Was the play calling all that different? I’m not sure it was. What I saw was a QB making quick decisions, taking what the D was giving him and throwing the ball accurately which is the first time we’ve seen that this year.
Well I agree with this NC and admit LaFleur made some adjustments to what appears opened up the offense. He is a rookie OC and just like ZW, we have to go through the growing pains and give him a chance. I will say this though, White appears to execute on the short passes pretty well, even last week. ZW is the future QB and I am rooting for White, not because I want him to beat out ZW but be a solid back up QB to ZW for the next couple of years. Perhaps ZW will learn a thing to two from White as he continues to mentor him.
Yeah, this game felt like a clap back. I don't know what is going on with his play selection or design while the rookie is in but it almost felt like someone else was calling plays.
They called a lot of screens today to slow down an aggressive defense. We had one of the lowest rates of screens in the league prior to today. Carter played a pretty great game as well. There definitely did seem to be an emphasis on getting the QB comfortable with short passes. But, we also were not down 14 points before the QBs first pass. White certainly took advantage of what the defense was giving him taking the easy passes and that should be a learning lesson for Zach. When we keep the score close, get a rhythm going, this offense can be dangerous. ML certainly kept the defense off balance. Hard to say if it was the WRs and RBs executing better, the QB executing better or ML being better. My guess is it was all 3. What is really exciting is finally seeing what this offense can do when everything is clicking and everyone is executing.
find it very interesting that Zach want(s) him down on the field calling plays (for him) but Lafleur prefers being up in the box and with White today, his calls were outstanding
Id prefer my coordinator to be on the field if I was a QB too as he has been a QB coach before. But if it impedes with my actual job of being a offensive coordinator and Lafleur prefers running the show from upstairs then I keep him up there
I post on a Mets forum and we have a poster there who says coaching is overrated (in football, baseball I agree) and that anyone can coach good players. He also thinks coaches should call plays like it’s madden. There are plenty out there.
The base offense certainly seemed much more "controlled" for lack of a better word, closer to what was run during the pre-season. Fewer shots downfield with more focus on the short and intermediate passing game, and more runs outside the tackles taking advantage of the highly touted speed of some of the young players. It was closer to what we were expecting when the season started and very effective. Still not quite sure why we got away from that. Being able to establish the controlled offense made the gadget plays a lot more effective also.
Before today, I thought Mike LaFleur was hired solely because he’s Saleh’s best friend’s brother. After today, I’m not sure that it’s all nepotism. He’s got some talent calling plays from the booth. The screens were smart, getting a lot of players touches was also smart. Enjoyed seeing the quick snap and no huddle for easy yards and conversions. A long way to go, for sure, but very happy with the results with him in the booth.
Lots of the same play calls this week as prior. The difference is that White was looking for his checkdowns, making mostly accurate passes to them and keeping the chains moving in the process. The efficient checkdown passing was allowing the run game to setup mostly favorable down and distance for the next short pass. This is what Saleh was talking about when he said boring football was the way to go. ZW is a polar opposite to this type of style. His forte is deep passes, particularly to the left sideline. His ability to execute the offense we saw called today is non-existent to date.
