Originally posted by WildBill:
No, the players need to execute. Coaches are responsible for putting the players in a position to make plays. If the player can't then, get someone who can. The coaches are responsible however to teach them how to read the opposition, the best option to take after (like cutting back inside or bouncing inside, telling them when and why). You don't simplify plays because they got jitter or butterflies-EVERYONE gets them, Montana got them, you overcome them. If they got butter finger receivers, get rid of them and find someone else.
While it is the coaches responsibility to emphasize ball security and how to execute it, what decision they should make after turning up field and why (watch Walsh) every former player that has played the game has said when talking about a game and being asked about player or coach problem has said, stop, it is the players responsibility to make the plays (like tackles, catching and securing the ball before turning up field etc., decisions on whether to push it down filed or take what is given). Now if a coach makes a bad decision to run a certain play call on a certain time and you have not had luck with it-that is a coaches problem.
Kyle had them going up and down the field and you want to change that? The two interceptions were not his fault, the receivers had it in their hands. According to Kyle the fumble with the center exchange was Richburg's fault. The one that was Jimmy's fault was the direct snap to the Richie, because of his cadence.
Mistakes are not desirable I agree, but look around the league, human nature, it is going to happen from time to time.
Good post, but I don't think I fully agree. Under Walsh (and the eternally underrated and underappreciated Siefert), the demands for flawless execution were so relentless and the prospect or retribution (fines, being cut) so real that players responded. There is a story from Brent Jones (one of my favourite Niners ever, along with Frank) who fumbled a ball
in practice while a touted rookie who had cost a very high supplementary pick: Walsh came to him and basically said: "This is not college any more. You don't have a scholarship. We CAN and WILL cut you if you do this again". And Jones basically described his a******e becoming like a pinhead from the fear. There is also another from Rathman who cost one of the two losses in the best season in history (1989) by a fumble, when Siefert basically gave him the hairdryer treatment after that; and that was a major part of that team, perhaps on the best season of his career. I think Jerry also mentioned the s**t he got from Walsh for all his drops in his first season and that's the best player in history we're talking about.
I'm not saying that Shanahan is not giving the players s**te when they eff up. He may do this away from the cameras. I don't necessarily want another baby like Harbaugh on the sidelines. I'm not even saying that yelling is always the correct response. I also remember the U&U (*) Siefert being stonecold indifferent to Young going ballistic behind him when substituted during that 40-8 shellacking at home by Philly. That's also good management: words are words. Moan if you must, but I don't care. He put Young back in for the next game, and shock of shocks, we won and everything was hunky dory again.
The thing is that over the last three years the team has been very error prone on the whole, and it's cost us. Sometimes it's butterfingers; others its idiotic penalties; yet others is choking from winning positions (all those moral victories of yesteryear). It's great that yesterday the team also had confidence and fortitude to keep coming back from all those self-inflicted wounds. It seems they are growing, and that's also on Shanahan as I said. The top man gets the credit - but also the blame. I admire the way he seems to adapt at half time, and I certainly give him all the credit for three-and-oh. Bu he has to create a culture where self-inflicted wounds are not just unacceptable, they are
unimaginable.
(*) underrated and underappreciated
[ Edited by paulk205 on Sep 23, 2019 at 1:16 AM ]