Offensive planning

by Mainiac on Jan 11, 2010 5:30 PM EST

Just something I wanted to bring up...

There was a point in the game, where I knew exactly what the Pats were doing before they did it. Brady was looking around, probably audibling, and he did a quick hand motion, the 'dive' that Moss sometimes does when he scores. And I said 'quick pass to moss' and lo, Moss caught a quick pass and was immediately tackled for a gain of 2.

The announcers said Ray Lewis had been studying Brady's cadences, and felt confident he could predict plays most of the time. Granted, he could be bluffing or full of himself.

But it is disconcerting...I feel that the team has become too predictable. Both in play calling and disguising what play was called. They really need to work on trying to confuse defenses. Does anyone else get that feeling?

Also, I knew the first pass would be to Edelman. It just seemed prophesied, and he got crushed on the second offensive play cause the Ravens knew it too.

I feel that is '07 we had tons of trick plays, and we'd throw bombs at any particular time which would keep the secondary from coming up. I hope that with a full season of health, Brady can work on this.

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i noticed that too in the reg season

the o play calling has been so predictable and mundane.

Non Sibi Sed Patriae.
Igitur qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum!

I bleed Scarlet and Grey...A Buckeye for Life

by NinjaZX6R on Jan 11, 2010 8:04 PM EST reply actions

It came up a million times in the Game Threads

It got to the point where we could accurately predict the Pats plays (and even their relative yardage) before the punt to give the Pats the ball. It was sickening.

“Draw Faulk, 2 yards. Screen Welker, 3 yards. Incomplete to Moss. Punt” and the like. And it’d happen exactly as drawn up. Ugh.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 11, 2010 8:39 PM EST reply actions

Haha I did that...

…and I got it almost correct.

I think I said “Run for 3 yards, incomplete pass to Moss of 10+ yards, pass to Welker for 4 yards, Punt” and instead it was “Incomplete pass to Moss of 10+ yards, 4 yard run, incomplete pass to Welker, BUT pass interference so we get a 1st down”. It was funny.

Offensive Coordinator > Guard > Tackle > DE > OLB > RB > WR > CB

by Richard Hill on Jan 11, 2010 8:45 PM EST up reply actions

Funny, yet very, very sad

Especially when it’s obvious Ray Lewis was doing it in a game that mattered. Ugh.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 11, 2010 8:51 PM EST up reply actions

He did it better than I did...

…he had snap counts.

Offensive Coordinator > Guard > Tackle > DE > OLB > RB > WR > CB

by Richard Hill on Jan 11, 2010 9:06 PM EST up reply actions

Who doesn't love up-the-gut runs for 2-3 yards on 2nd and 10?

So fun to get stuck in long 3rd down situations.

USG

by Ben Buchanan on Jan 12, 2010 9:47 AM EST reply actions

Even better when the RB gets tackled in the backfield.

3rd and double digits always makes the game interesting. Tack on a holding call at the same time, and a long bomb to Moss is the only thing left for getting a first down. I’ll take those over a 2 yarder to Welker or Faulk any day.

Oooops, forgot the sarcasm font.

My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.

by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 12, 2010 11:41 AM EST up reply actions

O'Brien needs to visit Imagination Land at Epcot.

Figment could teach him a thing or two.

by nbradley07 on Jan 12, 2010 3:38 PM EST up reply actions

All he has to do

Is watch the Patriots’ Road to the Super Bowl series. Excellent plays, called at the right time.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Jan 12, 2010 3:44 PM EST up reply actions

but to be fair, it is a different set of guys. he needs to find THEIR strengths.

by mellyh on Jan 12, 2010 4:06 PM EST up reply actions

Which O'Brien has not done.

For example, why roll Brady out? When mobile, Brady throws remarkably poorly. Why are you rolling him out when 1) he is NO threat to run, and 2) he’s about 250% more likely to throw an INT?

But what’s really missing has nothing to do with players’ strengths. The offense was missing creativity, plain and simple. Nothing ever gave opposing defenses pause. There was hardly a doubt what the Pats would do on 3rd & 2 (hand it off to the up-back, up the middle). Weis was a master of keeping defenses off balance.

by nbradley07 on Jan 12, 2010 4:21 PM EST up reply actions

my point exactly

which I didn’t make clear. I

t’s not that I want to see two end-arounds run in one game (a la Deion Branch in ’04) just for the sake of making things interesting, but a first down run up the middle every single time? There had to be something else to call.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Jan 12, 2010 4:48 PM EST up reply actions

What do you want? There were only six sides to the die.

1. Force the ball long to Moss.
2. Throw the ball short to Welker over the middle.
3. Run in up the middle.
4. Run around the end.
5. Screen pass to Welker.
6. Screen pass to Faulk.

With Welker out, they had to switch to a four-sided die.

My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.

by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 12, 2010 5:00 PM EST up reply actions

Apparently O'Brien never played D&D as a kid.

That one’s 20-sided.

They make 100-sided ones, now, too!

Weis must have had one.

by nbradley07 on Jan 12, 2010 5:03 PM EST up reply actions

The hundred sided ones look like golf balls and you have to have a really flat surface to roll it if you want it to stop.

I’ve used them. They suck.

Just tell me I’m wrong though, that they’ve only been using six sides.

My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.

by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 12, 2010 5:08 PM EST up reply actions

5 Sided

I don’t remember many “run around the end” plays. Maroney bounched a few out, but it wasn’t drawn up that way.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 12, 2010 5:39 PM EST up reply actions

Just because they weren't successful, doesn't mean they didn't exist.

My life has been a trivial pursuit. Trivia: where three roads meet.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.

by SlotMachinePlayer on Jan 12, 2010 5:52 PM EST up reply actions

I went on that ride last week...

…holy CRAP it was trippy.

Offensive Coordinator > Guard > Tackle > DE > OLB > RB > WR > CB

by Richard Hill on Jan 12, 2010 6:14 PM EST up reply actions

I know this is goping to sound baffling

but I think we should sign TO,

by Give Me on Jan 12, 2010 5:03 PM EST reply actions

My husband has been declaring that for the past month

and resoundingly shot down by the rest of the Sunday game-crew here each time. As shiny as it looks on the surface: Moss on one side, Owens on the other, the prevailing thought is that he’s not worth the trouble. Especially when there are other issues within the locker room.

Keep the faith!

by Marima on Jan 12, 2010 5:06 PM EST up reply actions

I considered it, too

But he’d be that third WR that Joey Galloway was supposed to be – field stretcher, etc. He wouldn’t get enough passes to be happy, so he’d be an awful team-mate in about 30 seconds, especially since he’d be playing second-fiddle to Randy. At the very least Galloway shut up; TO would be TO, which is utterly contrary to ‘the Patriot way’.

If there were a strong (and loud) personality or two on the field that TO respected enough to shut up and sit down, it might’ve worked. But Tom’s always been a fairly quiet QB, although he does get fired up on occasion and yell at people, he wouldn’t be dominating enough to put TO in his place. Brady would get the same treatment from TO as McNabb or Drew Bledsoe got, which wouldn’t be pretty.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 12, 2010 5:44 PM EST up reply actions

There is still some merit in that...

…despite his mouth (which didn’t run this year), TO can still perform. He’s a field stretcher and has some info to pass on to the younger players. He didn’t complain when being thrown to by Trent Edwards or Ryan Fitzpatrick. Didn’t complain that the Bills had a run first offense. Didn’t mind splitting catches with Lee Evans. Sure, he said that he was being underutilized, but he also said that was up to the coaches. While we don’t know if he’s changed, he could still work out.

In fact, with Moss and Welker drawing the coverage, TO might even get more involved in our offense than he was in the Bills’.

Offensive Coordinator > Guard > Tackle > DE > OLB > RB > WR > CB

by Richard Hill on Jan 12, 2010 6:18 PM EST up reply actions

I suspect that was because he was on a one-year "best behaviour" deal with the Bills

and by the time it was apparent he wasn’t going to make an impact with the Bills (because of the QB or otherwise) their season was already tanked and they wouldn’t have had any problems about cutting TO. It was a no-win for TO – he could complain about his treatment and probably get cut (probably ending his career, given his performance to that point and his history) or he could shut his mouth, soldier on and hope against hope that he’d start getting some looks as the #1 receiver. He got his wish – a couple of 100+ yard games when they put Fitzpatrick into QB. He probably prolonged his career (and cashflow) by being a good trooper for the first time in his career.

He’s whiny, fickle, self-centred and jealous, but he’s not stupid.

Token southern hemisphere guy - 14,688km from Foxboro. That's 9128 miles, for you heathens.

by Comedic.Sans on Jan 12, 2010 6:37 PM EST up reply actions