Very good post oldhawkfan. That's why I made this poll, to get a pulse of where the fan base is at.
Looks like most of us aren't concerned, which is good.
My only concern, as x-ray said, is our depth. This is a top end roster with expensive contracts across the board for the majority of the 22 starters, then there's a severe drop off.
That right there is what is concerning. If we get a couple guys hurt, which will happen unfortunately, then it's worth being concerned about the "next man up." Because what we've been shown is the next man up isn't very good. The chain is only as strong as it's weakest link.
Yes, last year did show that pre season isn't necessary. Our offense looked great out the gate last year. But our defense on the other hand was poor.
I'm concerned about Norton as D coordinator. Whether they're backups or not, I'm still seeing way too many missed assignments. Guys falling off their guys in coverage for no reason.
Details like that which continue to get missed are frustrating.
It feels like the whole "Always Compete" mantra is gone. This is a team of 22 quality starters who aren't concerned about losing their starting jobs, with 30 other not very talented players.
Gone are the days where players were concerned about their starting job. If anything, this pre season has sent the message that they're going to play the players who've been paid.
What made the early Carroll years so special was he didn't care what your contract looked like. Your job was always on the line, and we got the most out of guys and this led to a Superbowl victory.
Now, these guys have gotten paid, they're not worried about the guy behind them. There's no fire.
That was my most concerning thing from last night. No fire or desire. The backups basically played like "well I have no chance to start. What am I doing here."
That's not what this program used to be about. In pre season games of old, the starters were on the sidelines gerring fired up, cheering on their mates on the field.
Last two games, they're on the sidelines laughing and high fiving, not caring what's going on. That was eye opening to me.
I hope I'm wrong about my concerns. My panic level is at a 2 of 10