Sorry for the length!

Ok about two hours have passed since the fat lady officially sung on our season. It was a very disappointing season, from being 7-2, to not making the playoffs at all. From blowing numerous 2nd half leads in big games(Indy, SD, Seattle, SF). This team really didn't play with a sense of urgency today, and all year long with little to no heart. So now that I've had a chance to reflect on the loss today and the season, I wanted to talk about next year.

Clearly the worst component of the team this year was special teams. Our average starting field position was worst in the league at about the 21 yard line. Ernster was also near the bottom in punting average. Ernster's kickoffs rarely make it past the 10 yard line, and his punts are always under 43 yards. He also can't ever nail the oppenent inside the 10, and rarely inside the 20. Special Teams is something that can easily be fixed.

1. Get rid of Ernster: no matter who's in there next year, it has to be someone new. We just can't have good special teams with him. I'd suggest doing this through the draft, there's always quality K's and P's even in the late rounds.

2. Draft for special teams: The Bears, Ravens, and Patriots always have good special teams, because they draft for it. In the 6th and 7th rounds, when everyone is sniffing around for that "gem", they are out there finding guys who not only want to play special teams, but excel at it. And even spending a first day pick on special teams isn't bad(Elam was a 3rd round pick, and Hester was a 2nd).

After special teams I believe our biggest weakness was defense. I really don't see how we weren't better after our start, and the amount of talent we have on defense. Sure we had our share of injuries(Brown, also Ferguson and Brandon going down really showed our lack of depth in the secondary), but what team doesn't? The dline, for the 3rd straight season finished with terrible pass rushing, that NEEDS to be addressed. We have ignored this problem the past 3 offseasons by plugging in veterans(Browns dlinemen) and not drafting anyone before the 4th. Defense takes a lot more work to fix than special teams, and it may take a few seasons to do.

1. Pick an identity: Last year our identity was blitzing, it worked a lot, but we also got burnt a lot. This year, our identity was sit back and cover, worked for awhile, then people began picking us apart. We need to pick one or the other and just stick to it. I suggest blitzing, we don't need to all out blitz, but we do need to get pressure on the QB, and our front 4 just isn't getting it done. Our system as it is it too complex, and opposing offenses can run or pass at will it seems.

2. Please finally draft dline!: We have ignored this problem the past few drafts, but we can't afford to anymore. This draft is loaded with dline talent, and we need to draft 1, 2, maybe even 3 guys this year. I would love to see us nab 1 or 2 of Gaines Adams(top 10), Alan Branch(top 10), Quentin Moses(top 15) ,Quinn Pitcock(top 20), LaMarr Woodley(1st round), Justin Harrell(2nd round), Victor Abiamiri(2nd round), DeMarcus Tyler(2nd round), or Brandon Mebane(2nd to 3rd round).

3. Safety is also a huge concern: We all saw what happened to us after Ferguson and Brandon went down. Cox was adequate as a replacement, but he's not meant to be a starter. If Griffin, Landry, Merriweather, or Nelson are there in the first, I wouldn't mind us taking them. Weddle and Zbikowski are also good options in the 2nd. We would either play them next year, or wait until Lynch retires.

Last but not least is offense. It struggled BIGTIME this season in many places. But losing Matt Lepsis was the most costly injury of the year. Teams rarely recover when losing their LT and it held true for us. We also went though a QB change, had a rookie QB at the helms all of December, and RB inconsistency. The Bells didn't really worked out. Denver almost missed out on an 1000 yard rusher for the first time in the Shanny era, but Tatum finished with just a nod over 1000 on the year. We never really knew if it was Tatum or Mike and that held true all the way through the year. We really missed Mike Anderson's tough running this year, and especially in the red zone. The Broncos had 3 1st and goals inside the 5 today, and all 3 times ended up with a fg. This obviously cost us dearly. This was an ongoing problem this year and needs to be fixed. On a positive note, we had 4 rookies that made huge contributions down the stretch. Cutler, Marshall, Mike Bell, and Scheffler all excite me for the future.

1. Find a consistent running attack: Our entire offense is set up by the run. If Denver has a big day running the ball, 90% of the time they will win. Whether it be one of the Bells or someone new, we need a big runningback. I've never loved the split back thing, but if the 2 RB's compliment each other, it's ok(Anderson and Bell last year, Dillon and Maroney, McCallister and Bush). The Bells clearly did not compliment each other at all. If Marshawn Lynch slides to us in the first, we need to take him. He is an extremely hard runner, and never goes down on the first hit. I am a Cal fan, and have watched him in nearly every game he has played in his 3 years at Cal. I also spoke with him after the Holiday Bowl last Thursday, he was very humble and you could tell he was ready for the pro's. If not Lynch, Michael Bush(2nd), Nate Ilaoa(3rd), and Chris Henry(4th) are all good options later in the draft.

2. Continue to expand Jay's game: Jay clearly proved he has a great arm. He can do things that Plummer never even dreamed of. Cutler hopefully got the boneheaded plays out of his system and will play safer next year. Next year, when he is not a rookie, I would love to see more long balls, and more slants. We have great offensive weapons, and we need to better utilize them.

3. Figure out the tackles: I can't stand to watch another season with Foster starting at RT. He is terrible, cant pass protect, can run block, and is just a punk(not to mention he has a penalty every 10 minutes). Shanny needs to admit his mistake in drafting him and move on. We have very little depth at OT(we do have depth at OG and C however). Pears is clearly not an NFL linemen. We need to draft an OT midway through the draft and hopefully we stay healthy next year.

All in all a VERY disappointing season for us. Coming off of a 13-3 divison championship season in which we were one game away from the Super Bowl. We have a lot of very good young players, we now just need a few more pieces to the puzzle and we should be good.