Alarming, in that Dan O is Stafford's BIGGEST Defender.
View: https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/2112643080830472197
View: https://x.com/danorlovsky7/status/2112643080830472197
Orlovsky On Stafford
- Thread starter Coliseum Ram
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The truth is the truth.
Also that blonde. Hello Clarice.
Also that blonde. Hello Clarice.
Like I've said in my 10 observations, his head isnt in it
McVay is calling some great plays (per this demonstration) , but Stafford is not seeing the wide open receiver and missing touchdowns. Maybe that is also why the coach is calling some bizzare plays during the game as he grows frustrated with Stafford.
It's easy to point fingers when the team is down. And let's not forget Stafford has had basically only 1 wide receiver all year long. And his best receiving tight ends have also been hurt. Too early to give up on HOFer Stafford.
Agreed!
By the same token these few clips, albeit a small snapshot, do show guys getting "open". So it's not as if the talent is not good enough to get open. Just saying.
I mean yeah staford is not playing as well..but this is nothing
You could find multiple instances of every qb in the nfl every week not seeing wide open recievers.
You could find multiple instances of every qb in the nfl every week not seeing wide open recievers.
I wonder if he's made up his mind before the play develops. I think he's getting more pressure this year, which could explain the misses.
I don't agree with Orlovsky on some of the specific plays he cites. IMO, people on the internet or in the media can make a QB look bad with "screen shot" breakdowns where the picture makes it look like a WR is open but if you read the progression in the timing that the QB does and track how the defenders move relative to the QB's eyes, often the WR isn't really as open as it looks. I think that Orlovsky is being too harsh on Stafford.
That said, I agree with Orlovsky's general point that Stafford has made errors reading the coverage this season and this inconsistency has been one factor with the Rams offensive struggles. I don't think it is fair to put the lion's share of blame on Stafford, because overall I still think that he's a good QB but he's not perfect either and when you are an MVP level talent who is going to be in the HOF someday, the standard for performance is set extremely high. I'm not interested in making excuses for him. To state it a different way, I think taking about trading or benching Stafford is a huge overreaction and not warranted, but I agree that he needs to play better. Especially now with other key players injured, part of his legacy is whether he can step up in these moments and lead the team.
This is one example from the Arizona game that Orlovsky didn't mention. It is a short 3rd down in the 1st half. Pre-snap, Higbee comes down in short motion to the slot, inside of Puka Nacua. When he does this, the outside CB doesn't line up over either the TE or the WR, so seems obvious that it will be zone and a defender has to drop from the LOS after the snap. This should be key information for Stafford and I don't know why he doesn't immediately know where he's going to throw before the ball is even snapped. After the snap, Budda Baker makes a diagonal drop from the LOS, trying to cover Puka. Since the S is moving towards the outside, Puka easily crosses his face. This should be an automatic throw. WR has leverage, superior positioning and is open, easy 3rd down conversion on a very short pass. Stafford comes off this read too fast. He tries to leave the pocket, allowing the pass rush to get to him, then flings the ball out of bound under pressure.
IMO, this is the type of thing you'd expect to see from an inexperienced QB. If we tried to play Ty Simpson, I'd expect him to do things like that from time to time. I don't think that Stafford should be missing many of those "easy" reads at this point of his career. I don't care whether he misses "difficult" reads. That happens to every QB, even HOF QBs.
There are also some plays where I think he's late getting down in the progression, his eyes are stuck too long on a certain WR. On other plays, I think he does a great job and reads the coverage very well. I think that Orlovsky exaggerates the extent of the issue but at the end of the day we've lost a series of very close games. When it is that close, every single play is potentially important. Offense, defense, special teams, you don't leave any stone unturned. A missed block, a dropped catch, a missed tackle, a blocked FG, every little detail matters. So, I want Stafford to be "greedy" and not miss any of the layup reads. We need all of those to be efficient, just because where we are offensively, we aren't generating a large volume of explosive plays.
That said, I agree with Orlovsky's general point that Stafford has made errors reading the coverage this season and this inconsistency has been one factor with the Rams offensive struggles. I don't think it is fair to put the lion's share of blame on Stafford, because overall I still think that he's a good QB but he's not perfect either and when you are an MVP level talent who is going to be in the HOF someday, the standard for performance is set extremely high. I'm not interested in making excuses for him. To state it a different way, I think taking about trading or benching Stafford is a huge overreaction and not warranted, but I agree that he needs to play better. Especially now with other key players injured, part of his legacy is whether he can step up in these moments and lead the team.
This is one example from the Arizona game that Orlovsky didn't mention. It is a short 3rd down in the 1st half. Pre-snap, Higbee comes down in short motion to the slot, inside of Puka Nacua. When he does this, the outside CB doesn't line up over either the TE or the WR, so seems obvious that it will be zone and a defender has to drop from the LOS after the snap. This should be key information for Stafford and I don't know why he doesn't immediately know where he's going to throw before the ball is even snapped. After the snap, Budda Baker makes a diagonal drop from the LOS, trying to cover Puka. Since the S is moving towards the outside, Puka easily crosses his face. This should be an automatic throw. WR has leverage, superior positioning and is open, easy 3rd down conversion on a very short pass. Stafford comes off this read too fast. He tries to leave the pocket, allowing the pass rush to get to him, then flings the ball out of bound under pressure.
IMO, this is the type of thing you'd expect to see from an inexperienced QB. If we tried to play Ty Simpson, I'd expect him to do things like that from time to time. I don't think that Stafford should be missing many of those "easy" reads at this point of his career. I don't care whether he misses "difficult" reads. That happens to every QB, even HOF QBs.
There are also some plays where I think he's late getting down in the progression, his eyes are stuck too long on a certain WR. On other plays, I think he does a great job and reads the coverage very well. I think that Orlovsky exaggerates the extent of the issue but at the end of the day we've lost a series of very close games. When it is that close, every single play is potentially important. Offense, defense, special teams, you don't leave any stone unturned. A missed block, a dropped catch, a missed tackle, a blocked FG, every little detail matters. So, I want Stafford to be "greedy" and not miss any of the layup reads. We need all of those to be efficient, just because where we are offensively, we aren't generating a large volume of explosive plays.
Stafford is missing way to many receivers this year. He has done it in stretches of a game in the past. Usually the beginning if at all. But he is doing this every game. This is a huge slump. I think he is over thinking when he throws. This isn't even talking about the wide open receivers he isn't even looking at. Like I said in a post a week or so ago. The Rams have always had holes and weaknesses. Stafford has glossed them over. So far this season he isn't and the team's weaknesses are killing us. If Stafford somehow gets back to what he was doing last year everything else, except maybe ST, will start to smooth out. As Stafford goes the team goes.
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The point is, Orlovsky has NEVER pointed the finger at Stafford in the past, NE-VERRR.
So is Stafford not making more mistakes than he made last year or is he the exact same? If we make excuses for everything, we eliminate all potential reasons we're 2-4.
I also think that McVay is still too massively in love with Stafford's arm talent & relies upon it way too much.
When Goff was here, McVay's playcalling andf play designs were so much more imaginative. The Rams just looked different than other teams. Jet sweeps, inside handoffs to Robert Woods, free release crossing routes to Kupp...it was beautiful.
Goff was a talented thrower but I think McVay knew that scheme was vitally important. It doesn't seems like that any more.
When Goff was here, McVay's playcalling andf play designs were so much more imaginative. The Rams just looked different than other teams. Jet sweeps, inside handoffs to Robert Woods, free release crossing routes to Kupp...it was beautiful.
Goff was a talented thrower but I think McVay knew that scheme was vitally important. It doesn't seems like that any more.
Love love LOVE Laura Rutledge. Good looking, funny, sunny disposition, and knows football. THE PERFECT WOMAN!
Its obvious he isnt playing as well. Someone pointing out open receivers missed however is amateur hour as it happens most pass plays.
Dont start diving into strawmans however..because of course there are many reasons we have lost games this year that are easy to take note of.
The denial in this fan base is strong as it pertains to the truth. But once again...
Matthew Stafford is 38 years old. Since 1950 only 18 QBs in league history have made it to their 38th year as starter. That's roughly a 3% rate.
The Rams are 2-4 with him at starting QB.
The Rams are 4 games behind division leader SF with only 6 games played.
The Rams offense is 20th in scoring. They are a bottom third offense.
The Rams drafted a QB 13th overall this past draft. I thought he was a reach. But the Rams identified and desired him there and he looked like he worked hard to learn the offense in preseason.
Stafford is ranked 17th in passer rating. He is not seeing the field well. He is missing open receivers.
McVay is the only coach in modern history (that I can think of) who moved a starting QB that took his team to a Super Bowl, in Jared Goff. He has the highest of standards in his QBs.
If you think Stafford is safe right now, you haven't been paying attention to the league at large as it pertains to old QBs, nor McVay in how he handles his QBs.
Matthew Stafford is 38 years old. Since 1950 only 18 QBs in league history have made it to their 38th year as starter. That's roughly a 3% rate.
The Rams are 2-4 with him at starting QB.
The Rams are 4 games behind division leader SF with only 6 games played.
The Rams offense is 20th in scoring. They are a bottom third offense.
The Rams drafted a QB 13th overall this past draft. I thought he was a reach. But the Rams identified and desired him there and he looked like he worked hard to learn the offense in preseason.
Stafford is ranked 17th in passer rating. He is not seeing the field well. He is missing open receivers.
McVay is the only coach in modern history (that I can think of) who moved a starting QB that took his team to a Super Bowl, in Jared Goff. He has the highest of standards in his QBs.
If you think Stafford is safe right now, you haven't been paying attention to the league at large as it pertains to old QBs, nor McVay in how he handles his QBs.
If it's so obvious he isn't playing as well, I'm not sure the point of stating that we could find multiple instances of every qb in the NFL every week not seeing wide open receivers. That seems to be missing the forest for the trees. Orlovsky's overarching point is that Stafford is not seeing the field as well this year, which is a big reason the offense is struggling.
That's either an objectionable insight or it isn't. I don't think it is.
Stafford is in absolutely zero danger of losing his job unless he plays like he did in week 1 for a month straight. And in that case, Stetson would be the one to get the shot. There are all kind of metrics that show the offense near the top of the league as well. And to your point, there are more instances of 38 year old QBs playing winning football this century than there are examples of first round QBs with fewer than 15 collegiate starts working out.
I'm not thinking much will change this year, but if Stafford were to continue on his current trajectory, it will affect whether he's back next year.
