Good info into the Dunlap saga

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(10-30-2020, 01:48 AM)samhain Wrote: I agree with you 90 percent of the time on most things Bengal related.  In this case, not so much.

To the first point, I don't hire a DC that makes adjustments to toss in special packages for 2 guys making a combined 25 million per year.  They are part of the base defense and to some extent dictate what you run, if you're smart anyway.  

I blame the FO for that much.

Other than that, I lay the blame on the staff.  

Zac gets the most.  Whatever happened when they interviewed DC candidates for that excruciating stretch that ended with Lou was a slow-motion abortion.  Why didn't anyone want to be his DC?  Why did we end up with some guy that has never had that title before?  Was it Zac's ego and him not wanting to deal with a respected vet DC possibly detracting from his locker-room authority?  I have no idea, but it was no good at all and will need to be rectified sooner than later.  

IMO this staff has less than zero to complain about in terms of the Brown family, and lord knows I've never been a defender of that bunch.  They backed up a damn Brink's truck to help Lou's incompetent ass build the kind of defense he wanted.  They then gave him 2 new linebackers immediately after getting Burrow and Higgins.  They spent heavily in every tier of free agency all the way through camp.  Marvin Lewis wishes that they gave him that kind of juice even once in his time here, and Zac and his crew got it in year 1.  Zac also got to gut the staff in ways we've never seen here.  

I'm not on board with canning Zac yet.  His play calling seems to be maturing gradually.  The offense shows signs of being great in the near future.  That said, if anything, I think the family needs to exert some power when it comes to his pals on the staff.  These guys are the dregs of the league.  If Zacky Boy can't see that, then they need to save him from himself and show Lou the door along with Golden.  If Zac can't get on board, he can go, too.  I imagine any number of coaches old and young would love a shot at coaching Burrow over the next few years.  

This I agree with totally. We're not far off here in the grand scheme. As to the DC hire.... I'm not sure if it was Zac, the FO, or the record breaking defense that was already here that turned away better candidates. It's hard to say there, because Zac was inexperienced, the FO was notorious, and even Marvin himself couldn't do much with the talent, or lack thereof, that was here. It was a perfect storm.

From watching that podcast, it seems the staff and player were ready to move on last season, and the FO dug in its heels again.