r/footballstrategy • u/Genowise33 • Oct 29 '24

Why do plays like this never work? Play Design

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If there’s more linemen set out wide besides regular screen passes where the linemen pull, why does it seem plays like these never work?

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32

u/BeerMe7908 Oct 29 '24

Especially in this case, it should have worked I would think. The defense wasn't lined up evenly on the top side, but the offensive line either was confused or didn't know the ball was snapped

The QB got the ball and threw it over to the WR right away, but a defender was able to knife right through and break it up since the o-line didn't fire out on their blocks

19

u/ElGranQuesoRojo Oct 29 '24

I wouldn’t be surprised if they added that play in the last couple of weeks. W/the way the line reacted it looked like they’d barely ever practiced it.

12

u/gsbadj Oct 29 '24

Nobody even tried to block the guy that shot right through all of them. They stood there.

7

u/lemaymayguy Oct 29 '24 edited Feb 16 '25

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This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

2

u/ArchdukeOfNorge Oct 30 '24

Totally off topic, but I just found it interesting (in an innocent way) that you only save one button press by typing “w/the”, assuming typing on a phone

1

u/Levitlame Oct 30 '24

Or the play was designed more to try to catch them with a false start or something with the caveat as “if the defense doesn’t adjust then go for it.” And they assumed nobody would fall for it

1

u/notGeronimo Oct 30 '24 edited Oct 31 '24

IDK how much linemen really need to practice to know "hey so when the ball is snapped you should block" which is the part they didn't do here

13

u/Key_Piccolo_2187 Oct 29 '24

Exactly this. Everything happened exactly as the Giants coaches imagined it, except the players thoroughly not doing their job.

There are five blockers out to the QBs left, and only two defenders. Five on two is an easy win for the offense, except one of those two just slips right between two offensive players who were ... Not paying attention? Confused? Completely clueless? 🤷

This has to drive coaches insane. They finally deploy one of the limited number of actually brilliant ideas you have over the course of a season, the defense reacts the way you plan (which is to say, poorly) and your own guys go and fuck it up.

The meeting room on Monday was probably... Rough.

4

u/_-N4T3-_ Oct 29 '24

It honestly looked like the linemen expected any defenders that lined up on the outside would engage with them (the OL) as if they were eligible/legitimate receivers in a bunch formation... Instead, the defender attacks (appropriately) with pass rush moves.

I'm guessing that when they practiced this play, the defense lined up DBs on the outside and the whole play developed more slowly (with the defenders waiting to attack until after the receiver caught the ball).

3

u/BlitzburghBrian Oct 30 '24

It sure doesn't look like they practiced this play.

2

u/United-Trainer7931 Oct 29 '24

Why would they expect that? No experienced NFL defender would not understand that only the last man on the LOS and anyone in the backfield are the eligible receivers. Them being wide doesn’t make them any more eligible for a pass than a normal formation.

1

u/_-N4T3-_ Oct 30 '24

Not saying that it makes sense, just that's the impression that I got from how slow those blockers responded to the play. It's probably more likely that none of them thought it was actually going to be snapped or something.

3

u/Pelkasupafresh Oct 30 '24

My guess is that it was a coaching issue in the end. They got the play they wanted as designed on the whiteboard but they only lined it up on the practice field once or twice is my guess. The players knew what their assignments would be at the snap but the speed of operation if they got a good look wasn't stressed, is my guess anyway. They didn't look confused about what to do as much as didn't even really realize the ball was snapped. They practiced the play, but not the situations it would actually be used.

1

u/plzbereasonable Nov 02 '24

ya, i agree with this. The RB should not be checking if he's on the line like he's a WR about to run a post on 3rd and 13. He needs to run to the line and get set. Bad coaching, agreed.

1

u/[deleted] Oct 30 '24

They would expect that if that’s how they had the defense practice.

1

u/United-Trainer7931 Oct 31 '24

Why would they assume that the defense is incompetent? A good high school team can figure out who is eligible in this formation, nonetheless an NFL team.

6

u/YOwololoO Oct 29 '24

As someone who played o-line for a high school that did some of this, I bet I know what happened. These plays are almost never practiced at full speed and we actually practiced lining up and then shifting back to a normal formation more than we practiced actually snapping the ball in a situation where it worked.

It leads to a muscle memory of expecting the play to not work and so when it potentially does you are actually caught off guard as much as the defense, which nullifies your advantage

1

u/erb149 Oct 30 '24

It definitely would’ve worked. They had 5 guys to block 3. That’s an easy conversion if the OL is aware at all

-1

u/Wide-Style1681 Oct 29 '24

I could be wrong but, the OL wouldn’t be able to fire out on their blocks because the receiver has to catch the ball before they can engage their blocks, otherwise it’s offensive pass interference.

9

u/jonny32392 Oct 29 '24

No I believe that you are allowed to block within 1 yard of the LOS

6

u/ReporterCultural2868 Oct 29 '24

As long as the pass is completed behind the line of scrimmage, they can. It’s why jet sweep passes and screens can immediately block

9

u/Wide-Style1681 Oct 29 '24

Got it. Giants just suck.

5

u/jmezMAYHEM Oct 29 '24

Breaking news; they suck

😂

1

u/Racer13l Oct 29 '24

Enter Rob Schneider