Love for GOings

He traded for Lewis and cut Beuerlein, fuck Seifert

 

I think Seifert did some extrodinary things in 1999. Made this team a contender again. Put Steve Beuerlein in the Pro Bowl, and made Patrick Jeffers a 1000 yard receiver. Had we taken care of business against a weak Pittsburgh team in week 16, we could have won a playoff game or two.

It was a shame that we couldn't build on that. More of a shame that we couldn't recover from losing Haskell.

Hell, they say we're an up and down team in 2005, look at 2000:

Lose at home to Atlanta and Dallas.

Sweep the defending world champs.

It just never happened. I don't think GS was a bad guy, nor do I think he was entirely responsible for 1-15. But I think it was best for everyone that he was let go, and Fox was brought in.

 

he did do both of those things. Each of our coaches have done good and bad things in personnel. None of those things changes making shit up to try to make someone look bad.

 

Agree. When JR made his fourth straight year's worth of meddling by reversing what he wanted to do in 00 by doing what was done in 01, it was with a look toward the NFCS. And what he described, what he wanted, wasn't what GS was or wanted to accomplish. The wheels were in place then, unfortunately a diasatrous season was a part of it.

 

99 was a fun year to watch. Moose, Jeffers, BLine. the snow in Pittsburg did us in. also remember sitting in the stadium watching the scoreboard the last game. Jake played in that game for the Saints too.

 

I don't know if I justify the way it was done, and I certainly did not like the fact that they were 1-15. But in the end, we cut some fat, regrouped in the Spring of 2002, and won 6 more games that year.

Fox retained, and put together, a stellar staff. Brought in a veteran in Peete who, in the end, had a decent season. Weinke may not have been ready to win 7 games as a starter.

Fox got seven wins out of a 1 win team. Sometimes I think that the 2001 Panthers were a decent team that was poorly coached. Looking back, I realize now that the 2001 Panthers were just plain bad. Easily one of the five worst teams in NFL history.

 

99's mojo evaporated when Haskell left.

The defense was never going to be of urgent priority. Offense, and special teams, were exceptional in 1999. The fact that the defense was not very good was almost irrelevant.

Coincidentally, Haskell takes a hike, and so does the offense. Can't say that Jeffers blowing out his ACL in Pittsburgh helped. That, and the fact that we probably upgraded the o-line one year too late.

 

Jeffers going down was a big part of it. Chuck Smith having microfracture after the team forbid him to do it, that hurt too, and of course cutting Barrow wasn't smart.

Haskell wasn't the brain of the ops, anymore than he is for Seattle. He was just an administrator, a caretaker. Musgrave did the gameplanning, and the offense ended up running between the 3 of them; but GS did the major calls. Musgrave would work on things and bring them to GS, who loved the deep ball. When Haskell was allowed to leave (which wasn't necessary - under the rules in 2000 with the new "supervisor" tag, promoting Musgrave wasn't necessary to keep him aboard), now it was Musgrave who wanted to do the dumpoffs and it was still GS vetoing him. Didn't work out that way. They should've kept it all together, though.

Why the defense was never better than it was, was puzzling.
O was still good in 00, 12th or so I think, without a run game or a line (in the end, Seifert's relative inability to piece together a line in accord with other talent before 2001 did him in as much as it did Capers, but at least George added to the line and eventually helped it out, if thowing tons of cash at it is helping it out). D was still pretty bad (though turnovers were up and the D was 12th in points allowed) at 27th best.

 

I do love Goings

 

Agree on Haskell. Never saw him as the architect. But he left, and the shit rolled down the hill, at least down to 18th in the NFL.

The offensive line was pitiful in 2000. Just pitiful. I applaud GS for Stuessie, Donnalley and Mitchell. Three great pickups, at the time at least. In large part, he paved the way for Fox and Co. to SB38. But as a coach, he didn't get it done. Three chances at a winning season--three and out.

Still, not a day passes where I don't thank him silently for what he helped accomplish. He left Fox with a stable of young beef. I will say that Seifert likely would have never gotten as much out of Jenks, Ruck, Pep as Fox and his staff have.