Capers must go!

TW

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Okay! I said it. He's a horrible coach. Every time I watch a game, and see how inept the defense looks, I ask myself why he's still there?

Not only does he lack ability in scheming, he's not even a decent judge of talent. He just plain misuses guys, and wastes their careers, playing in his system.

Let's talk about Casey Hayward as an example. He was criticized, and considered less than a stellar CB in Green Bay. He blew assignments, and wasn't "quick enough" to cover decent WRs.

When it came time for a contract, he left through free agency. The Packers apparently didn't see his real value.

It didn't take long for him to make a reputation in his first year, with the Chargers. Here's an excerpt of how he played. I doubt very much that he suddenly learned how to play, after leaving GB.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From the Chargers site:

Casey Hayward had one heck of a first season with the Chargers in 2016.
Just ten months after signing a new three-year pact with the Chargers, Hayward was a first-time Pro Bowler, the Chargers’ Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year, and a second-team All-Pro. Hayward led the NFL and set a new career high with seven picks as he became the first Chargers defender to win the League’s interceptions title outright since 2007. Hayward also paced the Bolts with 23 passes defensed in 2016.


Full article
 
Been tired of Dom for years. Not sure why a head coach would keep him around. Loyalty, schmoyalty. This whole regime will garner the results we've come to accept.
 
The proof was in the pudding in the ATL game. How do you honestly put Randall on Julio Jones when:

A. You brought in Davon House to shore up the CB position. He was your best CB going into that game with the most experience. And he has played in Capers system before!
B. You have your #1 draft pick who is 6'3'' and has already showed he is better than Randall.
C. You have Burnett, your best safety down in the box instead of helping over the top on Jones. You could have easily put Jones down there to fill in for the run game.

Put your players in the position to succeed! MM is just as much to blame since he does not have the balls to fire Capers and hasn't for 8 years.

Last thing. How can a defensive coordinator still have his position when his defenses have given up an average of 36 points per game in the 7 playoff losses (out of 8 years) since he has been here? I have never seen anything like it in my life.
 
How Dom Capers still has a job is simply baffling to me. The only thing I can think of is that they don't want to eat whatever he's owed on his contract. However, as I've said many times before, the Packers will never win a SB until they fix their defense.

During the games the Packers were eliminated they allowed in points: 44, 26, 28, 23, 45, 37 and in yards: 493, 368, 397, 381, 579, 420. Thats an average of 34 points and 440 yards allowed over the last 6 playoff elimination games.

Look at this playoff log for defense:

C2z8Oc-UkAE2CyR.jpg:large


Obviously, it's not just the playoffs that are the problem. Capers defense has been pretty bad for a while, and I've noticed several things about our defense over the years:

A. Unbelievable miscommunication. Players frequently don't seem to know what the play call is. Either our players are really dumb or Capers scheme is too complex. Either way, as the coach, it's his job to adjust for his players. He's clearly not doing that.

B. ChampionshipBelt mentioned it earlier, putting your players in a position to succeed. Having Randall on Julio Jones is not putting your player in a position to succeed. Even after it showed it wouldn't work in the 1st(and I can't believe anyone would think it would work) he was still matched up with him in the 4th quarter on some man-man. Seriously WTF! Sometimes our play calls leave me totally scratching my head.

C. Complete and utter inability to hold a lead.

When you consider that not only has Capers not been fired, but not even one his ASSISTANT coaches have been fired since they were originally hired in 09, it's really inexcusable. It's THE move, or lack of a move that makes me think that the Packers aren't all in to win a SB, because any team that really cared would have held Capers accountable years ago.

No, for the Packers, as long as they're winning the division, making the playoffs, and we're generating revenue, that's really all that matters. They've been riding Rodgers coattails for years, and it sickens me because it was exactly the same thing with Favre. History has repeated itself.
 
A few things here,

Putting players in position to win is kind of well ...fuzzy. So let's pare that down to a 50/50 for Capers because regardless you have to execute (we don't do that).

As this old DC sees it GB has just plain gotten stale on defense. It starts with the lack of base. I was always taught you want to be in a base look 30 to 40 % of the time or more and then adjust from there. You demand perfection from your players in base always. You never try to add in too much because defensive players are best when they can attack without thinking too much.

The 3/4 look GB uses isn't rocket science, consider Steve S was in his 2nd game as a pro OC and carved us up like a Thanksgiving turkey. Add in the "nitro" "Nascar" and all the other goofy crap Dom tries and it's a farce.

But ultimately you guys are after the wrong man. It was MM that wanted a "Pittsburgh" style defense like he had growing up. MM allows these year after year shortcomings. If you want a head then it better be the HC, he's accountable for all of it. The tackling, lack of execution and the general dumpster fire letdowns every season.

Unfortunately MM is not getting fired nor is Dom. Settle in boys and girls we have 16 more weeks of pin the tail on the defense left.
 
Can we bring in Charles Woodson as a position coach. He could coach the entire secondary on technique. He excelled in Capers system and maybe he could get something out of Randall and Rollins. I'm not defending MM or Capers here but the players have had terrible tackling and footwork/tech the last few years.

Besides I don't think Woodson is that good on TV.
 
Mark87 said:

Putting players in position to win is kind of well ...fuzzy. So let's pare that down to a 50/50 for Capers because regardless you have to execute (we don't do that).
As this old DC sees it GB has just plain gotten stale on defense. It starts with the lack of base. I was always taught you want to be in a base look 30 to 40 % of the time or more and then adjust from there. You demand perfection from your players in base always. You never try to add in too much because defensive players are best when they can attack without thinking too much.


The best players on defense play with instincts. They see the play unfolding before it even happens, and react. If they're forced to over-think their assignments on a play as it's happening, they end up hesitating, and that's when trouble begins. In the NFL, hesitation means being beat.

Capers defense is too "task specific."
 
You all know where I stand on Capers. Mark is right. Typically I wouldn't touch a cliché with a ten foot pole, but one applies here... insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. As long as Capers is running this defense, expect an average AT BEST defense, not good enough to take us all the way.

Capers is in his 9th season, after finishing in the 20s in yards and points, 31st in pass defense... and hasn't sniffed top 10 since 2010! For some reason, MM sticks with him and that is what keeps MM from being a top coach.


I struggle with the bad players or injury excuse too. During Dom Capers reign the defense got over TWICE the number of picks in the top three rounds than the offense. We blame TT for bad picks, yet players move elsewhere and excel as TW points out. Injuries no longer can be considered random, but an objective trend. Is it a too complicated scheme that is resulting in poor play and injuries? (See TW's overthinking post above... spot on!) Game planning seems based on what worked last game, rather than who they are playing. Versus Atlanta:

Why was Julio Jones played straight? No game planning for him? Instead he played Atlanta EXACTLY like he played Seattle (presumably because it worked against Seattle) against an Atlanta team that torched them for 500 yards and 44 points to end last season! Brice over Josh Jones? Josh Jones needs to start. King needs to start - Rollins and Randall can't play top receivers without help. We saw that last year.

It's regular season against a top NFL team. Yet we're still experimenting. Plan! If you don't know your players capabilities by now, you're a bad coach. Pick who's best (e.g. playing the slot, shuffling backs, etc.) and stick with him allowing them to develop in a spot.

Frankly, I'm also one of those that, for the life of me, can't understand why they stick with Capers. The trend is negative. I'm hoping otherwise and would enjoy being proven wrong and eating crow. Just don't see it.
 
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Boy, we've kicked this one around for the last three years.
Capers WAS a good coach. His track record says he can come in and turn around a defense in the first two years. Then things get obvious and predictable. He comes up with gimmicks in the off season, but usually gets out coached DURING the game. Sometimes his original game plan works and other things go to hell, but Atlanta made one simple adjustment (they were licking their chops) and Dom couldn't adjust. The Falcons simply put Julio in the slot for some of his biggest plays. This meant that our slot CB, Randall, ended up covering him. Randall cannot cover Julio, sad to say it but Randall just doesn't match up. Is that Randall's fault or Capers? Definitely falls on Capers. Capers can't adjust his coverages to adapt to the offensive moves because his defense is TOO complicated for simple adjustments. Hate to say it but Capers cannot adjust to OCs changes. Is that Capers fault or MMs?
This falls on MMs shoulders. He has been unwavering in his loyalty to Capers.
Granted, Atlanta has the best offense in the NFC and we did have an unfortunate amount of injuries at critical positions (OTs, Daniels and Jordy) but Atlanta used match ups and shceme adjustments and left MM and Capers with no answers.
We have the talent, I just don't think we have the Coaching. We'll see, it's pretty early in the year to be boarding up the windows. Now- if Cincy beats us? All hell will break loose. Don't let Randall cover Green.
 
James Campen had a week to get a 7th round RT and a UDFA OG who had been working at a hotel a few months prior ready to start a road game at LT and RT respectively. They took some lumps but held up. They didn't cost the team the game. Campen got the best out of what they have to offer.

Joe Whitt has had three years to develop 1st and 2nd round corners. They continually crap the bed and cost the team games. Can we really say Dom Capers and Joe Whitt have gotten the best out of Randall and Rollins?

To Mark's point the entire org on both sides of the ball has gotten stale. It's not a personal failing IMO, just happens to everyone in every prolonged employment situation. But good golly, this defense just has no identity, nothing to hang its hat on, and does nothing particularly well. These coaches haven't been able to get these guys to reach potential. Long past time for a fresh start. But alas this is GB, where everybody is a yes man and the buck stops nowhere.
 
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