There are 3 changes Cignetti MUST make

[Merlin]

First off not complaining here, that was a great win for this team. It was exactly what most of us expected: a great defensive outing with enough offense. But all that aside there are three things Cigs must do going forward:

1. Hold Cook accountable. Stop the excuses for him. He is not helping the team. Sit him for a week at the very least, it might wake him up being inactive. Making him re-earn his job is what is best for this team. If the other TEs aren't good enough in the passing game so be it, simply adjust to your personnel with only Kendricks or Harkey and 3 wide.

2. Stop with the shotgun on passing downs. With Gurley in the backfield a play action pass IS going to freeze safeties and LBs. Faking that BS handoff from the shotgun is not fooling anyone Cigs. Please stop it. If you insist on him being in the gun due to interior gap insecurities then start running from the gun so the fake will have some bite to it.

3. Vertical hot reads. When SF watches film of this game as well as the Skins game they are going to see that loading the LOS and bringing it works against this offense at least 90% of the time in obvious passing downs. In today's game the hot reads were dumps to the flat and the Browns were not caught or held accountable. Slant 'n Goes (aka sluggo's) and slants in general would have been much more effective today and vs the Skins. Get that ball vertically over the blitzers into some wide open green in the middle of the field.

This offense is really close now. They have a QB who can do the job behind a great RB in Gurley and some good talent at wideout. It's adjustments from this point forward, some tinkering that needs to be done to make this offense viable week to week. Today they made it hard on themselves IMO and the above adjustments will go a long ways towards getting them where they need to be.

 

[jrry32]

Can we also not take Gurley off the field in the red-zone? I also would like to point out that Justice Cunningham was on the field for the 2nd Gurley TD and did a nice job of blocking.

I'd rather Cook not be on the field. Run with Austin, Bailey, Quick, Britt, Kendricks, and Cunningham.(with Harkey at FB)

 

[WestCoastRam]

The run game looks pretty decent but we might have to peg that on Boras (and Gurley). He is the "run-game coordinator." I'm not sure Cig is the answer. I'm sorry but there's something really wrong when Austin Davis had better numbers last year than Foles (even if Davis imploded under pressure). Not all of that can be blamed on Foles. Our passing game really does look like something out of college or high school.

I think Cigs did what he said he'd do which is simplify things but he went too simple. Whatever problems we had last year with the playbook and terminology being too complex, they pale in comparison to our problems now.

I'm happy for the win but I can't watch this offense.

 

[SteezyEndo]

Honestly let Foles keep playing until he obviously f's it up. I would like to see Mannion soon. Let him sit and study. He seems like that type of guy to have in your card deck.

 

[DR RAM]

No more comeback routes short of the 1st down. Vertical routes, at least.

 

[junkman]

Tavon needs more jet sweep and reverse touches to keep the defenses honest, so they don't just key on Gurley. Tavon had 1 rush for 21 yards, might be worth trying a 2nd time. Or fake it even.

Even the one solo misdirection pitch to Gurley worked. We need our playmakers out in space where there are fewer players, not more.

 

[Orchid]

First off not complaining here, that was a great win for this team. It was exactly what most of us expected: a great defensive outing with enough offense. But all that aside there are three things Cigs must do going forward:

1. Hold Cook accountable. Stop the excuses for him. He is not helping the team. Sit him for a week at the very least, it might wake him up being inactive. Making him re-earn his job is what is best for this team. If the other TEs aren't good enough in the passing game so be it, simply adjust to your personnel with only Kendricks or Harkey and 3 wide.

• The is the reason TA andYeah he is. Coverages roll to him. H SB or open on the under routes and Britt or Cook are singled. In the future they MAY respect TA but not now when Floes can not hit him in the open or is consistently under throws receivers on the deep ball.m Go look at the tape

2. Stop with the shotgun on passing downs. With Gurley in the backfield a play action pass IS going to freeze safeties and LBs. Faking that BS handoff from the shotgun is not fooling anyone Cigs. Please stop it. If you insist on him being in the gun due to interior gap insecurities then start running from the gun so the fake will have some bite to it.run run

• So wrong. Foles is so slow on the dropbacks and has no interior pocket movement skills

3. Vertical hot reads. When SF watches film of this game as well as the Skins game they are going to see that loading the LOS and bringing it works against this offense at least 90% of the time in obvious passing downs. In today's game the hot reads were dumps to the flat and the Browns were not caught or held accountable. Slant 'n Goes (aka sluggo's) and slants in general would have been much more effective today and vs the Skins. Get that ball vertically over the blitzers into some wide open green in the middle of the field.

This offense is really close now. They have a QB who can do the job behind a great RB in Gurley and some good talent at wideout. It's adjustments from this point forward, some tinkering that needs to be done to make this offense viable week to week. Today they made it hard on themselves IMO and the above adjustments will go a long ways towards getting them where they need to be.

• Gurley is a beast. The run where cuts back to the right and gets a block from TA is priceless. HE might be able to overcome the ineptitude of Foles.

 

[Tailback]

He already implemented the 90 flip play that I mentioned a couple weeks ago! The play where Gurley hurdled the defender was a variation with a fake to TA on the end around instead of a fake to the FB.

 

[ReddingRam]

The run game looks pretty decent but we might have to peg that on Boras (and Gurley). He is the "run-game coordinator." I'm not sure Cig is the answer. I'm sorry but there's something really wrong when Austin Davis had better numbers last year than Foles (even if Davis imploded under pressure). Not all of that can be blamed on Foles. Our passing game really does look like something out of college or high school.

I think Cigs did what he said he'd do which is simplify things but he went too simple. Whatever problems we had last year with the playbook and terminology being too complex, they pale in comparison to our problems now.

I'm happy for the win but I can't watch this offense.

My biggest gripe is them trying to come out pass happy early in the games. The pass opens up once the run game has gotten going. And they constantly try and open up with the stretch runs .... IMHO, pound the middle early and often and then it opens everything else up.

 

[DR RAM]

My biggest gripe is them trying to come out pass happy early in the games. The pass opens up once the run game has gotten going. And they constantly try and open up with the stretch runs .... IMHO, pound the middle early and often and then it opens everything else up.

Yes!

 

[bomebadeeda]

Can we also not take Gurley off the field in the red-zone? I also would like to point out that Justice Cunningham was on the field for the 2nd Gurley TD and did a nice job of blocking.

I'd rather Cook not be on the field. Run with Austin, Bailey, Quick, Britt, Kendricks, and Cunningham.(with Harkey at FB)

I know guys feel like they need to catch their breath after a long run.........at this point I would burn time outs to keep him on the field. And as bad as that sounds......look at what we did in the 2 drives he took himself out today. Turnover, and drive stall/missed FG. Hard to argue those points.

 

[LesBaker]

Can we also not take Gurley off the field in the red-zone? I also would like to point out that Justice Cunningham was on the field for the 2nd Gurley TD and did a nice job of blocking.

I'd rather Cook not be on the field. Run with Austin, Bailey, Quick, Britt, Kendricks, and Cunningham.(with Harkey at FB)

I think he just had a long run and needed a one play break.

 

[jrry32]

I think he just had a long run and needed a one play break.

I saw. But we played Cunningham the next two plays IIRC and then brought him back on the field for first and goal (after the Cunningham screen) and didn't give him a carry. I was pretty irate.

 

[LesBaker]

I saw. But we played Cunningham the next two plays IIRC and then brought him back on the field for first and goal (after the Cunningham screen) and didn't give him a carry. I was pretty irate.

Maybe he was just there to keep the defenses attention.

He was keeping ours LOL.

 

[Fatbot]

I also would like to point out that Justice Cunningham was on the field for the 2nd Gurley TD and did a nice job of blocking

That was my initial thought too but I've rewatched it several times now because I'm fascinated by this play. I still can't figure out how the heck Gurley scores on that block, because upon review it's a bad block -- they don't seal the edge and they allow 2 yards of penetration. It shows you can be bad yet if you put in the individual effort, it all goes to the sum of the team effort that scores TDs.

The block itself: Rob & Justice combo on the LB (rookie Orchard) and look like they've never practiced it as Rob's energy is working directly against Justice -- so instead of the two collapsing and sealing the edge 2v1, the LB holds the edge. Then when Rob slips off the LB actually penetrates on Justice 2 yards deep and starts stringing out the play.

The play should have been blown up. But the rest of the team seals it well and Gurley's amazing talent lets him somehow scamper around that penetration then make such a cutback that Tavon's clip doesn't even affect the play (thanks refs!).

The key to what made Justice great on that play was not his bad block, but his effort in staying engaged on his man -- too often I've highlighted Rams TEs that give up on their block. Yeah he blew the double team, he blew it by allowing penetration and he blew it by allowing Orchard to flow outside -- yet that extra 1% he gave to just stay into him slowed Orchard down just enough for Gurley -- that's all Gurley needs from these TEs, not perfection, just effort!

The tl;dr is it's a bad block, but his sheer effort (and Gurley's talent) turns it into a good block for a TD.

 

[A.J. Hicks]

The oline is young, Foles is new to this offense, and we are only 2 games into our Gurley-World!


Edit: 3 games in

 

[rdlkgliders]

Can we also not take Gurley off the field in the red-zone? I also would like to point out that Justice Cunningham was on the field for the 2nd Gurley TD and did a nice job of blocking.

I'd rather Cook not be on the field. Run with Austin, Bailey, Quick, Britt, Kendricks, and Cunningham.(with Harkey at FB)

I had this same observation and commented on it in the game chat today. I then realized half in jest that it is usually TG30 that gets us to the redzone on a long run and they take him out to rest him.

 

[bwdenverram]

My biggest gripe is them trying to come out pass happy early in the games. The pass opens up once the run game has gotten going. And they constantly try and open up with the stretch runs .... IMHO, pound the middle early and often and then it opens everything else up.

Yeah, And even further when they pass everything takes way too long. Some quick outs or crossing patterns would be fine too. It doesn't have to be 20-30 yard plays every time.

 

[ReddingRam]

Yeah, And even further when they pass everything takes way too long. Some quick outs or crossing patterns would be fine too. It doesn't have to be 20-30 yard plays every time.

Yep .. some quick slants, arrow rtes ... 3 step drops. Play action really opens up after pounding them. Even the stretch plays in the running game ... they don't develop early on. Power running to start, then gradually open things up

 

[Big Willie]

My biggest gripe is them trying to come out pass happy early in the games. The pass opens up once the run game has gotten going. And they constantly try and open up with the stretch runs .... IMHO, pound the middle early and often and then it opens everything else up.

The passes would work if the receivers would simply catch the well thrown balls...including the tough catches. Cook and Britt are too inconsistent for my liking.