staylor26

So the playoff run didn’t happen? Because given their talent level, these guys showed up when it mattered last year, especially in that Titans game against Henry. He certainly got the most out of that group last year all things considered.

It’s hard to have a group so void of talent and put it on the coach. Gay is the first real talent he’s had to work with, so I’m going to see how he develops before I write off House for not turning chicken shit into chicken salad.

Don't live in the past.

If every coach evaluated on the benefit of a doubt, that would be a surefire way to get axed. You can't reasonably re-shape a position group overnight, but the sheer evidence of poor fundamental execution is more than concerning.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

But Hitchens does blow assignments and misses tackles. He blew 2 within the first 6 plays and missed a tackle on the 1st or 2nd play he was out there.

How are you sure Hitchens is out there blowing assignments without knowing their responsibilities? I’m not arguing that he doesn’t, by the way. Every player in the league misses assignments.

I’m saying Hitchens usually appears to be in pretty decent position. Most times he just isn’t physical enough when engaging blockers and ball carriers. He showed at the end of last season that he is capable of being an above average MLB for us. If Spags can get him to clean up the tackling, he’ll instantly improve from disaster level to serviceable.

Putting Gay in there would run the risk of truly ****ing things up for the defense. They’ve seen the guy in practice. They know better than us. If he’s not out there yet then there’s probably a good reason for it.

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

I know, right? At least Gay is faster and younger.

You can’t just throw the kid in there because he’s fast. That’s some Madden shit.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by Chief Northman

Don't live in the past.

If every coach evaluated on the benefit of a doubt, that would be a surefire way to get axed. You can't reasonably re-shape a position group overnight, but the sheer evidence of poor fundamental execution is more than concerning.

So ignore the postseason run in favor of the first 2 weeks of the season with no preseason? Got it.

What a stupid ****ing take. Almost as bad as you calling Gay a possible bust after week ****ing 1.

[crispystl]

Originally Posted by RealSNR

Have any of our LBs made a single big play all year?How about just a solid, square, open field tackle?

Negative

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

How are you sure Hitchens is out there blowing assignments without knowing their responsibilities? I’m not arguing that he doesn’t, by the way. Every player in the league misses assignments.

I’m saying Hitchens usually appears to be in pretty decent position. Most times he just isn’t physical enough when engaging blockers and ball carriers. He showed at the end of last season that he is capable of being an above average MLB for us. If Spags can get him to clean up the tackling, he’ll instantly improve from disaster level to serviceable.

Putting Gay in there would run the risk of truly ****ing things up for the defense. They’ve seen the guy in practice. They know better than us. If he’s not out there yet then there’s probably a good reason for it.

The one thing a player who's struggling absolutely CANNOT do is interfere with OTHER guys ability to do their jobs.

If Hitchens is at least generally positionally sound but isn't finishing plays, well at the very least he's not making other guys scramble out of their assigned roles to cover his ****-ups. At least he's allowing them to stay in a position to clean up his shortcomings.

The defense really came together last year when they started trusting that the other guy would at least be where he was supposed to be and they started staying in their lanes better. At that point they could flow to the football and cover for the inevitable execution failures that arise here and there.

And again, it's also fair to point out that Spags himself says that LB is one of the hardest roles to play in his defenses. Maybe the learning curve for a guy like Gay is just much steeper than Thornhill - sure seems that way listening to Spags.

I don't think there's an easy answer here - but I also don't think we can completely give House a pass if the LB corps continues on its present course.

[Sassy Squatch]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

You can’t just throw the kid in there because he’s fast. That’s some Madden shit.

Actually said that because he's fast enough to salvage the play when he inevitably ****s up. Hitchens just plods along.

[staylor26]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

The one thing a player who's struggling absolutely CANNOT do is interfere with OTHER guys ability to do their jobs.

If Hitchens is at least generally positionally sound but isn't finishing plays, well at the very least he's not making other guys scramble out of their assigned roles to cover his ****-ups. At least he's allowing them to stay in a position to clean up his shortcomings.

The defense really came together last year when they started trusting that the other guy would at least be where he was supposed to be and they started staying in their lanes better. At that point they could flow to the football and cover for the inevitable execution failures that arise here and there.

And again, it's also fair to point out that Spags himself says that LB is one of the hardest roles to play in his defenses. Maybe the learning curve for a guy like Gay is just much steeper than Thornhill - sure seems that way listening to Spags.

I don't think there's an easy answer here - but I also don't think we can completely give House a pass if the LB corps continues on its present course.

And that’s fair.

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

The one thing a player who's struggling absolutely CANNOT do is interfere with OTHER guys ability to do their jobs.

If Hitchens is at least generally positionally sound but isn't finishing plays, well at the very least he's not making other guys scramble out of their assigned roles to cover his ****-ups. At least he's allowing them to stay in a position to clean up his shortcomings.

The defense really came together last year when they started trusting that the other guy would at least be where he was supposed to be and they started staying in their lanes better. At that point they could flow to the football and cover for the inevitable execution failures that arise here and there.

And again, it's also fair to point out that Spags himself says that LB is one of the hardest roles to play in his defenses. Maybe the learning curve for a guy like Gay is just much steeper than Thornhill - sure seems that way listening to Spags.

I don't think there's an easy answer here - but I also don't think we can completely give House a pass if the LB corps continues on its present course.

This, this, and more this.