Panthers at Saints Gameday Running Commentary 10/3/10

I know what you mean and agree with you, sort of, but if DW picks up 2 yards and then 2 more on third down we give Kasay a chance to kick a 50 yard field goal for the win with no time left. That is pretty hard to beat for strategy given our limitations. How often does DW get dropped for a 5 yard loss?

 

Only when the game depends on it. Same as Stewart fumbling last week. I guess that is just the way the ball is going to bounce this season...

 

I'm not against the roll out, and I personally thought it was a good place for a QB draw, since he ran a bit already. But we're a running team. We run against 8 all the time.


Here's how I feel confident in the call (but of course not the outcome). If we had passed, and anything other than a completion had come, I know it would've been about how Fox is out of touch with his team and how Davidson won't run it against the 31st ranked rush D.

DW was our best player on the field at that moment. Subbing him out likely only continues the best player being a RB. And, as the pass plays before that and after that showed, it wasn't easy getting completions at that point. So, you take your best guy, and you hope you can get a couple yards. With a slightly later reaction by Young, DW might score based on how he decided to run that. I can't fault him. But, sometimes in that situation you need 2-4 and legs churning.

 

It is kind of ironic how you can put a lot of our struggles on our running backs, who are our strength. Both have failed to score at the goal line when they should have. That shoestring tackle in NY on DW is something that does not bring him down very often. Stewart's fumble against Tampa shut the door on us in that one. DW's 5 yard loss had a big part in our loss to NO. Certainly there have been other problems and running back is still a team strength but it is a good example of this season being snake bit. Of course maybe if Otah were playing he makes a difference on some of those plays.

 

One of the most telling things about the way this season has gone. On the TD pass to Stewart, he stumbles for no reason at all. The announcer says something about how it was a good thing he managed to recover or we'd have to settle for a field goal.

 

Sometimes, the other team just makes more plays.

 

We have terrible 3rd down defense and offense.

We don't block backside, nor cover backside well.

I don't think Clausen audibles, or is allowed to. To his credit, holding the ball too long is a result of very covered WRs, not necessarily indecision. Our playcalling/plays just suck along with WR not getting open. No quick outs, etc. Also, fuck, how passes were thrown into the Def facemasks?

We can't cover anybody most times on 3rd down.

Secondary can't tackle worth a shit at times, especially goal to go, 3rd downs.

OL all of the sudden can't open a hole regularly, or hold off rushers for more than 2-3 seconds.

I'm not sure why, but given our QB and WR inexperience, we still should be a better team.

It's not that we were all that terrible yesterday, given who we played, etc., but without the plentiful turnovers by them, we woulda been killed.

 

It's disheartening, because the young guys are actually playing decent. It's the veterans who are fucking up in key moments.


As for the end, I was incredulous that we didn't attempt the FG anyway on 4th down. I know it would have been 61 yards, but it's indoors, and you have a much better chance of converting that than a 4th and forever and still being able to clock it with any time left (btw - we have a guy who can kick a football 80 yards, if you wanted to try that). It's almost like the whole team was shell-shocked from the last few plays and lost all capacity for rational thought.

 

It's almost like the whole team was shell-shocked from the last few plays and lost all capacity for rational thought.

I would say that this is what we know as as our typical half-time adjustment.