This was an ugly win, but those count too.
I have an inkling that we
1) Went vanilla to save some of our plays for better competition.
2) Figured out what Matt P was doing with his coverage but DID NOT ADJUST to bait teams into trying to use it against us in the future.
Am I sure? No. But it felt like it when I was watching.
What I saw from their coverage was that they seemed to drift into "high traffic areas" ... places where we often throw the ball rather than covering our guys directly. I don't know if anyone else saw that like I did ... but it would explain why Jared was hesitating on his plant foot every drop back.
The Great1) Aaron Donald is a Ram for the foreseeable future, and honestly could be MVP.
2) Having Talib back. Goodness.
3) (Gurley) Having enough confidence to go down on the 1 for time while knowing you could punch it in a couple plays later.
4) Cook over 1000 yards 4 years in a row, including 3 teams in 3 years ...
The Good5) The Robert Woods TD ... unspectacular, but a play that not everyone can make. Small window for the target and not the easiest catch, but a play we make with confidence this year.
6) Pass blocking.
7) Run fits on defense.
8) GZ ... consistent.
The Bad9) Jarrrrrredddd ... whew buddy ... how many passes missed? And the fumble? You're totally cool to put up a stinker once a year ... but I've gotta call you on it.
10) How does Levine Toilolo have a career game against us?
11) Malcolm Brown loss ... yes there's an upside with the youngsters that is definitely needed ... but I like the psychological security of Brown.
12) Pharoh Cooper ... Im not into the running it out to the 20 thing. It's dumb.
13) Refs missing holding calls consistently on our WRs.
14) Overall coming out flat. I'm not a fan. That has to be our last dud. We're fighting for home field advantage.
College15) What a couple weeks. Wow. Most of the conference games (save Clemson) were really good. I have been eyeballing edge, CB, DT/5T/NG, TE, and S ... with a little focus on interior OL and backup QB (which is truly plentiful) ... the talent on defense runs high through 3 rounds and at TE and backup QB down through the 5th at least ... I really think the fact that this year's TEs are not on flashy teams is hurting them ... but will serve in our favor whether we want to challenge Higbee or replace Carrier.
16) Want to give a shout out to Jake Fromm from UGA for playing one of the better games at the position all year.
17) Bowl Games ... the setup is weird this year ... but I like it. The CFP is on the 29th (along with MICH vs. UF) ... so thats a party day ... then on the 1st may be the best day of college football we've seen in a while pound for pound ... 5 GREAT games lined up.
18) Trending in my mind ... I think we can get a safety and TE in the third ... or a CB if needed. But edge rusher we'd have to take at 32 or in a trade down. We MAY get lucky with someone like Winovich falling to the end of the third ... but I'm not interested in taking chances with that position anymore. If I had my pick I would even trade up for Josh Allen of Kentucky, but after his bowl game that's unlikely to be possible. If Austin Bryant falls he'd be a nice consolation prize.
Thoughts and comments welcome.