Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

After watching our passing game struggle from time to time this season I have one question relative to selection, and pass routes.

Why do we not ever throw the ball down the middle of the field? Why are all our pass plays of the same basic variety, short in the flat to Cooley,wide receiver screen? It appears the opposing defenses have only to cover our passing game outside the hashes and never have to defend the middle of the field. In today's game Brunell only threw one pass inside the hash marks that was complete (to Moss) one other on the post was forced, and intercepted.

Discuss

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

[QUOTE=Longtimefan]After watching our passing game struggle from time to time this season I have one question relative to selection, and pass routes.

Why do we not ever throw the ball down the middle of the field? Why are all our pass plays of the same basic variety, short in the flat to Cooley,wide receiver screen? It appears the opposing defenses have only to cover our passing game outside the hashes and never have to defend the middle of the field. In today's game Brunell only threw one pass inside the hash marks that was complete (to Moss) one other on the post was forced, and intercepted.

Discuss[/QUOTE]

Why is most of the offensive play-calling so predictable and conservative? Better ask that question of Gibbs, not us.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

If Moss was open all day long in the middle, the ball would get to him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. You have to take what the defense gives you sometimes.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

[QUOTE=LadyT]Why is most of the offensive play-calling so predictable and conservative? Better ask that question of Gibbs, not us.[/QUOTE]

So how would call the game from start to finish?

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

We're playing the hand we've been dealt.

This is a team thats strengths lie in a conservative attack. Nobody is going to mistake this offense for the Colts or Bengals, and there's no use in trying to make us that way. That's like trying to force a square peg through a circle hole.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

It seems that most of Moss routes are fly patterns designed to go straight for the endzone. He is the only wideout of any threat to opponents. Jacobs and Farris are worthless. You're right though, there aren't many passes set up in the short to intermediate range in the middle of the field. In reality, I think it's more of a lack of quality receivers behind Moss and Cooley.

I wonder why there aren't more screens to Portis.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

lack of possesion type receiver. remember the McCants controversy? not that McCants was the second coming of Art Monk, but Moss and Patten are small and NOT suited to outmuscle linebackers and safeties over the middle, much less take the shots. God bless Cooley, but he's not going to dart right into the middle on a slant.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

Did you catch the offensive formation on the second to last possession we had? On second down Gibbs had one receiver on the line and no FB as a blocker for Portis which resulted loss yardage. Why in the hell would Gibbs have one receiver on the line and no one in motion? Our playcalling was geared toward the run and it did not work. Rock Cartwright deserved to get some handoffs. Betts was not that productive to handle all the carries besides Portis.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

plain and simple we do not have the talent at w.r.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

besides moss

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

[QUOTE=skinsguy]So how would call the game from start to finish?[/QUOTE]

For one thing, I'd try and go downfield a lot more and to do that you need a QB who can throw it long - Ramsey, not Brunell. Not necessarily bombs all day long, but whatever happened to the 15 to 25 yard pass? We seldom if ever see it called. Our offense is very predictable and has been for a long time. The Gibbs innovations that were his trademark in the 80's simply are nowhere to be seen the last year and a half. Hence, the inability to score more than 20 points in most of our games under Gibbs.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

I would say size. Even a mediocre but large receiver could take a couple of shots over the middle. Like someone else said, though, Moss just isn't big enough for that to be an effective part of our game.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

[QUOTE=LadyT]For one thing, I'd try and go downfield a lot more and to do that you need a QB who can throw it long - Ramsey, not Brunell.[/Quote]

Please that argument is old and has been debunked a long time ago.

[QUOTE=Lady T]
Not necessarily bombs all day long, but whatever happened to the 15 to 25 yard pass? We seldom if ever see it called.[/QUOTE]

We see it called quite often, but our ONE receiver can't get open when he's double and tripled teamed.

[QUOTE= Lady T]
Our offense is very predictable and has been for a long time. The Gibbs innovations that were his trademark in the 80's simply are nowhere to be seen the last year and a half. Hence, the inability to score more than 20 points in most of our games under Gibbs.[/QUOTE]

Oh please, that is another argument that has been debunked a long time ago. Again, I ask you how you would have called the game from start to finish, and all you can tell me is you'd put in Ramsey and tell him to throw it deep. But you haven't given me a specific gameplan nor have you told me what you'd tell your qb to do if the receiver is not open downfield.

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

[QUOTE=LadyT]For one thing, I'd try and go downfield a lot more and to do that you need a QB who can throw it long - Ramsey, not Brunell. Not necessarily bombs all day long, but whatever happened to the 15 to 25 yard pass? We seldom if ever see it called. Our offense is very predictable and has been for a long time. The Gibbs innovations that were his trademark in the 80's simply are nowhere to be seen the last year and a half. Hence, the inability to score more than 20 points in most of our games under Gibbs.[/QUOTE]

More easily said than done, obviously.

If it's not there it's not there.

Defenses have focused on taking away Moss deep. Or do you think the team has just made a conscious effort to stop going down the field like they were earlier in the season?

Re: Question about Pass-Play Selection
 

I would agree that we have limited times gone over the middle, but when we have we have had success. If Moss is being double teamed and he runs a corner route it should clear it out for a Tight end, Cooley, or the play we have scored on a couple times and also had big gains the TB out of the backfield on a seam route down the middle of the field. We do work the edges and flats a lot. I can only hope Gibbs is holding some plays for this week. I think he will test Dallas deep this week, especially after that last deep pass against dallas that set up the FG yesterday, right across the middle and that is where we had our success in the previous game. Dallas is going to bring the house, so we will probably have some slants and short to intermediate passing this game. Moss should have a cushion this week also.