The question is, did they get all they could out of the players they had. For that, I would say Capers is superior to McCarthy. But that's just my own personal viewpoint.
Originally Posted by: nerdmann
Surely staff has to shoulder responsibility too, then, seeing that it is assistant coaches who spend the vast majority of the time with their position players during the practice week and the games itself.
Then you have to account for the fact that despite plays that would get them in position, players f up. For example, it's possible that Finley ran a wrong route, or one of our receivers adjusted their route in a way Aaron did not anticipate and that led to an incomplete pass.
I guess my point is too much goes on within this scheme during the game to sit back and safely conclude McCarthy is a problem for this team.
That said, there were some moments that left me wondering if MM really put his offense in the best position to succeed. Kuhn's fumble is the main example: was it really necessary to give that carry to Kuhn? Goal line, I could understand. But there?! Even before the fumble I was taken aback by the play call.
Overall, though, it's hard to argue McCarthy doesn't have his players ready for games. He just got his team to go 15-1 coming off a Superbowl; set an aggressive tone with hunting instead of being hunted, and generally kept his players (namely receivers) focused on the bigger picture. Dude gets positive results.
The NFL: Where Greg Jennings Happens.