How to separate "talent" from "coaching"

[*TheLeonardLeap*]

(09-08-2021, 02:33 PM)tms Wrote: There was no winning without Brady. That's not just a claim, it is a fact. You're shooting the messenger lol. 

It's an interesting theory that they all came together at the right time- and the right timing is ultimately every team's goal- but there's no way to prove that. There are far more teams whose Master Plan never materializes than there are those like the Bucs who manage to catch lightning in a bottle. And I mean, that they finished 29th in scoring defense in 2019 is not somehow proof that they were bound to finish in the Top 10 last year lol. Come on now. All we know for sure is that they won 7 games with largely the same roster. The rest is speculation- not just in terms of why they improved as a team, but also as individual players. 

Now, you could say that their development was inevitable, but there are plenty of holes in that argument. For one, Shaq was just a guy before 2019, when he blew up the league with 20 sacks- yet the Bucs only won 7 games then. It was only after Brady got there (and Shaq's production slipped) that they became a winner. it's another case where contradictions abound. There is no straight line in how they advanced to the next level other than Brady joining the team.

Not what I said. They were 31st in 2018. Then they got a new coaching staff. They went up a little to 29th in 2019, and then took their big jump forward. The straight line is 2 2nd Team All-Pro LBs and a DC who got his players at full speed in his system.

Just because Barrett had less sacks in 2020 doesn't mean he slipped, it means the rest of the defense picked it up. They were 7th in sacks as a team in 2019 and 4th in 2020.

The straight line is 5-11, (Bruce Arians and staff come on), 7-9, 11-5.

But again, sure, keep believing that a team with a Top-10 offense, Top-10 defense, a ton a talent, and a good HC heading into his 2nd year was destined to continue to be a loser without Tom Brady. That's way more logical to believe in mystical winning juice.