Yakinskas extracted this interesting quote from Smitty today:
"You can get paralysis from analysis,’’ Smith said. "We analyzed a lot in those two weeks of our preparation. Even though our players were off for part of that time, I think as a coaching staff, we tried to turn over every stone and look in every corner. I think there’s a point of diminishing returns in terms of your preparation.’’
He raises an interesting question (or two). Can you prepare too much? And was too much preparation the cause of our demise versus the Pack? I personally think you can't really quantify how much preparation is too much. It all comes down to the collective mindset. Either it's there or it isn't. Sometimes it's there, but the enigmatic beast known as gamesmanship takes the reins and fate has its way. It can be - in certain circumstances - a convenient excuse when you prepare a lot, though not in the correct manner.
I have a hard time understanding how MM's conservative playcalling - even when we're down by three scores - can be justified in these terms. It just doesn't ring true for me. I certainly respect what Smitty is saying here. But for the first time in a while, I really do think his bottom line is misdirected. To be sure, I'm incredibly confident in his ability to lead, but taking the relaxed, just-go-out-there-and-play-your-game approach (a.k.a. the Saints Shuffle) isn't the key to our future success in my opinion. Heck though, I'm just a blogger, and not a very good one at that. So what do I know?
Curious what y'all think. Please discuss.