I realize that this thread was started as a link to where a player complimented Tomlin. Which, as we all know, cannot be tolerated.
I'm a positive guy regarding sports. Doesn't mean I don't see where the flaws, just means I can see other things too, and am not blinded by others opinions.
As terrible as the D has been, in the 2017 regular season, they were 7th in points per game, which is the stat that matters. They were 5th in ypg. Losing a player like Shaz can **** up your whole middle. Losing his back up in the same game, which is late in the year when you are lucky to find an average replacement on the couch, can be a tough thing to overcome. Vince played way better this year than I expected, but i would think his role changed quite a bit, along with the other defenders, can do. In 2015 and 2016, we were 11th and 10 in scoring D. In the prior 2 years we were 6th and 4th in RZ% on D. This year, we were 28th. if the coaching and players haven't changed, why did this happen? Were the coaches good last year and said "**** it" this year? Could there be some other reason?
Even with that, they actually beat the beloved *'s regardless of what the scoreboard says. Even past, better Defenses could not be the *'s and Brady, by the way. That didn't start with Tomlin.
Even with all of the issues this year (poor discipline, whatever), the team was able to scrabble to 13-3 and, barely got beat in the playoffs by a team that isn't a sack of ****, like that loss to the ravens a few years ago (three?) or by a sack of cheating ********* like last year. I'd suggest that the team, as a whole, had better talent on O this year than last and last year we went to the AFCCG to lose to cheaters.
Getting to the AFCCG last year with, IMO, lesser talent had to have something to coaching. So, what was different about the coaching this year?