Why play calling is so vastly overrated

[gtb1943]

I remember a certain SB where a stupid play call made all the difference

 

[big dog cowboy]

I can already tell you the next jet sweep will be a disaster because it will be a bad play call.

I can already tell you the next time we're in the red zone and make no effort to run the ball it will be bad play calling.

I can already tell you the next incomplete pass on first down leading to Dowdle up the middle on second down will be bad play calling.

I can do this all day but you get the point. McCarthy SUCKS at play calling.

No creativity or imagination on offense. Bad play design. Honestly I'd rather see Kellen Moore come back and take over the offense than suffer thru another year of McCarthy.

 

[gtb1943]

I can already tell you the next jet sweep will be a disaster because it will be a bad play call.

I can already tell you the next time we're in the red zone and make no effort to run the ball it will be bad play calling.

I can already tell you the next incomplete pass on first down leading to Dowdle up the middle on second down will be bad play calling.

I can do this all day but you get the point. McCarthy SUCKS at play calling.

No creativity or imagination on offense. Bad play design. Honestly I'd rather see Kellen Moore come back and take over the offense than suffer thru another year of McCarthy.

to Me scheme and play calling have to mesh or you have a mess

 

[beware_d-ware]

One of the ESPN talking heads - Pat McAfee? - said that the difference between an starting NFL QB and a backup QB is about five throws per game. I think playcallers are largely the same way.

Schematically, teams all have basically the same plays. Every offense in the league runs inside zone half a dozen times every week. Every team in the league calls Cover 6 probably 10 to 15 times a week. Every playcaller from high school on up knows the staple West Coast route combos like Lion, Dragon, and Hank. All these concepts are re-used because they just work, but they're not a secret recipe.

You couple that with staffs studying teams' film and reviewing their tendencies, and there's not a lot of surprises left. If the playbook install is simple enough for a rookie to learn in 2 weeks, it's simple enough for an opposing staffer to learn by watching your team's film for 2 weeks. Heck, that staffer probably used to be that rookie 10 years ago.

I think it's just small tweaks here and there that separate playcallers. Garrett used to slam Zeke up the middle on every first down, and everyone in the stadium knew it was coming. In a league where offenses only get about 8 drives each game, he got a lot of them started on the wrong foot.

Imagine if a few WR screens on 1st down in place of crappy gut dives extended one failed drive per month. That's 4 more opportunities to score over the season, and one of them could tip a 1-score game Dallas's way. It wouldn't have taken an Andy Reid-ish offensive genius to draw up a jailbreak screen to Dez. It would've just taken someone less stubborn than Garrett.

 

[gtb1943]

saying Play calling is over rated sort of defies common sense.

Considering how many times we have raised hell about it here

 

[5Stars]

Yeaaaaaah, here we gooooo!!

I can never understand that cadence. I don't know, but it seems that the defense will know when the ball gets snapped? "Yeaaaah, here we goooo"! The defense has to know that the ball is getting snapped right after that.

It was said, I think, that the oline wanted it that way, but I think it is just a Dak thing that he wanted so he could stand out as being different and large and in charge. I mean he even says that when he is not even playing a game, just because he must think it's cool.

I would prefer the old methods. 321, 321, set, 321...snap, something like that, and change it up so often so the defense won't have a clue. But, what the hell do I know.

It just sounds stupid like the dancing before games, the sky pointing and all the other Dak stuff.

 

[remdak]

Of course, any play call would work if everybody executed their assignment perfectly. But, I would say that the better play callers play to their team strengths so that the play has a better chance of success. Three straight pass plays for Cooper Rush when you are trying to ice the game in the 4th quarter, instead of running the ball with Dowdle is an example of poor play calling. Another example of this is relying on a poor blocking WR to make a block on a great linebacker. The play would work if the WR could do it, but it's a poor play call because its not likely to happen. Trey Lance throwing all those fade routes in the red zone against Washington was an example of not calling plays to the strength of the team.

 

[youngjerryjones]

You see it all the time from fans during an NFL game after a failed play. “What a bad call.” Usually it’s a “bad call” when a play doesn’t work, or a turnover happens, etc. A “good call” always seems to happen when the play works, lol.

But when you really break it down, play calling IMO is very overrated. Sure having a ”good call” made helps but most fans don’t realize that the play called by the OC or HC is not always the play that is run or that the reason the play failed wasn’t the call, but actually the lack of execution by the players.

Here’s what I mean:

• NFL QBs (especially experienced ones) have a ton of freedom at the line of scrimmage to change the called play and check into something else. That happens at least 30-40% of the time according to what I’ve read over the years. So when the play caller calls a run and the QB checks into a pass that doesn’t work, is it a “bad call” by the play caller or not?
• Execution is so critical on every play. If one player blows an assignment on a key block or does not run a correct route resulting in a turnover or a sack, was it a “bad call” or was it poor execution? Too often as fans, we fail to understand that if the play had been executed properly, it would have been a “great call.”

So is having a “great play called” only as good as having each player executing their assignment properly? Isn’t it also the QB reading the defense accurately and being able to check into the right play and protection just as important? Or do we put 100% on the guy calling plays?

Reading in between the lines here Bob how many times have we seen a post game interview blame the execution rather that the call.

We weren’t executing to our standards is usually Dak and MM’s line.

To me this is a cop out for lack of preparation during the week. Execution lies on the players.

 

[youngjerryjones]

I can never understand that cadence. I don't know, but it seems that the defense will know when the ball gets snapped? "Yeaaaah, here we goooo"! The defense has to know that the ball is getting snapped right after that.

It was said, I think, that the oline wanted it that way, but I think it is just a Dak thing that he wanted so he could stand out as being different and large and in charge. I mean he even says that when he is not even playing a game, just because he must think it's cool.

I would prefer the old methods. 321, 321, set, 321...snap, something like that, and change it up so often so the defense won't have a clue. But, what the hell do I know.

It just sounds stupid like the dancing before games, the sky pointing and all the other Dak stuff.

It would make sense if we snapped the ball at yeah, yeah he-, yeah here, yeah here we-, yeah here we go.

This only happens if the QB is prepared confident and has pre-read the defense prior to the snap.

 

[StarOfGlory]

I think too many coaches seem to get a case of "stupid" near the goal line. I've seen coaches run three pass plays in a row at 1 and goal from the 2.

 

[CATCH17]

If you have the pieces playcalling is huge.


QB play and coaching are the most important pieces to a team.

Everything else can fall into place around those 2 things.

 

[CATCH17]

Exactly.
Who can forget the Garrett"Just beat your man principle."
Looks good with a stacked offensive roster of playmakers.
Not so much when coaching 'em up is required.

Problem is you get to the playoffs and you play coaches who actually embrace scheme and next thing you know you’re down 20 points and trying to find answers instead of playing football.


Coaching is huge.

 

[75boyz]

If you have the pieces playcalling is huge.


QB play and coaching are the most important pieces to a team.

Everything else can fall into place around those 2 things.

Exactly.
This definitely sounds like my post history here.

 

[CATCH17]

Offenses used to be good at their jobs and it didn't matter the playcall. I remember the glory days when teams knew 22 was getting the ball and still couldn't stop him. Irvin was gonna run a slant and you couldn't stop him. But that team was loaded and coached well. They were good at imposing their will on the defense. I'm not sure today's offense has a will to impose.

Football is different now days and the salary cap has caused most of these teams to be the exact same.


You have 3 ways to get a edge now days.

1. The Rookie / Cheap vet QB who outperform their contract.

2. The mutant QB that can carry and entire franchise.

3. Coaching

 

[CATCH17]

Sure, it’s important. But it’s over-rated. Any play called is only as good as the players execute it. A great pass play called is only a “great call” if the OL blocks well, the receivers run the route correctly and the QB makes a good throw.

We’re talking about the highest level of football with a salary cap that causes parity.

Coaching and playcalling is enormous.

 

[75boyz]

Football is different now days and the salary cap has caused most of these teams to be the exact same.


You have 3 ways to get a edge now days.

1. The Rookie / Cheap vet QB who outperform their contract.

2. The mutant QB that can carry and entire franchise.

3. Coaching

If you've got a GM who can't build a playoff contending roster, a HC who is a poor playoff HC and a QB who sucks at playoff football you're pretty much dead in the water.
The Cowboys are 3 for 3 on all of the above.

 

[CCBoy]

You see it all the time from fans during an NFL game after a failed play. “What a bad call.” Usually it’s a “bad call” when a play doesn’t work, or a turnover happens, etc. A “good call” always seems to happen when the play works, lol.

But when you really break it down, play calling IMO is very overrated. Sure having a ”good call” made helps but most fans don’t realize that the play called by the OC or HC is not always the play that is run or that the reason the play failed wasn’t the call, but actually the lack of execution by the players.

Here’s what I mean:

• NFL QBs (especially experienced ones) have a ton of freedom at the line of scrimmage to change the called play and check into something else. That happens at least 30-40% of the time according to what I’ve read over the years. So when the play caller calls a run and the QB checks into a pass that doesn’t work, is it a “bad call” by the play caller or not?
• Execution is so critical on every play. If one player blows an assignment on a key block or does not run a correct route resulting in a turnover or a sack, was it a “bad call” or was it poor execution? Too often as fans, we fail to understand that if the play had been executed properly, it would have been a “great call.”

So is having a “great play called” only as good as having each player executing their assignment properly? Isn’t it also the QB reading the defense accurately and being able to check into the right play and protection just as important? Or do we put 100% on the guy calling plays?

Well rehearsed as effectively built don't fail always in the Red Zone...no matter the adjustments being used.

 

[gtb1943]

We’re talking about the highest level of football with a salary cap that causes parity.

Coaching and playcalling is enormous.

It is typical here that the idea of figuring out the right play for the right situation is over rated

 

[vlad]

I agree 100% on execution, but I think when people say "play calling" they should really be talking about "play design" particularly with their personnel.

I'm super curious to see how much Ben Johnson is a product of the talent he gets to work with vs him elevating it. I have no idea. Could Kellen Moore do the same with Detroit? Would Ben Johnson elevate the Eagles?

 

[Pentagruel]

I think play calling can fall under the overall scheme set up by a coach. I think that is very critical to success of an offense. The individual plays called I agree are of less importance. That is more something fans like to complain about based on the result.