Originally posted by SteveYoung8:
Originally posted by thl408:
The part about having a best FB is the key difference in this SF offense and the ATL offense. I'm assuming that while Kyle used a FB in ATL, it wasn't as frequent as here in SF. The best part about having a FB on the field is the threat of run. The 2019 offense started there, and branched out from it. Which is why there was so much playaction in 2019.
Greg Cossell said something that was very interesting in one of his post SB interviews. For years he raved about how Kyle's offense did a great job of marrying the run game to the passing game. All that horizontal boot action where plays started out looking the same to the defense. But after the SB loss, he said he wanted to see the passing game be more independent of the run game. What I think he's saying is that he wants to see Jimmy function better as a pure dropback passer.
If Kyle feels the same way, I wonder if the next installment of this offense is to have more spread formations and less playaction. Not because Juice isn't an asset, but because the offense needs to also function well without the aid of playaction, so that there's an additional layer to the passing game. In 2019, with so much 21 personnel, and the 49ers using playaction when in 21, that somewhat limited what the offense can do in terms of route concepts since there are two RBs in the backfield where it takes a longer duration for those RBs to get into a downfield route.
Jimmy played in a spread offense in college and NE had a lot of spread concepts. If Kyle takes a step away from all the tight formations and 21 personnel, he'd be doing Jimmy a favor and getting back to Jimmy's roots.
Agreed, which coincidentally jives with what Steve Young has said over the years and continues to say whenever the topic comes up: In order for NFL qbs to be successful long-term they have to become proficient drop-back pocket passers. Plain and simple. That's why guys like Montana, Young, Aikman, Favre, Elway, Marino, Brady, Big Ben, etc have multiple rings while the running qbs like Cunningham, Vick, Kap, Lamar and Murray don't. I have been saying the passing game must evolve and become a legit threat by NEXT SEASON or the team has no chance of getting back to the SB let alone winning it.
I wonder how much 2019's success prevented Jimmy from development. That sounds odd to say, but as a developing QB you want to have plays called that you can rep and learn from. In the second half of the 2019 season, the 49ers were in 'win now' mode, not 'develop a QB' mode. Kyle had to dial up plays that had the best chance of succeeding and that isn't always the same thing as what's best for Jimmy's developmental growth as a passer.
Just to illustrate what I mean. Here are two plays from week 17. Both are successful plays, but one is success through scheme, the other is success through conventional QB'ing.
This is a 12 yard gain. After playaction that sucks in the LBs, Sanders is open. Just a two man route concept to the playside - there's a very defined, clear read for Jimmy.
Here's a play where there are two route concepts in play (Drive concept over the middle, Fade/Out to the left, jonnydel calls it 'Ohio' in his videos). Jimmy makes a presnap read, takes the snap, confirms his presnap read, and decides on his target. Jimmy has options on which route concept to work based on coverage.
This is conventional QBing and is where Jimmy, and Kyle's SF offense, is to make the leap in development. Just an 8 yard gain, but shows Jimmy making a read to make a throw, unlike the play above where the run game and passing game is married and play action helps to scheme a WR open. It's not like Jimmy can't do it, he just needs to rep it - a lot - to get better. Kyle being a great play caller/designer is a good thing, but it can slow a QB's development if he's always calling great plays that makes it easier for the QB.
I think this play here is an example of what Greg Cossell meant when he said he wants the SF passing game to be independent of the running game.
