Recommended Photo: Romo INT from all 22

[ABQCOWBOY]

He is wide open. But Escobar was open and likely higher up in priority of reads. You don't check all your reads and then throw to the most open. You go through your reads and throw to the first one open.

No. You do a pre-snap read, you check the Safeties and see what the LBs are doing and you go to the guy you know is open. That's how you play football in the NFL. It's not a series of reads that you simply go to without deviation. Sometimes, because of the coverages, you simply don't even look to one side of the field, even if that is where the 1st read is. You already know that the matchup is elsewhere on the field.

 

[Kevinicus]

Yes, in the NFL, that's open. As I was reminded earlier, you through to a spot the receiver is supposed to be, not where he is. Witten is headed to the sideline. His defender has to turn and run with him. Witten is basically by his Defender already. The deep help is not even looking at Witten. He's looking at Escobar and his angle is also in the opposite direction of Witten's pattern. Yeah, that's open in the NFL, in our offense.

You think a Safety that is 13 to 15 yards away is going to tackle Murray three yards from where he makes the catch? Really? The only player who can tackle Murray and hold him to anything inside the 25 is the Safety and that's if he doesn't break down and he gets a hit on a squared up Murray that stops him in his tracks. Watch the play again. If Romo goes to Murray, he probably leads Murray towards the Sideline a bit more and Murray catches that ball in stride. He would then be going away from the Safety and that makes the tackle even harder. Murray sits down after the Ball doesn't immediately come to him. If Romo throws that ball on time to Murray, he's making yards IMO.

You need to watch the play in motion...the defender is NOT following Witten, he is covering underneath, in the path of any pass, and the defender over the top DOES follow him. And yes, 13 to 15 yards for a safety takes very little time to get to someone who is facing the other direction almost at a stop. Not much more than a second, and that's discounting that he would probably be 5 yards closer by the time Murray even got the ball.

 

[texbumthelife]

You need to watch the play in motion...the defender is NOT following Witten, he is covering underneath, in the path of any pass, and the defender over the top DOES follow him. And yes, 13 to 15 yards for a safety takes very little time to get to someone who is facing the other direction almost at a stop. Not much more than a second, and that's discounting that he would probably be 5 yards closer by the time Murray even got the ball.

Did you just insinuate that a safety can cover 13-15 yards in one second?

 

[Oh_Canada]

How was that not illegal contact on Escobar anyhow? Looks textbook to me the guy was ten yards down the field when Travithan pops the guy and than holds him up. Oh well.

I think Romo should have checked down there, but I don't think going to Escobar was neccessarily a bad decision. He just didn't get enough on the the throw and the linebacker makes a great play on the ball.

 

[Kevinicus]

Did you just insinuate that a safety can cover 13-15 yards in one second?

I said not much more than one second. But to get to Murray at the 20 which is where I said I would expect a tackle, it's only 9 yards away.

 

[texbumthelife]

I said not much more than one second.

So, 1.1 seconds?

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

You need to watch the play in motion...the defender is NOT following Witten, he is covering underneath, in the path of any pass, and the defender over the top DOES follow him. And yes, 13 to 15 yards for a safety takes very little time to get to someone who is facing the other direction almost at a stop. Not much more than a second, and that's discounting that he would probably be 5 yards closer by the time Murray even got the ball.

I've watched this play over and over. 20 times if I've seen it once. I don't agree with you.

And there is no way that any Safety is going to get to Murray and hold him to 3 YAC. Even if the Safety is moving forward when the ball is released, that isn't going to happen. As it is, that safety was moving laterally and didn't even start moving forward until the Ball was already gone.

I don't agree with you.

 

[T-RO]

Hmmm. Escobar drifted up field rather than cutting across. Murray was open but is probably the last read.

That's what I see to. I believe he's supposed to make a 90 degree cut. But he makes something more like a 45.

 

[Kevinicus]

I've watched this play over and over. 20 times if I've seen it once. I don't agree with you.

And there is no way that any Safety is going to get to Murray and hold him to 3 YAC. Even if the Safety is moving forward when the ball is released, that isn't going to happen. As it is, that safety was moving laterally and didn't even start moving forward until the Ball was already gone.

I don't agree with you.

That's fine, I don't agree with you. I think 100% of the safeties in the NFL could get to Murray by the time he gets around the 20 yard line. Whether or not they make the tackle is another matter, but I have no doubt they could get there from that spot. By the time Murray got the ball and got turned around, the safety would have been at least at the 25, with Murray still around the 16 or 17...that puts a collision somewhere between the 19-21 most likely (unless Murray is able to evade).

But you think Witten is open, so, I am not sure what to tell you about what you're looking at, you're seeing something completely different than what I see, that's for sure.

 

[T-RO]

Regardless, the OL has to block better against a 3 man rush.

That's what I see.

 

[Kevinicus]

So, 1.1 seconds?

Maybe it's closer to 2 seconds for 15 yards, but my point is they would meet around the 20, which is 9 yards, away and Murray will take some time to turn and catch to get there too.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

What's interesting about this play is that both DBs, to the right and to the left are both cheating towards Escobar in the Middle of the field, before Romo ever throws the ball. Watch the Safety to the right side. He's moving laterally towards Escobar and then look at the DB to the left. He's looking right at Escoabar and basically ignoring Witten coming out of his break.

Somebody saw something.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Maybe it's closer to 2 seconds for 15 yards, but my point is they would meet around the 20, which is 9 yards, away and Murray will take some time to turn and catch to get there too.

So you are saying that the Safety, moving laterally, to his left on the 30 yard line could make up 10 yards in the time it took Murray to turn and take one stride (two yards)? That's what would have to happen in order to stop Murray on the 20. He's on about the 18 when the ball is released.

 

[btcutter]

What's interesting about this play is that both DBs, to the right and to the left are both cheating towards Escobar in the Middle of the field, before Romo ever throws the ball. Watch the Safety to the right side. He's moving laterally towards Escobar and then look at the DB to the left. He's looking right at Escoabar and basically ignoring Witten coming out of his break.

Somebody saw something.

No they didn't.
They are in a zone so everyone is reading the QB's eyes. Furthermore, Romo has initiated the motion to throw. This prompts defender to move toward where Romo's eyes are going which is Escobar.

Rewatchin frame by frame. Escobar needs to learn from Witten to "gently" nudge the defender and create more separation for his QB. Hope he learns.

 

[khiladi]

2. I find it interesting that many all of a sudden wants Romo to check down when throughout the entire game Romo was successful throwing to the middle or deep. Furthermore, it was this same board calling Romo out just a few days ago for checking down and taking easy throws. Basically, you want him to be PERFECT all the time and we sit here 2nd guess only those passes that didn't work.

This right here... This offense needs to roll just like it did this SUnday and attack the middle or deep, the former it never really did and which brought it so much success this game. I'm tired of seeing this nonsensical check-down in 2nd and long and 3rd and long that get us nowhere.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

This right here... This offense needs to roll just like it did this SUnday and attack the middle or deep, the former it never really did and which brought it so much success this game. I'm tired of seeing this nonsensical check-down in 2nd and long and 3rd and long that get us nowhere.

This is so disingenuous. You guys act as if everybody is trying to say that Tony should check down at every opportunity, which is not what anybody has said at all and all of you know it. Be smart, take the easy catch and make yards in that situation. Had we done that, had we run the ball, we probably get a 1st down and 4 more plays. But we didn't do that. We threw an INT and we lost. We are sitting here justifying why that was the better decision then throwing to a receiver that had nobody within 10 yards of him.

OK.

 

[starfrombirth]

What it comes down to is that Romo is allowed 0 margin for error. He can't make a single mistake .. ever.. or this team falls apart. It's sad, really, how much he has to carry this team and then take the blame for every single fault.

 

[khiladi]

This is so disingenuous. You guys act as if everybody is trying to say that Tony should check down at every opportunity, which is not what anybody has said at all and all of you know it. Be smart, take the easy catch and make yards in that situation. Had we done that, had we run the ball, we probably get a 1st down and 4 more plays. But we didn't do that. We threw an INT and we lost. We are sitting here justifying why that was the better decision then throwing to a receiver that had nobody within 10 yards of him.

OK.

So he would have to audible right... I mean obviously Murray would need to know he's the first option now. So the defense would sit there and not adjust knowing that Romo knows they got everyman accounted for, except Murray?

So let us assume he threw it to Murray, Murray would have still put them, most likely, in a third and long situation, because of the down and distance, and they would still have to attack. So then we go conservative again and punt to Manning, despite throwing the ball all over the middle of the field and end up with more time off the clock and Manning marching down the field to score...

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

What it comes down to is that Romo is allowed 0 margin for error. He can't make a single mistake .. ever.. or this team falls apart. It's sad, really, how much he has to carry this team and then take the blame for every single fault.

This is a very true statement. This is a recipe for Disaster IMO. So long as we continue to demand this from him, we will fail because nobody can sustain play at that level.

 

[starfrombirth]

I don't agree. Fredbeard is pushed but he is not destroyed. None of the pass rushers get to Romo so I don't think you can say anybody gets destroyed on this play.

If Escobar runs the route as he should, he is tackled right where he catches the ball, if he makes the catch. The LB is right on him and in good position to wrap him up or break up the ball. That's a 10 yard gain, if the catch is made. I just don't understand how you can say that this is a better option the Murray who is going to get you the same kind of yardage, at worst and is completely wide open. We just disagree.

I don't always agree with risenstar but he is correct on this one. Romo's job isn't to throw to the most open... it's to throw to the first open and Escobar was open in spite of a hold. He just floats upfield, while the ball is in the air I might add, and allows the lb to undercut the throw. Good play by the lb'r and bad play by the rook.