Hawks vs. Bills Game Thread 10/27/24

[D-train]

If I live a million years I will never get why the DB doesn't look back for the ball on plays like that. If he does it is an easy pick. But instead he just puts his arm up guessing where the ball is and it goes right by it into the WRs hands. Just insanity.

He needs to look back but he doesn't know when to do it. If he doesn't time it correctly the WR is going to beat him. It's about reading the eyes of the receiver, turning when the ball is there to be caught. He can't just turn to see where it is. He has to anticipate where it is and turn to catch it

The current method is obviously not working so wtf does he have to lose by looking back. Doesn't his teammates let him know when the ball is in the air????

[Sibelius Hindemith]

How good of a playoff coach was Paul Westphal for the Sonics. Remind where that franchise is playing its games now.

All you guys who were celebrating when Pete was fired are about to find out how wrong you were. MacDonald is in way over his head. He is barely out of diapers and built a reputation riding the coattails of the Harbaughs. He has never had any real responsibility himself. I love Grubb but he is a college coach who has no experience with the professional game and what it takes to win in the NFL. He was at freaking Fresno State 3 years ago. I brought all of this up before the season and you guys just brushed it off. This is a giant cluster and its going to go up in flames.

[Donn Beach]

If I live a million years I will never get why the DB doesn't look back for the ball on plays like that. If he does it is an easy pick. But instead he just puts his arm up guessing where the ball is and it goes right by it into the WRs hands. Just insanity.

He needs to look back but he doesn't know when to do it. If he doesn't time it correctly the WR is going to beat him. It's about reading the eyes of the receiver, turning when the ball is there to be caught. He can't just turn to see where it is. He has to anticipate where it is and turn to catch it

The current method is obviously not working so wtf does he have to lose by looking back. Doesn't his teammates let him know when the ball is in the air????

Kinda what I'm getting at, it's not as easy as
might seem to track the ball as a defensive player

https://alleyesdbcamp.com/you-had-great ... ad-around/

[D-train]

None of these are legit rational reasons other than maybe #3 early in the play. They are all based on fear or playing scared. The guys is basically taking my side of the argument. 5 seconds into the play they have to know that either the ball is in the air or the QB has been sacked or is scrambling and isn't going to throw it so they can look back.

(1) Fear That the Ball is ComingThat one seems wild doesn’t it? Well it’s actually true. Some defensive backs have resigned themselves to the thought that if they have great coverage then hopefully the quarterback won’t throw it to their guy. Typically this defensive back doesn’t really trust their ball skills especially vs. that of a wide receiver. They either don’t trust their ability to track the ball effectively or actually catch the ball once it hits their hands. So literally, their mind is saying “please don’t throw it to my guy. Please don’t throw it to my guy.” For some, this is how they feel all the time. For others, this is just limited to certain situations and or against certain wide receivers.How do we fix this? Endless ball drills. Simply get used to catching the football especially from far away. Learn how to track a deep ball and settle into the right place to catch the ball with some efficiency. If you have a quarterback friend, have him throw you routes like a wide receiver, with a special emphasis on the deep routes at the top end of the route tree (7, 8 and 9 routes).

(2) Fear That Ball Will Pass Your Head As Soon As You LookWe have seen this happen before right? As soon as the defensive back turns his head to locate the ball, the ball is passing right by his helmet and into the hands of the wide receiver. Hey, this happens. Some guys have a hard time recovering from that especially if it happens to them often when they first start playing defensive back. Suddenly, the answer becomes never looking for the ball to avoid this happening. That’s a bad move. Sure you can turn your entire strategy into just playing a wide receiver’s hands in all situations but guess what, that’s not going to work all the time either. Some wide receivers will put their hands up late. Sometimes the ball will be thrown to an area that you can’t defend unless you look. What will happen most often though is a lot of pass interference penalties as you hit the wide receivers’ hands prematurely, face guard him or run into him on under thrown balls. How do we fix this? Incorporate a lot of blind ball drills. Blind ball drills are when you don’t see the ball thrown and have to pick it up in mid-flight to judge it and catch it. One of the most often used blind ball drills for DBs involve them back pedaling towards a coach facing away from them and having the coach throw the ball then yell “ball!” so they can turn around, locate the ball quickly and catch it. Another good one is simply running a deep 9 route looking straight ahead, have a coach or a friend throw the ball to you and yell “ball!” once it is already in flight. These drills will get you more comfortable judging a ball in flight and will give you the confidence to turn your head sooner and make a play on a throw.

(3) Fear that the WR Will Change DirectionSometimes this is a legitimate fear. Sometimes it can be overdone. Double moves can plague a defensive back’s mind. Play defensive back long enough and you will get hit by and beat by one or more. It’s one of those things that happen. Some guys have a hard time getting over it. This is why a coach tells you that you have to have a short memory. Getting beat by a double move does not mean that you should never look for the ball again.Guys that get hit with this disease will sometimes take it to the extreme. They will be in coverage for four seconds and be paralyzed with fear that the route will change by the wide receiver the moment they look back for the ball. You simply can not be an effective defensive back playing this way.How do we fix this. First, train yourself to have proper eye discipline. Learn how to drive your eyes from the quarterback to the wide receiver out of your breaks if in zone or drive to the wide receiver out of your breaks if you are in man. Typically taking 2-3 steps with your eyes on the wide receiver will be enough to determine if the route you are breaking on is true or if it’s fake. If you are further down field, keep a clock in your head. After a certain amount of time in coverage on a route, it’s time to buy what the wide receiver is selling you. If you are in close contact, turn your head around and grab the prize.One of the best ways to know when to look, outside of proper discipline, is through careful film study. Many times film study can tell you when a team is likely to pull a fast one. Film study will also tell you what downfield routes may have several twists and turns. Knowing a team’s tendencies will always be your friend when you are trying to play great defense.So take heed my last line of defenders. If any of these situations describe you, get to work on the solutions I proposed. Those two interceptions you were going to have this season can now turn into six and put you into rock star status.

[Michael K.]

How good of a playoff coach was Paul Westphal for the Sonics. Remind where that franchise is playing its games now.

All you guys who were celebrating when Pete was fired are about to find out how wrong you were. MacDonald is in way over his head. He is barely out of diapers and built a reputation riding the coattails of the Harbaughs. He has never had any real responsibility himself. I love Grubb but he is a college coach who has no experience with the professional game and what it takes to win in the NFL. He was at freaking Fresno State 3 years ago. I brought all of this up before the season and you guys just brushed it off. This is a giant cluster and its going to go up in flames.

Pete Carroll made a historically large number of moves prior to his first season...and he was 14 and 18 in his first two years. I guess he was also over his head? 8 games in and people thumping their chest that the guy who is 4 and 4 is over his head and they knew it all along! Come on.

[roosevelt]

The Hawks can right themselves over the next couple of years.
There are many components for putting a solid roster together.
One of the most important is intelligence. This latest component is nowhere to be found on this latest team.
Stupidity is sometimes found in repeated penalties at inopportune times. Also, in squandering draft picks.
The GM may be tired.

[trharder]

I'm not ready to throw MM under the bus yet. I listen to him. I still hear confidence, even if its confidence
in what comes down the road a year from now.

It was either Russ or Pete - Jody correctly chose Pete.
Pete was given two years to prove it, but it didn't happen, so Jody trusted JS to right the ship.
It is time for JS to be on the hot seat, IMO.
If you listen to Brock, he says if it's not the X's and O's, then it's the Jimmys and Joes.
MM says it's not the X's and O's. I'll finish the sentence for him.

[Michael K.]

Not sure what world we live in where 4 and 4 is a failure that proves you should have never been hired. First place in the division? Fuck you, take a walk. What the fuck? Lots of Steeler fans called for Tomlin's job. Good thing fans don't make decisions

[Donn Beach]

They are 4 and 4, but they have also lost 3 of their last 4 and just played their worst game of the year. It's been a pretty uneven season so.

[D-train]

They are 4 and 4, but they have also lost 3 of their last 4 and just played their worst game of the year. It's been a pretty uneven season so.

What the hell happen to the D that killed the Broncos and tackled so well game 1. Broncos are are 5-2 since that game.