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Mc2guy · 08-22-2006, 03:03 PM

Ok,

So I finally got to sit down and carefully rewatch the first two quarters from Saturday again. Fortunatly the HDDVR is back up and running so I could really see what was happening on the line. Here are my observations and they are mostly positive. Some of these observations have already been stated but hopefully this is not too repetitive. This is long, so I apologize in advance.

Offense -
1) We ran everything out of very simple formations with limited or no motion. WR's split wide two TE's on the line and FB/HB in I formation. That or two WRs split right with the slot guy invariably running a zone seam route.
2) We threw way more than we would during the regular season. There were several pass plays where I expect we could/would have run the ball during the regular season.
3) O-line did a decent job in pass protection except for the first Campbell sack, where JJ tried to cut block the blitzing LB and missed entirely and Cooley went into the flat without chipping the safety blitzer.
4) Brunell looked good, with only one really "bad" throw where he put it 3 yards over the receivers head.
5) There were better and bigger holes than the running stats would indicate. I saw three separate plays where the o-line did a good job with the front 4 and Sellars wrecking balled himself deep into the LB's to no avail because Betts was EXTREMEMELY slow to the hole. I was very surprised to see it, but Betts was clearly missing the hole and was almost 5 yards behind Sellars on one play. Obviously with that kind of gap, the hole was filled and Betts ends up getting stuffed by a safety or DT who has recovered from the initial block. Seriously, my grandma could have ended up with 5 YPC if she just ran 1 yard behind Sellars. This is total speculation, but perhaps this is why Ducket is being considered. I was very disappointed in Betts after seeing that.
6) Campbell makes great throws, even in the face of pressure...when he's on his progression. Unfortunately, when the routes break down, he resorts to the classic "Favrian" mentality of most gunslingers and tries to force the ball into close coverage. Result...INT.

Defense.
1) The defense ran mostly a 4-3, but did drop into a 5-2 occasionally, mostly on obvious passing downs.
2) Run defense was VERY simple, almost like GW was trying to put the defense in a bad position to see them shed blocks. On most obvious running plays the front 4 lined up mano a mano with the O-line leaving the center to plow into the LB corps leaving a nice hole, which is where much of the yardage came from. The first team front 4 (which was not intact once Killings came in on the second drive) was not doing a good job shaking off blocks in that formation.
3) When the front 4 stunted (which I saw only 3 times in the first half)the result was a sack or zero gain (including Archuletta's sack)
4) Wright did a very good job covering Coles. Coles only plays were short crossing stuff where the DB gets picked off, or when the play broke down and he ran back toward the QB, which is nearly impossible to defend and doesn't result in much YAC.
5) 60 yard run was a result of over pursuit, which concerns me because it bit us for big yards last year as well (think LTs run against the Chargers). GW's genius only goes as far as the player's ability to execute. Like Buddy Ryan's famous "46" GW relies heavily on aggression, which IMHO becomes a liability when the first defender to the ball doesn't tackle well.

Special teams:
1) Aweful on almost all fronts, although they were using mostly scrubs, so tough to say.

I'll try to get to the second half tonight, but I may not have the time.

08-22-2006, 03:03 PM	#83
Mc2guy Special Teams Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Burke, VA Age: 48 Posts: 287	Re: Any Positives From Tonight's Game? Ok, So I finally got to sit down and carefully rewatch the first two quarters from Saturday again. Fortunatly the HDDVR is back up and running so I could really see what was happening on the line. Here are my observations and they are mostly positive. Some of these observations have already been stated but hopefully this is not too repetitive. This is long, so I apologize in advance. Offense - 1) We ran everything out of very simple formations with limited or no motion. WR's split wide two TE's on the line and FB/HB in I formation. That or two WRs split right with the slot guy invariably running a zone seam route. 2) We threw way more than we would during the regular season. There were several pass plays where I expect we could/would have run the ball during the regular season. 3) O-line did a decent job in pass protection except for the first Campbell sack, where JJ tried to cut block the blitzing LB and missed entirely and Cooley went into the flat without chipping the safety blitzer. 4) Brunell looked good, with only one really "bad" throw where he put it 3 yards over the receivers head. 5) There were better and bigger holes than the running stats would indicate. I saw three separate plays where the o-line did a good job with the front 4 and Sellars wrecking balled himself deep into the LB's to no avail because Betts was EXTREMEMELY slow to the hole. I was very surprised to see it, but Betts was clearly missing the hole and was almost 5 yards behind Sellars on one play. Obviously with that kind of gap, the hole was filled and Betts ends up getting stuffed by a safety or DT who has recovered from the initial block. Seriously, my grandma could have ended up with 5 YPC if she just ran 1 yard behind Sellars. This is total speculation, but perhaps this is why Ducket is being considered. I was very disappointed in Betts after seeing that. 6) Campbell makes great throws, even in the face of pressure...when he's on his progression. Unfortunately, when the routes break down, he resorts to the classic "Favrian" mentality of most gunslingers and tries to force the ball into close coverage. Result...INT. Defense. 1) The defense ran mostly a 4-3, but did drop into a 5-2 occasionally, mostly on obvious passing downs. 2) Run defense was VERY simple, almost like GW was trying to put the defense in a bad position to see them shed blocks. On most obvious running plays the front 4 lined up mano a mano with the O-line leaving the center to plow into the LB corps leaving a nice hole, which is where much of the yardage came from. The first team front 4 (which was not intact once Killings came in on the second drive) was not doing a good job shaking off blocks in that formation. 3) When the front 4 stunted (which I saw only 3 times in the first half)the result was a sack or zero gain (including Archuletta's sack) 4) Wright did a very good job covering Coles. Coles only plays were short crossing stuff where the DB gets picked off, or when the play broke down and he ran back toward the QB, which is nearly impossible to defend and doesn't result in much YAC. 5) 60 yard run was a result of over pursuit, which concerns me because it bit us for big yards last year as well (think LTs run against the Chargers). GW's genius only goes as far as the player's ability to execute. Like Buddy Ryan's famous "46" GW relies heavily on aggression, which IMHO becomes a liability when the first defender to the ball doesn't tackle well. Special teams: 1) Aweful on almost all fronts, although they were using mostly scrubs, so tough to say. I'll try to get to the second half tonight, but I may not have the time.