Jack Del Rio (1 Viewer)

[Mr. Brownstone]

From game-day decision making to his ability to run his team, Jack Del Rio has taken some pretty harsh shots on this board. Some of the criticism can been justified, but for the most part he produces a solid product. I understand that this is a FF board and the Jags aren't exactly stalwarts in that respect, but out of curiosity I'd like to hear what others feel about him.

 

[cholo]

Another bandwagon hopper.

 

[Wadsworth]

Another bandwagon hopper.

You think Jack Del Rio is a bandwagon hopper? Please explain.

 

[JaxBill]

I think that he has basially learned and improved on the job about game-day management but I think he still has a ways to go.

I think he's does a pretty good job of communicating with his players.

I guess my question with JDR is how much of this improvement offensively goes to him for deciding on Garrard, how much goes to Dirk Koetter as offensive coordinator for his system, and how much goes to Mike Shula as QB coach for working on Garrard's footwork and fundamentals.

 

[msommer]

And how much was JDR involved in e.g. getting Leftwich and Matt Jones...

 

[Bri]

In preseason and spring, he plays too many head games thru the press. I don't think it does anyone any good, especially the players confidence. The way he handled the WR and QB situations in camp sorely left something to be desired. Not coincidentally, many feel their passing game isn't as good as it could be.

 

[Bri]

Jack was a hard nosed tough player that always "brought it". I think much of his team is that way now too and he deserves alot of credit for that.

 

[Da Guru]

From game-day decision making to his ability to run his team, Jack Del Rio has taken some pretty harsh shots on this board. Some of the criticism can been justified, but for the most part he produces a solid product. I understand that this is a FF board and the Jags aren't exactly stalwarts in that respect, but out of curiosity I'd like to hear what others feel about him.

The Jags are still choppin wood!

 

[Warpig]

I guess I compare JDR as a poor man's Schottenheimer.

JDR actually wanted to keep Lefty but wiser minds convinced him to let him go so they wouldn't have to pay him (Lefty) that fat bonus he would have gotten.

JDR also is behind one of the most ridiculous reaches in the history of the draft...taking Matt Jones in the 1st round!

I have never been a fan of his conservative game calling either.

I think he's basically gotten lucky this year with Garrard and is getting the last bit of juice from Fred Taylor before he falls off that RB cliff. If they have to rely on MJD next year...along with their sub-par WR corps...it'll get ugly.

As for me, the jury is still out on JDR. I'm not letting him in my circle of friends just yet.

 

[pollardsvision]

i would assume all jags fans have been critical of JDR from time-to-time.

based on my highly unknowledgeable opinion, it appears that he's getting better and i like him, so i'd really like to see him succeed.

(on a side note, one of the things i really like about him is that he gave mike tice, albeit his buddy, a shot after the nfl essentially blackballed him b/c he happened to be the coach when a bunch of rich, pro athletes, in their mid-20's, stuck living in minnesota in their primes decided to fly up some strippers to dance on a boat. mike tice wasn't the best coach, but he wasn't the worst and didn't deserve what he got.)

i would assume JDR is getting better b/c his team is now playing with alot more consistency, which is widely assumed to be a way to evaluate a coach. the only difference b/w this year's jags and the past few years is this year's team doesn't have the handful of ugly losses to poor teams.

the garrard situation points to both good and bad points about JDR.

going to garrard looks brilliant now and i applaud JDR for having the sack to do the right thing, even if it was too late.

on the flip side, if JDR was a better evaluater of talent, it would seem that this decision would've been made 2 years ago and i don't really like the way leftwich was cut right before the season. JDR should've known earlier and given this man a chance make a real go at it with another team.

hopefully, JDR is learning from this situation and it'll help him be more decisive going forward.

i'm not smart enough to know just how good of a coach JDR really is, but i think he'll be pretty good and i want to see him do well.

it's a tough team that plays manly and plays hard and i assume that's mostly JDR's doing.

this team appears to be taking it's cue from the steelers, and that might also include giving a coach ample time to produce. the steelers have always stuck with coaches during the ups and downs and it appears the jags are doing the same. i hope it works out.

 

[SKribbles]

I guess I compare JDR as a poor man's Schottenheimer.

JDR actually wanted to keep Lefty but wiser minds convinced him to let him go so they wouldn't have to pay him (Lefty) that fat bonus he would have gotten.

JDR also is behind one of the most ridiculous reaches in the history of the draft...taking Matt Jones in the 1st round!

I have never been a fan of his conservative game calling either.

I think he's basically gotten lucky this year with Garrard and is getting the last bit of juice from Fred Taylor before he falls off that RB cliff. If they have to rely on MJD next year...along with their sub-par WR corps...it'll get ugly.

As for me, the jury is still out on JDR. I'm not letting him in my circle of friends just yet.

Why do you say its conservative?The Jags are a running team and very good at it. Is it that you consider all running teams conservative?

He also goes for it on 4th down far more than any other team in the league.

 

[pollardsvision]

i do think we'll have a much better ability to measure just how good these WRs are now.

the WRs have never been the most sure handed, but it's also hard to evaluate WRs with a QB who holds on to the ball forever and lacks touch (leftwich).

part of me has always refused to believe that an offense with three 6'4"-plus WRs with good to great speed can't open it up and have mismatches all over the field.

this year, we are getting a glimpse of what can happen with a good QB. they aren't regularly lighting up the scoreboard, but from watching them, the passing game is highly effective when called upon. williams/wilford/northcutt seem to work well together with matt jones mixed in for a few good plays here and there(i can't see him ever being consistent and reliable).

from watching them, it seems that garrard is completely capable of flinging it around the field with success. earlier in the season, it appeared that JDR was apprehensive to let him. now, obviously, JDR is becoming more comfortable with the idea.

one reason you don't see them open it much, though, is b/c other than the saints and colts games, i can't really remember the jags being down by more than 10 points and needing to throw it to catch up (and both of those were without garrard). throughout the season, the defense (and the jags milking the clock) has always kept games close.

 

[Warpig]

I guess I compare JDR as a poor man's Schottenheimer.

JDR actually wanted to keep Lefty but wiser minds convinced him to let him go so they wouldn't have to pay him (Lefty) that fat bonus he would have gotten.

JDR also is behind one of the most ridiculous reaches in the history of the draft...taking Matt Jones in the 1st round!

I have never been a fan of his conservative game calling either.

I think he's basically gotten lucky this year with Garrard and is getting the last bit of juice from Fred Taylor before he falls off that RB cliff. If they have to rely on MJD next year...along with their sub-par WR corps...it'll get ugly.

As for me, the jury is still out on JDR. I'm not letting him in my circle of friends just yet.

Why do you say its conservative?The Jags are a running team and very good at it. Is it that you consider all running teams conservative?

He also goes for it on 4th down far more than any other team in the league.

I guess I'm still stinging from previous years when Lefty was the QB. Being a Jag fan living in the midwest, I don't get to see many Jags games. The conservative play calling may have also been a result of the "talent" he had on his team too...which he has proven he's not a very good evaluator of talent. He's had Garrard under his nose for years and is just now letting him run with it, he has reached on the WR's he's drafted (why draft WR's so early if you are a running team?), Marcedes Lewis has been a bust as well! His DE experiments haven't panned out. His LB's are ok...and what a surprise, he played LB!

But like I said...I'm still stinging from previous years...this could be the year he changes my opinion of him...but we'll see how he coaches in the playoffs. If he gets knocked out in the 1st round I'll still be saying he needs to be a d-coordinator.

 

[pollardsvision]

I guess I compare JDR as a poor man's Schottenheimer.

JDR actually wanted to keep Lefty but wiser minds convinced him to let him go so they wouldn't have to pay him (Lefty) that fat bonus he would have gotten.

JDR also is behind one of the most ridiculous reaches in the history of the draft...taking Matt Jones in the 1st round!

I have never been a fan of his conservative game calling either.

I think he's basically gotten lucky this year with Garrard and is getting the last bit of juice from Fred Taylor before he falls off that RB cliff. If they have to rely on MJD next year...along with their sub-par WR corps...it'll get ugly.

As for me, the jury is still out on JDR. I'm not letting him in my circle of friends just yet.

Why do you say its conservative?The Jags are a running team and very good at it. Is it that you consider all running teams conservative?

He also goes for it on 4th down far more than any other team in the league.

I guess I'm still stinging from previous years when Lefty was the QB. Being a Jag fan living in the midwest, I don't get to see many Jags games. The conservative play calling may have also been a result of the "talent" he had on his team too...which he has proven he's not a very good evaluator of talent. He's had Garrard under his nose for years and is just now letting him run with it, he has reached on the WR's he's drafted (why draft WR's so early if you are a running team?), Marcedes Lewis has been a bust as well! His DE experiments haven't panned out. His LB's are ok...and what a surprise, he played LB!

But like I said...I'm still stinging from previous years...this could be the year he changes my opinion of him...but we'll see how he coaches in the playoffs. If he gets knocked out in the 1st round I'll still be saying he needs to be a d-coordinator.

having WR busts is just par for the course when you have a questionable QB. just like the vick falcons and what we're about to see for the next few years with they VY titans.with a better QB during those years, the reggie williams pick may not have seemed such a bust. he took a chance on matt jones, but that appears to have been a mistake.

this year's draft, focusing on defense early, appears to be better. i like reggie nelson alot and from what i've seen, justin durant seems to be pretty solid.

the jags are a deep team and it appears that aside from leftwich/WR selections, the talent evaluation has been solid.

 

[buzzhunter]

Watching the Steeler game sold me. That is a well coached team there. How many different 4th downs did they make? It was impressive to say the least. He might have been learning on the job before, but now I really like what he's done. For purely selfish reasons, I wish I could just ride Fred or MJD, but you can't argue with the results this year.

 

[Ghost Rider]

The team as a whole has done a much better job at being consistent in 2007. Last year, they beat some really good teams, but also lost to some bad teams, including Houston twice. That tendency to play up or down to their level of competition has gone away this season, and you have to attribute much of that to coaching, as the team never seems to go into a game unprepared. So, in that respect, Del Rio seems to have improved as a coach this season.

 

[ShadowMaster]

His team respects him, he motivates his players, and his team always shows up competitive and preparded to play.

I'd say JDR is a solid HC

 

[JaxBill]

I guess I compare JDR as a poor man's Schottenheimer.JDR actually wanted to keep Lefty but wiser minds convinced him to let him go so they wouldn't have to pay him (Lefty) that fat bonus he would have gotten.JDR also is behind one of the most ridiculous reaches in the history of the draft...taking Matt Jones in the 1st round! I have never been a fan of his conservative game calling either.I think he's basically gotten lucky this year with Garrard and is getting the last bit of juice from Fred Taylor before he falls off that RB cliff. If they have to rely on MJD next year...along with their sub-par WR corps...it'll get ugly.As for me, the jury is still out on JDR. I'm not letting him in my circle of friends just yet.

I was always under the impression that Leftwich was Shack's guy, especially going back to last year with Del Rio saying Leftwich was injured and Leftwich saying he could play and was ticked he was benched.I took Leftwich's release as a sign that JDR had won a power struggle over Shack in Weaver's eyes.I also think that JDR had come to the conclusion that Leftwich was almost uncoachable because Leftwich refused to change his long windup. I think he went with Garrard because Garrard had shown he was willing to change things.ETA - There were rumors immediately after the draft that JDR wanted to draft Brady Quinn but was vetoed by Shack.