Play calling

[Fat Pang]

Sorry guys, but I have to refer you honourable gentlemen to the answer I gave earlier:

Its that line of ours...................

I know its tiresome to keep hearing it but if you can't keep your QB upright for longer than three seconds, or at least a get a yard to two on a crash ball up the middle when you need it, then you have problems.

Jackson topped a 100 on 18 carries and then seemed to go backwards predominantly after that.

And yes there is a football God

[rammiser]

OOOHHHH YEAH....THATS RIGHT!! There is a football god *LOL*

Well I dont think its that great that the Pats will be picking in the top five then. or is that the pick they got stripped of?

[RamWraith]

And that my friend is why I am questioning the play calling. It was obvious the fake reverse wasn't working any more...maybe something a little different.

The one thing I really question in all of this is the lack of play action passing. Could it be that Bulger is a just a poor actor. When you have a back like Jackson don't you want to hit a couple of nice runs and then use a couple of play-actions. Linehan NEVER uses it to his advantage.

Jackson topped a 100 on 18 carries and then seemed to go backwards predominantly after that.

And yes there is a football God

[Milan]

The only reality to embrace right now is that once again the Whiners are going to draft ahead of us and take the player we coveted. i.e. - Davis, Willis. :\

I'd rather Tye Hill over Vernon Davis any day of the week, and we have an amazing MLB in Witherspoon, so Willis wouldn't help that much.

[Milan]

Well I dont think its that great that the Pats will be picking in the top five then. or is that the pick they got stripped of?

Nope, they get stripped of the pick that was theirs. If I were the *****, I'd do something stupid to get the pick taken away

[Fat Pang]

And that my friend is why I am questioning the play calling. It was obvious the fake reverse wasn't working any more...maybe something a little different.

The one thing I really question in all of this is the lack of play action passing. Could it be that Bulger is a just a poor actor. When you have a back like Jackson don't you want to hit a couple of nice runs and then use a couple of play-actions. Linehan NEVER uses it to his advantage.

True enough, but those play actions require a little time at the line of scrimmage and the consistent ability to pick up 3-4 yards on first. I'm not sure we can do that, hence those short passes to Holt and Bruce. But then, it could easily be argued that if you don't try it more often, then you'll never be able to establish that rythym.

I admit I'm a little surprised at how the offence seemed to go into it's shell after last week but this win is something we might be able to build on.

[RealRam]

Did not see the game but was at the Chat Room 3 quarters till the end and it was an exciting finish!

Not sure about the play calling; perhaps it could improve. I am positively certain however, that as long as we work with a makeshift OL, it will be mighty tough to work out a smooth or even consistent offense. As it is, I'm amazed Jax produced nearly 90 yards on the ground.


PS: Wraith, nice piece on your red 'BTW'. Kudos.

[moloch41]

I'd rather Tye Hill over Vernon Davis any day of the week, and we have an amazing MLB in Witherspoon, so Willis wouldn't help that much.

If we had drafted Willis, Witherspoon would have been moved over to his natural position on the outside. It would have made our linebacker corps much better.

[renrawtruk]

And that my friend is why I am questioning the play calling. It was obvious the fake reverse wasn't working any more...maybe something a little different.

The play calling all year has been pathetic. Linehan has been using the "reverse" as his lone strategic play, and then a fake reverse "end-around", the rest of the game. It is seriously laughable, high school stuff. This really is the best stuff he's got? wow.

I liked when we used to do our strategy down field, with guys picking and cutting underneath routes to get open....not trying to win games in the backfield.

This team is seriously lacking a speedy slot receiver.

I'd like to see a new offense coordinator next year.

[moloch41]

The play calling all year has been pathetic. Linehan has been using the "reverse" as his lone strategic play, and then a fake reverse "end-around", the rest of the game. It is seriously laughable, high school stuff. This really is the best stuff he's got? wow.

At least we dropped the quick passes to our wideouts every other play...:\

[RamWraith]

Totally disagree. Having Davis would have prevented us from drafting 3 tight-ends in one draft and dumping the chances of maybe grabbing a lineman that might be helping us right now. As well as spending large money on McMicheal, and having to rely on an ineffective Byrd and Klop. Davis would have been huge for us. And don't get me started on Willis and being able to move Spoon back to the outside.

I'd rather Tye Hill over Vernon Davis any day of the week, and we have an amazing MLB in Witherspoon, so Willis wouldn't help that much.

[r8rh8rmike]

The play calling all year has been pathetic. Linehan has been using the "reverse" as his lone strategic play, and then a fake reverse "end-around", the rest of the game. It is seriously laughable, high school stuff. This really is the best stuff he's got? wow.

What did you think of the option pass by Jackson for a TD against the Saints? Did that work for you?

[Nick]

And that my friend is why I am questioning the play calling.

It would seem to me that Jackson going backward on the four runs after he hit the century mark was much more a reflection of (1) this line's inability to block or produce adequate running holes as well as (2) a defense that knows we want to run the ball rather than any major weakness in the playcalling.

Again, if you take away his two big gains, Jackson gained 34 yards on 21 carries. I believe the technical term of that is "losing the battle in the trenches," especially when you accompany that inability in the running game with an inability to pass protect.

Yes, I suppose it is possible that playcalling could be the reason a team has an inept running attack and horrible pass protection, but I think when you look at this team, the much more logical culprit is the fact that we're pulling people from the unemployment line to start for us along the offensive line, and those veterans we do have aren't playing well.

For instance, Nick Leckey joined this team a month ago and it showed today as he was made a fool by Bryant Young all game long. Our starting right tackle Rob Petitti signed less than a month ago. And Alex Barron simply is not playing smart football at the left tackle position, as he had two key penalties called against him today, both of which negated first downs.

Having Davis would have prevented us from drafting 3 tight-ends in one draft

We didn't draft three tight ends in one draft either. We drafted two - one in round two (Klopfenstein) and one in round there when we were surprised he was still available (Byrd). Furthermore, everyone wanted us to come out of that draft with at least one tight end, so it strikes me as strange that the decision to draft Klopfenstein and Byrd is looked upon so sourly now. I wasn't a huge fan of the Byrd pick, but I would have made that Klopfenstein pick every day and twice on Sundays.

[RamWraith]

My bad...Walker was taken during free agency as well that year.

My point was that Davis was taken from us, not that Klop was a bad pick. Which is yet another thread and a whole new box of worms.

Klops hasn't been all that productive, especially in blcoking. You can have him every day of the week as far as I am concerned and even three times on Sunday if you wish. Again, that is a whole other thread.

[Goldenfleece]

Except they traded their first round pick to New England so they could acquire Joe Staley, so no they won't!!

If only it could have been anyone else they traded it to. I'm not sure which is worse: the ***** taking the player we want out from under us or the Patriots taking the player we want. Sure, the ***** are in our division, but the Patriots seem to have a better track record at picking the talent.