NFL Comments

[Don Ro]

Niners - Green Bay
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I often see offensive coordinators continue to run off-tackle when it's obvious that the defense is stout.
Yesterday, the 49rs ran off-tackle from start to finish with little success.
Last year, Gore's average per carry was over 5 yrds. - yesterday's was 1.2 yrds.
The announcers said that GB would probably give Rogers the ball and pass their way to a TD when the Niners stopped the GB running attack.
Well, that's exactly what GB did, they ran all pass plays, and Rogers threw his TD pass.
It frustrates me to see a team not modify its attack when one strategy proves sub-optimal.
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Andrew Luck performs like a veteran. Unreal! 'Hope the Colts do well this season.
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Next?...

[stomachmonkey]

How worried the Cowboys fans should be after coming so close to loosing to the Giants after that pathetic performance.

I've seen pee wee football teams play better than the G men did.

[Don Ro]

Yeah, Manning was way off, it seemed to me.

[ckissick]

It would have been nice if the Niners could have modified their attack to establish a running game. Then again, they scored 34 points with the passing game and won. The Packers were prepared for the read option, so Kap just threw from the pocket and shredded their defense. No complaints.

[sammyg2]

Too often in the NFL, the coaching staff are more like computer programmers.

They develop a plan based on computer models, strengths vs weaknesses, tendencies, etc.

While that may be more effective in most cases, it takes away the old school gut feel, the guy who was smarter and knew football better, the guy who was actually a better coach.

Anyone remember when Eric Dickerson was running for the rams?
Dickerson sweep right.
Dickerson sweep left.
Dickerson up the middle.
Punt.

They'd do that all game and it's piss me off to no end, until he'd finally break a couple free and score TDs.
They were simply playing the odds, calling plays like playing the lottery.
Eventually they knew they'd hit it big.


but that computer model isn't as adaptive to changes.
too often they'll stick to a bad plan through the entire first half, then come out with a different plan after half time when they have new data.

Then you have someone like Petyon Manning or Rodgers, QBs who can call their own plays and make adjustments in real time and they pick apart the computer model at will.
That is what makes them seem soooo smart on the field.

Then you have the real wild card, the scrambling and running QB who throws ever prediction of tendency out the window.

[Don Ro]

"No complaints."
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Yeah, none here either, I guess.
'Hope they do well this season.
Players love that Harbaugh coaches w/a lineman's mind-set.

[Don Ro]

sammy...
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I had a black dentist that played for the Jets' defensive backfield...and he said the same thing that you just did re: computers, etc.

[1990C4S]

There's only one thing I enjoy more than seeing Buffalo thrashed. Seeing them lose on the last play of the game.

[Don Ro]

Eagles/Redskins: Does Vick like Chip Kelly's offense? 20 first downs in the first half.

[sammyg2]

Having a good scrambling quarterback is like having an extra player in the backfield.
Really hard to defend, especially when running the option which most pro teams are not used to. And the eagles run it to perfection.

The downside to running an offense like that is the likelihood that your star quarterback will not last the season due to injury, especially when he's the oldest player on the offense. I'm thinking vick will end up on injured reserve before November if he keeps taking hits like he did last night.

So, who they gonna plug in if that happens? Foles? Barkley?
We saw what Foles could do last year (not much), and Barkey's green as all get out and a classic pocket passer. Completely opposite of Vick. He wouldn't last a quarter running the option.

Iffn I was the eagles I'n snag Tebow on a performance clause non-guaranteed contract (minimum wage per week unless he plays) and keep him as a safety net.
Not as a starting quarterback, but to stick in the game in the 4th quarter to run the option if Vick was injured. Then the following week they could re-design the offense for foles or barkley.

Maybe they could bring back the VEER!
LOL.

[BReif61]

Sammy, I'll be surprised if the Eagles offense is still as dynamic as it was in the first half by the midpoint of the season. Even when the Eagles were still trying, you could see that Jim Haslett and the Redskins D was figuring them out really laying the wood to Vick. The more gametape opposing D Coordinators get, the less effective the Eagles will be.

[mattdavis11]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

How worried the Cowboys fans should be after coming so close to loosing to the Giants after that pathetic performance.

I've seen pee wee football teams play better than the G men did.

Not really worried. Dallas has no fullback on the team, the tight ends are going to take care of that position. LOL. Romo is still taking snaps and throwing the ball in excess, so we know it can't be fruitful in the end.

The defense played well in the first half, but folded like a cheap suit toward the end.

Expectations are pretty low and will remain low until Romo is gone. They won't win the big ones with that guy.

Same ole song and dance.

[Amail]

I was blown away by the Charger's start last night. I was disgusted with their finish.

[J P Stein]

A team still needs a horse at running back to make the read option a viable threat.
Good option quarterbacks with a decent arm are much more available than a Payton Manning.....best make sure you have a backup, tho.

[Don Ro]

Not putting $$$ on it but I'm thinking that the Jets will give the Pats a game.
Brady will need to pass and pass a ton, methinks.
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Then again, what the hell do I know.

[sammyg2]

Originally Posted by BReif61

Sammy, I'll be surprised if the Eagles offense is still as dynamic as it was in the first half by the midpoint of the season. Even when the Eagles were still trying, you could see that Jim Haslett and the Redskins D was figuring them out really laying the wood to Vick. The more gametape opposing D Coordinators get, the less effective the Eagles will be.

I agree.
It appeared the redskin's defensive coordinator was caught off guard, surprised, not prepared. He won't do that again or he'll be out of a job, same goes for the defensive coordinators on the other teams. They're already making adjustments.
I bet the redskins offensive coordinator took notes too.
Shanahan was prolly screaming in his ear " WE NEED RG3 TO RUN THE OPTION"!
Which would be dumb BTW, griffin is comming off a major injury, No reason to sacrifice him this early in the season.

it's kinda like when the wildcat reared it's ugly head in the NFL, they adapted slowlyat first but by the end of the season it was reduced to an occasionally effective gimmick.

There's a reason all the teams don't run the option. It is not the best, most effective long term solution.
But it can work really good in the short term.

Same goes with an offense designed around Tebow's strengths.
It would not be as effective as an offense designed for payton or brady, ...IF ... you have a payton or brady.
But if you don't have a decent QB the offense will sputter no matter how well it is designed.

So you fall back on option B, which is to find temporary success with the uncoventional.
If I were a GM of a mediocre team that was struggling at offense and I did not have a decent QB, I'd snag Tebow in a second and build a gimmick offense around him AND WIN.
At least for a while. Broncos proved that.

It would also fill the stands and get national TV coverage nearly every week, and that's that's what it's really about in the end.

[1990C4S]

I think Tebow and a pocket passer could drive defensive coordinators crazy. Tebow and RG3 are too similar IMO.

[Don Ro]

Jon Gruden said that the Eagles altered their offense and rested on their lead.
He also said that the read option presents so many possibilities that defenses have no counter strategy.
I really enjoy watching the fast-paced offenses...esp. enjoy Oregon w/their talent.
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ps As much as I dislike the guy, good to see Vick working w/Kelly's approach.

[bivenator]

Originally Posted by Amail

I was blown away by the Charger's start last night. I was disgusted with their finish.

Chargers got screwed on the roughing the center call during the texans field goal.
texans fan here, glad we won but that was a crap call.

[BReif61]

Originally Posted by bivenator

Chargers got screwed on the roughing the center call during the texans field goal.
texans fan here, glad we won but that was a crap call.

True, they did. But let's be honest: it's the Chargers. They would have found another way to lose the game.