3 myths

[Catfish]

If the LONG pass is so essential it makes you wonder why our OL is built so RUN based doesn't it? The entire offensive system doesn't make any sense. I get the sense that it was originally built with Leinart in mind as the QB and then something happened, Leinart is gone and now we have Scud being fitted into an offense he can't run.

It is so discombobulated that this offense will never get going.

Well now------there you'e gone and absolutely nailed it-------I just don't see it working at all with Scud at QB. I also don't see Whiz changing to Max Hall either unless Scud gets hurt------At least I will be real surprised it he does.

 

[Duckjake]

Wow Beanie and TH are on pace to combine for over 2300 yards rushing this season!

 

[kerouac9]

The third myth was rattled out of my head by the td pass. Myth: the long pass is essential to this offense. I think the offense is predicated on short passes that augment the run game, and anderson's "strength" is wasted with this design.

I don't think you can have a run game complemented with a short passing game. Then you just have 10 defensive players within 8 yards of the LOS and one safety over the top.

The genius of the Martz offensive system was that there was a short passing game complementing by a killer intermediate passing game--those 13-yard out routes are difficult to defend without committing both your linebacker and safety. But you have to send 4-6 guys out into routes to fill the holes in opposing teams' zones.

You can complement a power running game with a deep passing game because it keeps safeties honest in that they have to be aware of a 30-yard dig route. That's what the Raiders have been trying to develop since Gruden left, but they haven't had either the quarterback (Andrew Walter would have been great in that system--I wonder what he's doing now?) or the offensive line to protect the QB through a five- or seven-step drop.

That's the real problem with the deep passing game--there are too many good pass rushers out there (just not on this roster). You need to have a guy with enough mobility to escape the pocket as it breaks down and let the WRs get into their routes. Ben Roethlisberger is textbook at this, and Aaron Rogers does a great job, as well.

 

[Bobcat]

There are three things that many on this board accept as truth that are being exposed today, IMO.

1. We can "get by" for the season with DA. He's not a capable NFL qb.
2. We can get by with tht. It's SO apparent that beanie is a far superior talent and we're a different team when he's not running the ball. When healthy, he's a man-child.
3. It's taken me a while to type this out on my phone and I've had a few beers, so I forget no. 3. But I had one; it'll come to me later.

My Three:
1. We have a great Head Coach.
2. We have a great QB.
3. We have the best ownership in the NFL.

 

[Hollywood]

I think 8-8 is the best you can hope for with DA. However, I am not sure what the alternative is.

Max Hall? Won't help this year.

Lets assume for a moment that he is the next Drew Brees. Brees didnt play his first year. He spent the next two years posting QB ratings in the 70s (for comparison, DA has a 70 rating yesterday).

I get that nobody is happy with DA, but what is a realistic alternative THIS YEAR?

Charlie Batch.

 

[Pariah]

I don't think you can have a run game complemented with a short passing game. Then you just have 10 defensive players within 8 yards of the LOS and one safety over the top.

I'm not advocating an offense devoid of the long ball, just not one that features it (our offense with Warner was much the same way; I'll bet we were around the league average -- if not below it -- in long pass attempts).

But the prevailing thought was that Leinart couldn't throw the long ball and Anderson would open everything up because that's what he does best. We've found that "best" is a relative term. I think the offense works better when we can just take what's given us...unfortunately, Anderson loves to look a gift horse in the mouth time and again.

 

[DoTheDew]

My Three:
1. We have a great Head Coach.
2. We have a great QB.
3. We have the best ownership in the NFL.

In order for something to be a myth, there has to be someone who believes it. No one has stated #2 or #3 ever as far as I know.

 

[Duckjake]

In order for something to be a myth, there has to be someone who believes it. No one has stated #2 or #3 ever as far as I know.

40 year?

 

[Bobcat]

In order for something to be a myth, there has to be someone who believes it. No one has stated #2 or #3 ever as far as I know.

I can now really see why education in this state is 49th Nationally. Wow

 

[Bobcat]

40 year?

Thank You...!!!

 

[kerouac9]

I'm not advocating an offense devoid of the long ball, just not one that features it (our offense with Warner was much the same way; I'll bet we were around the league average -- if not below it -- in long pass attempts).

But the prevailing thought was that Leinart couldn't throw the long ball and Anderson would open everything up because that's what he does best. We've found that "best" is a relative term. I think the offense works better when we can just take what's given us...unfortunately, Anderson loves to look a gift horse in the mouth time and again.

With Warner we had no running game, so the short passing game brought defenses close to the line of scrimmage, and then the intermediate routes opened up behind them for guys like Fitz and Breaston. But if we're going to focus on the ground game, then the complement to it can't be short passing game, because it doesn't create any mismatches or opportunities.

I didn't believe the hokum about Derek Anderson's long ball to begin with; the evidence of that deep-passing prowess just wasn't there. I think that when Anderson was successful was when the Cards did EXACTLY what I reccommended before the 3rd preseason game: using play action and rolling out the quarterback to get to intermediate-to-deep routes. That's exactly what happened on those Ben Patrick plays in the third(?) quarter last week. That's real basic football.

I think the problem is that the offense needs Anderson to get into a rhythm early in the game and get his confidence up, so we come out passing and then have a quick three- or six-and-out and then no one's happy and we keep passing so that Anderson can see what defenses are doing to him. Then we go back to the run game. I think if Anderson were a headier quarterback he could do a better job of dictating to opposing defenses instead of having to figure out what is going on.

 

[DoTheDew]

Thank You...!!!

I know you were joking. It just wasn't funny that's all.

 

[JeffGollin]

I'm with you on #3. ;-)

I'm with you on the other two, but only so far as to be skeptical about conventional wisdom in general - i.e. although it would be folly to accept the CW, (Myth, Mythster, Mythus or whatever) that DA will work out OK or THT is good enough to be our #1 RB, it would be equally wrong to dismiss entirely the possibility that either or both could eventually come through for us.

In other words, keep your minds wide open.