05-19-2017, 11:49 AM
(05-19-2017, 10:28 AM)PDub80 Wrote: I agree with you to a point. But I also have a counter point...I have often thought the samething, that Marvin's biggest downfall going into the playoffs, is he tries to outsmart himself. You look back and they don't look like the same team playing that 1st playoff game. To be fair though, the last 2 games we didin't have our QB or our top 2 WRs against the Colts.
Football is a Coach's sport. Coaches can tense up, out think themselves, and make poor decisions. They are moving chess pieces around against each other in football. Some coaches might be better suited for checkers (Marvin?).
Personal story on why I feel like it isn't always the players....
I played on soccer teams growing up and semi-professionally that were ultra competitive. For nearly 30 years our high school team was and is always top 10 ranked in the state of Ohio and is one of if not (I believe) THE winningest sports program (boys or girls and irregardless of sport) in Ohio high school history - and our club team in the Spring seasons traveled and we played and did well against guys who were stars on the US National Team for years. Our high school coach was a 4 year temporary coach where he had been an assistant and had to step in for the coach that had been there for 10 years previous. The normal coach had a daughter in my grade who was an amazing soccer player in her own right and he stepped down so he could make all of her games - I have always respected him tremendously for that. As a result, my 4 years we got a late 20's assistant as the HC. he had never been an HC before, but had the highest licenses (National Team grade) to do so.
Our 4 year interim coach got so nervous before big games he would start changing people around and coming up with insane tactics like, 15 minutes before we would go out there. Against our biggest and only significant rival, instead of playing to our strengths he would always try to play to their perceived weaknesses. It was awful to try and work through as a player. We all did what we were told, but to this day when we all get together almost 29 years later (we are all very close)... we talk about how much we hate what he did and how bad he was.
Soccer isn't really a coaches sport, either, so I can only imagine what would happen with a football coach like that. No other sport even comes close to rivaling football when it comes to a coach having influence over the game. When I watch the Bengals on prime time, bigger games against top teams, and the playoffs I see a different team than normal Sundays. Something is clearly changing during those weeks and it's not on the player's side.
