4th and 1, the Anatomy of a Play

As I mentioned earlier, it takes practice, and a lot of it, to consistently make good reads in a triple option attack. Brad made the wrong one here, but I seriously doubt they've practiced this enough to have this be a reliable, goto play in this situation.

 

yeah, you pretty much nailed it. in that situation, weather, inept offense, etc (not going down that ugly road) safe is better. obviously that's my opinion. hell if that play worked no one, including myself would be saying how stupid it was. risk vs. reward etc.

 

I agree w/you wsw to an extent. Brick made the correct read - but smith didn't - and really thats why this play sucked.


IF Brad Smith makes the read its possible that they can take advantage of wakes aggressive pursuit and break one off. BUT thats not what happened. You had Brick basically out of the play blocking a safety and you had Green running right into the teeth of that D. Relying on Brad Smith to make the read there was dumb because he totally failed. Having Brick pretending to be a TE and running out to block a safety on a play where we need 1 yd is assinine anyway. We needed 1 Yd. Thats my problem with the play.

Now if you tell me that Sanchez in incapable of running a short ydg offense or making the read, calling the audible and hitting a quick strike - then thats obviously a much bigger problem. Personally instead of gimmick plays I'd like to see Sanchez playing QB and demonstrating he can convert a 4/1 and I'd like to see Brick playing LT not TE.

Clearly - this offense is not capable of executing Schotty's overly complicated plays. I am not sure of why they fail to execute all the time - but they certainly do consistently fail to execute this genius's offense.

 

Maybe Hunter is just so unreliable to get any push off the line that they decided to go with an unbalanced line and had Brick take on Wake. I really don't know. I agree with tho, this offensive philosophy is so inconsistent and frustrating to say the least.

 

Actually, the read was on Wake the whole time. For the veer, the QB should key off the DT first and foremost (in this case, Wake plays the traditional DT role). If the DT doesn't immediately play the dive (the up the gut run), then that's the option to go to (it's supposed to be an immediate dive).

If the DT does crash the dive(taking himself out of the play already, hence no need to block him directly), then you switch to the option, reading the safety or OLB (whomever is out there) for a keep vs. pitch. Normally the WR is split out wide, blocking the corner. In this case, Cotch brought the DB into the middle of the defense, essentially taking him out of the play, then took up the B-back role.

I'd have to see the play live again to see how fast Wake "reacted" to the play. It might have been that he hesitated momentarily, causing Smith to decide on the dive (which should probably have gone to Smith's left side, not his right, which would have allowed Smith to become an impediment to Wake).

Like I said, it takes practice to learn how to recognize the best option for each situation.

 

I've been an advocate of more jump balls to edwards.....with his frame he should be snatching them

Good analysis.

 

On second thought, the more I look at the freeze frames, the more I think it was actually Brick that had the wrong read. I think in this design, he was supposed to "occupy" Wake, with Smith reading Brick's block.

If Wake attempted to go outside, then the dive would be the option. If he fought Brick for the inside, then the read is the option and the B-back (Cotch), where you are essentially 2 on 1 now, QB+RB verse S, and you decide based on what the S does.

With Brick going out to the Safety, you're now stuck trying to read a defender that is already in your backfield, something that is very difficult to do, especially if he doesn't crash right away.

 

I realize it was unbalanced, but I don't see how taking Brick and moving him out there helps you get a yard+ - which was the situational objective there. Its Schotty trying to be "tricky" and it just sort of frosts me because I don't think you need to do that in order to get a fng yard.

Personally I'm not surprised that Brick made the correct read and that Brad made a different decision. Perhaps this is also a communication issue which would be on Smith. In any event - i think the situation is too important there to put the ball in a backup QB's hands. I think its indicative perhaps that Sanchez is not considered reliable enough by Schotty to get the 1st down there. To me - that play demonstrates a variety of symptoms of a bad offense from the play design to the personnel to the decision to call such a play on a 4/1 in a critical situation. Just FUBAR.

 

good stuff
i jest hope we could use B smith more throwing..

 

4th and 1 is a quick hitter play. Not a read and react play. Schotty should know this. You guys can analyze till the cows come home, it doesn't change the misguided philosophy that is stagnating this offense.

There are many other instances where the offense looked completely lost. This jackoff needs to get off his high horse and cut all this complicated nonsense from the playbook. Were playing football not solving a physics equation.

 

I agree with you from looking at the first picture, but to be fair to Brad Smith he has already handed the ball off to Greene in the shot and Wake has seemingly reacted to that handoff.

The more glaring issue I note is the way the interior linenman are getting manhandled on this play. There is NO push of the line of scrimmage. Slauson is getting thrown to the side and Mangold was stood stright up by the DT/NG. A litlte bit of a push here and Greene skoots on thru for the 1 yard.

 

The wildcat is not what it once use to be. Every time its called it seems like its basically a Brad Smith dive for 2 yards if that. There is not creativity. Its called to often. If its 4th and 1 why not just put the jumbo offensive line package and run a dive with Greene. Everyone remembers the game against the Chargers where we used that set to ice the game. Why he thought to call the wild cat in this case is beyond me.

 

I think your right, the read was actually simpler than that if I am looking at the play correctly. On the read option the read should be the defensive end on the side the QB has the option to run to. In this case that is Wake. If this play is designed like a college read option, which it looks like it was, then Brick was never supposed to block Wake.

The whole point of the read option is to beat the defense with your read instead of having more blockers than them. So in this situation Wake is the read. If he crashes down the line to stop the run up the middle Smith keeps it, if he plays contain Smith hands the ball off. Wake crashed down the line so Smith should have kept the ball and would have had a huge gain to the outside.

This is all assuming the play is actually a read option (which it appears it is). If the play was supposed to go up the middle all the way then it is just a retarded play to begin with.

 

I would agree with that.

I would also say that you were probably right earlier in the thread about just lining up and running it up the middle. I love how Brad Smith plays but putting a 4th down call on him making the correct read on the play was unnecessary. It sucks because I see what Schotty's thinking was. Either they play contain and the Jets get a first or they sell out on the run up the gut and Smith and Cotchery do cartwheels into the endzone. The problem is the offense hasn't been doing anything right so you just gotta keep it simple sometimes.

 

Immediately upon the ball being snapped I wondered why Smith did not run the option there. The coaches will probably never publically say who messed up on that play, but it is either that Smith read the play wrong or he did exactly what Schottenheimer wanted- in which case it was just a stupid play.

 

It's actually very simple. 4th and 1.....and don't run from the freaking shotgun!!!