Usually when a team is struggling, much of the fan criticism will focus on the play calling. Mostly, fans will complain about it being too conservative, but so far this year, it's gone to the other extreme...that the team isn't running enough and that there's too many low percentage deep passes. While I believe there is legitimacy to this critique, I saw a video that makes me wonder if that complaint fully encapsulates the problems with the offense.
J.T. O Sullivan was a former NFL backup QB who does a feature on YouTube called QB School, where he breaks down film of QBs and offers analysis. He broke down all of the first round QB prospects in this past draft. A couple of days ago, he reviewed Trevor Lawrence's game against Denver.
Watch the part where he discusses the first INT...the attempt to Farrell.
Here's the link.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gAWkYBVWyzg
I am not sure what to think.
On that play, Farrell was wide open initially, and Trevor seemed late with the pass enabling the S to come over to make the pick. However, O Sullivan points out a route like the one Farrell ran is often accompanied by the receiver to that side threatening the S with a post. On the play, the Jaguars WR ran an underneath route and never occupied that S, enabling him to break on the ball.
If play design is a problem on that play, how many other plays are we running that are poorly or otherwise not optimally designed? If we are running the occasional poorly designed play, what other issues could they cause over the course of a series or game?
Farrell's route was also kind of odd to me, and I wonder if that contributed to the late throw. If you're going to run a play design like that, where the safety isn't really threatened by any route but the shallow corner is covering Laviska in the flat, Farrell should have turned toward the sideline much earler. If he breaks off toward the sideline at roughly the 50, the shallow corner can't make a play and the safety is likely too far away still. Instead Farrell kind of drifted up field and just kept the safety in the play. I wonder if Trevor was expecting him to break off, then saw him looking over his shoulder to the inside and hesitated on the throw. Seems like a poor play by pretty much everyone involved.
Bunch of young guys with limited practice. NFL practice restrictions + Wasted Time on Fake QB Competition = Execution Inefficienies
They all need to get better. I have some hope because we did have a strong opening drive which has been a rare occurrence around our team.
We're 31st in motion percentage I know I hate that. Otherwise it's kinda hard to know what is play design vs Trevor's mindset fault after just 2 games.
I have to believe that it's play design, mixed in with rookie nervousness, and a little bit of hurriedness trying to beat the pass rush.
Trevor is still as advertised, I just believe this coaching staff doesn't know how to harness his talent. Like someone who has never driven before trying to drive a sports car. I would say that Trevor shares a certain responsibility, but the coaching staff certainly isn't doing him any favors, by not giving him a recipe for success. We've seen a lot of other rookie and 2nd/3rd QB's look decent, there's no acceptable reason that Trevor couldn't be seeing more success.
Watching the video on the play in question, my biggest question is the quarter roll TL did. As pointed out, if he'd been able to throw the pass without have to regather it would've been fine.
So was the quarter roll because he was supposed to read the whole right side first? Did he just mess up? Bad play design?
I can't answer any of that, and that's why I try to stay away from too much criticism of individual play calls.
(09-25-2021, 03:40 PM)empty Wrote: [ -> ]Farrell's route was also kind of odd to me, and I wonder if that contributed to the late throw. If you're going to run a play design like that, where the safety isn't really threatened by any route but the shallow corner is covering Laviska in the flat, Farrell should have turned toward the sideline much earler. If he breaks off toward the sideline at roughly the 50, the shallow corner can't make a play and the safety is likely too far away still. Instead Farrell kind of drifted up field and just kept the safety in the play. I wonder if Trevor was expecting him to break off, then saw him looking over his shoulder to the inside and hesitated on the throw. Seems like a poor play by pretty much everyone involved.
Looking at the route itself, it would seem to be more natural for Farrell to have turned outside, since the open area might have been outside towards the sideline.
However, that sort of semi roll out to the right makes me wonder.
As Senor Fantastico pointed out, had it been a straight drop with the play action, Trevor would have been in a better position to make the fast throw. But having him move to the right had to slow things down for at least a count and seemingly would have had Trevor throw against his body to a certain degree if the fast pass to Farrell was he goal.
That play, perhaps more than any other in the past two weeks, was the most disappointing to me because it seemed to have big play written all over it, only for it to result in an INT. I don't know what read sequence TL had, but Farrell was open for most of the play, and with a quicker decision to throw, may have gotten the completion to him. But even with the play transpiring as it was aside from the receiver to the left, the big play was still there if the S was occupied.
(09-25-2021, 04:11 PM)MoJagFan Wrote: [ -> ]Bunch of young guys with limited practice. NFL practice restrictions + Wasted Time on Fake QB Competition = Execution Inefficienies
They all need to get better. I have some hope because we did have a strong opening drive which has been a rare occurrence around our team.
I'm not sure how much the "competition" had to do with that INT on that play.
I'm not sure TL would have been any more decisive on the play had he gotten a few extra starter reps, or, for that matter, if the play would have been designed any better,
That said, I still have a great deal of hope about TL's future and the future of our offense/passing game. But you are right. They all do need to get better...from the coaching staff and Trevor Lawrence on down.
(09-25-2021, 05:31 PM)Flagler Jagsfan Wrote: [ -> ]I have to believe that it's play design, mixed in with rookie nervousness, and a little bit of hurriedness trying to beat the pass rush.
Trevor is still as advertised, I just believe this coaching staff doesn't know how to harness his talent. Like someone who has never driven before trying to drive a sports car. I would say that Trevor shares a certain responsibility, but the coaching staff certainly isn't doing him any favors, by not giving him a recipe for success. We've seen a lot of other rookie and 2nd/3rd QB's look decent, there's no acceptable reason that Trevor couldn't be seeing more success.
Agreed completely.
Despite all the scouting, all the interviews, all the practice reps and game snaps, it's still quite possible the coaching staff still doesn't know what plays he is most comfortable running, not do they have a full grasp of his skill set at this early stage. I don't necessarily see this as an indictment of the coaching staff, because that knowledge only comes with time. I have often stated it takes about five regular season weeks/games for new coaching staffs implementing new systems to start to grasp what the players have to offer, and for the players to begin to grasp the schemes.
As for the coaching staff not doing him any favors, I can agree with that to a large degree. I think they are getting away from the run too much. I am also left to wonder exactly what impact the Travis etienne injury had on the underneath passing game. TL relied heavily on Etienne in college, and I have to think he was going to be an integral part of the passing game given they tried hm at WR early in camp.
Since the Etienne point was raised dismissively by another poster a couple of weeks back, I want to be clear. Etienne's injury is NOT the difference between 2-0 vs. 0-2. But I assert his absence is the difference between some dives that get extended, if only for another series, and some that don't. I think on some plays, it may have been the difference between TL forcing a pass downfield and maybe checking down underneath.
(09-25-2021, 05:11 PM)Upper Wrote: [ -> ]We're 31st in motion percentage I know I hate that. Otherwise it's kinda hard to know what is play design vs Trevor's mindset fault after just 2 games.
In fairness, it's tough to know at all. Even if we all had access to coaches tape, we still don't know the play design, read progressions, etc.
Yes, I think TL's relative inexperience had something to do with the outcome of that play. I think a more experienced TL under similar circumstances avoids that INT with a quicker pass because he's more confident in what he sees.
I want to say yes, it falls on play design, but I must add in we don't know if the players are even running the correct routes.
New HC, OC, and QB. There's no comfort level as of yet. And probably no confidence either.
(09-25-2021, 08:02 PM)Bullseye Wrote: [ -> ]Since the Etienne point was raised dismissively by another poster a couple of weeks back, I want to be clear. Etienne's injury is NOT the difference between 2-0 vs. 0-2. But I assert his absence is the difference between some dives that get extended, if only for another series, and some that don't. I think on some plays, it may have been the difference between TL forcing a pass downfield and maybe checking down underneath.
I believe this was the reasoning for drafting Etienne. To be that checkdown back that could utilized in the open space and make something out of nothing. I think this is another reason that Urban lamented not getting KadariusToney (which I think he should of kept his mouth shut about, since it probably made Etienne feel like chopped liver). I get the feeling that Urban wanted Toney so that Toney could just get the ball and work some magic. No need for some exquisite play call, just get the ball to your best player. Maybe Urban is learning the hard way in NFL you also have to have a more encompassing game plan beside get the ball into the hands of your studs (which we seem to require more of).