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Originally Posted by GoBigBlue88
6. I'm hesitant to label that a bounceback game from Jack Doyle because we've seen Dwayne Allen have the exact same kinda game before. But it was a helluva game.
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This is true, but I'm still higher on Doyle and the significance of this game because, for him, it's a return to form that's consistent with his ball skills and level of effort over his career so far. When Allen put together a game like that, it was notable for its rarity. For Doyle, the couple of bad games was the aberration.
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoBigBlue88
14. I honestly think Pagano just doesn't *get* significant chunks of the NFL game. I think there are rules he doesn't understand (seriously). I think he doesn't understand the nuances of challenges. I think he's just not very good at this, and I hadn't realized before last week that it's probably because he had one year of NFL experience -- as a coordinator -- before coming to the Colts.
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I've honestly been saying this for at least a year. I wasn't on here saying it, so it doesn't matter and I'm not trying to get points for being prophetic or seeing something sooner - just appreciating seeing my take on Pagano validated.
Every bad coach has been accused of not knowing what's going on in games, but in Pagano's case, it's literally what is happening. He spends significant portions of the game not really keeping up with the situation on the field. I have a pet theory on why that is.
Pagano does not have any instincts. With any competent coach, if you could pause the game at any point and climb into their heads, I think they'd have a very solid idea of what was going on - beyond down and distance, they'd have what you might call a working mental model of both teams, the officials, the field conditions, and what trends were emerging from plays on both sides of the ball and their outcomes. A competent coach walks out onto the field with a plan and then adapts to the changing circumstances throughout the game.
Pagano does none of this. I'll bet you anything that he's one of those people who describe themselves as "a processor;" the kind who can't give you a salient take on something in the moment when asked, but who wants to go back and "think on it for a while" so they can make up their minds about what they think. I don't have a problem with people like that, but it's a terrible trait for a head coach of a football team.
When a good coach calls a timeout, it's a tactical part of their strategy to win the game. It's to save clock, or get themselves out of a bad play, or cover for a miscommunication on the field, etc. I think Pagano understands the game well enough that he knows those are times you use a timeout as well, but I ALSO believe he uses timeouts reactively because he's become overwhelmed and confused, and he just straight up needs a moment to think about what to do.... because he does not instinctively know. The game outpaces his thinking in real time and he gets lost.
If you look for it, you see that happen at a bunch of different points throughout the game, but it's definitely his timeout and challenge management where it becomes the most obvious.