Too Much Is Made on the Running Game

[Mitch]

It's all about moving the chains and scoring TDs...any way teams can do it...they should do it.

Trying to force the running game last night cost the Cardinals at least another 10-14 points.

Funny that the one truly inaccurate throw Warner made last night was on the first drive, when on a sure running down, 3rd and 1, he missed Fitz on the corner route...

But on 4th and 1, Warner to Fitz, was the best call of the night.

Warner has thrown 300+ yard games 45% of the games he starts...

How about shooting for 400+...

 

[joeshmo]

Why so much is made out of it? Because having at least an average run game could finish teams instead of letting your defense fight it out, on a goalline stance.

You cannot be one dimensional because good teams will make you pay for it. Example, Philly's run game was taken away by the Giants but Philly almost made up for it because they could still pass the ball. Titans run game was stopped but were still able to pass the ball. Those are situations that we would not have been able to overcome. A situation that will come up against better teams and especially in the playoffs.

 

[Russ Smith]

Why so much is made out of it? Because having at least an average run game could finish teams instead of letting your defense fight it out, on a goalline stance.

You cannot be one dimensional because good teams will make you pay for it. Example, Philly's run game was taken away by the Giants but Philly almost made up for it because they could still pass the ball. Titans run game was stopped but were still able to pass the ball. Those are situations that we would not have been able to overcome. A situation that will come up against better teams and especially in the playoffs.

Absolutely. For all the yards Kurt threw for last night I will readily admit after that first completion I was scared to death if he threw again we'd turn it over. He's been brilliant since the Jets game but there's always this little voice telling me what if he fumbles, what if he throws a picksix. Those are the situations where you need to be able to get 3 yards, get the first down, and take kneel downs.

HOpefully if/when we get our TE's back that will improve, Whiz said Spach missed the block that caused that problem last night.

 

[Skkorpion]

It is always better to have offensive balance. But you can be one-dimensional and win it all.

The first Joe Montana-led 49er team did it.
New England has done it that way recently.
Baltimore did it with a nothing passing game.

Having a superior defense usually is the defining saving factor. And we are not there yet on that front.

 

[gusmahler]

Why so much is made out of it? Because having at least an average run game could finish teams instead of letting your defense fight it out, on a goalline stance.

No. Just because the usual tactic for a team facing 2nd and 2 with 2 minutes left is to run doesn't mean it's best in every situation. Warner had a field day yesterday. And when it counted, they took the ball out of his hands and put it in the hands of a rookie who had 22 yards rushing.

In that situation, the most important thing was running the time off the clock. The time honored way to do that is to run the ball. But it's much more important to get a first down than to run time off the clock. Yes, the pundits would have hated throwing the ball. But so what. I'd put my money on Warner passing the ball for 2 yards over Hightower any day.

 

[TJ]

You gotta be kidding! How quickly we forget the St. Louis game where our running game was just as effective as our passing game. Or the first game of the season against the 9ers? Our running game was able to kill clock and shut the game down. Even if we had a running game on our last possession, no need for a gut wrenching last second goal line stand by the defense.

 

[Cheesebeef]

too much is made on the running game? Tell that to the D who made two huge stops in the fourth quarter, getting back to back turnovers, one to put us in a position to take the lead and another which looked like it ended the game until we couldn't run the ball to completely finish them off. The D coming back on the field for the third time in 5 five minutes was a recipe for disaster and if not for Gore falling down, unfortunately, they probably would have been labeled the goats as opposed to the running game which failed to put the game away.

i can't think of one team that won the Super Bowl with an offense that couldn't pick up crucial 3rd and 1 or 2 to end the game. Even when Warner was with the Rams, they still had the best running back in the league at that point and a dominating O-line.

 

[Brewster10]

There are times when you need to run the ball... I at least want us to be able to run the ball well on short yardage

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Not only all of the points metioned above but also it allows for pass rushers to not be able to just pin their ears back and a healthy respect for balance (which I am not sure we yet have) draws a safety in the box.

Mitch - How about we let Coach wisenhunt handle this call? We are a passing team but we need to learn to be more effective on the ground as well and we won't get there unless we continue to do it.

Saying all this I was really disappointed with the run blocking. Again though the 49ers defenders were playing like men possessed so credit goes to them for shutting us down on the ground.

 

[moklerman]

The problem is, the passing game is most effective with 4 and 5 receiver sets. If the passing game was doing what it's been doing in 2 and 3 receiver sets it would be a lot easier to have a more traditional running game.

With the timing and speed that the plays happen I don't think there's really a chance to use play action either. The draws have been hit and miss and teams are sitting on them at this point so I would go with quick pitches to the perimeter.

Whis said that SF was focused on taking away the running game and doing some things inside that were working well in their first meeting. I think teams are playing various versions of the cover 2 to try and contain the Cardinals passing attack which in the case of SF, with the good LB's they have, still allowed them to give run support without stacking the box.

 

[Totally_Red]

Whis said that SF was focused on taking away the running game and doing some things inside that were working well in their first meeting.

Specifically he said they were sacrificing pass rush to stop the run. Still he was critical of the blocking of the tight ends. Tuman has been something of a disappointment.

 

[Spielman]

It's all about moving the chains and scoring TDs...any way teams can do it...they should do it.

Trying to force the running game last night cost the Cardinals at least another 10-14 points.

Funny that the one truly inaccurate throw Warner made last night was on the first drive, when on a sure running down, 3rd and 1, he missed Fitz on the corner route...

But on 4th and 1, Warner to Fitz, was the best call of the night.

Warner has thrown 300+ yard games 45% of the games he starts...

How about shooting for 400+...

If you're one-dimensional, you make things that much harder on the one dimension you do have. The most impressive thing about the Cardinal passing game is that it's being done while the opposing teams don't have to respect the run much at all. The most discouraging things about the running game is that it's being done while the opposing teams have to be scared to death of the passing game.

 

[Dr. Jones]

It is always better to have offensive balance. But you can be one-dimensional and win it all.

The first Joe Montana-led 49er team did it.
New England has done it that way recently.
Baltimore did it with a nothing passing game.

Having a superior defense usually is the defining saving factor. And we are not there yet on that front.

Ehhhh.... Although partly correct, I think we are all deflecting from an actual issue. If we could run the ball we would have run the clock out at the end.

Unless we always play at home or in good weather situations we will have problems in the playoffs. The Giants, Bears, Packers, etc.... will always be favored over us in a cold, windy, or rainy situation. Having a better team always means less in poor conditions.

 

[RonF]

The running game is okay if you want to keep the ball, late in the game, run a play action pass, although, Kurt isn't much for running except for stepping up in the pocket, maybe. But if all we focus on is throwing the ball then the opposing teams will flood the field with CBs and Safeties, forget the linebackers. It's the running back that keeps other teams honest.

 

[PJ1]

Have to be able to run the ball a little. Too much pressure on the D if you can't.

 

[lobo]

Nice to see so many of us on the same page. In the "long run" a running game is vital. I can list many reasons, but when you lookmat the top level teams they all rely on the run. We will (gulp) get a first hand view in two weeks of outstanding running. The wr'sn the jints should turn over part of their checks to the ol and the rb's. Pass blocking takes a whole lot more out of the OL than run blocking and to the man they will all tell us that they would rather run block....our guys have done an unbelievable job. Why so many penalties??? Much easier to call when pass blocking.

If you can imagine our passing game even better, consider the fact that an improved run game would make the passing game even better. When the timecomes for Matt to be no. 1 I hope the run game makes a quantum leap....

 

[cgolden]

My only question is, can KW lead the offense with a great game if they have to go to New York in Janaury? Can he throw for 300 and a couple of TDs in freezing, windy weather?

 

[gusmahler]

My only question is, can KW lead the offense with a great game if they have to go to New York in Janaury? Can he throw for 300 and a couple of TDs in freezing, windy weather?

If we get HFA, that question won't matter.

NYG is only 2 games in front of us. If we beat them head to head, that's only a 1 game lead. While we have a tough 2nd half schedule, NYG has an even tougher one. It's not preordained that we have to go on the road at all.

 

[Stout]

Not enough is made out of the running game, or lack thereof. We don't have a running game. Without one, we won't go deep in the playoffs, let alone ever win a Super Bowl.