3 things

What a great game, As usual C-Link was off the charts. I noticed three things that I would like to hear some discussion on.

1. Offensive rhythm- it is the first game this year where the offense had a rhythm to their playing/play calling. I haven't looked up the numbers, but I have a hunch the lack of False Starts and other little things were equally as important as the playcalling and solid O-Line work.

2. Graham: he tried to pull himself out of the game and Bevell/Carroll sent him back in before his clutch 3rd down conversion. Detroit was 3x teaming him in the red zone which left ADB and P-Rich as targets for RW

3. With ET on the sidelines the defense had their mojo back. Hopefully he travels to Georgia! More-so.... hopefully he's in the film room this week with the LOB.

I think the offensive rhythm directly relates to the ability to effectively run the ball. Many times I read in here, "we need to run the ball more" .... but you can't just keep running when it is 1 or 2 yards a clip.

Having consistent success running it last night enhanced the offense.

The defense was good, but let's be honest - Detroit left plays out there. Lots of dropped passes, or the game would have been tighter.

We are going to need to score 34+ at Atlanta. Our offense needs to not be the road offense we saw in TB, GB, and a lot of the SF game.

Sox-n-Hawks":2rhabv0d said:

1. Offensive rhythm- it is the first game this year where the offense had a rhythm to their playing/play calling. I haven't looked up the numbers, but I have a hunch the lack of False Starts and other little things were equally as important as the playcalling and solid O-Line work.

Click to expand...

Tempo improved everything. Often our guys were set earlier, giving Russ time to put a guy in motion, see the defense's reaction, and for linemen to check protections.

Along with fewer pre-snap penalties, that little uptick in tempo helped get us rolling and dominating TOP (36:39 to 23:21), set us up to be great on 3rd & 4th down (11 of 18), and improved RZ production (3 of 4).

The individual performances of Rawls (hitting holes, quickly deciding to bounce outside when the holes closed) and several receivers making clutch catches (Paul, Doug, Jermaine, Jimmy) also showed that when we execute consistently, this can be a formidable offense regardless of o-line woes.

FlyingGreg":1sqx0h5o said:

I think the offensive rhythm directly relates to the ability to effectively run the ball. Many times I read in here, "we need to run the ball more" .... but you can't just keep running when it is 1 or 2 yards a clip.

Having consistent success running it last night enhanced the offense.

The defense was good, but let's be honest - Detroit left plays out there. Lots of dropped passes, or the game would have been tighter.

We are going to need to score 34+ at Atlanta. Our offense needs to not be the road offense we saw in RB, GB, and a lot of the SF game.

Click to expand...

Let's chalk those up to grass fields and get ready for the Hawks to come out fast and explosive!

I"m not sure I understand #2.. Your saying he didn't want to play and was forced to go back in?

HawkAroundTheClock":25pbbcu0 said:

Sox-n-Hawks":25pbbcu0 said:

1. Offensive rhythm- it is the first game this year where the offense had a rhythm to their playing/play calling. I haven't looked up the numbers, but I have a hunch the lack of False Starts and other little things were equally as important as the playcalling and solid O-Line work.

Click to expand...

Tempo improved everything. Often our guys were set earlier, giving Russ time to put a guy in motion, see the defense's reaction, and for linemen to check protections.

Along with fewer pre-snap penalties, that little uptick in tempo helped get us rolling and dominating TOP (36:39 to 23:21), set us up to be great on 3rd & 4th down (11 of 18), and improved RZ production (3 of 4).

The individual performances of Rawls (hitting holes, quickly deciding to bounce outside when the holes closed) and several receivers making clutch catches (Paul, Doug, Jermaine, Jimmy) also showed that when we execute consistently, this can be a formidable offense regardless of o-line woes.

Click to expand...

Cris and Al giving our O line Kudos last night,especially Britt.

Bobblehead":pxgnab3p said:

I"m not sure I understand #2.. Your saying he didn't want to play and was forced to go back in?

Click to expand...

It sure looked that way. He was walking to the sidelines from mid-way through the play. Bevell and Carroll sent him back in. He almost looked like he was pouting. I don't know if the cameras caught it or not.

beaumaris":3oen948d said:

Cris and Al giving our O line Kudos last night,especially Britt.

Click to expand...

Good point. Can't underestimate how clean o-line play creates the opportunity to establish a rhythm.

I wondered about not using Rawls on either 3rd or 4th down but Richardson made the epic catch. That pass looked kinda dead for a long while... Russell was not hot last night. Still we won with some amazing play from two previous non contributers... Rawls has been AWOL most of the season and Paul Richardson has been AWOL for years. They both were dominant as was the defense and Russ eventually got his groove going with Baldwin. Now imagine that was SuperRuss out there. He's unstoppable too. We can make some noise this year I think. And I think we want Dallas in that big warm quiet dome. If Wilson can go on a little run we can go far.