2022 Vent Thread

[Out of the Rafters at the Q]

Yeah I threw it in the vent thread because the hot seat and player bits I recognize aren’t very rational and/or supported. Just paranoia I’m feeling.

If they fire Kevin this year, I’m out for a very long time.

No worries.

They aren't firing Stefanski. Breathe easy brother.

Woods? I'd be surprised if he is here in 2023. Probably 60% he's gone, with that other 40% chance of him staying absolutely requiring massive improvement as the year moves on.

 

[Cassity14]

Stefanski will get a pass this year because of Watson. It will be a very bad look to fire him this year. But I could see ownership of management make him fire Woods.

I hope you’re right. I think there are scenarios where he could be gone, but I also don’t have tangible reason to believe those scenarios unfold.

 

[Vee-Rex]

Stefanski will get a full year with Watson. The only way Stefanski is fired is if he mismanages the offense with our "prized possession".

 

[Los216]

Stefanski will get a full year with Watson. The only way Stefanski is fired is if he mismanages the offense with our "prized possession".

The offense is top 10 without Watson which is way seeing people call for KS job is giving me a headache. We're also on an historic rushing pace and people are still pretending like we don't run the ball.

This is why I sad that our fans are starting to frustrate me. I really think that we have a lot of fans that want to see Power I and FB leads all game. They really think we can run Chubb like an early 2000's RB and I'm worried about those fans lolololololol

 

[Cassity14]

The offense is top 10 without Watson which is way seeing people call for KS job is giving me a headache. We're also on an historic rushing pace and people are still pretending like we don't run the ball.

This is why I sad that our fans are starting to frustrate me. I really think that we have a lot of fans that want to see Power I and FB leads all game. They really think we can run Chubb like an early 2000's RB and I'm worried about those fans lolololololol

I agree with your second paragraph.

Your first paragraph, however, reads like a defense of an offensive coordinator. My concerns with Stefanski and the reasons I fear his seat is getting warmer have nothing to do with raw offensive production.

 

[Out of the Rafters at the Q]

I agree with your second paragraph.

Your first paragraph, however, reads like a defense of an offensive coordinator. My concerns with Stefanski and the reasons I fear his seat is getting warmer have nothing to do with raw offensive production.

I, too, prefer the "CEO" style head coach like Tomlin, Harbaugh, etc. I was worried how Stefanski would do as a head coach while continuing to act as the offensive coordinator.

I believe Stefanski has the "leader of men" trait down pat.

I assume that we'll have a new DC next year (or significantly improved defense this year to the point where we want to retain Woods).

If Stefanski doesn't fix the defensive side of the ball, I would start to worry. Until then, there aren't many coaches I'd take over him.

Even someone like McVay, who may have been the #1 coach to a lot of people last year... would you automatically swap him for Stefanski after seeing how rough that Rams offense looks this year?

 

[buzzdog]

The offense is top 10 without Watson which is way seeing people call for KS job is giving me a headache. We're also on an historic rushing pace and people are still pretending like we don't run the ball.

This is why I sad that our fans are starting to frustrate me. I really think that we have a lot of fans that want to see Power I and FB leads all game. They really think we can run Chubb like an early 2000's RB and I'm worried about those fans lolololololol

I think KS is a pretty good offensive coach. I'm not as sure about the head coach part but I'm willing to give it a lot more time and I think he can improve.

As for the people wanting more running, I'm one who thinks we could and should have run the ball maybe another 5 or 6 times against the Falcons, in certain situations. I don't think we should go away from a balanced attack.

But when you watch a drive where Chubb and Hunt effectively run the ball down the throat of the defense with a couple of passes mixed in, and the defense showed no sign of being able to stop them and our OL? Then the next series KS goes completely away from the run and instead puts the ball in the hands of our career backup QB with the game in the balance? I have to ask myself why did the play caller decide to go away from what was working, and switch to something that did NOT work. If the passes would have worked then the decision to go away from the run would never come into question.

KS has done this a number of times. He has a great drive with our running game, then he goes away from it on the next drive. Why not make them show they can stop it first, then counter with play action or downfield passing?

Essentially I think Stefanski is very smart, and very good at designing plays for the most part. But he has a definite preference about what he wants his offense to look like, and he tends to go away from what is working in favor of his idea of proper run/pass balance. I think he may lack feel in favor of analytics, and he seems to sometimes lose awareness of human factors in favor of his play charts. I don't think any of this is disqualifying or damning.

I think he'll be excellent with Watson because he totally prefers the pass to the run. I think he'll minimize the running attack at the first opportunity in favor of a pass heavy attack with Watson on board. But I think it's a mistake to do so with the likes of Mayfield and Brissett when you have Chubb, Hunt, and our OL.

 

[Cassity14]

I, too, prefer the "CEO" style head coach like Tomlin, Harbaugh, etc. I was worried how Stefanski would do as a head coach while continuing to act as the offensive coordinator.

I believe Stefanski has the "leader of men" trait down pat.

I assume that we'll have a new DC next year (or significantly improved defense this year to the point where we want to retain Woods).

If Stefanski doesn't fix the defensive side of the ball, I would start to worry. Until then, there aren't many coaches I'd take over him.

Even someone like McVay, who may have been the #1 coach to a lot of people last year... would you automatically swap him for Stefanski after seeing how rough that Rams offense looks this year?

I would, but that's because I've seen McVay transition before this.

If we were to compare their respective career arcs, I'd compare Stefanski now to that gray area that McVay's teams went through immediately after their first Super Bowl appearance. I think McVay grew quite a bit in that time, and I hope Stefanski does the same.

 

[Vee-Rex]

I think KS is a pretty good offensive coach. I'm not as sure about the head coach part but I'm willing to give it a lot more time and I think he can improve.

As for the people wanting more running, I'm one who thinks we could and should have run the ball maybe another 5 or 6 times against the Falcons, in certain situations. I don't think we should go away from a balanced attack.

But when you watch a drive where Chubb and Hunt effectively run the ball down the throat of the defense with a couple of passes mixed in, and the defense showed no sign of being able to stop them and our OL? Then the next series KS goes completely away from the run and instead puts the ball in the hands of our career backup QB with the game in the balance? I have to ask myself why did the play caller decide to go away from what was working, and switch to something that did NOT work. If the passes would have worked then the decision to go away from the run would never come into question.

KS has done this a number of times. He has a great drive with our running game, then he goes away from it on the next drive. Why not make them show they can stop it first, then counter with play action or downfield passing?

Essentially I think Stefanski is very smart, and very good at designing plays for the most part. But he has a definite preference about what he wants his offense to look like, and he tends to go away from what is working in favor of his idea of proper run/pass balance. I think he may lack feel in favor of analytics, and he seems to sometimes lose awareness of human factors in favor of his play charts. I don't think any of this is disqualifying or damning.

I think he'll be excellent with Watson because he totally prefers the pass to the run. I think he'll minimize the running attack at the first opportunity in favor of a pass heavy attack with Watson on board. But I think it's a mistake to do so with the likes of Mayfield and Brissett when you have Chubb, Hunt, and our OL.

IMO, he doesn't lose awareness of human factors for the sake of analytics. I think that's the opposite, actually.

I think he has TOO much awareness sometimes and it results in overthinking it. I think at times he will go too far down the rabbit hole of "Do they know what we're doing? Do they know that I know? Do they know that I know that they know that I know?"

Sometimes it disregards the simplest approach and can result in getting too cute. However, if this is his WORST trait (we will see if Woods is held accountable depending on how the year shakes out) then you usually won't hear me complaining much about it, because the positives far outweigh the negatives.

 

[buzzdog]

IMO, he doesn't lose awareness of human factors for the sake of analytics. I think that's the opposite, actually.

I think he has TOO much awareness sometimes and it results in overthinking it. I think at times he will go too far down the rabbit hole of "Do they know what we're doing? Do they know that I know? Do they know that I know that they know that I know?"

Sometimes it disregards the simplest approach and can result in getting too cute. However, if this is his WORST trait (we will see if Woods is held accountable depending on how the year shakes out) then you usually won't hear me complaining much about it, because the positives far outweigh the negatives.

I disagree. KS completely ignores when the running game gets on a roll and the offense is feeling it, and dominating. He consistently goes away from it even when we're dominating. Both Chubb and Hunt have been perplexed at times on the sidelines, when they have the juice flowing and supreme confidence KS reverts to some bullshit passing play that usually fails in clutch drives.

That's the whole reason I'm making a point about it. It's happened over multiple seasons, and it's a part of Stefanski's DNA.

His style will be well suited for Watson. His style is lacking when we should be relying on the most dominant aspect of our offensive talent base, which is currently the run game. KS doesn't know how to step on the throat of an opponent when they're on their heels, he lets them off the hook by going to a weaker aspect of our offense. He did it with Mayfield and he does it with Brissett.

 

[CBBI]

I can’t help but feel that Stefanski is on the hot seat. Let me be clear, I don’t agree with it at all. I think he’s a very good coach for a franchise that can’t even attract below average ones. You hang onto that.

But the fact remains that his teams often play down to their competition. We haven’t seen a blowout win in a while, and that’s concerning.

I worry that he’s going to be brought down by the people around him. Woods and Priefer have not done a good job over their respective phases of the game. Stefanski is new to the role of having to be the one holding them accountable, and this organization has pretty much been shaped in his vision, even including hiring Berry. I think it’s clear that Kevin is the centerpiece.

He’s got to realize when it’s time to cut bait before the players and ownership lose all faith. If Myles and/or Watson lose faith in this coaching staff, no amount of analytics showing offensive performance are going to matter.

He's not.

 

[buzzdog]

No way KS is on a hot seat. He's going to thrive with Watson.

 

[The Human Q-Tip]

It's rather impressive that the rant thread is still going strong nearly a week after the game

 

[Vee-Rex]

I disagree. KS completely ignores when the running game gets on a roll and the offense is feeling it, and dominating. He consistently goes away from it even when we're dominating. Both Chubb and Hunt have been perplexed at times on the sidelines, when they have the juice flowing and supreme confidence KS reverts to some bullshit passing play that usually fails in clutch drives.

That's the whole reason I'm making a point about it. It's happened over multiple seasons, and it's a part of Stefanski's DNA.

His style will be well suited for Watson. His style is lacking when we should be relying on the most dominant aspect of our offensive talent base, which is currently the run game. KS doesn't know how to step on the throat of an opponent when they're on their heels, he lets them off the hook by going to a weaker aspect of our offense. He did it with Mayfield and he does it with Brissett.

I think this is a hyper exaggeration and ignores the times when we have used the running game to get wins. We've won a lot of games on the back of the run and it seems you're minimizing that just to try to emphasize your point. We'd have a lot more blowouts if our defense wasn't consistently imploding at the end of games.

The simple fact of the matter is - generally you have to pass the ball on the final drive. There are only 2 games where I thought he could've ran on the final drive more - this year vs. Atlanta and last year vs. Green Bay. But that's only 2 of the 37 games he has coached this team.

 

[buzzdog]

It's rather impressive that the rant thread is still going strong nearly a week after the game

Just keeping it warm for tomorrow.