Well. Whadda ya Know?

Finally watched the Rewind and lo and behold we “won” one. It was nice.

I’m so proud of the guys on offense. That last TD drive was pure heart. Nothing is more competitively significant in a game than answering a string of scores by your opponent to reclaim a lead.

And, you know, we actually have an array of actual weapons on that unit. Tre Mason is a star in the making. Quick really is becoming a stud. I have always loved Kendricks, but Cook is having a really good year (apart from that dropped TD that lost a game).

But, once again, an EVIDENTLY talented defense choked. Once again, they coughed up a lead–repeatedly–and slid into lose-the-game mode. And they did so AFTER playing an excellent 1st half.

I just don’t get it. I do not understand these guys.

And here’s the thing. When they gave up the lead, it was PURELY a matter of ill discipline. That’s all it was.

* 1st half–they set the edge on RW. And he couldn’t hurt them without getting outside.

* 2nd half–they didn’t. And he killed them.

And all that is is discipline. Get to the perimeter and turn RW back in. They DID THAT all through the 1st half and stopped doing it later. People talk about RW getting hot. They LET HIM get hot!

You have to remember, RW is not a thoroughly great QB. He’s bloody dangerous, but, if you’re good up front and you contain him, he can’t hurt you. They hadn’t had a long drive all season, because other defenses get it.

Then we give up 3 80+ yard TD drives in a row to the guy. THREE! In a dman row. Squandering what should be a commanding lead.

Yet this defense CAN contain RW. They PROVED THAT in the 1st half. Play 4 quarters as they did the first 2 and they would have held RW to fewer than 20 points, perhaps fewer than 15.

But they fell apart. Again. Yet again they proved that no lead is enough when they are on the field. Again, we only won the game because they weren’t forced to get a stop that mattered down the stretch.

And I swear it isn’t the youth, the rookies! A D is ALREADY a top 5 DT in the league and makes plays pretty damn consistently. Joyner and Gaines are playing damn well for rookies DBs, certainly well enough to prevent these ridiculous collapses.

I see a helluva lot of talent on that defense. I see no heart and no discipline.

And that, I am deeply convinced, is a matter of coaching. The unit collapses, the silly schemes that combine phony pressure with soft coverage … those are the marks of lousy coaching. I mean, did you see them give up that 3 & 16 by simply inviting a guy to run up the field and catch a ball a yard short with no one within 8 yards? What is that? Far, far too easy a conversion.

So I dunno. I suppose its possible that the team begins to relax a bit and play with some confidence. The offense is doing it. Maybe the D will begin to click.

But I wouldn’t bet a wooden nickel on it. I have YET to see this defense, through 6 games and a whole pre-season, show any capacity for playing with discipline, dictating the terms of play, getting key stops, or making an offense actually feel competitive heat.

And given the numbers of talented guys we have turning in good, sometimes impressive plays much of the time … that is on the coaching staff.