coming out flat for more than 25% of our games (again) in year two under bowles would be a huge red flag in my eyes..
i'm hopeful bowles has made some adjustments as far as having his guys ready to go balls to the wall each & every game..
i know that's a neat trick for any head coach to pull off but it definitely is the goal..
The problem is, Bowles played for a team of self starters in Washington. Joe Gibbs was not a rah rah guy, not a motivator in the traditional sense, he was more of a cerebral HC, and when you are that kind of coach, you need self starters and your leaders on the field have to lead, they have to set the example by going balls to the wall and demanding the same from everyone else. They had that in Washington during the Joe Gibbs era. That team was never flat. They came every Sunday to kick your ass, and most of the time they did exactly that.
The same was true of those 70's Steelers teams. Chuck Noll looked like a tough guy and he was, but he was not a motivator, all of the old Steelers have talked about it, how Noll never raised his voice or gave pep talks, his idea of a pep talk was to tell a joke, and his jokes were corny too, none of the players ever laughed, but when you suited up against those Steelers on Sunday, they would beat you to a bloody pulp. That team was never flat. If you came out flat, Joe Greene and Jack Lambert would kick your ass. Those guys were
ABOUT BUSINESS and everybody followed their lead.
Thats why Tony Dungy was never a screamer, never a rah rah guy, never what you would call a motivator. He played on those Steelers teams and Noll was basically his mentor, ditto Bowles and Joe Gibbs.
DON'T GET ME WRONG, if you don't have the right kind of players, that approach will get you beat in games you should win. I would argue it really bit us in the ass in that last Buffalo game. I'll go to my grave believing Buffalo was more fired up to win that game for Rex than we were to make the damn playoffs. Thats why you're seeing such a dramatic turnover in personnel. Thats why the underachievers and chronically injuries guys are going out. I see what Bowles is trying to do, he's trying to build a team of self starters like his Redskins teams, but you can't build that culture overnight.