Regarding Thomas, there is no way he said/meant that his goal was to let him sit comfortably in the pocket. Undoubtedly he meant that the goal was to make Thomas BEAT them from the pocket as opposed to with his feet. There's nothing wrong with that. The problem is that Thomas did beat them, which is further indictment of the defense. They got what they wanted and got shellacked.
Regarding D'Onofrio, it's nice that he took accountability but the problem is that the players have shown that they've bought into many things Golden. They gained all the weight (probably too much in some instances). They blew away the conditioning test. They communicated better. Yet and still, same result. That's why they will give up. When you think you've done right and experience no success, that's the recipe for freelancing, tuning out, and/or quitting. That's why they have to change the system or change the coach--the players will quit. I'm confident that he will do something. His support for D does not seem as vociferous this year. No more "best in the business" talk.
