Coaching cap hurt more than Jones would admit last season. With added coaching and more focused coaching they should easily be better this season.
1 Like
oh Jones admitted it
I look at it from a slightly different point of view.
He waited until after the season ended to say it.
So it wasn't an excuse.
From the look of it the Elks were short several coaches, including an O-line coach and a special teams coach. Kind of makes it hard with limited practice time to get to everyone and prepare for games.
I think it speaks to some frustration with the cap and how it is applied:
“We worked with 18 people this year, the other [team’s] staff worked with 21. There’s gotta be enough money to keep a good solid staff together because you’re only as good as your help. That’s kind of a constant battle. We’ve gotta win games, we’ve gotta get people back in the seats, we’ve gotta create the interest.”
1 Like
aha i getcha! good point too.
1 Like
Is anyone else surprised that the leader only had 6 interceptions?
Hell, I remember the days Rod Hill would have that in 2 games!
1 Like
I just went over the numbers back to 2004, and the totals range from 5 - 11. I think playcalling is more conservative these days and probably the rules on contacting a receiver also contribute to lower INTs these days compared to maybe the 90s, 80s, and before.
But to answer your question: yeah it does seem low now that I stop to think about it.
I think it's a combination of things. Receivers are more skilled than ever IMO, so they may be winning more 50/50 balls. QBs are more accurate (remember the days when a QB passing for 55%-60% was the norm? Now it's up in the 65%+ range). This may be a function too, of fewer deep balls thrown (more targeted passes in the 1-10 yard range creating a lower INT risk) but I don't have the stats to back that up.
1 Like