Quote Originally Posted by pbmax View Post
If I ran Stubby's offense, I would run 25% of the time in non-end of half/game scenarios. Play action pass 50%, shotgun pass 20%, shotgun run 5%.

Graham Barfield @GrahamBarfield
New #Titans OC Matt LaFleur has been attached to the two most play-action heavy teams in 2017 as LAR OC (29% of pass plays were PA) and in 2016 as ATL QB Coach (28%). Marcus Mariota led all QBs in YPA on play-action passes (11.1) in 2017, per PFF.

Russell Hudson @rhud1979
You have to run the rock (and run it well) well for play action to work, right?

Graham Barfield @GrahamBarfield
This is a common myth.
Play-action has little to do with success running the ball, and everything to do with deceiving the defense. Play-action was very effective for teams like SEA last year, who had zero consistency running. Balance is overrated.

Brian Burke @bburkeESPN
Can't agree more. Been saying this forever.

Aaron Schatz @FO_ASchatz
We've written about this numerous times and have another guest column on the subject coming from @guga31bb after the Super Bowl.

Aaron Schatz @FO_ASchatz
What matters is not how well you run. What matters is only that you run enough to make the deception of running believeable.

Brian Burke @bburkeESPN
Disagree slightly here. Per game theory, you only need the credible threat of running. PA would work just fine on the very first play of the season.

Aaron Schatz @FO_ASchatz
Right, PA would work fine on the first play of the season because there's an assumption that no team in the NFL runs 90% of the time.
And I'm not disagreeing. Part of the problem is we line up shotgun, semi empty backfield and rarely if ever run from that formation. You have to make the D believe that you might possibly run sometimes if the moon is out in broad daylight. Stubby does not like the run and everyone knows it. We don't run enough play action to fool anyone. Our RB line up to pass block and we don't run enough screens. End result is D pins the ears back and floods the zones. Could you imagine the success play action would have if we ran the ball like we did when Hundley was QB.