You call it hatred, I call it reality.
Case in point, Denver 4th and 1.
The play Haley called had one receiver on the field, Wheaton.
1 RB.
And then Miller, Spaeth, with Jesse James out of the backfield.
He took Bryant OFF the field. In a game where Antonio Brown was already gone.
So he called a play for James, who had 1 catch, and 3 yards, in a MONTH.
And the Broncos weren't fooled one bit.
So Ben went to read #2, Wheaton, who isn't the most athletic guy in the world.
Sure would have been nice if it were Bryant trying to battle the 6-1 Talib, no? So Haley ran a 4th down play with his two best wides off the field. One by injury, the other by idiocy.
Once again, rather than just use his TALENT, Haley has to get cute.
And once again, it cost him.
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Yards mean little.
Drew Brees gets yards too.
Getting back on track, whether the offense is #1 or not, or scored more points that they ever have in their history, Haley could still improve.
For example:
4th-&-1... against the Ravens, who are weak in the secondary, while stout in the front seven. Haley sends in three TEs, playing right into Baltimore's strength (D-linemen). I don't mind the call of giving the ball to D.Williams, but spread the Ravens out/force the Ravens to play their weak DBs... by going four wide.
More importantly...
I heard once that in the early 90's, during a drive, a Cowboys O-linemen yelled out the play to the opposing defense... and, that defense could not stop them.
The point is: if you're better than everyone else, you don't need trickery. If you have 1st-&-goal from the three, Bell should get the ball three times. Or, BB targets AB. Throwing to Spaeth and/or running Roosevelt Nix up the middle makes zero sense.
BB, AB, & Bell... live & die by them.
I like where you're coming from. Just a few things though. I understand where you are coming from with Ben being locked in on AB. I feel that some of it this year had to do with Ben having to gain more trust with Wheaton. He began to go to him more as the season went on, so I feel that will be one factor going into next season.
Hey Bey did pretty decent for a #4 and good spot duty for Bryant while he was out, but we can still have just a bit more consistency with him so I hope he re-signs. There wasn't too much to be expected from Coates with his limited knowledge of the playbook, but he showed some promise in the playoffs so I feel he will be better with a year under his belt.
As for Bryant, he needs to do better in fighting for the ball in the offseason. His hands also have to be more consistent. As Ben said, he needs to get tougher. This offseason he needs to realize that he's a man amongst boys while being defended. He needs to see that his talent and size can't be matched and just start manhandling defenders on contested passes. It's these reasons that Ben locks into AB so much. When he really needs a play, it's 50-50 with Bryant.
If there are 65 offensive snaps in a game I want Ben with 30 pass attempts. 30 should keep Ben fresh as well as upright and well protected through 16 games. When it comes to Bell, I need him with 23 carries a game and sprinkle in his passing targets. He's just too talented a player, and I need his carries at 23. The reason is that Bell is the stablizer of the offense.
Bell doesn't fumble the ball and that's an asset that you just can't replace. His blocking ability also gives them a great physical presence and keeps Ben much cleaner. I would then give De'Angello 12 carries to change things up and keep Bell fresh.
The redzone playcalling must improve. I would like to see something like playaction misdirection RB screens. I would like to see packages that have Heath, Bryant and James for fade options. I would like to see occassional RB tosses and RB off tackle plays.
I would like the deep balls on 3rd and short to manageable to end. That's Madden type football. There are too many weapons on this team not to be able to convert on 3rd and short or manageable. Going deep in that situation is low percentage and bad game management. When you miss that play, you not only lose points, but also possession and let the opposing team off the hook.
You need to get the necessary yardage to get the first down, then finish the drive in getting the points. That's playing with a sense of urgency as well as knowing in game situations with a killer instinct mentality. Also, the trick plays need to end. If you're in FG range and it's not a situation where you have to go for it, then don't. Take the points. There is no need for fake punts and plays of that matter if the game is not on the line to need to do so.
This is an offense that is so talented that it can go straight at you with nothing that anyone can do about it. There is no need to get cute with trickery at all. Just line up and say here we are. Try and stop us if you can.
Ben relies on AB because AB is the only constant presence on the field at WR.
The snap counts for the others vary from week to week.
THAT hurts the offense more than helps it.
You can't have a predetermined number. Haley's tried that for 4 years, it's why we are what we are.
It's not brain surgery. Three wides, a RB. a TE. #2 RB comes in every 3rd series, carries or not. #81 comes in when Miller needs a blow.
Enough of Nix, Spaeth, Johnson. Coates can be the #4 WR. Leave DHB on special teams.
If Haley did that for an entire game his offense would look much more polished, and in turn he'd look a helluva lot smarter.
Last edited by SteelersProfessor; 01-27-2016 at 10:19 PM.