DMN Blog: Did Romo really flounder down stretch?

[AtlCB]

Didn't Steve Young play in those West Coast, timing based offenses?

I'm not trying to question you CalCB... just wondering why you feel it will completely do away with using his mobility.

If the timing on the route is disrupted, his mobility might help keep the play alive.

The west coast offense is not timing based. It's a short passing game that relies heavily on receivers making yards after the catch. Both the quarterback and receivers are required to read the defense and go to certain spots based on what the defense does.

We ran a timing based offense in the 90's. The receivers would run to a certain point in a certain amount of time. The QB would read the defense and throw to whichever spot he believed he had an open receiver. This offense requires an accurate QB who is very good a reading defenses.

 

[ThreeSportStar80]

5 games. Had a bad one against Philly. They babied Romo in the playoffs with the conservative game plan. I hated that.

I guess he did falter, especially compared to his success earleir in the year. But yeah you're going to hit some slumps.

I have to agree, the playoffs is where legends are born and they certainly wanted to keep Romo in the newborn stage... They really should have attacked that sorry excuse for a secondary that Seattle had on the field!

 

[Champsheart]

I have to agree, the playoffs is where legends are born and they certainly wanted to keep Romo in the newborn stage... They really should have attacked that sorry excuse for a secondary that Seattle had on the field!

Yep, this is what finally did for me wanting the nail in Parcells coffin.

I always defended him, thought he knew what was best, wanted to give him the chances. Then when we faltered down the stretch once again in December like we did every year under Parcells I was really thining he needs to go.

BUT

That game plan against Seatlle was horrible! Just Horrible. How in the heck do you have TG, TO, Witten, Crayton and Romo against that Secondary Seattle tried to piece together and not go for their throats for 4 quarters.

Parcells may be a Hall of Famer, but that was some of the worst Game Planning in NFL Histroy.

 

[burmafrd]

His QBs first playoff game. After a game in which he had made several mistakes and had been careless with the ball. On the road. With a defense that had virtually collapsed. No suprise BP went with a conservative offense. He wanted the D off the field as much as possible. Maybe going for a shootout would have been better. Maybe. Maybe not.

 

[cowboyz]

the game was in the bag, until terry glenn fumbled.

 

[percyhoward]

Lost in the analysis is the irritating fact that Parcells never really let Romo attack an injury-plagued Seattle secondary.

That game shouldn't have even been close.

Without a doubt, the most conservative game Romo has played up to this point.

 

[J-DOG]

Lost in the analysis is the irritating fact that Parcells never really let Romo attack an injury-plagued Seattle secondary.

That game shouldn't have even been close.

Agree completely.
We had a chance to go for the kill up by 7 with a third and one on Seattle's 35. Timeout was called and we go for the dive play up the middle with Marion Barber...lose 2 yds and end up punting.
Conservative...Man that was conservative!
All I can say is that the more I saw of Parcells the more he went into his conservative shell.
Jimmy Johnson was just the opposite...that third and one was the perfect time for a play action fake to Barber and let Romo and somebody make a play.
We were up by 7...good god that still pisses me off!

 

[superpunk]

myths are awesome.

In the playoff game, we had a struggling QB who was missing open WRs deep, and looked incredibly nervous for most of the game.

OTOH, our starting tailback was averaging 5 ypc.

Yeah, it would have definitely been prudent to put the onus on Tony, considering how well he finished the year, and how great he was looking in that playoff game. Heaven forbid we go with what's working (the run game) and put the game in the hands of a QB who looks tight.

But it was probably the conservative game plan that was causing Romo to miss on all those short passes early.

What a great bunch of coaches we have here. "The run game's working? Eh....*** it. Chuck it deep - they're starting Hunter. Who cares that we're averaging 5 ypc against their conservative D?"






Yes Romo fell off. It was impossible not to. All QBs have stretches like that - even the great ones.

Noone was sold on Tom Brady after year 1, either.

 

[Alexander]

But it was probably the conservative game plan that was causing Romo to miss on all those short passes early.

Coach Parcells' worst nightmare came to be in that game. Romo was not solid even on the short patterns.

It is easy to tell the gameplan was not to attack them deep because that was what they spent all week preparing for and that is regrettable. That was one game where we should have dared them to beat us. It was the playoffs for heaven's sake.

The other side of the coin which I haven't considered until watching it again was that we did not want to expose an already bruised secondary to a shootout type of atmosphere. We tried to dictate the pace and it almost worked, even though even if the FG was made, like Sham said, they would have driven it the field. They switched on at the end and we showed we were outmatched.

 

[superpunk]

Coach Parcells' worst nightmare came to be in that game. Romo was not solid even on the short patterns.

It is easy to tell the gameplan was not to attack them deep because that was what they spent all week preparing for and that is regrettable. That was one game where we should have dared them to beat us. It was the playoffs for heaven's sake.

I can't help but recall shots of wide open TO downfield. Granted, it wasn't an aerial, so there may have been help - but the commentary was that Romo just missed him - couldn't pull the trigger. I doubt that was the only such time.

I think even Dungy would take the game out of Peyton's hands if his back was averaging 5 a touch.

The other side of the coin which I haven't considered until watching it again was that we did not want to expose an already bruised secondary to a shootout type of atmosphere. We tried to dictate the pace and it almost worked, even though even if the FG was made, like Sham said, they would have driven it the field. They switched on at the end and we showed we were outmatched.

True enough.

 

[InmanRoshi]

I don't put too much blame on him for the Detroit game. Turning the ball over is what typically happens when you get into shoot outs (and one of the reasons Parcells did his best to avoid them) . You start playing high risk football out of necessity, and eventually the odds catch up with you. But I think I saw that in his last 5 games combined his QB rating was still over 90 and his completion% was still well above 60. If that's "floundering", I'll take it.

 

[Alexander]

I don't put too much blame on him for the Detroit game. Turning the ball over is what typically happens when you get into shoot outs (and one of the reasons Parcells did his best to avoid them) . You start playing high risk football out of necessity, and eventually the odds catch up with you. But I think I saw that in his last 5 games combined his QB rating was still over 90 and his completion% was still well above 60. If that's "floundering", I'll take it.

His ball security in the Detroit game was unacceptable. Excuse all the interceptions you want as "trying to make a play" but his fumbles were unacceptable and had a direct bearing on the game.

 

[percyhoward]

I can't help but recall shots of wide open TO downfield. Granted, it wasn't an aerial, so there may have been help - but the commentary was that Romo just missed him - couldn't pull the trigger. I doubt that was the only such time.

Without a doubt, the most conservative game Romo has played up to this point.

 

[BouncingCheese]

The fact that we had to have a "shootout" against Detroit is deplorable.

 

[Alexander]

The fact that we had to have a "shootout" against Detroit is deplorable.

Bad matchups happen. A team with even a competent passing attack could have sliced us to ribbons late last season.

That is why we thought we could compete with the Bears.