pittpnthrs":34sbqr9g said:
keasley45":34sbqr9g said:
He needs the run game to function completely because it's what allows him to beat the defenses that can take away what he doesn't do best. He has proven that he struggles to do it with his arm.
A good run game helps any QB without a doubt, but your statement isnt entirely true. Russ has carried the team with his arm plenty of times. Remember 2015 when Lynch and Rawls were both hurt and Wilson had a passer rating of over 120 for 5 straight games (longest in league history) to carry the team to the finish? Its harder for him now, but dont sell the guy short (no pun intended).
Pitt. Lol... so many puns... I don't disagree. But that year, Russ was just taking over games utilizing all of his scrambling, passing, and rushing skills. He was much more open to just pulling the ball down multiple times per game and running whenever it was needed. That was a huge reason why he was able to do what he did, and it was frankly Russ at the top of his game.
Remember Russ's rookie year before the Bears game when we started to incorporate some of RG3's game? Before that game Russ was good, but not great. after that game, he was unstoppable. That span lasted until 2016 or so and since then has been gradually decreasing since. If our rb's weren't keeping defenses honest and forcing them to drop a guy in the box, Russ would make them do it on his own.
Since then, he's been much more apt to try to be a prototypical pocket passer. And in that role, although stats show he can get the ball out quickly, that he's efficient WHEN he passes, the matter at hand is the ball going where it needs to to beat the coverages that are causing us troubles.
You can see on tape, Russ getting the ball out in 1.9 seconds to Lock or DK in the flat on a simple read pretty consistently (using this as an example). Quick pass (check), high completion percentage (check). But what's lost is the read that was possibly there on the other side of the play that rather than getting 6 yards and leaving us with a 4th and 2, gets us 8 and a 1st down.
Defenses have been giving us the simple reads because Russ will see them pre-snap and take them, and have shown over and over again that they'll leave areas of the field vulnerable. But we don't hit those plays when they're disguised well enough pre snap or require a more detailed progression.
The run game, rather than relying on Russ to make those reads and force defenses to change coverage, puts them in a position where they have to play to stop the run, which forces a more reactive alignment, less hocus pocus, and more them needing to forego masks to plug run gaps.
So they drop a guy to stop Penny or Carson, and he start hitting the mid range stuff. Keep pounding them, they soften their coverages to compensate and Russ feasts over the top.
The difference between Russ and Rodgers for example is that Rodgers obviously functions better with a strong run game. But he's also capable of just walking up to the line, seeing coverage, making the correct adjustment, and hitting the guy he knows will be open as a result. Over, and over, and over again.
And I hate him for that.
