Are You Freaking Kidding Me?

[jiggins7919]

 

Wow, good stuff (thanks for taking the time to pin up the still shots). It could be easily debated that if Pryor wouldn't have been taking the play off and actually made a block, that the play had a chance in resulting in a TD as well.

 

I know this is hindsight nonsense, but whatever. Crow versus a safety is something I'll take any day of the week. He doesn't have to make the guy miss, he just has to fall forward, and that's something Crowell does pretty well at the goal line. Yes, I know he fumbled earlier, but that's RARE for him. The safety wouldn't have had anywhere near the same level of momentum, and Crow is a very strong man. I can't see the safety completely stopping Crow's entire momentum and stiffing him. I mean, Crow could spin off him to the inside, outside, or just lower the shoulder. And it would've been at an angle, so good luck knocking a RB backward.

 

But like you said, if Pryor makes that block...

 

Edit: the safety would've had a ton of momentum, and theoretically knocked Crowell back...but who knows. It's tough to say because RG III goes to throw immediately, which obviously changes the pursuit of the safety. However, as far back as he was playing, I can't imagine he could've made that play. Crow would've had a full head of steam, and the left side of the line was in perfect position to make blocks. Even if Crow got completely stood up, Joe Thomas and company would've been pushing him from behind. My guess is that Crow would've run slanted left and gone in barely touched. It's a moot point, and the last time I'll ever mention it. It's truly pathetic...on so many different levels.

[jiggins7919]

Jiggins - here you go:

 

Pre-snap, and Browns have three receivers split out to the left, covered by two backs, while the steelers have have defenders on the LoS, with two backers and two safeties, slightly overloaded to our right:

 

 

 

RG3 takes the hand off, and Hawkins appears to be running away from him. Meanwhile, JT's man isn't a threat to the run, the RDE is being handled by Fabiano and Drango (I think?) is making ready to hit the linebacker. Crowell would have to make the safety miss:

 

 

 

RG3 throws the ball, but by the time it gets to Hawkins, Pryor has failed his blocking, and Hawkins is about to be hit. Meanwhile, the linebacker and safety that would have been playing the run have started moving to Hawkins:

 

 

 

Hawkins does well to not just get knocked down straight away but from this point the play is a lost cause:

 

 

 

 

 

So the run play makes it Crowell vs safety in the hole - could go either way. Stuffed, pick up a yard, score. I fancy Crowell. But, a quick throw in front of Hawkins, leading him to the end zone also scores, and I guess that's what RG3 sees - 9 defenders in front, two covering three receivers - and thinks 'hey, easy score' but it looks like the screen is designed to go outside Pryor, judging from Hawkins' post-snap movement, and for that reason it's a much lower percentage play in my book. Not exactly bone-headed, but still not great.

 

Wow...thanks a ton, man. Great post as usual.

[Tour2ma]

My apologies for the thread long rant folks. You don't deserve to read that kind of garbage.

 

Meh... you're entitled. Can't be rational all the time.

 

And for the record... I'd like to see Tabor back...

 

Jiggins - here you go:

 

Gorgeous post... gotta love stills making a case.

[gumby73]

 

 

 

RG3 takes the hand off, and Hawkins appears to be running away from him. Meanwhile, JT's man isn't a threat to the run, the RDE is being handled by Fabiano and Drango (I think?) is making ready to hit the linebacker. Crowell would have to make the safety miss:

 

 

 

RG3 throws the ball, but by the time it gets to Hawkins, Pryor has failed his blocking, and Hawkins is about to be hit. Meanwhile, the linebacker and safety that would have been playing the run have started moving to Hawkins:

 

 

 

Hawkins does well to not just get knocked down straight away but from this point the play is a lost cause:

 

 

 

 

 

So the run play makes it Crowell vs safety in the hole - could go either way. Stuffed, pick up a yard, score. I fancy Crowell. But, a quick throw in front of Hawkins, leading him to the end zone also scores, and I guess that's what RG3 sees - 9 defenders in front, two covering three receivers - and thinks 'hey, easy score' but it looks like the screen is designed to go outside Pryor, judging from Hawkins' post-snap movement, and for that reason it's a much lower percentage play in my book. Not exactly bone-headed, but still not great.

Great post gftchris..but somewhere out there Ernest Byner would have scored this time or we all would have to cry again

[ATENEARS]

 

I know this is hindsight nonsense, but whatever. Crow versus a safety is something I'll take any day of the week. He doesn't have to make the guy miss, he just has to fall forward, and that's something Crowell does pretty well at the goal line. Yes, I know he fumbled earlier, but that's RARE for him. The safety wouldn't have had anywhere near the same level of momentum, and Crow is a very strong man. I can't see the safety completely stopping Crow's entire momentum and stiffing him. I mean, Crow could spin off him to the inside, outside, or just lower the shoulder. And it would've been at an angle, so good luck knocking a RB backward.

 

But like you said, if Pryor makes that block...

 

Edit: the safety would've had a ton of momentum, and theoretically knocked Crowell back...but who knows. It's tough to say because RG III goes to throw immediately, which obviously changes the pursuit of the safety. However, as far back as he was playing, I can't imagine he could've made that play. Crow would've had a full head of steam, and the left side of the line was in perfect position to make blocks. Even if Crow got completely stood up, Joe Thomas and company would've been pushing him from behind. My guess is that Crow would've run slanted left and gone in barely touched. It's a moot point, and the last time I'll ever mention it. It's truly pathetic...on so many different levels.

 

 

You kind of overlooked the linebackers, no? It's hard to go back and hindsight take a what-if approach on a run when it was a quick pass and you don't know what pursuit angles would be there otherwise. Let's just chalk it up as "Scheme gone bad" no matter what it is. That's what I've taken from this entire season. I saw players trying, even giving it there all, but without a common core scheme, either due to lack of coaching or just not gelled yet in this initial season.

[Tour2ma]

Reflecting a bit more on the play and the photo array...

 

In his hurry to get the ball out to the mismatch, not even a token play fake was made Crow's way. I've seen successful bubbles carried out after PA. Not sure it matters as TP whiffed the key block so badly, but it might have.

[TexasAg1969]

Reflecting a bit more on the play and the photo array...

 

In his hurry to get the ball out to the mismatch, not even a token play fake was made Crow's way. I've seen successful bubbles carried out after PA. Not sure it matters as TP whiffed the key block so badly, but it might have.

 

I agree. One of the things that got Fran the Man fired at A&M was that in back to back weeks against OU and Neb. he had a similar situation in that his big RB had gotten them inside the 5 with a series of 5-7 yd carries late in the games, but he was taken out and not even left in for PA threat and multiple bad passing plays backfiring and resulting in both games lost instead of won. Dumbest coach in all of college football. RGIII was right up there with him on that play.

[jiggins7919]

 

 

You kind of overlooked the linebackers, no? It's hard to go back and hindsight take a what-if approach on a run when it was a quick pass and you don't know what pursuit angles would be there otherwise. Let's just chalk it up as "Scheme gone bad" no matter what it is. That's what I've taken from this entire season. I saw players trying, even giving it there all, but without a common core scheme, either due to lack of coaching or just not gelled yet in this initial season.

 

The linebackers weren't really going to be a factor in the vision in my head. We had a blocker in excellent position for the one backer, and of course he could've made an amazing play, but it would've been extremely hard to fight through a moving OL and a powerful, full speed RB like Crow. There's obviously no way to know, but we had them blocked up pretty damn well. Crow also thrives in these situations. Even if the safety and the backers somehow wrapped him up before the goal line, Crow would've been pushed from behind by two OL. Assuming Crow doesn't fumble again, and I SERIOUSLY doubt he would have, the worst case scenario is probably 3rd and goal from the half yard line.

 

As long as we're playing the "hindsight game", think about this for a moment: Look at what happens if RG III looks left to pass, but instead brings it down and follows Crow. The QB draw from around the 5 yard line is one of my favorite plays, and it hurt us in the past. I remember Hue running it against us with Andy Dalton, and he walked in untouched. A QB draw right there doesn't just walk in, he could probably moonwalk into the end zone while grabbing his crotch and yelling, "SCHA-MON!"