Whether you know it or not, when the offense is giving you nothing all game, the defense needs to start taking risks at the end of the game to try to secure a win. Can they do better? Yes, but what are they supposed to do but get risky as the clock is going against them and the offense can't outscore the N.Y. Yankees?
This poor play by this team so far this year is all on Ben. The excuse of age and not having it anymore is complete BS! The only thing Ben lacks from his younger years is his mobility. When you're the leader of the team and you're playing poorly it trickles down to the rest of the team.
You claim that the ACCG was too big for our young guys and ponder retirement. You talked of your displeasure of Bell not being in camp and needing the work. You jump on the radio every week and talk of AB being a distraction to the team. In both losses, he gets politically correct and takes the blame saying he needs to play better. Does anyone believe he feels he is the blame? I don't!
I don't believe it when you constantly call out other players. I don't believe it when you allow Tomlin to give you a veteran's practice day off every week. If you really feel you need to play better, you would put in the work and even extra work to get things corrected with the offense. Do you think Brady would take veteran's practice days off while playing so poorly? No! He would put in extra work.
Ben's issue isn't age or deterioration of skills. His problem is complacency. He lacks the work ethic in the film room, practices and working out the details with the offense. He wants to do just enough. We can blame Haley's play calling, but he calls the plays that Ben likes to run. Have you heard Ben complain about play calling the last several years? No! They're running the plays that he likes.
Ben knows he has argueably the most talented offensive cast in the league. He's been inaccurate this year because he's anxious and pressing trying to impose the will of his initial playcall despite what the defense is showing him. He throws into triple coverage. He only has one read and it's mostly AB. He feels his offensive cast is so talented that he doesn't have to check to another read.
He feels his offensive cast is so talented that they should get 20 plus yards on every play. He doesn't take what the defense is giving him. They throw bubble screens on 3rd and 15 and throw deep on 3rd and 2. That shows that he feels that they can get chunks of yards at will. That's not smart and effecient football and it's causing punts, turnovers, bad field position, lack of point production and lack of T.O.P.
All of this is making the offense out of sync and putting the defense in bad situations to succeed. He also has no interest in teams like Jacksonville. He has a casual, malaise type attitude towards these types of teams because he feels he will steamroll them with Madden 18 like play calling. He's only interested in marquee matchups. He puts more effort in marquee matchup games because he knows we will get blown out if he takes it casually.
This is why we look so bad. Ben's skillset hasn't deteriorated. It's his teenage like mindset of thinking they can just show up and run any play he sees fit and it will steamroll everyone that is killing this team.