We Had a Guy Wide Open on the Fake Punt

Beaker42

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Yes, I re-watched it but Cedric never even looks for a WR and never intended to throw it. That's why you don't call that play at that time, there's a lot that can go wrong.
Cut Cedric. Easy solution.
 

buybuydandavis

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I honestly have no idea what happened and doubt we ever get an answer. The line never moved down field leading me to believe they thought pass all the way and didn't want an illegal man down field. The gunner has his arm up expecting a pass. He's not even blocking. But Wilson never once even looked up at all. Such a weird call all the way around.

No interview with Wilson yet?
 

buybuydandavis

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I think he just tried to sell the run too long and by the time he looked up he was meat....

The most reasonable interpretation I've heard.

Maybe they didn't anticipate the guy playing contain on the edge in practice, so Wilson was accustomed to running wide with it, and got flustered when that was cut off.
 

Blackspider214

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This mistake by Wilson is probably why you don't rely on your 4th string WR to win the game for you by passing the ball on a fake punt reverse on 4th and 10 on your own 30 yd line.

Any way you slice it, the coaches made a dumb decision and an even dumber call.

PS. And even if Wilson did make the decision to throw to the wide open guy, who's to say that guy even catches it? I don't who that open player is, but I somehow doubt it's Ceedee Lamb

If the guy dropped the pass, the he drops it. And you blame him. Most NFL players can catch a ball if no one at all is around them. Even OL can catch balls. Dak caught a ball with defenders around him. But the fact that the guy did not even attempt the pass or even look down field is the gripe here. All he had to do was toss it out there to him. No need to hit him in stride. Just get the completion, 1st down and move on. Maybe he scores, maybe he doesn't.

But Wilson is a lefty. If this was a designed pass, why would they have him running to the right and expect him to throw against his body? This isn't a QB who deals with that and can make it happen. It's even hard for them, much less some down the depth chart WR. That play should have been ran the other way.

I honestly don't mind what McCarthy does. Pederson and Rivera do the same thing. Both went to Super Bowls being aggressive and questionable calls. But they worked for them. It's win/lose situation. You are a genius if it works and a loser if it doesn't. I had zero problem going for it on 4th and inches earlier. But the call was stupid.

Remember, we went for it on 4th and short last Thanksgiving against Buffalo deep inside our own territory and it worked. It also wasn't a pass, though like it was last night.
 

tico

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4&10 but he runs -15 yards to get another 10+.. garbage Moore
 

JoeKing

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I don't think he even saw the open guy. I don't think he even looked. It seemed to me he wanted to just do it all by himself rather than playing team football.
 

Cmac

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I'm beginning to think if you went to Boise State......you good, on this team.
 

Silly

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I don't know. It is not as easy as you think to throw a football 30 yards.
 

blueblood70

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The more I am dissecting the fake punt, the more I am leaning the play design was not bad at all. It seemed we wanted to sell the run long enough to have the defenders come in a little and have the gunner running free down the sideline for an easy big gain or even score. As in the pic below.But a few things....Why did Wilson never even look up at all? Never even attempted to pass or even look down field. Also,Wilson is left handed so why is he running across his body if we wanted him to throw? Just a weird play all the way around. I do feel all he had to do was stop a little, set his feet and make an easy throw for someone who used to play QB in college. Might not have hit him in stride for a score but an easy pick up and big gain. It was still a very reckless call in the game situation and where we were at on the field but the execution seemed off, too.

Capture.png
weve discussed this yes horrible play call and worse execution.. Ced never even looked up decided to go full selfish and take it himself..most of us could have stopped and hucked up a rainbow and prayer and got that near whomever had his arm up for 10secs LOL that sandlot football easy to see and complete..

so when MM says he stands behind the call, this is what he meant it was designed well and not executed..ced needs to be schooled on how that RPO was supposed to work..it wasn't a run all the way..

just for fun Beasly would have hit him in stride..lol
 

blueblood70

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Key question is did the coach throw anyone under the bus after the fact?

The guy is given what he has to work with.
no but behind the scenes im sure Mr Wilson was tied to chair had his eyelids tooth picked open and made to watch that play 99 times..not 100 that would be considered torture LOL
 

Aven8

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He probably scores there and everyone is amazed at the guts of that call. But that’s football.
 

ABQCOWBOY

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No...Eye Test Mafia figured out the beat. We drop independent mix tapes now.

Update your football app. It's about 50 years old:facepalm::flagwave:

LOL.... This is the problem right here. Guys coming in thinking you need a "Football App" to understand what is actually going on.

Don't talk, you just hurt the team......
 

Blackspider214

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I had this thought when it happened. I still think it was a bad play call though.

The play call was great. It got them what they wanted. A man wide open down the field. The execution was terrible, though.

I know many say the timing was terrible since it was only 20-16 and our defense had been holding their own. But we have Dalton at QB and he was very pedestrian at best that game. Who knows how long that defense would hold up. He took a huge chance. The play call worked. But we failed miserably at executing it. Not sure how much they practiced it. It's one of those calls that make you look like you have big brass balls if it works and you have egg on your face if it doesn't.

Sort of like the Super Bowl of Pats/Eagles. NE tried a pass to Brady early in the game. He was wide open. But he drops the ball. And then people question why you take the ball out of your best player and make him a receiver. Before the end of the half, Pederson calls the same play to Nick Foles. And he catches it. That was 4th down. He looks like a genius because it worked.

That's the way sports goes. A very fine line between huge success and extreme failure.
 

CT Dal Fan

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No matter how you analyze it this was the dumbest call you can make in a 20-16 game.

Now if you're farther downfield and have an actual defense; maybe you try this instead of, say, a 58 yard field goal. But not deep in your own territory in a game you've already lost momentum in.
 
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