Play to Win

[FullMetalFalcon23]

I thought about this a week ago. And I said there is no way Smith gives the players a week off to rest Tis time round. It didn't work it had the team unfocused this time he needs a different way. I'm glad this is what he is putting into action.

Personally I would think that the team will have a few days off after Sunday. Say an extra day, and then they will start with almost a mini off season programme work with physiosand trainers for the body. A study dose of film room throughout the whole process and then practice field reps as walk throughs. A kitted session somewhere in the week before the game to keep the tools sharp and to start to harvest and harness the focus and aggression.

Make no mistake this team won't come out complacent whoever it is we play. I've seen some grumblings including during the game about our D, during the Lions game. How Stafford pinged from pillar to post. DeCoud said in an interview that they didn't disguise their coverages because all the work put in in research showed he doesn't really read them. If that's the case all the disguise work would have been a waste as its just showing more of how Nolan likes to disguise things. You can bet there are still a load of ways that he hasn't even applied to this D yet. E.g that role down into coverage DecOud had against Nicks, is mostly ever seen as a Zone Concept, but to sell a Man play as a Zone means somewhere on tape that identical rotation exists wit DeCoud playing zone rather than Man. Or alternatively that is exactly what might be seen as a switch up on the playoffs.

Also again the scheme was vanilla. The pass rush had few twists and stunts it was more beat your man. Nolan isn't tipping his hand these next few weeks.

Koetter on the other hand opened up a it in the playbook. Some plays we've not seen before some tempos we've not seen before either, a very weird looking run play that can also set up a moving pocket on play action, some of those screen passes. Multiple deep shots. At this point he is looking toget every aspect of that team moving. It wouldn't surprise is there were sti more plays we have not seen. Offensive playbooks are huge. In my playing time everytime we has a bye the head coach either switched out the whole playbook for a new one, or had us spending the whole week to two weeks installing a new package of plays.

You can bet there wil be wrinkles being added and tweaks being made to older stuff. We've even thrown new tendencies out there, going deep on the 3rd and 1. Most of the time we would run go with an intermediate pass play so we sold them on that with the package and then attacked them down field catching the corner spying the qb instead of his man despite man coverage * Houston finally turned his head*

This team is galvanised and at the point the staff wanted them to be. From here I think we make a key FA addition here or there but the make up of this squad is a such that they are now set to lead despite being young. They have their own veterans instilling values and work ethic. It's now that we'll see us start doing things like moving down in the draft to get more picks to build stronger depth. We've already seen it in Konz. Normally if you are a 1st or 2nd rounder for a team like Atlanta, you're hitting the field season opener as a starter. Now these guys are having to work into their spots. Grow into their roles.

There are only 3 spots I can say we desperately need a new starter at from the draft or FA. And those are at DT/ RB and depending on what we we do with the Konz Hawley situation. Either a Guard or a Center.