You can lie to yourself all you want. Reality is you don't know what plays are called, what the defensive tendencies are for each team and individual player tendencies on those teams, what checks were made. The simple fact that if a defense lines up a certain way, it will change the progressions of the play.
And it is amazing how you can contradict yourself in a single post. With all these screw ups by Rodgers that are so easy to see that even a Barfarn can do it. If that is the case, wouldn't McCarthy be to blame for letting it go on?
Originally Posted by: PackFanWithTwins
WRONG! In MM’s system the way the D lines up will not affect “the progression!” It may cause a check or audible to a different formation or play, but the progression for the play called is the progression that must be executed. The D’s alignment or post snap reaction may affect the direction the route is run; so the spot may change; but the TIMING of when the receiver is supposed to be looking for the ball NEVER changes. That is what makes his system so utterly unstoppable; but difficult to execute. The WR studies the play knowing he has to be at this spot at this time; except, for example, when the safety or LB does that, then you have to be at another spot at the same time as you were supposed to be when going to that other spot. And his “move” has to be timed just right to gain max separation at whatever spot and time the play dictates. This is absolutely mind blowing for a young receiver; you cant judge too harshly too early.
Also factored in the progression is the choreographing of the OL to create a window especially for shorter passes; and BTW the DL are coached to recognize plays and get in the throwing lanes.
And then there’s “alerts” for Rodgers to watch for certain things that cause receivers not schemed into the progression or having been passed in the progression making a secondary move to be wide open. Many of the big plays that look like luck or a breakdown are actually somewhat designed into the play.
The problem is NOT the coaching!!! And anyone who says the O is too simplistic is just roundhouse stupid!
At any rate you look at the play and you notice they’re doubling a lousy DT and singling or not blocking an all pro DLman. Makes no sense, until you see the WR looking for the ball in the window created by the double team.
For example, in the trio zip cluster left Apache 6 hot Z snag, the OL seal blocks and pushes 3 left DL left as far as possible and the DE on right side is picked up only by RB. Makes no sense! Until you realize the idea is to draw the unblocked DE into the backfield to create a HUGE window on the entire right side for the H and Z to cross. The RB is there just to slow the DE down a bit. And the Y runs a corner post to clear; but he’s on “alert;” if by chance both slot and OCBs bite down on cross he’ll be WIDE open.
If you understand and study these philosophies and principles you can often very accurately diagnose what happened. And a few times a game, you see the EXACT play that was run. When you see the play perfectly executed as designed it is a magical feeling.
That said, you have to be aware that MM is one tricky SOB. He always develops innovative wrinkles. Several times a game, he will run a play that was successful in the weeks before and he knows it was scouted and prepared for. So he sets up exact formation, everyone executing exact, except one little seemingly irrational unscoutable wrinkle. These unscoutable wrinkles can appear as a screw-up to an outsider, which is me in the weeks that Mike and I don’t discuss his game plan at length 😂 😂.
And sometimes ya think ya know what’s happening and ya just don’t. But, this is the first thing that comes to mind whenever I evaluate a play. My evaluations of Rodgers are generally correct notwithstanding that several plays were certainly misevaluated to varying degrees. When going back and grading pre-2015 games, w/ the same evaluation techniques there is almost perfection, no more than 2-3 goofs a game, the bushels full of problems in last 2.
I say its tough for WRs, what about a QB? For many years I saw Rodgers handle this system in a way that words can only do injustice to. Most just saw the stats, I saw his unspeakable brilliant execution in the scheme. Then at the end of the Jax game he saw Cobb wide open and says he doesn’t know why he didn’t throw it? I don’t know what happened to him in 2015 and ‘16; but I’m telling you, his approach and execution was not the same as it was 2009 to 2014 and the guy who plays in crunch time in playoffs was someone else as well.
I assure you MM didn’t “let it go on.” I’m sure he has and will try everything. If you’ve ever managed people you now ya gotta be a god damned psychologist today and you’d have great employees’ work suffer because of divorces, custody battle, drugs or other personal issues. As a human you don’t want cast them aside; as a boss ya hope you can help and time will heal. Why didn’t MM bench him? We might learn it if Mike writes a book 20 years from now. Crosby wasn’t nearly relatively as good as Rodgers and MM stuck with him, even though he was pretty damn bad. You saw me call for Rodgers’ benchin’ and trade to Denver 😂; but never criticized MM or Ted for not doing it. They’re in the best position to judge if a player, a man, is worthy of receiving none, 2 or 50 chances. There is no contradiction there, it just that most life is a bit more complicated and works on a sliding scale, than being as monosyllabically easy as, “Rodgers bad, Rodgers benched.”