Screen Game

[Wrecking Ball]

A common post mortem in these threads is JT passing/OL pass blocking/ defense bringing the house.

I think designed B-Back screens with MM would annihilate this strategy. I also think the quick slant 1.5 step drop would as well.

The problem is, we may not have enough time to install a slants and screens package in addition to everything else we do.

Edit to add that I hope I never see another reverse drop ever again. I wish I had the time to go through our plays and find out how effective it is. I'd say that 90% of the time it's a sack, a throw away, an incompletion or an interception. It's not worth the other 10% that are huge plays.

 

[GTRX7]

I remember us trying at least 2 or 3 screens this year and them getting blown up badly so far. Against FSU, JT couldn't get it over the D-lineman, and it was batted up and intercepted. I think a D-lineman similarly blocked it in another, and he was rushed too much to even get it off in a third. I do like the call. JT's height may be a problem in good execution though.

As for a quick slant, isn't that exactly what we tried against UVA on 3rd and 3 on the final drive?

 

[WrongShadeOfGold]

The two screen passes to Skov in the ND game looked good.

 

[GTRX7]

The two screen passes to Skov in the ND game looked good.

Good point. I believe the first of those was a screen. The second may not have been (at least watching the replay there were no defenders in the backfield when the pass was made).

 

[B Lifsey]

Wasn't there a slant type pass we threw to Stewart in UNC game...has it been tried again?

 

[kg01]

Execution on screens has been terribad lately which is disheartening since it could be such a devastating weapon for us.

 

[Wrecking Ball]

So the onus seems to be on poor execution. I'm not a coach and have never had to budget practice time, but I might spend a bit more time on the screen stuff. I think we could hit some HUGE plays against Miami and UGA.

 

[Yaller Jacket]

The bad games kinda run together now. But in the first one that Marshall played a lot, Justin tried to throw him a screen but threw it right at a defensive lineman who swatted it away. PJ said there was nothing but green grass ahead if that one was completed. He blamed it on Marshall for not moving to a spot which would give Justin an easy throw. I dunno. Seemed more like a two way error to me.

 

[bke1984]

You'd better not let CPJ read this or he'll flip out!

...in all seriousness though, it's true. Simple B-back screens would be so amazing in our offense. They show up every few years and disappear almost instantly after incredible success.

We tried to throw one against FSU, but it got batted and intercepted. Maybe it's keeping him from calling it more often

 

[dressedcheeseside]

A common post mortem in these threads is JT passing/OL pass blocking/ defense bringing the house.

I think designed B-Back screens with MM would annihilate this strategy. I also think the quick slant 1.5 step drop would as well.

The problem is, we may not have enough time to install a slants and screens package in addition to everything else we do.

Edit to add that I hope I never see another reverse drop ever again. I wish I had the time to go through our plays and find out how effective it is. I'd say that 90% of the time it's a sack, a throw away, an incompletion or an interception. It's not worth the other 10% that are huge plays.

We already have screens and slants in our playbook and we've tried them with mixed results this year, mostly bad results. The problem is execution. We can't execute our bread and butter, good luck with the stuff on the fringe of our playbook.

Maybe with the bye week we can work on some of this stuff designed to make teams pay for overloading the box. Heck, our counter plays and rocket tosses are supposed to do that but the execution is so poor and slow it fails miserably. Timing, spacing and speed: all things that come with experience (gazillion reps), hmmmm.... any wonder why we can't move the ball?

 

[Boomergump]

We need screens that go wide early. Either the spy on JT will go with the BB or he will stay on JT. Either way it is good. Most teams are sending 6 with a spy. If they are sending 6, they can't do both. Heck, the BB hasn't been helping much in protection anyway. In a similar fashion, did you see how effective the drag route from the AB spot to Lynch was the other day? That is just a TE type of play. We have been using the AB in pass pro a lot so this was a natural variation.