We all remember this play yesterday. Blake Bortles looks right, he doesn't see the first option open, he looks back to his left and sees Cecil Shorts sitting on his curl route. Brandon Flowers was also right there waiting for the ball to be thrown.
That play says a lot about our offense.
First of all, Blake needs to recognize the CB sitting on the route before he throws it. Had Cecil been his first read and made a timely throw, it's likely a completion for a short gain. However, it wasn't his first read, so the CB by that time already knows what Cecil is doing. All he had to do was sit on the route and wait.
Secondly, Cecil cant just SIT THERE if the ball does not come his way after he makes his route. He needs to improvise with Blake on plays like this. If Cecil runs a curl route and Blake has not thrown him the ball right away, he needs to turn it up the field or make an attempt to come open. I don't know if our offense just doesn't allow for option routes like that, but that play can't happen. It's too easy to defend. You have to be able to adjust on-the-fly.
This is where this offense needs to get better. Cecil could have turned that route up field and likely would be wide open considering how Brandon Flowers sat on the route. The play where Blake did a spin move, avoided the rush, and completed a pass to Clay Harbor was a great play. On that play the receivers were fighting to come open, and he found Clay Harbor coming across the field.
If Blake Bortles is our Big Ben, the receivers need to do this more. Big Ben has made a living with his receivers breaking off their routes to go deep while Big Ben buys time.
I hope this team learns from that interception.
That INT was the play right after Cecil reaggravated his hamstring and then he left for good. Coulda been a whole different outcome if he was able to get back to the ball like I'm sure he was supposed to/wanted to.
Of course he'll learn from it. But that's 99% on Shorts. Or should I say his injury bc he physically couldn't come back to the ball.
Quote:Of course he'll learn from it. But that's 99% on Shorts. Or should I say his injury bc he physically couldn't come back to the ball.
Shorts = Injury so yes... It was on Shorts.
I guess his injury is to blame, but at that point he shouldn't be in the game. Pull yourself out if you cant run.
Also, this is about more than just "coming back to the ball". The receiver needs to turn it up field in that situation. Modern day offenses allow receivers to improvise all the time. Granted, those QBs and receivers have had more time to develop chemistry. But all I'm saying is that would have been a great opportunity to improvise for a big play. Flowers was not respecting the receiver's ability to go up field, at all.
Quote:I guess his injury is to blame, but at that point he shouldn't be in the game. Pull yourself out if you cant run.
Also, this is about more than just "coming back to the ball". The receiver needs to turn it up field in that situation. Modern day offenses allow receivers to improvise all the time. Granted, those QBs and receivers have had more time to develop chemistry. But all I'm saying is that would have been a great opportunity to improvise for a big play. Flowers was not respecting the receiver's ability to go up field, at all.
Not much to respect when he can't move I guess
I felt like he should made a more aggressive move to the ball. But what do I know.
Badger, how can you possibly not understand hamstring strains make Cecil's job difficult? If the injury did not limit his ability to run, jump, and change directions he would have stayed in the game after that. I have stated in multiple threads the interception was caused by Cecil's inability to make a move for the ball because of his hamstring.
Why not just be happy about the fact that Blake threw to his second read after seeing the first guy was covered? That right there is one reason he is better than Chad or any other quarterback we had the last 10 years.
Quote:Badger, how can you possibly not understand hamstring strains make Cecil's job difficult? If the injury did not limit his ability to run, jump, and change directions he would have stayed in the game after that. I have stated in multiple threads the interception was caused by Cecil's inability to make a move for the ball because of his hamstring.
Why not just be happy about the fact that Blake threw to his second read after seeing the first guy was covered? That right there is one reason he is better than Chad or any other quarterback we had the last 10 years.
I don't think you understand the point of this topic. The point is GOING FORWARD the receivers and QB can use those situations to improvise and make big plays. It doesn't matter who the receiver is, if you don't get the ball after running that short curl, you cant sit there... injured or not-injured.
Like I said.. not sure if you read it or not. Bortles is our Big Ben, and the receivers need to follow suit and improvise for the big plays down field. It's going to take time and chemistry. I'm just pointing out that that this was a play that should not be happening. The receiver can't just sit there.... injury or not.
Cecil should not have been in the game if he cant move, but obviously he was well enough to run his route. He could have done more.
The Chargers DB's were squatting on routes all day.
You can put some of the blame on Shorts for not breaking off his route, but the point is the DB's were watching Bortles eyes throughout his progressions.
Also not running deep routes to pull the safeties out didnt help either.
Quote:I don't think you understand the point of this topic. The point is GOING FORWARD the receivers and QB can use those situations to improvise and make big plays. It doesn't matter who the receiver is, if you don't get the ball after running that short curl, you cant sit there... injured or not-injured.
Like I said.. not sure if you read it or not. Bortles is our Big Ben, and the receivers need to follow suit and improvise for the big plays down field. It's going to take time and chemistry. I'm just pointing out that that this was a play that should not be happening. The receiver can't just sit there.... injury or not.
Cecil should not have been in the game if he cant move, but obviously he was well enough to run his route. He could have done more.
Cecil was injured on the previous play. He was not on the injury report.
Quote:The Chargers DB's were squatting on routes all day.
You can put some of the blame on Shorts for not breaking off his route, but the point is the DB's were watching Bortles eyes throughout his progressions.
Also not running deep routes to pull the safeties out didnt help either.
One thing that is confusing is why we didn't make them pay for that more like in the first half. Hurns faked out Weddle so badly because the Chargers were clearly coached to sit on the shorter routes.
That's why I was saying (on who's to blame for the interception), I don't know if our offense allows options to a receiver. I hope/think Bortles will be able to develop that kind of chemistry with a couple receivers so that they can make some hot reads on-the-fly.
Quote:Cecil was injured on the previous play. He was not on the injury report.
I know that.... everybody knows that. He should have pulled himself from the game if he cant run more than five yards.
I blame Cecil for being out there if he can't run.
It's admirable to want to play through an injury, but if you can't even run half speed then you are putting your team in dire straits.
Kind of a selfish move IMO.
Cecil will lose a lot of money this year. He needed this contract year to be a good one for him.
Quote:I blame Cecil for being out there if he can't run.
It's admirable to want to play through an injury, but if you can't even run half speed then you are putting your team in dire straits.
Kind of a selfish move IMO.
Cecil will lose a lot of money this year. He needed this contract year to be a good one for him.
Yea that's unfortunate for him, he's better off signing a 1 year deal somewhere to prove he's healthy, and try to break the bank in 2016, I doubt that happens. I compared CSIII to Victor Cruz a couple years ago, boy was I wrong.
Quote:Yea that's unfortunate for him, he's better off signing a 1 year deal somewhere to prove he's healthy, and try to break the bank in 2016, I doubt that happens. I compared CSIII to Victor Cruz a couple years ago, boy was I wrong.
I think he could be as good as Cruz in the right system with a good QB.... and if he wasn't hurt all the time.
Quote:I think he could be as good as Cruz in the right system with a good QB.... and if he wasn't hurt all the time.
I used to feel the same way, but CSIII doesn't have the suddenness and explosiveness that Cruz has, Cruz and Antonio Brown are similar players, I think CSIII compares more to an Emmanuel Sanders.
I think Marqise's upside is Victor Cruz/Antonio Brown, he has the natural explosive and suddenness to him, assuming he's healthy.
Quote:One thing that is confusing is why we didn't make them pay for that more like in the first half. Hurns faked out Weddle so badly because the Chargers were clearly coached to sit on the shorter routes.
That's why I was saying (on who's to blame for the interception), I don't know if our offense allows options to a receiver. I hope/think Bortles will be able to develop that kind of chemistry with a couple receivers so that they can make some hot reads on-the-fly.
The Chargers went more to a shell cover 2 and kept everything underneath, but got more aggressive in their schemes. They felt comfortable going to that package because the DL was getting more consistent pressure on Bortles. There were some plays where they went man, and blitzed Bortles basically daring him to make a quick audible on a hot, or go read.
Their goal in the second half was to slow the game for Bortles who had to make pre-snap reads and adjustments, instead of going quick tempo.
Gus Bradley basically repeated what I said about the Clay Harbor play. He said, "That's what our guys are learning about (Blake)..." He talked about how Clay came over from the other side of the field and stayed "alive".
Gus is exactly right, explosive plays are out there to be made if we improvise when necessary. We cant sit.