Play calling

[Ballboy]

I am tired of the playcalling and I wish a reporter will get specific enough to call him on it.

All year we listen to MM talk about getting the offense to "stay ahead of the chains" or getting into "3rd and managable downs". Yet in specific, the last two weeks we have been in 3rd and 1 and I see plays called that ask a QB to throw 30+ yards down field. I don't know the exact percentage, but I would guess that on pass plays of greater than 20 yards you have a much less chance of completion versus a pass of 5 yards. Why work to "stay ahead of the chains" or "3rd and managable" if all your going to do is call a low sucess / high reward type play?

I'm all for stretching the field, but to a man, New England is the better team. Playing them at NE, with our back-up QB we needed to make every series count. Calling the deep pass on 3rd and 1 can't happen in this type of game, especially in the fourth quarter during a game that you are trailing(I'm talking about the Packers series prior to the last).

[mission]

MM from his presser:

I didn’t find anything chaotic about the final seconds of the game. I thought that it was a very standard operation.

That to me says it all.

[pbmax]

All year we listen to MM talk about getting the offense to "stay ahead of the chains" or getting into "3rd and managable downs". Yet in specific, the last two weeks we have been in 3rd and 1 and I see plays called that ask a QB to throw 30+ yards down field. I don't know the exact percentage, but I would guess that on pass plays of greater than 20 yards you have a much less chance of completion versus a pass of 5 yards. Why work to "stay ahead of the chains" or "3rd and managable" if all your going to do is call a low sucess / high reward type play?

Its hard to have this conversation if you don't talk about what the defense is doing to stop you. Look at the goal line runs with Kuhn. On 3rd and short, they are not going to give up the short passes. That is why there is one on one coverage outside. If you don't take that shot occasionally, then you are always launching yourself at the teeth of the defense. The Packers got 9 first downs from rushing and 13 from passing (4 from penalty). That has to be one of the most balanced performances this season. 11-19 on 3rd down is pretty good, even if you don't like to throw deep.

[Ballboy]

Its hard to have this conversation if you don't talk about what the defense is doing to stop you. Look at the goal line runs with Kuhn. On 3rd and short, they are not going to give up the short passes. That is why there is one on one coverage outside. If you don't take that shot occasionally, then you are always launching yourself at the teeth of the defense. The Packers got 9 first downs from rushing and 13 from passing (4 from penalty). That has to be one of the most balanced performances this season. 11-19 on 3rd down is pretty good, even if you don't like to throw deep.

I agree about taking shots downfield, but I question the time of the call. The situations that they were called in have to play a large part in what play is called. We in both cases needed a first down, the question should be asked, what play gives my team the best chance to get that first down. During the regular course of a game, I don't mind taking the shot, but in crucial times we need to give our team the best chance to complete.

[Bossman641]

Oh, maybe that was Bossman. Sorry.

Maybe not my exact words but I stand by my assessment.

Yes, it sucks we lost and this team is past the point of moral victories but how many teams could have gone into NE with their backup QB and half the team injured and nearly won. IMO, last night was MM's most balanced play-calling of the year.

Hard for me to blame MM THE PLAY-CALLER when Walden and Woodson both dropped picks leading to 10 points, and the ST gave up the longest return ever to a lineman. Just difficult for me to get upset about this loss.

Consistency is the team's issue, not play-calling.

[mission]

Maybe not my exact words but I stand by my assessment.

Yes, it sucks we lost and this team is past the point of moral victories but how many teams could have gone into NE with their backup QB and half the team injured and nearly won. IMO, last night was MM's most balanced play-calling of the year.

Hard for me to blame MM THE PLAY-CALLER when Walden and Woodson both dropped picks leading to 10 points, and the ST gave up the longest return ever to a lineman. Just difficult for me to get upset about this loss.

Consistency is the team's issue, not play-calling.

My problem isn't with the play calling as it's defined. It's with MM the coach, leader and employer of men. Could haves and should haves happen for every team. A good friend of mine is a Pats fan and he couldn't believe all the crucial calls against them. Missed opportunities happen every game for every team. You still put your team in the best position possible to win.

It's obvious Slocum is a failure, your guys have no sense of urgency at the end... it's just inconsistent crap across the board every week. Good coaches have teams that consistently get after it. Not wait for second quarters all year or figure out how to run the ball 14 weeks into the season. Teams personify their leaders.

I think MM is a pretty decent coach during the week. Come gameday, the pace of the game is too much for him.

[Bossman641]

My problem isn't with the play calling as it's defined. It's with MM the coach, leader and employer of men. Could haves and should haves happen for every team. A good friend of mine is a Pats fan and he couldn't believe all the crucial calls against them. Missed opportunities happen every game for every team. You still put your team in the best position possible to win.

It's obvious Slocum is a failure, your guys have no sense of urgency at the end... it's just inconsistent crap across the board every week. Good coaches have teams that consistently get after it. Not wait for second quarters all year or figure out how to run the ball 14 weeks into the season. Teams personify their leaders.

I think MM is a pretty decent coach during the week. Come gameday, the pace of the game is too much for him.

I'm curious. Can you expand on the calls your friend was angry about? To me, it looked like a pretty well-called game but I might be blinded due to the fact the Packers had very few penalties.

The hands to the face changed to the game but it was absolutely the right call. I dislike the helmet to helmet call on Quarless just because I think the officials have moved too far the other way, but other than that I can't really think of any awful calls.

[Patler]

If you read McCarthy's transcript from today, I think he might give a clue to his thinking in situations like this. There is an obvious caveat that he may simply not be telling the press everything he is thinking. But if it reflects his actual thinking:

He seems to have no issue with the tempo or strategy. And he refuses to get drawn into a debate about whether Rodgers could have done differently, whether to call for a measurement on 4th and 1 and he won't claim that Flynn did not have enough work in the 2 minute and red zone to be familiar with what needed to be done.

That drive might be executed the way he wanted it done. He may simply have a plan for a four minute drive while behind needing a TD, which might include taking time off the clock, and he wasn't going to deviate from it due to circumstances last night. This would be of a kind with the 4 minute offense to drive and then seem to settle for a long FG. He has a plan and is not going to deviate from it under specific game conditions.

Either that or he will not get into what he wants to change or alter. It may be that he won't make changes like that until the offseason.

However, he did make one admission:

"And there's some things we need to do a better job at. Particularly in critical points in the game."

Like perhaps the final drive of the game?????

[Zool]

Maybe he just didnt want to have to kick off again.

[Pugger]

I'm curious. Can you expand on the calls your friend was angry about? To me, it looked like a pretty well-called game but I might be blinded due to the fact the Packers had very few penalties.

The hands to the face changed to the game but it was absolutely the right call. I dislike the helmet to helmet call on Quarless just because I think the officials have moved too far the other way, but other than that I can't really think of any awful calls.

My only beef with the refs is they missed at least 2 block in the backs in that long return by that lineman - QJ and Crosby that I could see. Would it had changed the score in the end? Maybe, if the Pats weren't on the 5 yard line and so ended up kicking a FG in drive instead of a TD. But other than that I too thought it was a well officiated game.

[Smidgeon]

However, he did make one admission:


Like perhaps the final drive of the game?????

I think that McCarthy doesn't really say everything he's thinking. I don't think he's the kind of coach to throw his QB under the bus. He'll stand up in front of the press and defend his team's effort, but I think behind closed doors is very different. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any QB improvement from McCarthy's tutelage.

[Fritz]

Anybody talk much about the first play of the game?

That call worked out pretty well.

[pbmax]

However, he did make one admission:

Like perhaps the final drive of the game?????

Maybe he just didnt want to have to kick off again.

I was thinking it was pass protection and the missed block of the outside rusher when Bulaga was free and decided to double team the DT with Sitton. But I am not going to argue with Zool; it could be the kickoff. I am not a fan of the new multiple kickoff targets. I would rather go back to having Crosby go deep and occasionally knock one OOB and have them start at the 40.

[pbmax]

Anybody talk much about the first play of the game?

That call worked out pretty well.

I can barely recall the happiness of that moment.

[PackerTimer]

I won't complain about what was called, my complaint is about HOW the plays were called.

Other than the one long pass to Jones, the Packers success was really in taking shorter gains, even running the ball, and moving the chains. Their scoring drives were:

11 plays - 6:15 - 40 yards for a field goal
3 plays - 1:01 - 69 yards for a TD
13 plays - 6:26 - 82 yards (22 by penalty) for a TD
13 plays - 6:56 - 69 yards for a TD
11 plays - 5:05 - 53 yards for a field goal

Their final possession starter at 4:22 and they needed 57 yards. I saw little urgency in their play before the two minute warning, as they ran just 5 plays, getting two first downs and 22 of the yards they needed. After the two minute warning, with two timeouts at their disposal, they ran 6 plays getting one first down and 20 yards. They ran out of time trying to get their 7th play off at the 15 yard line. Ya, they got the ball snapped, but they had no clue what they were doing because they did not have time to get a play in.

I think running out of time is ridiculous. They had success moving in small increments against NE. A little more urgency and a few more plays early in that drive might have gained a few more yards and put them in position for shots into the endzone.

They milked the clock early in the drive, then ran out of time. It would have been better to use the clock more efficiently early, still taking the yards that were given in small increments, then milk the clock late if given the opportunity. They ran most of that drive as if time was no issue, but then ran out of time at the end of the drive.

I was thinking this exact same thing last night. I know you don't want to give the ball back to Brady with too much time left but you have to score before you can worry about that. They could have easilty ran one more play before the two minute warning at least as I think they let it run down from 2:15 or so. I'm not a fan of milking the clock when you are down by more than a field goal.