Brock Huard's Chalk Talk on the last play

[StoneCold]

Okung, Nowak, and Sweezy all did their jobs here. Bottom line, it was Britt and Gilliam who got smoked.

Maybe I'm reading this blocking scheme wrong, I am by no means an O-line guru, but doesn't it seem that Nowak actually blocked the wrong man? It looks like Sweezy gets kind of taken out of the play for the initial push because Nowak takes his assignment rather than picking up the LB on the other side like he should have. Had Nowak went left and taken out the other LB, Sweezy had a clear shot to blow up the right side LB at full speed and we would have had a hat on a hat rather than one LB basically unblocked crashing into the middle.

Now all that said I don't know if it would have even mattered with the DT blowing up Gilliam on the play and coming right into the middle of the running lane before Marshawn would have had a chance to pass him... Ultimately that play falls on Gilliam I think, but maybe also we should have known to double that DT with Gilliam and Sweezy, had Nowak hit the linebacker like he did and giving Lynch a 1on1 against the crashing LB at the hole with a chance to simply fall forward for the 1st down?

That could be, as I just mused above (great minds think alike, LOL). Nowak may have been responsible for the LB on their left. It also could be that Sweezy was supposed to pull around Nowak as a lead blocker through the hole, but instead messed up his footwork and took the wrong angle. They do both end up blocking a linebacker; Nowak get to the one of their right much faster than Sweezy and pushes him out of the play; Sweezy follows the other LB to his right and knocks him back.

If the play design had allowed Sweezy to "help" Gilliam, then Marshawn may have had enough time to turn the play up to the outside. It still doesn't account for Britt getting beat, but I think it would have given Marshawn the fraction of a second he needed to read and react.

Britt falls down and looks awkward on that play, but his man wouldn't have touched Lynch until after the first down was made. I know nothing about who should be doing what, but what I see is a hole open up between Britt and Okung and if Gilliam doesn't get blown up Lynch gets the first easily.

EDIT: After watching it some more I can see Britt's guy gets Lynch up top. It's kind of hard to see from this angle, the broadcast angle was from the side and I do remember seeing two guys hit Lynch. Ouch. Hope they get better.

 

[AgentDib]

There is no magic formula here. There is more than one good play call, and there is more than one way to blow up a good play call. Why expend so much energy on "what ifs" for other play calls that could've just as easily failed.

My cynical view of this is that complexity doesn't lend itself to conclusions. As fans we want conclusions so we can make sense out of what we are seeing, and new media "journalists" absolutely require them in order to provide content. Sports websites and forums, including this one, are littered with polls where people attempt to decide which single factor of dozens was actually important.

That serves as a way of shoving a complicated snarl of inputs into a neat and tiny conclusion, and in doing so inadvertently sort themselves into different groups: blame Bevell, blame the defense, blame the line, blame the LB play (my group?), blame Kam, blame the Refs, etc.

 

[bigskydoc]

It's unfortunate but we won't see another line like that again this year until the last week. I'm sure Gilliam and Nowak learned a lot and will get better from this. We will be ok.

Next to the last week.

I know, it's hard for me to get used to NOT finishing out the season against St Louis.

- bsd

 

[bigskydoc]

It looks to me like some sort of messed up One Back Power run. Messed up because Graham is lined up on the wrong end of the line. Maybe that was purposeful to confuse the D?

Sweezy is supposed to pull behind Nowak to clear out a lane with Britt on the left side. I think.

He does an ok job of this, but St Louis has read the pulled guard and clogged the lane before Sweezy can even get there.

The beauty of this is that you know the Rams will be teeing off on Gilliam when they see the setup. Gilliam doesn't have to execute a good block for the play to be successful. He just has to stay inside and force the end to go around him. Simple, and if Gilliam didn't completely blow the block, the play would have been successful.

There was at least a 1-yard-lane to the left. Maybe only 2-3 backs could have generated 1 yard out of that hole, but Lynch is one who does it every time.

- bsd

 

[Alexander]

Gilliam doesn't have to execute a good block for the play to be successful. He just has to stay inside and force the end to go around him. Simple, and if Gilliam didn't completely blow the block, the play would have been successful.

I don't know much about O-line play, but Gilliam's block doesn't look easy to me. He starts on the outside shoulder of the DE, and to seal him off from the inside he has to very quickly get to the inside shoulder of the DE (or at least square him up) and then turn him outside. Basically, he has to very quickly go left, then right. That sounds hard to me, especially considering who he's facing.

 

[Atradees]

Brock Huard is a gift. He needs to announce all our televised games. Though sometimes I cant tell if he has more eye shadow than Elvira. Wink.

 

[irfuben32]

In my opinion it was the perfect call IF you were confident your 4 were as good as their 4. It did work earlier in the game but the defense had to honor the other possibilities. My problem with Bevel is that he doesn't factor in personnel when making decisions in crunch time. If I had to decide between my line winning or Graham beating his guy for a very short gain I'm picking Graham all day there.

THIS!!!!!



You don't put the Superbowl in the hands of Ricardo freaking Lockette

and you don't run directly at a D-line that has been owning your patchwork O-line all day long

 

[Basis4day]

Brock Huard is a gift. He needs to announce all our televised games. Though sometimes I cant tell if he has more eye shadow than Elvira. Wink.

I wouldn't go quite that far. While his color commentary in College games and Pre-Season games is informative, he talks way too much.

Heres a fun drinking game for Brock and Salk. Drink every-time he says the word, "conversation".

 

[brimsalabim]

Looking at the play over and over it seems to me that maybe Sweezy helped Nowalk when he should have helped Gilliam? And should the play design not have had Jimmy block the DE on his side?

I believe Sweezy and Nowak were each supposed to block an ILB. Nowak takes out the one on their right, and Sweezy eventually gets the one on their left. I kind of doubt Sweezy is supposed to "help" Nowak on one LB. Nowak gets there so much faster than Sweezy. It could be that Nowak blocked the wrong guy, that he was supposed to hit the guy to his left, or it could be that Sweezy's footwork was deficient, that he should have instead pulled or crossed around Nowak to get the the other LB quicker. Eventually, they do end up blocking two LBs out of the play.

But they don't block the DT who is lined up directly between them and HE makes the stop! I watch this play and think this can't be how the assignments were to be executed! Nowak, Sweezy, and Graham all get to their second level block but none of the three block the first level DT guys on the line?

 

[CalboHawk]

If 100 out of 100 high school, college and pro coaches would all say the same thing, then what is the real value of having Bevell as the OC?

If real games played out like Madden where only scheme inputs determine the result and the degree of randomness is already pre-determined by historical probabilities, then it means that an OC can never really be wrong as long as they followed the formula.

The obvious point is that real games aren't Madden and that having a feel of the ebb and flow of the game is a critical skill. This also means that even if the look is right, then the play call can still be wrong. Although harsh, the outcome determines whether or not the call was right or wrong.

Although Bevell has a deep understanding of game strategy and a creative approach to drawing up a scheme, he seems tone-deaf to the human elements of calling a formation and sending out the personnel best suited for success at critical points in the game. During moments of great stress people tend to try and simplify decision making processes and perhaps when under stress Bevell resorts to his lists and formulas.

No one can be 100% correct so recognizing when bad calls are made and looking for ways to improve for the next opportunity is all I really expect.

Rant over.