Bevell's Last Play Call

[Seafan]

Bevell was getting blasted last year when he had Unger, Carpenter, Zack Miller blocking and a healthy Lynch. So when things are really rotten do we expect any better? The real problem is RWs short comings and Bevell's inability to design and call an offense that RW can excel in behind a porous OL.

Russ needs to get out of the pocket more and stop taking the sacks as often. He has huge hands so he needs to protect the ball. He's no Dave Krieg so there is no excuse.

 

[nrayorr]

Everyone and their mama was expecting a run play. I thought the play was the right call in this situation. Ever since THE PLAY defenses are looking for us to run in a short situation. I was up in the stands just hoping for a pass play which a lot of people around me thought I was crazy until it happened then I started getting pats on my back and shoulders.

 

[xgeoff]

I liked it. However, I really would like to see us using Graham in these situations to sit down in about a 5 yd route over the middle. It seems to me that it would be extremely difficult to stop this kind of play. Instead we seem to run him in these little out routes or crossing routes over the middle. Both are easier to defend IMO.

All in all, though, I am ecstatic that we didn't run it. I heard Doug Baldwin say that Kearse's move over the middle was not part of the route tree. Oh, well.... I think Bevell needs some new plays, but at least I think he's thinking better situationally.

 

[Siouxhawk]

... was the nail in the coffin!!! Great call.

 

[chevelle03]

I wish we would have ran something like this in the Super Bowl.

 

[mrt144]

I wish we would have ran something like this in the Super Bowl.

Sometimes wisdom is only gained through failure.

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

It was a broken play, so we really can't pin anything on Bevell without knowing just what the play was. As it turned out, it was 100% Wilson magic, extending a play that should have failed into an amazing play.

 

[IndyHawk]

I thought the play went as planned.The Lions were blitzing from the edge all game,the play drew that blitz in while JK goes to the side where the Detroit safety left to go in the box.Great call and great execution.We need more of those creative plays that exposes the defense.

 

[HawkerD]

This kind of call is how the Giants lost their first game. Incomplete pass to stop the clock and give the C-boys an opportunity to come back. Coughlin was crucified in the media for that call. When a play works there is no complaints but the down side is to big to ignore. It was not the statistically smart play but then again neither is the Deep Post which makes for great entertainment.

 

[JGfromtheNW]

Count me as another one who liked the playcall. Before the play I actually told everyone in the room it'll be a PA pass to get the first and put the nail in the coffin. There was no PA, but Russ slid outside and delivered the dagger to finish the game. At that point, after the way our o-line had been playing, I think it was the right call to put the ball in RW's hands and ask him to make one more play.

 

[BlackDiamondHawk]

Bevell"s last play call will be the last play of this season, or sooner if Russell is hurt.

 

[kearly]

A simple run and punt would have given Detroit the ball with about 40 seconds left and no timeouts. It would have been insanely low win probability. Contrast that with an incomplete pass and Detroit getting the ball with about a minute and twenty seconds to work with. It's just way too risky when you basically had the game won already.

Now, if there was 2+ minutes on the clock when this play was called, I'd be a little more understanding. But at 1:34 it was an unnecessary risk that Wilson and Bevell got away with.

 

[mikeak]

Broken play or not - it was in RWs hand and he was allowed to move around.

Throwing a quick pass has a higher chance of int (superbowl) or quickly blown dead

Leaving it with RW while moving his feet increased the chance of a first down or at least a loss that the team could live with. You have to be willing to gamble that he doesn't fumble three possessions right there at the end....

No issue with the play

 

[bigtrain21]

A simple run and punt would have given Detroit the ball with about 40 seconds left and no timeouts. It would have been insanely low win probability. Contrast that with an incomplete pass and Detroit getting the ball with about a minute and twenty seconds to work with. It's just way too risky when you basically had the game won already.

Now, if there was 2+ minutes on the clock when this play was called, I'd be a little more understanding. But at 1:34 it was an unnecessary risk that Wilson and Bevell got away with.

I got the feeling they told Russ to keep it unless it was a sure thing. Kearse was wide open so he threw it to him. If kearse wasn't open he keeps it and it's the run play you wanted them to call. It was 2 yards or bust so a sack wouldn't have been a big deal.

 

[HawkFan72]

He put the ball in the hands of his best player... the opposite of what he did at the Super Bowl. If Lynch was in the backfield it would have been terrible.

I don't "love" the call, but atleast it showed he understood who should be making the last play

This. I couldn't say it any better.

 

[DavidSeven]

A simple run and punt would have given Detroit the ball with about 40 seconds left and no timeouts. It would have been insanely low win probability.

Atlanta and Green Bay got FGs on us in less time than this.

Granted, they had timeouts and Detroit didn't, but ATL/GB were also coming off kickoffs. Coming off a punt from the SEA 28, Detroit would've been in great field position. The odds would've been against them, but they still would've had a shot, and they could conceivably get in range with just one pass. That's not a gamble I'd make with Calvin Johnson on the field.

On the other hand, converting the 3rd-and-2 ends the game without doubt. IMO, the right play is the one that gives you the highest odds of converting that 1st down. As long as Russell knows he can't attempt a low percentage pass, I don't see a downside that is more likely than Rawls fumbling the ball. All Russ has to do is avoid a mental breakdown like Eli.

 

[hawk45]

A simple run and punt would have given Detroit the ball with about 40 seconds left and no timeouts. It would have been insanely low win probability.

Atlanta and Green Bay got FGs on us in less time than this.

Granted, they had timeouts and Detroit didn't, but ATL/GB were also coming off kickoffs. Coming off a punt from the SEA 28, Detroit would've been in great field position. The odds would've been against them, but they still would've had a shot, and they could conceivably get in range with just one pass. That's not a gamble I'd make with Calvin Johnson on the field.

On the other hand, converting the 3rd-and-2 ends the game without doubt. IMO, the right play is the one that gives you the highest odds of converting that 1st down. As long as Russell knows he can't attempt a low percentage pass, I don't see a downside that is more likely than Rawls fumbling the ball. All Russ has to do is avoid a mental breakdown like Eli.

I agree with this. Telling Wilson to just down himself if nobody is open would seem to eliminate the Eli scenario.

 

[BlueOne]

I like it a ton. I believe you when your O-line is bad and you're down to a third string back, you're insane to do anything other than put the game in your 21 million dollar a year man.

On top of that, Wilson is smart enough to know taking a sack for short yardage there is no big deal. I'm hoping either he knows on his own, or the coaches know and told him, that if it's not an easy completion don't throw it, just slide. He also had the run option himself and was our best runner all day. In a world where you assume Wilson isn't going to run out of bounds, or throw a low percentage pass/risk throwing anything even close to an int on that play, the pass/run option with Wilson on the edge seems pretty perfect to me. Clock only stops if Wilson makes a bad decision or a WR drops it, and you get your highest percentage shot at converting.

 

[sutz]

The way Bradford was moving the ball in the 4th quarter, I think they were looking to legitimately move the sticks so they could go into victory formation. Punting it back to them with only 30-50 yds needed for a tying FG and more than half a minute to do it seems the greater risk to me.

 

[HawkRiderFan]

It's a play where you totally have to trust RW to make the smart play. I am guessing that if Kearse is not wide open, Wilson just runs and tries and gets the first down himself but makes sure the clock keeps moving.

One play call that really bugged me was before the first FG. We had the bad play on first down making it second and goal from about the 20. 2nd down nets nothing. What are the chances of getting the TD on third down there? Yet a sack was a real possitbility with the protection issues. Why not play it safe with a draw or something and protect a shorter FG. Sure enough, the big sack happens, and luckily our kicker bailed us out.