22 replies to this topic

[HireBruceArians]

I say let Arians call the offense between the 20's, but after that, Luck needs to run the show. The offense hasn't looked better at any point this season than it did yesterday in the 2-minute drill

[basketballsteve]

You're aware that you hold a very different opinion of BA than Andrew Luck does?

[indy1888]

He's looked excellent in the 2 minute drill all season. He's at his best in those kind of situations no doubt.

[HireBruceArians]

You're aware that you hold a very different opinion of BA than Andrew Luck does?

What does that have to do with anything? I'm talking about results, not relationships. The guy is a notoriously bad signal caller in the redzone. Roethlisberger had nothing but fond memories of Arians as well. Still doesn't change the fact that he was fired by the Steelers because his offenses never produced consistently.

[Smonroe]

I say let Arians call the offense between the 20's, but after that, Luck needs to run the show. The offense hasn't looked better at any point this season than it did yesterday in the 2-minute drill

How do you know Luck is calling the plays during the two minute drill?

[basketballsteve]

What does that have to do with anything? I'm talking about results, not relationships. The guy is a notoriously bad signal caller in the redzone. Roethlisberger had nothing but fond memories of Arians as well. Still doesn't change the fact that he was fired by the Steelers because his offenses never produced consistently.

oh i see, you're not one of those BA is the problem guys, you're a BA is the problem in the red zone guy. Got ya.

[basketballsteve]

Anybody who doesn't think that all 4 of those pass calls from the 14 came from BA's play sheet needs to listen to BA after the game. Andrew was not improvising or calling audibles.

[HireBruceArians]

oh i see, you're not one of those BA is the problem guys, you're a BA is the problem in the red zone guy. Got ya.

It's one in the same, to me. Not many can argue against the amount of yardage his offenses typically produce. His weakness has always been finishing drives. Even after dropping 35 yesterday, we're still only 17th in points per game, while being 3rd in total yards. Yards are style; scoring is substance.

[basketballsteve]

It's one in the same, to me. Not many can argue against the amount of yardage his offenses typically produce. His weakness has always been finishing drives. Even after dropping 35 yesterday, we're still only 17th in points per game, while being 3rd in total yards. Yards are style; scoring is substance.

Got it BA is the problem. While you are at it, you might want to alert Colt fans to the bigger problem that BA has Andrew's ear and he's teaching him things which you don't believe in.

[HireBruceArians]

Got it BA is the problem. While you are at it, you might want to alert Colt fans to the bigger problem that BA has Andrew's ear and he's teaching him things which you don't believe in.

lost me, chief

[TKnight85]

I'm sure Arians gave Luck those plays in the GW Drive. CBS showed me a few seconds before they switched over to the Ravens game. I saw Luck & Wayne next to BA. So i'm sure he was giving him the plays for that drive. BA controls the Offense whether you like it or not. Luck will tell you that BA runs the show

[lollygagger8]

It's actually us throwing 10 yard passes for once instead of 20+ yard bombs. Who would've thought that we could make completions if we actually threw some short passes! Weird!

[MR. Blueblood]

It all comes down to execution. Sure I wish we would go to more short routes and quicker timing plays because our O-line is pretty porous, but it still comes down to execution. On that last play of the game, we executed and Detroit did not. Luck, so far, has had an uncanny knack for executing when it matters most, and for that I'm thankful. But I'm not ready to push Arians out the door because Luck can finish a game.

[chad72]

It's actually us throwing 10 yard passes for once instead of 20+ yard bombs. Who would've thought that we could make completions if we actually threw some short passes! Weird!

That is the same thing I was thinking. The Lions were all in the back of the end zone based on Luck's tendencies all game long, which were long passes that were hit-and-miss. Funny how a checkdown won the game!!!

Brady has made a living out of checkdowns and intermediate passing, Arians and Luck will have to embrace it more. Long passes are fine as a change of pace in the play calling but hopefully, they dont become the staple of the offense. Otherwise, expect more INTs.

Once the rookies become 2nd year players, you will see more no huddle from Luck. It is not that BA does not know what plays to call for the no huddle, it is just that he does not use it enough with so much youth lagging behind Luck that he prefers to use it less. I would love to see BA try the no huddle vs the Texans more when we play that road game against them, at least in the second half.

The young players should be broken in at this point, they have played more than a college season, right? Get over the rookie wall, fellas.

[JoKeR]

I say let Arians call the offense between the 20's, but after that, Luck needs to run the show. The offense hasn't looked better at any point this season than it did yesterday in the 2-minute drill

Luck is still talking to the sideline on 2 minute drills plus before they get the ball, they game plan the 2 minute drill. Arians is involved on those plays, the team just seems to play sharper in the 2 minute drill IMO.

[JoKeR]

BA isn't necessarily a problem, he just needs to incorporate more quick pass to the play book.

[The Peytonator]

It does seem like certain players only run certain routes. Namely the quick slant and deep post to Avery/Hilton. But I feel like Andrew gets a little nervous back in the pocket and might not be making all the reads....hard to know what's going on in the middle of the field. As he matures he'll be utilizing Allen/Fleener more as his outlet. Also wouldn't mind seeing him run a little more when the pass rush blows up the inside and he breaks their tackles.

[HireBruceArians]

BA isn't necessarily a problem, he just needs to incorporate more quick pass to the play book.

And there in-lies the problem. He's stubborn, so he won't

[Warhorse]

My guess is that shorter passes will grow in number as soon as we have the o-line that can push the run game. It's those long passes that keep defenses on their heels. Go all that dink and dunk stuff and our run game goes nowhere.....until the line is upgraded. My opinion.

[Superman]

It's all one way or the other; can't be a mixture of both. Right???

::sighs prayerfully::

I think Arians' play calling has been a big problem, especially in the red zone. But the game winner was a really good play design, and so was the first play to Reggie in the back of the end zone (great coverage by Carey on that one).

But we have too many drives stall in or near the red zone. And it's not all because we have young players, although that's part of it. When you look at the play calls and the way the passing game is defended closer to the red zone, a lot of the plays we run actually help the defense get stops. Our short to intermediate passing game is far less productive than it should be, and that's mostly because we don't have short and intermediate options on a great deal of our pass plays. Even plays like the outside drag to Dwayne Allen on the final drive yesterday are long throws (Luck was ten yards behind the line of scrimmage, throwing ten yards beyond the line of scrimmage, all the way to the outside). A lot of our pass plays have a high degree of difficulty and a small margin for error.

And then there's the empty backfield plays on crucial downs that benefit the defense. Sometimes it's a good play design, but we do it far too often for my tastes.

It's kind of myopic to just bat your eyes at this. Our red zone offense isn't very good this season, and it's not just because we have young players on offense. It's not just because we have a below average offensive line. A lot of it has to do with the nature of the plays we run. That's not the whole story, but it's certainly worth talking about.

[#12]

I thought the play calling yesterday was pretty much what everyone has been asking for - more slants and quick hitters, more dump-offs to the backs. Yet, for most of the second half, they didn't move the ball. So, to me, it still comes down to execution: block it up, make the pass, catch the ball.

Also, they won on the final two drives by dinking and dunking? That's news to me. I saw a bomb for a TD, a long pass to Reggie and a few long QB runs. You could make a stronger argument that they dinked and dunked for most of the game, then won the game by returning to being themselves.

[MIColtsFan]

Luck seems to do his best when he doesn't over think himself or override his instincts. When he tries to follow the play and make it work as called, even though someone missed a route or missed a block or the O line collapsed is when bad things happens, which is why I think he is so successful with the no huddle, he just runs on his instincts and it's all good. I don't think it's the play calls themselves that are poor, the execution of what could have been fantastic plays was poor several times in yesterdays game.

[BleedingBlue]

Break down the 2:00 minute drill and you'll see that all attempts were very BA-like....especially the 3rd and 1 where he went deep with like 50 seconds left.

(:52) (Shotgun) 12-A.Luck pass deep left to 87-R.Wayne to DET 40 for 26 yards (26-L.Delmas).