What exactly was the problem with play calling?

[Whatever]

(05-06-2020, 11:32 PM)impactplaya Wrote: My issue I had was the.design of the routes
In the passing game
I dont have All 22...so I'm going off memory

Too many times I saw the TEs and WRs catch the
Ball with their back to the defense. Which leads
To me thinking their was alot of curl and sit down routes
I didn't see alot of routes that allowed a WR like John Ross
Catch the ball in stride and let him spilt safties for example
Even a guy like Auden Tate didn't have alot of opportunity
To catch and go.
I didnt see alot of wheel routes either
Screen pass to a TE....non existent.

With the running game i think a lot more pulling would be 
Super effective.
A occasional draw play on 1st down would be fresh 
And not just on 3rd and 21 to Gio for 4 yards 
Quick tosses to Mixon were getting big yards in the 
2nd half of the season.

In all honesty, hitting guys in stride was never one of Andy Dalton's strong points.  Trying to build a RAC based offense that relied on Dalton consistently making those kinds of throws  wouldn't really be playing to your strength.

A lot of the short stuff with the receiver's back to the defense is an issue of primary receivers not being able to get separation and forcing the QB to dump it short.  What route the receivers run is also often predicated on what the defense shows them. With no AJ all year and no Ross half the year, the only guy defenses had to show a little respect to on deep stuff was Boyd. Eifert was a shell of himself and couldn't threaten the seam anymore.  The defense will concede stuff like that to guys they know have no chance to make guys miss and take it to the house all day.

I remember Ross scored against Seattle on a wheel route out of jet sweep presnap motion, which I thought was great play design.  Never saw it again after that.