Passing: A Deeper Look

There was an article in ESPN the Magazine a few years back that explained and had a graphic that went through the Chiefs/Saunders offense.

Essentially, the idea was to not risk having a drive stall as a result of a number of short plays, but to score quickly through fewer big plays.

Also, rather than the QB making reads and check downs from left to right, the QB was to read, deep, middle and then short.

One of the things I suspect about #8 is that he is getting tunnel vision on #89 -- even when his pre-snap read should tell him that Moss is going to get doubled. Then, he stays locked on him too long, at that point, all he can do is look for something short.

Even if I'm wrong (and I may well be), it is a mathematical impossibility for there not to be at least one mismatch on every Redskins passing play.

When you have on the field Portis, Cooley, Moss, Randel-El and either Sellers or Lloyd, there has to be a mismatch somewhere. The NFL is a mismatch league.

Sometimes a receiver does not have to be open by much to be considered open. We have one on one situations many times when our receiver may not be wide open, but open enough to make a play if the ball is delivered properly and on time. There is no way with the talented players we have on offense should defense's be able to play us the way they do. Cover 2 is beat down the seams of the defense, and with a TE like Cooley we should be able to get them out of that as a standard defense against us in a hurry, but the correct plays have to be called and run to make it work. Cooley should be our big playmaker against cover 2, once the defense begins to concentrate on him, Moss and Lloyd will see less coverage. We need to attack the middle of the field as opposed to all those passes outside the hashes. The big plays are there to be had in this offense, but they have to be set up properly.

I couldn't have said it better myself! In fact I did say this(about the cover 2) in a different thread. You're exactly right LONGTIME, Cooley is the X-factor! @ this level, all that is required of the receiver is to get 1 step on the DB. The ball has to delivered on time and with some zip! In this league, being wide open is usually the result of blown coverage. It does not happen too often. The players are too good! HAIL from MCUSA!