Red Zone Play-by-Play -- What Just Happened?
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 1:52 AM MDT
37 comments
There has been a tremendous amount of discussion and analysis of Denver's Red Zone statistics, questions about what went wrong, discussion about Cutler locking in on Marshall way too much, etc. etc. Once again, in reading through these wonderfully researched articles the curiosity bug once again bit me. I found myself asking, "What just happened?"
The following information is included for each quarter: Number of possessions, Result of each possession (if it was a score, who scored and was it a run or pass), Runs in the Red Zone, Targeted in the Red Zone, Completed in the Red Zone, a general summary for each quarter, and some observations at the end.
1st Quarter
#1 TD (Pittman run) -- Runs: Hall 1, Pittman 2
#2 TD (Jackson pass) -- Runs: Pittman 1; Targeted: Marshall 1, Stokley 1, Jackson 1; Completed: Stokley 1, Jackson 1
#3 TD (Stokley pass) -- Runs: Pittman 1; Targeted: Stokley 2; Completed: Stokley 2
#4 TD (Royal pass) -- Runs: Torain 1; Targeted: Jackson 1, Royal 1; Completed: Royal 1
#5 TD (Torain run) -- Runs: Torain 2; Targeted: Royal 1; Completed: Royal 1
#6 TD (Hillis run) -- Runs: Hillis 1; Targeted: Marshall 1; Completed: Marshall 1
#7 FG -- Runs: Hillis 2; Targeted: Scheffler 1, Marshall 1; Completed: Scheffler 1
#8 TD (Hillis run) -- Runs: Hillis 1; Targeted: Royal 1; Completed: Royal 1; Other: Royal's catch award upon reversal of call on field via challenge
#9 TD (Pope pass) -- Runs: Young 1; Targeted: Marshall 1, Pope 1; Completed: Pope 1
#10 TD (Cutler run) -- Runs: Cutler 2, Pope 1
#11 FG -- Targeted: Marshall 1, Stokley 1, Bell 1; Completed: Marshall 1
Summary:
11 Red zone possessions
9 Touchdowns
5 by Runs: Hillis 2, Pittman 1, Torain 1, Cutler 1
4 by Passes: Jackson 1, Stokley 1, Royal 1, Pope 1
2 Field Goals
14 Runs: Pittman 4, Hillis 4, Torain 3, Cutler 2, Hall 1, Young 1
16 Targeted: Marshall 5, Stokley 4, Royal 3, Jackson 2, Scheffler 1, Bell 1, Pope 1
10 Completed: Stokley 3, Royal 3, Marshall 2, Jackson 1, Scheffler 1, Pope 1
Other items of note: Royal received credit for 1 catch via reversal due to challenge
2nd Quarter
#1 FG -- Runs: Pittman 1; Targeted: Royal 1, Scheffler 1, Stokley 1; Completed: None; Other: Completion to Royal negated by illegal formation
#2 TD (Pittman run) -- Runs: Pittman 2
#3 TD (Scheffler pass) -- Runs: Pittman 1; Targeted: Jackson 1, Scheffler 1; Completed: Scheffler 1
#4 TD (Scheffler pass) -- Targeted: Scheffler 1; Completed: Scheffler 1
#5 TD (Marshall pass) -- Targeted: Stokley 1, Marshall 1; Completed: Marshall 1
#6 FG -- Runs: Young 2; Targeted: Stokley 1
#7 TD (Marshall pass) -- Runs: Young 1; Targeted: Marshall 1; Completed: Marshall 1
#8 FG missed -- Targeted: Stokley 1, Marshall 2; Completed: Stokley 1
#9 Fumble -- Runs: PIttman 1; Targeted: Marshall 1; Completed: Marshall 1
#10 FG -- Runs: Young 1; Targeted: Graham 1, Scheffler 1, Marshall 1; Completed: Marshall 1; Other: Scheffler pass negated by Offensive Pass Interference Penalty
#11 TD (Hillis run) -- Runs: Hillis 1
#12 FG -- Other: Ball spiked to stop the clock
#13 TD (Marshall pass) -- Runs: Bell 2, Cutler 1; Targeted: Royal 1, Marshall 1; Completed: Royal 1, Marshall 1; Other: False Start penalty
#14 FG -- Runs: Young 1; Targeted: Bell 1, Marshall 1; Completed: Bell 1
#15 INT -- Targeted: Scheffler 1; Other: Scheffler incompletion result of replay ruling
Summary:
15 Red Zone possessions
7 Touchdowns
2 by Runs: Pittman 1, Hillis 1
5 by Passes: Marshall 3, Scheffler 2
5 Field Goals
1 Missed Field Goal
1 Fumble
1 Interception
12 Runs: Pittman 5, Young 3, Bell 2, Hillis 1, Cutler 1
16 Targeted: Marshall 6, Scheffler 4, Stokley 3, Royal 2, Jackson 1
8 Completed: Marshall 4, Scheffler 2, Stokley 1, Royal 1
Other items of note: Royal had completion negated by Illegal Formation penalty; Scheffler pass completion negated by Offensive Pass Interference penalty; Ball spiked to stop clock; Scheffler completion over turned by replay ruling
3rd Quarter
#1 TD (Pittman run) -- Runs: Hall 1, Pittman 1; Targeted: Young 1
#2 FG -- Runs: Pittman 1
#3 TD (Stokley pass) -- Targeted: Stokley 1; Completed: Stokley 1
#4 FG -- Runs: Hillis 2, Cutler 1; Targeted: Marshall 1
#5 TD (Hillis run) -- Runs: Pope 2, Hillis 1; Targeted: Marshall 1, Pope 1
#6 FG -- Runs: Hillis 2; Targeted: Royal 1, Graham 1; Other: Defensive Pass Interference penalty
#7 TD (Hillis run) -- Runs: Royal 1, Hillis 1; Targeted: Scheffler 1, Hillis 1; Completed: Hillis 1
#8 INT -- Runs: Hillis 2; Targeted: Royal 1; Completed: Royal 1; Other: TD run by Hillis negated by Offensive Holding penalty
#9 FG -- Runs: Bell 1; Targeted: Stokley 1, Jackson 1; Completed: Jackson 1
#10 TD (Cutler run) -- Runs: Cutler 1; Targeted Stokley 1; Completed: Stokley 1
#11 DOWNS -- Targeted: Marshall 1, Bell 1, Stokley 2; Completed: Stokley 1
Summary:
11 Red Zone possessions
5 Touchdowns
4 by Runs: Hillis 2, Pittman 1, Cutler 1
1 by Pass: Stokley 1
4 Field Goals
1 Interception
1 Turnover on Downs
16 Runs: Hillis 8, PIttman 2, Cutler 2, Pope 2, Hall 1, Royal 1, Bell 1
17 Targeted: Stokley 5, Marshall 3, Royal 2, Young 1, Pope 1, Graham 1, Scheffler 1, Hillis 1, Jackson 1, Bell 1
6 Completed: Stokley 3, Hillis 1, Royal 1, Jackson 1
Other items of note: Drive kept alive by Defensive Pass Interference penalty; TD run by Hillis negated by Defensive Holding Penalty
4th Quarter
#1 TD (Young run) -- Runs: Hillis 1, Young 1
#2 TD (Pittman run) -- Runs: Hall 2, Hillis 1, Pittman 2; Targeted: Jackson 1; Completed: Jackson
#3 INT -- Targeted: Scheffler 1, Graham 1; Completed: Scheffler 1
#4 TD (Royal pass) -- Runs: Pittman 1, Young 1; Targeted: Marshall 2, Royal 1; Completed: Marshall 2, Royal 1; Other: Blown call by a referee negates fumble; 2 point conversion on pass to Royal
#5 Fumble -- Runs: Hall 1; Targeted: Scheffler 2, Russell 1
#6 FG -- Runs: Young 1; Targeted: Royal 2, Young 1; Completed: Royal 1
#7 FG -- Runs: Pittman 1, Hall 1; Targeted: Graham 1
#8 TD (Graham pass) -- Targeted: Marshall 1, Graham 1; Completed: Graham 1
#9 TD (Graham pass) -- Runs: Pittman 2; Targeted: Royal 1, Graham 1; Completed: Royal 1, Graham 1
#10 TD (Hillis pass) -- Targeted: Hillis 1; Completed: Hillis 1
#11 TD (Marshall pass) -- Targeted: Marshall 2; Completed: Marshall 1
#12 TD (Graham pass) -- Runs: Bell 2, Hillis 1; Targeted: Hillis 1, Scheffler 1, Graham 1; Completed: Hillis 1, Graham 1; Other: Offensive Holding penalty, False Start Penalty
#13 TD (Marshall pass) -- Targeted: Marshall 2; Completed: Marshall 2
#14 INT -- Targeted: Bell 1, Marshall 1
#15 DOWNS -- Targeted: Stokley 3, Graham 1; Completed: Graham 1
Summary:
15 Red Zone possessions
9 Touchdowns
2 by Runs: Young 1, Pittman 1
7 by Pass: Graham 3, Marshall 2, Royal 1, Hillis 1
2 Field Goals
2 Interception
1 Fumble
1 Turnover on Downs
18 Runs: Pittman 6, Hillis 4, Young 3, Hall 3, Bell 2
27 Targeted: Marshall 8, Graham 6, Scheffler 4, Royal 4, Hillis 2, Jackson 1, Russell 1, Bell 1
16 Completed: Marshall 5, Graham 4, Royal 3, Hillis 2, Jackson 1, Scheffler 1
Other items of note: Fumble negated by blown call by ref; 2-point conversion by pass to Royal; OffensIve Holding penalty; False Start penalty
Things that stand out:
1)The Broncos averaged less than 1 Red Zone possession per quarter per game.
2)Denver averaged just over 3 Red Zone possessions per game.
3) Red Zone possessions were relatively even distributed across the quarters, though the majority were in the 2nd and the 4th quarters.
4)Red Zone scoring was best in the 1st quarter (11/11 or 100%) and worst in the 4th quarter (11/15 or 73%).
5)Run/Pass plays were relatively balanced during the 1st 3 quarters (14/16, 12/16, 16/17), but skewed in favor of passes during the 4th (18/27).
6)Completion/Targeted ratio was best in the 1st quarter (10/16 or 63%) and worst in the 3rd quarter (35%).
7)The 4th quarter was the worst for Red Zone possessions ending in turnovers (missed FG, Int, Fumble, Downs) with 4/15 (27%). The 1st quarter was the best with 0/11.
8)Marshall was the most targeted receiver in the Red Zone (22 throws to), followed by Stokley (12), Royal (11),Scheffler (10), Graham (7), Jackson (5), Bell & Hillis (3), Pope (2), Young & Russell (1).
9)All of the throws to Graham occurred in the 2nd half.
10)Royal has the highest completion percentage (73%), followed by Hillis (67%), Jackson (60%), Stokley (58%), Graham (57%), Marshall and Pope (50%), Scheffler (40%), Bell, Young & Russell (0%).
11)Sheffler never scored in the Red Zone in the 2nd half while Graham only scored in the Red Zone in the 4th quarter.
12)Not counting Prater's FG, Hillis was the leading Red Zone scorer with 6 touchdowns, followed by Marshall (5), Pittman (4), Graham (3), Cutler & Scheffler (2), Torain, Young, Jackson, Stokley, Pope & Royal (1).
I am sure there are other patterns and facts that can be gleaned from looking at Denver's play selections within the Red Zone and I look forward to seeing what other people take away from this information.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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Awesome depth BShrout!
So Marshall caught 11 out of 22 in the Red Zone, five catches being Touchdowns, and wasn’t one of those completions a fumble in the 2nd quarter?
Anyway, the only other thing I can really point out is that Shanny was ballsy when it came to doin’ something because the other team’s D wouldn’t expect it at the time (i.e. passing in the 4th)… As well as IMHO, he was relatively goo at knowing when to challenge, and when a call was BS. I sure hope McD has/gets the right sets a eyes to help him see when to challenge a play or not, accurately. Awesome post though B!
First team to three consecutive SB wins!!!! and then some, right? I think four and we oughtta let someone else have a fair shot : )
by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Jul 5, 2009 2:44 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
thanks
I agree that Shanahan wasn’t afraid to roll the dice. He was also good at the concept of strategic delays — such as calling a time out just as the opposing kicker is lining up to kick. I tend to believe that some of his challenges of on the field calls had less to do with his belief that the refs had gotten it wrong than it was to allow his team a chance to regroup after a close call.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 4:30 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good point
First team to three consecutive SB wins!!!! and then some, right? I think four and we oughtta let someone else have a fair shot : )
by PearlJamBroncoGFunk on Jul 5, 2009 11:06 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Excellent Post
Great work BShrout! A pattern I noticed was that we had the most balanced offense in the 1st quarter, had zero turnovers, and tied for the most points with the 4th quarter. The least balanced and the fewest points was in the 3rd when the team apparently turned conservative and ran the ball more than it passed. I’m unsure whether to analyze much based on the 4th quarter since plays in the 4th are more often dictated by the scoreboard. It will be interesting to compare these stats with this year’s stats just to see the differences.
by Endzone on Jul 5, 2009 7:16 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Scoreboard definitely had an effect
Playing from behind is never easy, and does affect play selection, which is what I believe dictated the skewed balance in the 4th.
One thing I neglected to mention in the main article is the fact that we had three games in which we only entered the Red Zone once during the entire game:
The New England 41-7 loss where we did not make it into the Red Zone until the 4th quarter.
The Oakland 31-10 loss where our only Red Zone appearance was in the 3rd.
The Carolina 30-10 loss where we made it into the Red Zone in the 1st quarter, but not after that.
We also had three games where we made only 2 Red Zone trips:
Tampa Bay (16-13), 3rd and 4th.
Miami (17-26), 1st and 4th.
San Diego (21-52), 2nd and 3rd.
Which to me demonstrates support for the need to get the ball into the Red Zone. I tend to believe that we could have had at least another win or two, instead of going 1-5 in games because of games with 2 or less Red Zone possessions.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 8:33 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, I noticed
that we were pretty weak in the 2nd half of games. I don’t know if the coaches decided to let the team rest or what, but there was a definite failure in halftime adjustments and big time questionable calls/decisions in the 4th quarter preventing us to finish off or take the game over from our opponents.
Your stats show, that before he was injured, the Rumblin’ Redneck was the man to go to. Break out the Cowbell!
Good job B, and thanks for your curious nature.
"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra
"No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."
by KaptainKirk on Jul 5, 2009 8:16 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
We definitely were a team that started strong, then faded
Yet, to be fair to the players, a fair amount of that was due to the play calling — 26 runs and 32 passes in the the 1st half, as compared to 34 runs and 44 passes in the 2nd half.
As Endzone mentioned above the scoreboard in the 2nd half also played a role in the decision-making. I also read somewhere that around 30% of all of our drives last year ended in punts or turnovers. Add that to the Red Zone performance and we can understand why we ended up as the 16th ranked team in scoring. Plus, IMHO, all of that exacerbated the failings of our defense which in turn put more pressure on the offense.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 8:43 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hillis was the go to guy until he got injured.
If the off his back heels pass to Hillis who felt he had to make a play or the ball would of been intercepted was an unneccessary error on Cutler. He should of threw the ball away and have another down with the ‘Redneck’. Cutler trying to make things happen that weren’t there was one reason I didn’t care for him. Cutler with his pass protection this year may be alot worse, especially when he is running for his life more often. Hillis and Moreno should be the big producers in parts of the game this year, and if McDaniels mixes the plays up in the right time frame we may score alot of points. Thanks B for the post and great stats. rec’d
by bfree2bronc on Jul 5, 2009 2:15 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
it's kind of funny in a way
I was pretty much indifferent to Cutler as an individual, so until I started seeing the comments here at MHR and looking deeper, I never picked up on his shortcomings. In short, I bought into the MSM’s spin that it was all the fault of the running back injuries combined with a defense that couldn’t stop anyone.
But I have now seen the light, and fully believe that McDaniels is on the right track to fix issues like the Red Zone performance.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 2:39 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's interesting to see how people place others on pedestals and place halos above them,
then it makes it harder to see the faults they have. I never was on board with Cutler not because he doesn’t have talent, but because of the way he was used by the prior regime. I thought it was too early to bring him in, and that sets up a prideful individual (Cutler) to fall or fail. Shanahan should have IMO let Jake finish the season and Jay learn from the playbook, then install him in the position the next season (‘07). QB’s need to mature from the college level to the NFL and bringing in a player too soon sometimes instills a (have to perform) attitude.
by bfree2bronc on Jul 5, 2009 3:30 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
very true
I would even go so far as to say, let Jake finish out the year & then compete for the starting job the following year.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 3:59 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra
"No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."
by KaptainKirk on Jul 5, 2009 4:27 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
like perhaps
if Denver would have made the playoffs AGAIN with Plummer behind center in 06, he has a favorable shot at keeping the starting job. We’ve all seen what starting prematurely can do. Has anyone seen Leinart or Vince Young lately?
Peyton Hillis is also referred to in early Greek mythology by his other names such as Zeus or Poseidon.
by Joe Medina on Jul 5, 2009 5:23 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Both of you are correct IMO and agree.
I was probably one of a few that said, ‘what the…. when Shanahan brought Jay in. I don’t even think there was much media backlash, was there? And, if that is so, then the msm reporters should have spoted that right away and chastised the Emperor of Denver for being stupid. Hmm…
by bfree2bronc on Jul 5, 2009 7:04 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting, rec'd
2) I thought we’d have more red zone possessions. No wonder we were 16th in the league in scoring.
8 & 10) Interesting to see that Royal had an almost 50% better completion rate than Marshall in the red zone. If Royal was targeted as often as Marshall (11 vs. 22), would we have scored more?
10) Isn’t it awesome that we have all of our top completion receivers back this year! Plus Hillis is healthy again and we’ve added pieces like Moreno. Yeah, baby, yeah. :)
by 47RulesofHighlyEffectiveBankRobbers on Jul 5, 2009 8:42 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I agree with you totally
It will be interesting, Endzone suggested above, to compare the 2009 Red Zone performance with the 2008 and see if there is an improvement.
I agree with the Royal/Marshall comparison. Royal had was targeted 1/2 as many times, but had 23% more catches. Makes you wonder.
Red Zone performance is just one more piece to the puzzle that helps me understand both the hiring of McDaniels and the way that the Coach is going about fixing our team.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 8:48 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great Post And Analysis
It again proves that the MSMdon’t know what their talking about when they say the Bronco’s were the number 2 offense. This was only in yards and not points. Hopefully McD will change that.
The problem does not appear to be our red zone offence (apart from 4th quarter), but actually getting into the Red Zone despite Jay’s phenominal passing season and our ok running game.
by CockneyBronco on Jul 5, 2009 9:12 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Agree completely
We really weren’t that terrible once we got into the Red Zone. We just seemed to stall out on a lot of our drives, or get hit with too many turnovers.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 10:03 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Training Camp emphasis
Isn’t it interesting to see how McD has placed an emphasis on red zone situations over and over including simulated end of game scenarios during the OTC’s and camp? While I’m sure this is routinely done by all teams, it seems McD has an intensity to his emphasis that’s different. I think we’ll see some very effective and creative ways to get in the endzone this year. Last year we seemed so predictable.
by Ponderosa on Jul 5, 2009 2:37 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Predictibility definitely killed us.
If you look at the play-by-play record there was a definite pattern to a lot of our Red Zone performance as games wore on — we’d start balanced, then gradually shift to mostly passing late in the game.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 2:41 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Agree
Your date for this one year supports my perception that we’ve frequently fallen flat in the 3rd. (The 4th is perhaps skewed because the game plan changes radically when your running out of time. ) And by “frequently”, I mean 20+ years. Of course, this probably means my perceptions are off, given that there is little commonality between a Reeves-coached team and the 2008 team. It may be as simple as trying to play ball-control offense and failing? That was the notable exception of the SB years – there wasn’t a big fall-off in the 2nd half. We ate the clock, and kept scoring too. Here lately it seems like an early lead is never safe (no control in the 3rd means fewer Red Zone chances), and scrambling at the end is a given (catch-up in the 4th means more mistakes).
Thanks for the nice breakdown! It’s a good study!
by MakeCents on Jul 5, 2009 11:40 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, the
Prevent Offense works just about as well as the Prevent Defense.(sarcasm intended)
"You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn't enough, in the second half you give what's left." – Yogi Berra
"No, I'm from Iowa, I only work in outer space."
by KaptainKirk on Jul 6, 2009 9:37 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interceptions
I did something similar to BShrout in that I looked at each interception that JC threw according to the play by play at NFL.com. It to seemed very interesting. Of the 18 int’s that Cutler threw only 4 were on the opposings teams side of the field. 14 on his side of the 50. interceptions on his side were at the 20, 40, 46, 43, 40, 40, 20, 27, 15, 13, 22, 25, 16, and 18. while on the opposide side of the fielf was at the 4, 17, 15, and 14.
The interceptions were even throughout the game 5 in the 1st quarter, 4 in 2nd, 5 in 3rd, and 4 in 4th. on the opposings side of the field he threw 1 in the 2nd quarter, 1 in the 3rd, and 2 in the 4th. he threw 7 int.s with the lead and 1 when even. 5 when losing by a touchdown or less and 5 when behind by more than 1 score.
He threw 7 int.s when throwing to Marshall, 4 to Royal, 3 to Stokeley, 2 to Shefflerand 1 each to Nate and Darrell Jackson.
Conclusion: Cutler didn’t throw his interceptions because the defense was so bad and he was playing catch up. While a few( maybe 3) might have been for that reason, it wasn’t till late in the season.
by 3nS on Jul 5, 2009 7:38 PM MDT reply actions 1 recs
The msm keeps patting Jay on the back and saying sweet things to him.
As long as they keep whispering sweet little nothings in ‘gosh all mighty jays been done wrong’ ear, the more proficient he will be on the field.
by bfree2bronc on Jul 5, 2009 8:21 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Interesting
I would have expected more on the opposing team’s side of the field during trying to play catch up
This is one more example of how at least a portion of our defense’s problems were due to offensive breakdowns. 14 interceptions on Denver’s side of the field means 14 times the defense was back out on the field after a shortened offensive series and forced to defend a shorter field. Add that to an undersized d-line and poor secondary play, and no wonder the defense often appeared to buckle under the pressure.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 10:10 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
he threw 7 int.s with the lead
Which begs the question. Why were we passing so much when we had the lead. I don’t know what infuriated me most about last season, but one of the most prevalent examples is that we wouldn’t continue to run the ball in the second half with the lead. I mean, you know your defense, or your defensive scheme sucks, why not try to take some time off the clock. Great stats, 3nS
Also, to you BShrout, great research and conclusions. Not trying to thread jack, this is just something I was very passionate about last season. I sure hope that this year is different.
by solace on Jul 6, 2009 7:29 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't see this as thread jacking
The interceptions/fumbles/missed field goals are all a part of the overall picture of what went down. Not only were there interceptions when we had the lead, but when you look at the turn over stats you’ll see that in 4 of our 8 losses, our defense actually won the turn over battle. I’ll be doing a more in-depth play-by-play look in which that stands out.
IMO, building a picture of exactly what happened last year, and by extension what went wrong, helps us to understand why McDaniels has made the moves that he’s made, and why he’s doing what he’s doing. IMHO, the yardage we piled up on offense last year obscured our offensive issues, and made it look as though the defense were totally to blame for our season.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 6, 2009 8:09 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good points, solace
1. Jeremy Bates was hired as a quarterbacks coach
2. Rick Dennison wasn’t asked to call plays despite his greater experience
3. Bates and Jay Cutler had a very close relationship
4. Bates was young, inexperienced and unfamiliar with the NFL
5. Guess what happened?
Seriously – we didn’t have a terrible running game. Even after 4, 5 and 6 players went down, we still did well. We even did well with T. Bell, no matter how strange that seems. We just didn’t call plays well. Shanahan certainly is responsible, but Bates was the direct cause.
Hillis/Moreno in '09
by Emmett Smith on Jul 6, 2009 4:47 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
nice post, BShrout.
hmmm…I’m thinking I could recruit you to be part of the NPLB.
One Bshrout could probably replace twenty or more penguins….
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on Jul 5, 2009 9:32 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
:)
Thank you styg. That means a lot on two levels: One — I highly respect your work here at MHR. Two — being a teacher (NCLB), I’ve loved the NPLB theme. :D
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 5, 2009 10:13 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Nice post Bshrout....
Nothing to add that hasn’t been said…rec’d
by bchiper on Jul 6, 2009 10:33 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Great post, BShrout.
And great comments, too.
"Who speaks for Charlie?"
by Tempestuous Binary on Jul 6, 2009 3:53 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
Interesting - nice job
Two things stand out – the number of FG attempts appears to go up significantly in the 2nd halves, and it appears that Bates both narrowed the playbook as the game progressed and that we weren’t very good at either making halftime adjustments or responding to the other team’s halftime adjustments. The thing that always intrigued me with Shanahan, at least early in his Denver experience, was that he seemed to set up plays for the second half by what he was doing in the first half. In other words, he kept some aces up his sleeve so that he could counter his game tendencies later in the contest and keep the opposing D coordinator off balance. For some reason, this tendency seemed to fall off over the past seven or so years.
It's "just" football
by Donkhead on Jul 7, 2009 10:50 AM MDT reply actions 0 recs
I've heard repeatedly
that Shanahan scripted the first 15 plays for each game, then made adjustments based on how those plays worked (or didn’t work as the case may be). Which leads to wonder how much of the adjustments were being made by Bates.
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and know you will come down somewhere between the two.
Livin' in La La Land and Lovin' It
by BShrout on Jul 7, 2009 11:17 AM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, the MSM beat this into the ground
But early on, when Shanny was the QBs coach or OC under Reeves, he not only did the scripted 15 routine, but seemed far craftier (to me anyway) at setting things up. He continued this to an extent during the SB years – who can forget the “draw it up in the dirt” play to Rod Smith to open the second half against Atlanta. But for whatever reason, while the scripted 15 seemed to keep working (how many times did we look like gang-busters during our first drive last year) the “taking it to the next level” really fell off, whether that was Shanny’s doing or Bates, I don’t know.
It's "just" football
by Donkhead on Jul 7, 2009 3:26 PM MDT up reply actions 0 recs
Great work!
I don’t know how well our overall record will go, but I feel our red zone issues will improve. Our new HC is focused on it, and our new QB is more careful. I think the run game will be a prominant part of the picture too.
Great breakdown!
"Greater is an army of sheep led by a lion, than an army of lions led by a sheep" Defoe
by Steve Nichols on Jul 7, 2009 1:53 PM MDT reply actions 0 recs
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