Play calling

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Mothman
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Re: Play calling

Post by Mothman »

Purple Reign wrote: I don't think you can blame the receivers in that case. Each receiver has a specific route/yardage pattern that they are supposed to run for each play and running those routes precisely is how a qb and his receivers get their timing down. It's not like the receivers are all supposed to run their route at 7 or more yards if they need 7 for a first down. I'm pretty sure the primary receiver on those plays isn't supposed to be the check down receiver who is normally only a couple yards down the field. That receiver should be the last option in a qb's read progression but Teddy seems to go to them immediately if his primary is covered. Of course sometimes it's necessary if he isn't getting time, but that doesn't always seem to be the case as I thought he dumped off several passes like that too soon against Chicago. And if all his receivers are running their patterns short of the first down, then that's the coaches fault for calling that play - again, not the receiver's fault. Where you can put the blame on receivers is if they aren't getting open.
Good points but finding fault isn't always as clear cut as you suggested near the end of your post. Some of the passes we've seen come up short of the first down marker haven't been check down throws but shallow crossing routes. When the receivers run those patterns short of the marker, that might be a play design issue, and they might just be doing what they're told, but it's also possible they aren't pushing their routes up the field far enough. If/when that's the case, it's the receiver who is at fault, not the coach.

Anyway, from what I've seen there are times when Bridgewater checks down too quickly and times when he has no other option. The whole passing game remains dysfunctional. In fact, it's arguably more dysfunctional this season than it has been in years. :(
S197
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Re: Play calling

Post by S197 »

There's just so many different "what if" scenarios in this instance. Lets say, hypothetically, that Bridgewater is the main cog that isn't working properly. If he's seeing the receiver break too late or not getting the ball out in front enough, it's hard to get YAC. The end result is it looks like another route run behind the sticks. Or it could be as simple as Norv is keeping the playbook relatively simple as Bridgewater still learns the complexities.

You could make similar scenarios for the O-line, receivers, and even Turner himself.

Ultimately, an offense doing this poorly is likely a culmination of all aspects, from young players not quite up to speed, to conservative play calling, to lack of execution.

If we did another "fix the offense" thread I think what I would do is put Teddy in the pistol/shotgun more often. It seems like rookies are more comfortable in these sets than under center. The read option they ran earlier in the year seemed to work well. Setup in the pistol/gun and have a guy like Patterson run a slant over the middle. Bridgewater can either hand it off to McKinnon or pull it back and hit his receiver over the middle if he sees the LB's blitzing. Obviously it's just one play but I think throwing in this sort of stuff would help mix it up a little. I wouldn't mind seeing a jet sweep or a wheel route thrown in every once in a while too. Sometimes you need to get a little gimmicky when the traditional "pro style" stuff isn't working. Especially when you're dealing with a lot of youth.
Purple Reign
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Re: Play calling

Post by Purple Reign »

Mothman wrote: Good points but finding fault isn't always as clear cut as you suggested near the end of your post. Some of the passes we've seen come up short of the first down marker haven't been check down throws but shallow crossing routes. When the receivers run those patterns short of the marker, that might be a play design issue, and they might just be doing what they're told, but it's also possible they aren't pushing their routes up the field far enough. If/when that's the case, it's the receiver who is at fault, not the coach.

Anyway, from what I've seen there are times when Bridgewater checks down too quickly and times when he has no other option. The whole passing game remains dysfunctional. In fact, it's arguably more dysfunctional this season than it has been in years. :(
Good points, Jim. You are correct that it never is clear cut as to where the blame goes. If a receiver doesn't run his route correctly, then that definitely is the fault of the receiver but it isn't always clear to the us as fans if a receiver ran his route correctly. And no, I didn't mean to imply that it is always the receiver's fault if they don't get open. But if they consistently can't get open, then they probably don't have enough talent or in the case of Patterson who has the talent, not enough experience. So I guess you could consider either not enough talent or experience as being a 'fault'.
losperros
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Re: Play calling

Post by losperros »

Mothman wrote:Anyway, from what I've seen there are times when Bridgewater checks down too quickly and times when he has no other option. The whole passing game remains dysfunctional. In fact, it's arguably more dysfunctional this season than it has been in years. :(
Yes, Jim, one could easily make a case for that. Nothing about the passing game seems to be working and every element needs to improve.

That's why I find the ineptness so annoying. It's a chain with nothing but broken links.
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