Game Review

[DR RAM]

I'm not happy with the end result anymore than you are, but at that point I'd rather they get out alive and come out flying on Thursday than risk any of these guys losing valuable growing time to injury trying to reclaim something that's already lost.

He's a Lions fan. But not a troll from another team. Now his DAD probably wasn't any more happy than any of us. Iron is probably more just trying to point something out. I didn't understand the play either and it looked like it was the first read. It was open so Sam threw the ball. I'm guessing of course but it sure looked like the design before the snap. I get what Doc is saying too but it appeared to have virtually no chance of success unless the three cowgirls tripped on their panties. :bign:

See, I don't agree, it had a chance, just as much if not more than trying to force it into bracketed coverage of our two outside guys.

We had 2 guys, both of our tight ends, run 5 yard button patterns, pretty close together on the hashes. Nobody was on either one of them. So there were 7 guys, 2 deep safeties sitting on the 10, where we needed to be, 3 backers on the 20, 10 yard off the ball, and 1 guy on each outside receiver.

Sam throws to Cook on the right hash, Kendricks immediately picks a target and starts running towards him, Givens is there for a block. My point is, it is not Sam's fault, it's the play if anything, or why wouldn't you send all 4 guys into deep routes? If both Kendricks and Givens execute their blocks, who knows. We don't have Calvin Johnson.

Cook is the closest thing to it, but we didn't send him to the marker. Quick is our next closest, and I don't think he was in this package. Just leading up to this play, to get to 4th and 20, we had a drop, a sack, and an incomplete, where we did attempt a deep pass. The game sucked. This was NOT a pivotal play in the outcome.

 

[Iron Lion]

I'm not happy with the end result anymore than you are, but at that point I'd rather they get out alive and come out flying on Thursday than risk any of these guys losing valuable growing time to injury trying to reclaim something that's already lost.

He's a Lions fan. But not a troll from another team. Now his DAD probably wasn't any more happy than any of us. Iron is probably more just trying to point something out. I didn't understand the play either and it looked like it was the first read. It was open so Sam threw the ball. I'm guessing of course but it sure looked like the design before the snap. I get what Doc is saying too but it appeared to have virtually no chance of success unless the three cowgirls tripped on their panties. :bign:

Yes he was not too happy. But by that point he didn't have the energy to complain about it really.

And I'm not trying to be overly critical of your QB. He looked pretty good the first two games, other than the pick 6 at ATL which I think was half his fault for throwing it too hard at Richardson. But against the Cardinals I thought he played a great game.

 

[Username]

Why is no one talking about the 4th down play?

I don't understand why he throws it here on 4th and 20...

You mean the three guys salivating like a pack of wolves just hoping Cook catches that 4 yard pass? Yeah - I mentioned that play. 16 yards to wind up and lower the boom on the receiver. Probably good he didn't catch that thing. But still... Kind of a microcosm of the way we played that whole game.

Yeah, but Dallas is clearly in prevent, nobody else in the picture is open, probably just trying to get some field position back.

Come on you have to admit that's absurd. If Cook catches that he's lucky to get to the 20. If Fisher wanted it at the 20 and Cowboys ball then he'd just kick the FG, very do-able with Greg, and then have Greg boot it out the endzone. If your coach tells you to go for it on 4th and 20 that's not code for check it down. It means if you have to then you chuck it up and see what happens.

I know that winning the game would've required 3 & outs from the D, which was not something you could really bank on, but what are you gonna do just give up? If you look at the clock then it's clear what Fisher's plan was. Get the TD with around 7:00 left, get the 2, get the ball back after the Cowboys eat 2 minutes, get another TD and 2 in 2-3 min, then get the ball back after the Cowboys eat 1 minute and your 2 timeouts. That then leaves you with 1-2 minutes and no timeouts to get 8 points. Not very likely, but also not impossible. But if you check it down and play field position, you're still down by 3 scores and so the Cowboys can burn off 2 minutes each possession for 3 possessions... using your two timeouts means they will burn up 4:40 of clock even if they're just taking knees. Plus 3 punts puts that easily at 5 minutes. Now you have 3:20 and no timeouts to get 3 TDs with 3 2-point conversions.

Absurd? Yeah, the field position I forgot about, sorry. But, no, there was nothing there, and if Cook catches it, he has a blocker or two, so if he can make one guy miss, or break a tackle, him getting 10 yards isn't as insurmountable as you seem to think it is.

It's by design. It's basically like a TE screen with Kendicks. We do variations of this literately all the time on 3rd and long. Seriously. Most of the time it's with a back. Have the speedsters on the outside run off the coverage then check it down to someone in space and see if they can make someone miss. It's dumb, especially on 4th down I agree.

 

[DR RAM]

It's dumb, especially on 4th down I agree.

I can agree with that also.

 

[TexasRam]

Not only do scheme problems fall on coaches but Execution Problems fall on the Coaches. When players don't execute either you are putting the wrong guys in position or you are not teaching them correctly.

Example: Screen not blocked correctly. The Success of this play weighs heavily on training the players exactly where to be in order to block it right. Calling the play at the right time against the right defense is also critical. If your WR is too weak to block then you replace him with one who can.

Our Coordinators are so inept at Scheme and coaching up execution.

 

[-X-]

Not only do scheme problems fall on coaches but Execution Problems fall on the Coaches. When players don't execute either you are putting the wrong guys in position or you are not teaching them correctly.

Example: Screen not blocked correctly. The Success of this play weighs heavily on training the players exactly where to be in order to block it right. Calling the play at the right time against the right defense is also critical. If your WR is too weak to block then you replace him with one who can.

Our Coordinators are so inept at Scheme and coaching up execution.

Got it. Thanks.

 

[Rabid Ram]

Not only do scheme problems fall on coaches but Execution Problems fall on the Coaches. When players don't execute either you are putting the wrong guys in position or you are not teaching them correctly.

Example: Screen not blocked correctly. The Success of this play weighs heavily on training the players exactly where to be in order to block it right. Calling the play at the right time against the right defense is also critical. If your WR is too weak to block then you replace him with one who can.

Our Coordinators are so inept at Scheme and coaching up execution.

So in other words players making mistakes is always and will always be a coach and Coordinators fault

 

[xander47]

I'd say the call is to protect Bradford too from staying in the pocket too long and taking another hit. I don't think anyone wants another injury in garbage time like the Packers game in '11.

 

[RamFan503]

This was NOT a pivotal play in the outcome.

I think we should all be able to agree on that.

 

[HometownBoy]

Not only do scheme problems fall on coaches but Execution Problems fall on the Coaches. When players don't execute either you are putting the wrong guys in position or you are not teaching them correctly.

Example: Screen not blocked correctly. The Success of this play weighs heavily on training the players exactly where to be in order to block it right. Calling the play at the right time against the right defense is also critical. If your WR is too weak to block then you replace him with one who can.

Our Coordinators are so inept at Scheme and coaching up execution.

At the end of the day players have to do their jobs, the coaches can't play for them. If they cannot do then that reflects poorly on them. I'll agree that the lack of preparation does fall on the coaches, but you can't blame lack of execution on coaches. They don't play, the players do, they have fault in it.

I will agree that the schemes need to be better, but that's not execution, that's not putting your players in the best position to succeed, which I also agree Walton and Schott aren't doing right now.

 

[jrry32]

That's all pre and post snap reads by Romo.

I'll explain as there are two main giveaways:
1. TJ McDonald widens out his alignment so he's lined up deep behind Finnegan and over the slot WR. That's a dead giveaway that Finnegan is going to blitz. Whenever a QB sees that, he's going to assume there's a CB blitz. It may be a dummy alignment to trick him but his pre-snap read is CB blitz.
and
2. He can tell post-snap that Witherspoon is faking the blitz because Trumaine Johnson is playing off with a huge cushion and Rodney McLeod immediately bails out. So...the read there is pretty simple, you have McDonald matched up 1 on 1 with the slot WR and you know that your OL has enough guys to pick-up the blitz...especially with Murray staying into block.

It just wasn't a particularly well disguised play. And that's the trouble you run into with a CB blitz and not having a vet safety. It's difficult to ask McDonald to man up but not widen out over the slot WR...especially if you're going to line him up as a deep safety. A better way of disguising that would have been bringing him up into the box and lining him up may be 7 to 9 yards off the ball between Laurinaitis and Finnegan. The only issue is that leaves you vulnerable to an out route.

And I think it's worth pointing out that Finnegan had no chance on that blitz. He was up against both the Tackle and Guard. Also worth pointing out that it was another instance where McLeod was in a Cover 1 deep zone and was a complete non-factor on a deep throw. He bites on that damn crossing route every time. Although can't entirely blame him when Laurinaitis manages to get beat despite Long's chip.

Good post.

Thanks for the education.

Appears I might have helped X make his argument.

One question -- it appeared to me that the Dallas guard moved down to cover the corner blitz immediately upon the snap (can't see it now). Did he recognize that on his own, or was he informed by Romo, or...

Could be either one. I'd guess they called for him to do it while calling protections since he was likely going to have Chris Long handed off to him if Finnegan went outside...only Long ended up chipping the TE and attacking the other side of the formation.