Originally posted by dtg_9er:
I wonder--sometimes, when you are teaching someone a new set of skills, the student regresses in the instinctive aspects of the job. Seems CK may be trying to see progressions in a certain way that is new to him and it causes him to miss some pretty obvious opportunities. Not a rare thing in any learning environment and learning the NFL QB position would be pretty daunting! You never know how long it will take for that student to master the nuances and become fluid...a year, a day...
Could that explain your AR theory NC? They're telling him to look at the obvious guy first and foremost and if he's comfortable go to the next and the next?
It could...starts with offensive philosophy and play design, play calling, CK development and coaching are a tight marriage...which is why I try to look at the whole play each time.
In this case I don't think we even run a progression read passing attack like a true or modern-day WCO (high-to-low progressions). That's pretty obvious to date. And the PS passing plays we run? I'm not sure there is a primary, secondary, etc. progression built in there as well; Spread typically is left-to-right ot vice versa but the onus in both cases relies heaviliy on the QB to find the best option. It appears to me that even when we run a PS play, CK's head angle and body language is to sit back in shot gun and quickly hit the best option under the standard 3 second mark. Why is this significant? B/c you have a QB who isn't even "looking" to a second read the mass mass majority of the time (if at all); it's typically AR1 and then ad lib (which we're getting MUCH better at BTW).
The other thing that I can't ignore is coaching in all of this. This is what you highlighted. This is why I couldn't rule out that Crabtree "miss" as an AR1 design. When you have a WR waving his hands and running across your sightlight, or you're literally, starring him down (Baldwin) and there isn't a defender within 10 yards of him and you don't pull the trigger (stay with the AR1 or original design despite double coverage) and/or decide to run instead, THAT may be coaching and NOT a vision-thing. CK may just be towing the company line here (I'd hate to believe this but it fits the coaching M.O. and philosophy well) and perhaps, he's had had the team concept of "execution" so ingrained in his mind, he can't even SEE anything else until that internal 3+ clock has ticked off and he is coached to be off and running (ad lib). Another clue to this coaching idea, is the instincts you highlighted as well. What happens when that 3 second clock expires? Have you ever noticed CK is often times, looking to scramble right, right INTO pressure instead of staying in a quiet, well-blocked pocket? This may be an indication of coaching as well. If this was a WCO or Spread with progressions built into the passing game, he'd be required to stay in that pocket as long as possible hoping that the secondary progressions would be opening up. But he's not. Yet his "instincts" have been great outside the pocket in ad lib mode lately so...?
Once thing we've learned about Roman is he is all about installations...for a while there he'd add another layer each week. Since Crabtree has been back, I have seen a few more PS plays being added and this is a good sign b/c that puts more onus (and trust) in CK to find the best option (many have been incompletions to Manningham IIRC though). Perhaps once he becomes more successful, the next layer of installations (once the coaching staff can trust CK) WILL be a small installation package with TRUE progression reads built in.
But we don't want paralysis by analysis so I expect our game plan to be stocked with AR1's by design and more and more PS plays added in the interim.
[ Edited by NCommand on Dec 22, 2013 at 7:50 AM ]