05-07-2020, 09:23 AM
(05-06-2020, 04:34 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I know we all ahd problems with the short yardage shotgun calls, and a lot of people complain about not throwing to the TEs against Arizona. But that is all just a very small percentage of the offensive play calls.
What specifically do you all want to see changed. And not just calling "better" plays. I want to know specifically what will make you think play calling is getting better.
The truth, if people are willing to be truthful with themselves, is they don't really know they just know "those plays" didn't work. Execution is always WAY more important then play calling. Any complaint about when a run/pass was called in terms of situation is always based on the outcome not the actual play. Even the shotgun running on short yardage is kind of comical because you can find people who think going "heavy" on short yardage is a dead giveaway it's a run, or if they pass out of a heavy set they were being too cute and they should have ran. The "too predictable" complaint is the most obnoxious comment from fans.
Not to pick on this person, it's just one example, but I saw someone say receivers would stop with their back to the defense, so they were running too many "curls or sit down" routes. This is a HUGE over simplification of what a modern offense is. First, there are route combinations (especially against zone) that use the combination to create conflict. For instance a smash concept uses a hitch and a corner route to create conflict. Let's say I have a cover 2 defense, the flat defender has two options he can sink off the hitch and play it soft trying to make the hole shot throw more difficult, or he can come down to take away the quick hitch. If the defender sinks you are throwing the quick hitch, which would qualify as turning around with your back to the defense route, but if the defender comes down you are throwing a corner in the gap.
Second, Sitting down between a zone is an option, and good technique, on many crossing routes. There are windows in between zones and the QB and WR should be on the same page to know where those windows sit in various zone coverages. It sounds great to say "hit the WR in stride" but in reality that doesn't make sense depending on the coverage. Sure, if you get man coverage and are running away get it in front of them, but throwing in front of a receiver running through zone can be a recipe for disaster. Often times you will see guys sit down a dig or a drag in between zones because THAT IS THE RIGHT PLAY.
Therein lies the biggest problem, fans think they understand football at a much deeper level than they really do. If you asked 100 fans from here to go up and draw defensive coverage and then explain how those assignments change in various alignments such as 2x2, 3x1, empty they'd look at you like an alien. Someone right now is sitting at their computer saying "What are you talking about we are talking about offense", which I would like to explain that many offensive checks and site adjustments are based on what the defense is doing both pre and post snap. The thing is, that's okay, you can be critical of teams and execution without knowing anything about the intricacies of the game but when people start criticizing play calling I always laugh because it shows how out of touch with reality fans can be at times.
