Ricky ran for 8 yards, which set up a 3rd and 2.

 

Deej, perhaps now one really "gets" why I have banged the ST drum for months now?

That Sanders 50 yd return was fully 2 games into Darren Rizzi's tenure as ST coordinator, we still sucked at ST and in very very real ways, not stat monkey stuff but in allowing the other team to answer back quickly after the offense did good work. And when the Defense did good work, the ST would trot out there and hand Uncle Mo right back to the opponent.

Read some good things about the latest CFL import Resetilli as in comparisons to Brandon Adenyabejo.

 

we need more @ QB, be it from Henne or the competition.
I think the offensive line fix is in... if so, no more excuses.

as the QB steps up, so will the entire team. the key to the step-up will be competition.

 

How'd you lose your detailed notes you knucklehead? :tongue2:

 

So what if it was 3rd & 2 instead of 3rd & 4? Did the 3rd down run net a 1st down? No, it didn't which is the main point. 3 ineffective runs and out giving Henne zero opportunity to put points on the board against a great team, yet people wonder why he didn't throw many TDs.

 

might very well find the answer on the present roster, might be as much about coaching as players

 

Well, if they do not bring R+R back you will know why.

Recall in TP's excellent thread yesterday he mentioned how good Atlanta's ST has been since Ryan was drafted?

I do have an eye on Resetilli Deej, he is no Wake, but Abendayo is a multi pro bowl ST gunner, and he came from the CFL at 6'2 225, Resetilli is 6'1 and change and 215 but much quicker.

 

I'm serious when I say this: I would be all for trading for some STers. Montell Owens would be a guy in particular I would trade for. If Corey Graham becomes an UFA, I hope we do everything we can to bring him in. Even if it means paying him extra money to be a #5 CB/strictly STer. Bringing in those two guys would instantly improve our STs.

But, we all know we aren't going to go after either.

 

That is a huge difference. Running on 3rd and 2 is completely credible.

The main point doesn't make good football sense. Especially since one of the runs was very effective. 8 yards is a great run on 2nd down.

Even the drive before had two incomplete passes to end in field goal.

This, imo, shows how ridiculous people can be when discussing football. When they call a run on 3rd and 2 not a good play.

 

Hot QB? As of this point Henne is 0-2.

 

Awesome post by the way Deej. Enjoyable and insightful. You had me chuckling a few times again.

The same stuff that infuriated you did the same for me when I rewatched the game. I wanted to ring Henning's neck multiple times for that ridiculous crap. You can really see his philosophy about not allowing QBs to make mistakes shine through once we get in FG range and he takes the ball out of our QBs hands. Even when Penny had a tremendous statistical 08 season, he only threw 19 TDs which seems sub par for what his success would've indicated.

It's almost like Henning has a hatred of the position---- especially when he gives a majority of the snaps to a ground game that has proven thus far to be grossly ineffective, especially inside the 35. We probably passed over 60% of the time from the 20 to the 35, and then it went to like 75% runs as soon as we hit Carpenter's leg range.


You're gonna love the next game..... orrrr maybe not. :lol:

 

The incomplete passes were more on Henning and the run for 0 yards on first down. I understand your point about the gain of 8 yards, but regardless, it was 3 runs in a row against a team that's tough to run on. Bottom line is we all know it was Henning playing for a FG rather than going for the throat like most successful teams will do while the momentum is in their corner. Settling for 2 FGs is deflating.

 

I hadn't read this post before I wrote my previous one. I guess we're thinking alike here, Deej.

 

I do agree that settling for 2 FGs is deflating, however I do not put the blame on Henning. A run on 3rd and 2 isn't "settling for a field goal."

next time Miami is on the 5 yard line, Miami goes for 1 run, and then two passes. Still got a field goal.

 

Hot as in playing a very good game the week before in a victory over the SB champs. To this point, Henne had been more effective than the ground game, so if one aspect (run vs pass) had any "hotness" to them, it was Henne, not the ground game.

I see you completely ignored what led to the first 2 incompletions> Henning's conservatism to his pass play calling and Ronnie's mistake. None of that was on Henne.

 

Wait, so Henne can keep up the hottness over an entire week, however take him out of one play for a wildcat and then everything is destroyed.

I do not see a run on first down being conservative. The pass on third down, it is not Henne's mistake that Ronnie Brown doesn't make the right read.

 

IIRC I believe Hartline couldn't make a play on a fade that a true redzone threat would've come down with. Again, what good is a run for 1 yard when you need 5 for a TD? That's a wasted down.

I also don't agree with the previous 3rd down run after 2 of the 3 previous runs went for no gain, while also taking into account our opponent and previous utter lack of success running the ball inside the 35. Great teams would've gone for the Steelers throat; we didn't. 6 plays within scoring reach and Henning took no real shot at the endzone. That's unforgivable.... and again-- how is a QB supposed to develop or appear successful stat-wise if he's not given the opportunity to do so?

Honestly, how is Henne supposed to become the QB we all want if he's not afforded these critical opportunities that lead to player growth? Matt Ryan sure as s#it hasn't had the ball taken out of his hands the past 3 years inside the 35. The Falcons have done a great job of giving him the opportunity to improve his game and develop as a QB in this regard.

 

You say that like the Steelers are easy to pass on. How is 1 yard on a run less of a wasted down than an incomplete pass?

Now you are saying the Falcons wouldn't have run the ball on third and 2?

 

Things are destroyed when you don't allow someone to get into a rhythm. Even Peyton Manning at times takes a few throws to get into a rhythm. It's not just Henne being taken out. It's being taken out and then coming into a 2nd and long or 3rd and long because the WC was unsuccessful. I posted the success rates of 2nd and long. It's less than 20%..... which is massively less than the sucess rate of 1st & 10.

you're entitled to that opinion. When we have the momentum and we're running with the intention of "preventing" potential mistakes in the passing game, then IMO it's "conservative".

I'll just have to disagree. watching the 2 series live (back to back), IMO it has conservatism stamped all over it. I saw nothing about the play calling that even remotely whimpered "let's go for the throat; let's take it to them". I saw an OC who flopped over on his back into the submissive position and was content with FGs. I saw an OC who's philosophy shouted "3 points are better than no points"..... and it ended up costing us the game IMO.

 

I remember watching it live and thinking on the second drive, "man dolphin fans are going to lose their ****. They can be so silly."

I will never agree that a run on 3rd and 2 is conservative or a run on 1st and 10 is conservative. It doesn't make any logical sense. I can see the run on 2nd and 10 being conservative, yet it did gain 8 yards, which is pretty successful.

I still blame the execution on both of those drives. Including the execution of Henne on the pass to hartline.

 

I rewatched 6 Falcon games. They were night and day more aggressive inside the 35 to the point where they passed up the easy 3 points for the hopes of 7. On numerous occasions they went for it on 4th down inside the 35 and gave Ryan the opportunity to punch it in.

And yes, the Falcons would probably run occasionally on 3rd and 2.... and they'd do so with the intention of picking up a first down rather than attempting to make sure your QB doesn't make a mistake that costs you 3 points in the process. Falcons also have more of a reason to run on 3rd & 2 because their ground game is MUCH more effective at picking up a consistent 3-4 yards. We were not; nothing about our run game during the first 5 games (outside of playing an injured Packer D) hinted at an ability to run it on the Steelers of all teams.

 

Right click>options menu>select all>copy>minimize browser by tapping _ on the upper right corner>start menu>note pad>right click>paste>save as.

 

I agree, the runs on 1st & 10 and 3rd & 2 might not normally be treated as "conservative"; however in the context of the situation, IMO they were conservative b/c those 2 times were during situations that could've caused a serious momentum shift. After rewatching the first 5 games in a short period of time, things stood out that I didn't notice while the season was happening live. This culminated in the first 2 drives of the Steelers game. I'm not trying to convince you; I just perceive those 2 drives differently based on how our season had gone thus far. If we had a successful running game during our 1st 5 games, then running the ball 4 of 6 times in Steeler territory would be in proper context IMO; however, I don't believe it was in context, and I believe that Henning knew it wasn't in context but just didn't care because he perfers 3 points rather than his QB potentially turning the ball over. He's stated such in the past, so I'm not sure why his philosophy whould change here.

 

He played very well to be known as HOT?

 

You can't really say it's an incomplete pass when no pass was even attempted. I'm inclined to believe that 3 pass attempts have a better chance of resulting in a TD than 2 attempts and a run of 1 yard. What did Henning do to get Marshall involved or attempt to mismatch him for a potential TD?