Would you fire Jim Schwartz?

You can't make chicken salad out of chicken ****...

Some players can't perform in ANY scheme! You can change schemes all you like, but that wouldn't have made Hill, Thompson, or Sirmon quality starters.

Because the alternative was to leave Hill 1-on-1 and let him get burned deep (even more often that he already did) every time a blitz didn't get to the QB. And we know Thompson wasn't going to be any help back there, either. They just had too many holes to cover them all up. If the secondary could hold their coverage, perhaps more blitzing would have worked, but not with our DBs (half of whom sucked).

So when your car breaks down, do you just try filling the gas tank with mayonnaise? Is that really the way you think?

The coaches already know their players' strengths and weaknesses. Schwartz made basically the most he could with what he had (other than benching Thompson or Sirmon).

 

Starkiller, do you realize that you are helping my argument? A rookie FS, three throwaways in Fletcher, Smoot and Macklin that haven't had a good year for two plus teams over the last 4 years, a second year Rocky McIntosh and your usual injured CGriffin is still playing better than they should. That is what I call overachieving, but you can call it what you want. I don't agree with your assessment, but I will go on record and say that the DEFENSE LOOKS GREAT! I hope someone can also agree with me in saying it really doesn't matter who you have in the secondary, when you're getting pressure on the QB? once we stop getting pressure, the big test will be wether or not Schwartz will change up his scheme to force pressure or just let his DBs get eaten up as usual. Adapt or die!

 

Calling LaRon Landry just a rookie FS is like saying VY was just a rookie QB last year. As for "throwaways". Fletcher is an excellent MLB and a huge upgrade who played for Gregg before, Smoot is a good CB who got a major contract following his last stint in Washington under Gregg Williams, and Mackin plus Springs is far better CB depth than they had last year.

The obvious fact is that they have clearly upgraded their defensive personnel. In terms on numbers you can't argue with, they have 5 new starters this year. Basically half their defensive starters have changed...

The Titans did adapt. We used to blitz all the time when we had an excellent secondary (this was in 1999-2002). You'll note that this was with both Gregg Williams and Jim Schwartz as DCs. In the days after the loss of guys like Rolle, Bishop, and Robertson, we stopped blitzing as much. In part, it was due to the change in personnel. It was also in large part because offenses around the league put more value in protecting their QBs with maxprotection, which would make blitzing less successful and more risky.

Also, Fisher and Williams, both big believers in the 46 defense, backed off the blitzing in 1998 because it wasn't working. The personnel wasn't able to get enough of a pass rush to balance off the poor coverage. This alone is proof positive that more blitzing isn't always a good idea. Getting pressure on the opposing QB is important, but you can't just throw everything you have at that and expect it to make your defense better.

 

That's some nice smack talk, but seriously that's a ridiculous comparison and insulting.


The players you mentioned that were so awful, Thompson, Sirmon, and Hill... I don't know if you blame that on Fisher or Schwartz, but certainly if they were so awful there were other options ON OUR ROSTER that could've been playing. I mean, if they were already the worst in the league, what did the Titans have to lose by starting someone else.


I don't know exactly how to put it. But last season, more safety, corner blitzes. More double coverages for Thompson and less relying on him for Deep zone coverage or man to man. How bout some 5 down line sets. Don't run the predictable defensive plays every time but mix it up.

Honestly, you can say whatever you want to defend Schwartz. As far as last season goes, you, I, anyone in the world could've had his job and had the same results. Dead last in defense. I'm glad you can find excuses for that. I can't.

 

The thing is, we started overhauling the defense in '04, except we were showing the guys the door, not bringing them in. '05 was really special, playing much of the season with two rookie corners. I've defended Schwartz on other forums. He has been making chicken salad out of chicken ****. Last season, we might as well have been playing with half a secondary (Hill, Thompson). Still, that 32nd ranked defense held the Colts to their lowest totals of the season, and definitely won the Jaguars game in Nashville.

People get really down on Schwartz because of stats. The same people will turn around and praise Vince Young for what he does. It's all about wins??? Last season, Vince Young led the Titans to eight wins, and so did the defense. I don't much care for the look of our defense this season, I'll admit. Way too much zone, mainly because of Harper in my opinion. But I understand that Schwartz has to maximize his personnel, the same way Chow does for Young, and it is working, and our linebackers are more free to blitz, which of some, I saw last night. This defense could be scary once Pacman comes back, or Griffin steps up (who by the way, might as well be screaming to start with all the plays he's making on STs). Personally, I think Griffin could play man.

I know I won't have much company defending Schwartz, and I'm not saying there aren't other coaches I would take over Schwartz, but for now, he coaches our defense, and I'm not especially disappointed with the job he has done.

 

It's funny how everyone thinks they can just replace an NFL coach and do his job better than he can. Wake up... you can't and neither can I...

They don't always get results, but they generally make the best of what they have to work with. Anyone who thinks that a better coach would have made our defense last year (or any of the previous 3 years) good is deluding themselves. As I said before, the ghost of Vince Lombardi could have taken the job and wouldn't have made them good.

As for Schwartz, he certainly isn't the best DC in the league. But he has proven than he can run a good defense in the past when he had players capable of winning with. And, like many other coaches with great track records, he has also proven that he can't win with poor personnel to work with.

 

As far as personnel, I blame that on Fisher. I blame it on Fisher, because we have seen that loyalty to certain players on both sides of the ball since the Titans have been in Tennessee. Hell, last season, Piller had to become hammered toast so we could have a decent offensive line.

And leave Hill or Thompson in single coverage??? They couldn't get the job done working together. Had we been so blitz happy, people would have been complaining about how many big plays we give up.

Detroit's offense and defense ranked better than us last season, yet they were drafting way ahead of us in April. Once again, it's the stats that drive people crazy. W's and L's are the stats I care about.

 

Wake up... Wish it could just be a discussion without the insults. I never said I could replace any DC in the NFL... I can't. Period. Why distort what I'm trying to say?

I do know that IF my job was DC of an NFL team, I could 100% guarantee you that I could come in 32nd in defense. Thats all my point was. You can defend Schwartz all you want, but you are defending the worst defense in the league last season... just take that into account is all I'm asking.

Depends on what you think "good" is. I just think with another coach the defense could've been better.

Yep, Schwartz, with the right players for his system, he is a great coach. With the wrong players for the system, or mediocre players in general, his defense will be among the worst in the NFL.