The Big Whiff

Southpaw

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The non tackle that cost Saints the chance to advance. We will see that play ad nauseum ad infinitum. That clip should be in every defense room in every franchise facility. Tackling 101. The ESPN factor.
 

Buckybird

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The non tackle that cost Saints the chance to advance. We will see that play ad nauseum ad infinitum. That clip should be in every defense room in every franchise facility. Tackling 101. The ESPN factor.
Let’s hope Pat P watches & gets the message :mrgreen:
 

BurqueCardFan

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Obviously the safety completely missed the tackle but I put the blame on the D Coordinator. Both that play and the one right before it, the defensive players were not even trying to cover anyone. They were all just standing around letting people run by them. I'm not sure what kind of defense they were running but that coach needs to go.
 

devilalum

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That was a great game with a great finish. I hate it when people try and blame one player for a one play loss. Sure if he makes the tackle the Saints win but there were at least 20 plays in this game that could have changed the outcome.

You win together, you lose together.
 

Mitch

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Obviously the safety completely missed the tackle but I put the blame on the D Coordinator. Both that play and the one right before it, the defensive players were not even trying to cover anyone. They were all just standing around letting people run by them. I'm not sure what kind of defense they were running but that coach needs to go.

What adds to the miracle of Diggs' TD...with 18 seconds left the Saints called timeout and they set up a defense that was designed to overload the sidelines and leave the middle wide open so as to induce Keenum to pass over the middle...and it was either Diggs or Jarius Wright who was WIDE open with no one around him over the middle and he was frantically was hands---yet Keenum did not take the bait---had Keenum taken the bait (which so many QBs do when they see a wide open man versus the prevent) the pass would have been complete over the middle but the WR would have not been able to get out of bounds and when tackled the game would have been over.

The Saints stayed in the same defense the next play for the same reason---leave the middle wide open let them complete it and then make the tackle in bounds.

It is remarkable that Diggs didn't try to get out of bounds, as he was coached to do. With his back to the end zone he could not have known there was no one behind him. It's also remarkable that the Saints didn't have another deep safety back near the goal line just in case.

But you make a great point in that the Saints' DBs were zoning the play and not guarding the WRs.

Remarkable too that this was a play that Zimmer/Shurmur have worked on all year and according to them and Diggs, he almost never came down with the catch...until...when it mattered most. Kind of reminiscent of Malcolm Butler who was coached all week to jump the slant route and never came close in practice and yet is right there to make the historic interception when the game was on the line.
 

Russ Smith

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Anybody else watching that play think what the hell is Darren Sproles doing playing defense?
 

NJCardFan

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It is remarkable that Diggs didn't try to get out of bounds, as he was coached to do. With his back to the end zone he could not have known there was no one behind him. It's also remarkable that the Saints didn't have another deep safety back near the goal line just in case.
When you watch the play it looks like Diggs thinks about it for a split second before realizing there was no one in front of him and ran for the score. Oh, and my favorite meme:

You must be registered for see images
 

Cards_Campos

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I jave stated this before. I don't think he missed the tackle. He actually got there too early and then tried to avoid hitting him. He was afraid of pass interference. He jumped the pass to fast instead of just staying back and when Diggs caught it then tackle him. I don't think he was trying to tackle him. He got caught too close and then his momentum carried him. He just kindaa of dove. Horrible play and really Saints should have had ...2 more safeties deep just in case. I don't think it was prevent.
 

Arz101

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Fire the DC who put a rookie as the deep safety on that play. Seriously
 

Buckybird

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I jave stated this before. I don't think he missed the tackle. He actually got there too early and then tried to avoid hitting him. He was afraid of pass interference. He jumped the pass to fast instead of just staying back and when Diggs caught it then tackle him. I don't think he was trying to tackle him. He got caught too close and then his momentum carried him. He just kindaa of dove. Horrible play and really Saints should have had ...2 more safeties deep just in case. I don't think it was prevent.
I agree

I think part of the reason this happened as well is because of the rules that have hindered a defensive players targeting area as well, the fines, hitting a defenses player, etc.

Maybe he thought the pass was uncatchable & he was going to take his legs out thus receiving a personal foul. Just a thought
 

JeffGollin

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There has been a growing trend in the late season and post season games for defensive backs to not finish off tackles that take the receiver out of bounds (& you can't just do it just some of the time...you have to do it all of the time, because the one time time you don't do it is the one time you're toast).

Rewatch the other games. See how many times the receiver isn't taken out of bounds and tiptoes down the sideline for a double-digit pickup or even a TD.

I chalk it up to bad fundamentals. Reflects badly on the DC and DB coach.
 

Cardsfanstl

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I agree

I think part of the reason this happened as well is because of the rules that have hindered a defensive players targeting area as well, the fines, hitting a defenses player, etc.

Maybe he thought the pass was uncatchable & he was going to take his legs out thus receiving a personal foul. Just a thought


I might be wrong but I think he had time to pull up and tackle the WR. If he does that then the game is over because there is no way Minn is going the have time to set up a FG.
 
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Southpaw

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I might be wrong but I think he had time to pull up and tackle the WR. If he does that then the game is over because there is no way Minn is going the have time to set up a FG.
Maybe time for a spike, but........ play snap started with 14 seconds.
 

football karma

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Maybe time for a spike, but........ play snap started with 14 seconds.

no -- he caught the ball with 4 secs left

if tackled in bounds, the game is over

now -- im not convinced that tackling him in bounds was a 100% sure thing. I think there was a decent chance Diggs could have gotten out of bounds in time, and, they were in FG range where he caught it
 

Ouchie-Z-Clown

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Man you guys are giving that rookie dB a lot of outs. Diggs caught it in front of him. Williams dove to throw a shoulder into him and missed. He easily could’ve wrapped up and made the tackle inbounds (Diggs isn’t big or strong enough to drag him out of bounds), thereby ending the game.

I agree no one play loses a game. But Williams blowing that tackle due 100% to lack of fundamentals comes as close to a single play losing a game as I’ve seen in my 40+ years watching/playing football.
 

RugbyMuffin

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Man you guys are giving that rookie dB a lot of outs. Diggs caught it in front of him. Williams dove to throw a shoulder into him and missed. He easily could’ve wrapped up and made the tackle inbounds (Diggs isn’t big or strong enough to drag him out of bounds), thereby ending the game.

I agree no one play loses a game. But Williams blowing that tackle due 100% to lack of fundamentals comes as close to a single play losing a game as I’ve seen in my 40+ years watching/playing football.


Guy has 76 tackles on the season, and is a good tackler, too.
 

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There should have been a cop there to give him a sobriety test after that missed tackle. That had to be the worst wiff I have ever seen.
 

speedy

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The non tackle that cost Saints the chance to advance. We will see that play ad nauseum ad infinitum. That clip should be in every defense room in every franchise facility. Tackling 101. The ESPN factor.


Every football room from elementary to pro.. still blows my mind.
 
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