Dear Sean (1 Viewer)

[rpmgatech]

okay why are you addressing coach p. he didn't do anything wrong. he called to right plays, it was the players who turned the ball over.

 

[SaintJ]

Honestly, I don't think we're that strong up front. We've got a line of pretty nimble, smart blockers who've done a great job in pass protection this year, whether it's bull rushes, blitzes, stunts, you name it.

But we really haven't been money is short yardage this year; Evans is still a little inexperienced, and Faine is absolutely a pure finesse center who gets overpowered by most of the bigger DTs at the point of attack. I also don't see Jammal is a classic mauler in the Roaf mode (although Big Willie was one of the best I'd ever seen at both pass and run blocking, so that's quite a target to shoot for). In short-yardage situations, particularly inside the five where you can really cheat with the safeties (there's only so far "deep" you can get beat at that point), we can't do as much with play-action, odd formations, etc., so the same rules of engagement that allow us to run the ball with reasonable success between the 10yard lines don't apply here, and we probably should be thinking pass first at this point.

In retrospect,

Yes, after throwing the ball so well, to get close in the first half, perhaps we should have countered with a run punch and

yes, maybe since we got down there by pounding it early in the fourth, we should have gone hard play-action since they HAD to thinking we were spooked and wouldn't be throwing.....

But once again, we're piling up 595 yards with our best WR lost in the first quarter, and in each case with the first two INTs, it's FUNDAMENTAL that if Brees's head alarm clock went off, he should have tossed it out the back of the end zone and given us another shot. Maybe the pass play we had called on second down would have done it.

We can search all we want, but three INTs and a fumble lost the game, not Fred Thomas, not Mark Simoneau, not Devery Henderson, not Colston's injury, not the mystery over why Deuce doesn't get it 25 times a game, and not on two justifiable-but-tragic play calls in an otherwise terrific 8-yards-a-play day.

Time to saddle up for Atlanta.

 

[LSSpam]

Honestly, I don't think we're that strong up front. We've got a line of pretty nimble, smart blockers who've done a great job in pass protection this year, whether it's bull rushes, blitzes, stunts, you name it.

But we really haven't been money is short yardage this year; Evans is still a little inexperienced, and Faine is absolutely a pure finesse center who gets overpowered by most of the bigger DTs at the point of attack. I also don't see Jammal is a classic mauler in the Roaf mode (although Big Willie was one of the best I'd ever seen at both pass and run blocking, so that's quite a target to shoot for). In short-yardage situations, particularly inside the five where you can really cheat with the safeties (there's only so far "deep" you can get beat at that point), we can't do as much with play-action, odd formations, etc., so the same rules of engagement that allow us to run the ball with reasonable success between the 10yard lines don't apply here, and we probably should be thinking pass first at this point.

In retrospect,

Yes, after throwing the ball so well, to get close in the first half, perhaps we should have countered with a run punch and

yes, maybe since we got down there by pounding it early in the fourth, we should have gone hard play-action since they HAD to thinking we were spooked and wouldn't be throwing.....

But once again, we're piling up 595 yards with our best WR lost in the first quarter, and in each case with the first two INTs, it's FUNDAMENTAL that if Brees's head alarm clock went off, he should have tossed it out the back of the end zone and given us another shot. Maybe the pass play we had called on second down would have done it.

We can search all we want, but three INTs and a fumble lost the game, not Fred Thomas, not Mark Simoneau, not Devery Henderson, not Colston's injury, not the mystery over why Deuce doesn't get it 25 times a game, and not on two justifiable-but-tragic play calls in an otherwise terrific 8-yards-a-play day.

Time to saddle up for Atlanta.

Your post is gold, just thought i'd comment on the offensive line. I think you're right. Most of our yards have come from basically 1 play, zone-slant left or right. It's a real easy, not very complicated running play. We're not succesfully doing a lot of pulls and stretches, etc. And when teams know we're going to run, we seem to struggle (not converting 3rd and 1 in the redzone comes to mind).

I think that'll improve. Stinchomb and Evans are certainly physically capable of being good run blockers. And Evans was an excellent Run Blocker in college, so he certainly has the "mentality" for it. I think they'll improve. Faine and Nesbit may never be ideal, but we can upgrade Nesbit and make him the primary vet backup in the offseason, and Faine can be useful, he's a willing blocker, you just have to use him correctly (I notice we pull him a lot on outside runs, which is probably where he's most effective).

 

[NorfolkedSaint]

Dear Bryan,

The Offense produced 600 yards, 300 in the first half, and 33:33 in time of possession. That that only produced 16 points is directly the result of poor plays by individuals (in particular Drew Brees throwing 2 picks in the end zone).

The play-calling wasn't the problem

Dear Spam,

When you produce 600 yards of total offense and lose by 14-15 points then there is a problem with the play calling. Trying to PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS run PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS is ridiculous play calling. Not running it in with Deuce or Karney is ridiculous. Not mixing things up is ridiculous.

PS...I do agree that poor plays by individuals hurt us as well

LOVE Norfolked

 

[LSSpam]

When you produce 600 yards of total offense and lose by 14-15 points then there is a problem with the play calling. Trying to PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS run PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS is ridiculous play calling. Not running it in with Deuce or Karney is ridiculous. Not mixing things up is ridiculous.

Why ?

 

[Danchrism]

Why ?

Why not ?

 

[SaintJ]

Dear Spam,

When you produce 600 yards of total offense and lose by 14-15 points then there is a problem with the play calling. Trying to PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS run PASS PASS PASS PASS PASS is ridiculous play calling. Not running it in with Deuce or Karney is ridiculous. Not mixing things up is ridiculous.

PS...I do agree that poor plays by individuals hurt us as well

LOVE Norfolked

Until we fell behind 24-10 with about seven minutes left, we had run the ball 23 times and passed it 34, or a run-pass ratio of about 42%-58%, which is not a 50/50 balance, but hardly outrageous for any NFL team in 2006. We were running decently, with about 90 yards rushing, or 4.0 per carry, but were also throwing it pretty efficiently, with around 330 yards passing on 34 attempts, or a little under 10 yards a throw, which by NFL standards is a terrific average. Here were the drives through three quarters:

plays/yards
5-18 (punt)
1-67 (TD)
8-30 (punt)
5-59 (INT)
6-36 (fumble)
13-69 (INT)
6-41 (punt)
3-(-5) (punt)
13-74 (FG)

The defense almost always got a blow, we always picked up field position, we were basically unstoppable in the first half (except for stopping ourselves) and while we threw more than we ran, we were killing them through the air (just like Philip Rivers the previous week), but failed to bury them in the first half because of three TOs, two of them end-zone killers. I see exactly one three-and-out.

I don't agree with your premise, and I don't see how the game numbers back your claim in any event.

 

[LSSpam]

5-59 (INT)
6-36 (fumble)
13-69 (INT)

Would be the critical stretch since all 3 drives should have produced points.

 

[Danchrism]

we were killing them through the air (just like Philip Rivers the previous week)

But here's what was really great about the San Diego comeback -- the Chargers did it with a balanced attack, not by going pass-wacky. In the first half, San Diego coaches called 16 passes and 10 rushes; in the second half, 23 passes and 14 rushes. TMQ preaches:Unless it's late, when you're behind do not start throwing on every down, because this hands the game to the defense. Call from the regular playbook, mix the pass and run, get a touchdown and then see what the world looks like. Fourteen times during an historic 42-point second half, San Diego coaches simply handed the ball to LaDainian Tomlinson -- and it worked because Cincinnati was in a soft nickel or dime look for the entire second half. Running backs love to rush against a soft nickel. There was exciting play after exciting play in this contest: Tomlinson running for 14 yards on a key third-and-2; Philip Rivers twice at the goal line faking to star tight end Antonio Gates then throwing touchdown passes to his backup Brandon Manumaleuna; a 74-yard touchdown pass to Chad Johnson; three single-play touchdown drives. But what meant most in the end is that San Diego didn't panic, rather it kept mixing plays. And now you know what I am going to say about TMQ's Law of the Obvious: Sometimes all a team needs to do is run up the middle for no gain, and things will be fine. From the point it was the home team leading 28-7 in the third quarter, to the Bengals' final possession when they were forced to throw on every down, Cincinnati coaches called 12 passes and 11 runs. Five of the passes fell incomplete, stopping the clock. When you're playing with a big second-half lead, don't call more passes than runs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/061114

 

[saints_watcher]

Dear Bryan,

The Offense produced 600 yards, 300 in the first half, and 33:33 in time of possession. That that only produced 16 points is directly the result of poor plays by individuals (in particular Drew Brees throwing 2 picks in the end zone).

The play-calling wasn't the problem

Agreed. The picks were killer. When it is 'goal-to-go' who is the 6'4" guy that can go up and grab 'the-loft-to-the-corner' up out of the air (jump ball) over the CB? Then we need to work on timing or misdirection routes sprinting across the end-zone...keeping motion and confusion as the means to counterracting the compressed space to work with.

 

[therod]

Dear Santa,

i want a bike and ps3 and a basketball and a remote controlled car, and a ...oops wrong thread

 

[RobbieSaints]

Where Is The Running Game

My gosh Bush was running up the field for the first time since preseason and Duce seemed to be getting good yardage so why aren't we running? I have no issues using the pass to set up the run, but we are not running the ball nearly enough.
Is Duce not capable yet of getting 15-20 touches via the run do to his knee?
We need more balance and yes less turnovers would be nice.

 

[Danchrism]

We still have a solid Bush and STECKER! if Deuce can't go at a full load. Meanwhile, Horn is nursing a hamstring, Colston left early, and Copper the Dropper was in his modus operandi. With 3 of your top 4 WR options not being at their best, why press the issue? We might have thrown for 750 yards with all of those guys healthy, but all the guys on the team will tell you that the individual accolades don't mean jack when you're not winning.