My biggest question about our offense next year, has to do with the passing games impact on the running game. Will there be a reciever on our team who will justify double coverage, or rolling the safety over top.
Will the opposing defenses be able to stack the box against us, and have the safety cheat up. THis would have a a serious negative impact on our running game IMO... If you cant spread the field, with a deep recieving threat, or WR's that need to be double covered, thus creating space, it is tough to run the ball...
I am concerned about whether or not we will be able to keep the defense "honest" so to speak, when playing against us...
I know Philbin is a smart offensive mind and game planner, but this will undoubtedly be a challenge for him to solve... How will he solve it? Will one of our WR's do it for him, or will he attempt to do it with the formations?

-----------------------------------------------------------------
All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.
Nietzsche

Crowder52 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My biggest question about our offense next year,
> has to do with the passing games impact on the
> running game. Will there be a reciever on our team
> who will justify double coverage, or rolling the
> safety over top.
> Will the opposing defenses be able to stack the
> box against us, and have the safety cheat up. THis
> would have a a serious negative impact on our
> running game IMO... If you cant spread the field,
> with a deep recieving threat, or WR's that need to
> be double covered, thus creating space, it is
> tough to run the ball...
> I am concerned about whether or not we will be
> able to keep the defense "honest" so to speak,
> when playing against us...
> I know Philbin is a smart offensive mind and game
> planner, but this will undoubtedly be a challenge
> for him to solve... How will he solve it? Will one
> of our WR's do it for him, or will he attempt to
> do it with the formations?

***********************************************************

IMO, it is going to be the formations and whether or not our receivers can get separation (and that includes the TEs).

Gates is our speed receiver, and thus far hasn't shown much. Hopefully he will get some good coaching this year to allow him to learn the NFL game and to use his speed. The rest of the receivers need to get open, with Hartline the only proven receiver that can get deep.

Our running game should help, also, and good OLine play goes hand-in-hand with that.

Double coverage? Nope, don't have anyone, however....with Philbin's/Sherman's offense, our receivers are going to be all over the field, so if our QBs can get them the ball, then we should be OK.

My understanding of Philbins offense is that the defense is required to cover so many potential pass threats (mainly quick short passes) first ... that both running and longer passes open up.

Having a receiver that forces double coverage would make it even more of a mismatch ... but not so much now.

But I think the mismatches Miami will have will be LBs on backs and slots, and the potential YAC. Lamar & Reggie, and various slot WRs / TEs ... whatever the mismatch gives us will make it work.

Hopefully Bess and oHartline will become a threat and draw coverages as the year progresses.

I wouldn't worry about "over the top" coverage.

Expect a lot of short passing. Not much different than the last few years, except perhaps more 1st and 2nd down passing.

I expect Hartline and Bess to be the primary targets. Perhaps Roberto Wallace will step it up. There won't be a lot of long passes, not without YAC.

I don't see how 85 will fit in, given he doesn't like following playbooks that don't have him as primary receiver every play.

The key will be downfield blocking.

The West Coast Offense typically has 5 players running routes on every passing play. The idea is to stretch the defense horizontally more so than Vertically. With 5 guys in each pattern, you will wind up with at least 3 guys with one on one matchups on most plays (unless the defense decided to drop 8 into coverage). This is a far cry from the offense we have been running the last 4 years, where we had many plays with only 2 or 3 receivers in the pattern.

Interestingly, Brandon Marshall's presence rarely got teams to not stack the box against us. With our top 2 WR targets (Marshall and Bess) both being guys who worked most of their patterns in the 5-10 yard range, the safeties were able to play close to the line and assist in run defense. If anything, I believe the new offense, even without a star WR, will probably result in more space for the running game. Of course, early in the year, we will have to execute in the passing game to make it work, but if we do, things should open up for the running game nicely. Plus, with the stated goal of snapping the ball every 25 seconds or so, defenses will often be on their heels, and with that pace, defenses are often vulnerable to the run.

I was trying to think back about RB's in the WCO.

I can't help but imagine Reggie Bush in a role similar to what Brian Westbrook had with the Eagles and their WCO.

It's a good thought anyway and he surely has the talent to be that productive.

The Eagles had great QB play from McNabb but they really had no WR's for years and years. Westbrook actually led the team in receptions just about every year. Ranging from 60-90 per year.

There were only two WR's that reached 1k before they got DeSean Jackson. Kevin Curtis and T.O.

If Kevin Curtis can do it I'm sure a few of our guys can too.

I think it's a pretty good example of a successful offense without a true number one receiver.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

lol, Brandon Marshall didnt keep teams from stacking the box against us?lol... I know you hate Marshall but I didnt know it affected your eyesight... Marshall was not only double covered, alot of times he was triple covered, with a LB coming over to bump him and mess up his route as well as a safety rolling to his side. ..lol

-----------------------------------------------------------------
All things are subject to interpretation whichever interpretation prevails at a given time is a function of power and not truth.
Nietzsche

Crowder52 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lol, Brandon Marshall didnt keep teams from
> stacking the box against us?lol... I know you hate
> Marshall but I didnt know it affected your
> eyesight... Marshall was not only double covered,
> alot of times he was triple covered, with a LB
> coming over to bump him and mess up his route as
> well as a safety rolling to his side. ..lol

The conventional wisdom was that our offense could be shut down if Brandon Marshall was shut down. Indeed it was a wise, wise strategy. Our offense sucked.

Crowder52 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> lol, Brandon Marshall didnt keep teams from
> stacking the box against us?lol... I know you hate
> Marshall but I didnt know it affected your
> eyesight... Marshall was not only double covered,
> alot of times he was triple covered, with a LB
> coming over to bump him and mess up his route as
> well as a safety rolling to his side. ..lol


How many guys were covering him had nothing to do with stacking the box. Those two things are not related in any way. A safety can be in the box, and can still help double a receiver. In 2011, Marshall was thrown to 63 times within 9 yards of the line of scrimmage, and 104 times within 19 yards. In 2010, he was thrown to 72 times within 9 yards of the line, and 115 times within 19. He did not force the safeties to play back, because he isn't that kind of threat.

Only if the safety is covering a slot receiver. He's not in the box if he is covering an outside receiver.

How many times did Marshall line up in the slot?

What were his yac yards compared to other recievers?

Love the stats tho.

.....................................................................................
“I'm here" You're welcome!" - Kenny Powers

eesti Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Only if the safety is covering a slot receiver.
> He's not in the box if he is covering an outside
> receiver.
>
> How many times did Marshall line up in the slot?
>
> What were his yac yards compared to other
> recievers?
>
> Love the stats tho.


There are different ways to double or help out on a WR split out wide. A safety in the box can help take away inside routes.

Mark's point was that by playing in the box the safety gives up the ability to cover a speed WR deep...to help out over the top.
Marshall simply wasn't the type of WR who could force a defense to account for his speed so teams could play the odds with him and cheat heir safety up for run support without weakening their ability to double him in the areas he was most effective.

His presence on the field didn't force teams to worry about him in a way that opened up our running game.