The 4th and Short Play Calling and Execution is Atrocious

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

The stale, unimaginative 'Ask Madden' play-calling from Shula on 4th and short has got to go. Two weeks in a row he has stubbornly called basic runs up the gut only to be repeatedly denied. The execution hasn't been there either, but executing plays that the defense is ready for doesn't work at the NFL. I think we have each watched enough professional football lately to know that a little trickery or spreading the defense out is usually more effective; especially with a QB as physically gifted as Cam. I know we would have likely ran Cam at some point if these situations were in the regular season, but not being able to pick up a yard after multiple attempts is disappointing enough regardless of the time and place. 

Can anyone that has rewind go back and re-watch our botched short yardage attempts tonight in the run game? Who missed their assignment? What went wrong? At this point I am just curious. Missing Kalil hurt this evening but the play-calling is so darn predictable, especially in short yardage scenarios, that any defense that watches a half-hour of film during the week can pick up on it. Call it vanilla. Call it pre-season. But is this what we can come to expect from Shula this season? We are just so conservative and risk-adverse to a fault. When is the last time we faked the dive or power and rolled Cam out giving him an option in the flat? 

/rant.  

[Sam Mills Fan]

Call it pre-season.

 Looks like you basically just killed your own thread. I know people hate on Shula, but no team in this entire league breaks out the exotic schemes in a meaningless preseason game.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

 Looks like you basically just killed your own thread. I know people hate on Shula, but no team in this entire league breaks out the exotic schemes in a meaningless preseason game.

We see this from Shula in the regular season pretty frequently as well. The last time we faked a hand-off and rolled Cam out he found Olsen wide open for 6 at home against Atlanta. That may have been two years ago. 

I'm not calling for anything exotic. I'm wanting to see something effective in a third pre-season game. How can we expect to be successful in the season when we are reluctant to play situational football to pick up a single yard? Surely we have more than a handful of plays in the arsenal for 4th and short. I'd rather give one of our countless short yardage plays away  on tape and see us convert then continuously get stuffed for no gain. Confidence for the offensive line and backs can go a long way. 

[MurkN]

The stale, unimaginative 'Ask Madden' play-calling from Shula on 4th and short has got to go.

He doesn't even listen to Madden.

 

[JawnyBlaze]

I agree with you but with one exception.  The Tolbert TD: everyone including fans and the Patriots expected another run up the gut.  I expected a Cam dive.  But they were actually able to punch it in with a play that we didn't expect.

 

But yea, still fug shula though.

[OnlyPantherFaninMaine]

Video is on NFL.com of our failed 4th and 1 attempt. We run left and Norwell, Oher, and Folkerts actually do a decent job of standing up their man. They don't get much push, but a pretty massive lane emerges and unfortunately Olsen wiffs on his man and Tolbert blindly smashes into the pile in the wrong gap and does nothing to lead the way for Stewart. If Tolbert had actually seen the running lane he would have met Jamie Collins (who made the tackle) head on and Stew would have rumbled for the yard we needed. Instead, Tolbert is oblivious to the lane to his left, and Collins finds his way around the scrum and wraps Stew's legs before as he cuts back. Stewart was ready to hit the lane until he noticed he had no lead blocker and Collins was coming in untouched. Call me crazy but Lee Ward sees that lane and blows up Collins. Frustrating that we are trying to run a downhill, aggressive run-heavy offense but won't use a true FB to do so. 

[Ricky Spanish]

I hate Shula and don't anticipate anything great out of him this year, but we didn't utilize our greatest offensive weapon save for one play tonight. 

Cam wasn't a threat to run because they don't want to risk it in the preseason. Regular season rolls around and Cam will be another thing defenses have to worry about. Instead of focusing on RB, Receiver and Cam, they just keyed on RB and Receiver on those plays. 

[Castavar]

We always say "when regular season comes, that isn't going to happen", when we know damn well NOTHING is going to change. He ran up the middle 3 straight times during the 49ers playoff game, and he is still running up the middle 2 years later. There's just no creativity with his playcalling in short yardage situations (and redzone). He calls plays like we have this overpowering O-line when we just don't. Spread it out, roll Cam out, use a triple option near the redzone, use playaction, spread it out and use zone read (like Eagles do all the time), call a bubble screen, call a WR screen, call a WR pick play (like Seattle is known for), let Cam fake a QB sneak and toss it over the line, etc. instead of constantly running straight up the middle 2 times and then calling an obvious playaction. It gets old quick.

[Udogg]

Shula doesn't catch, Shula doesn't block.  Most of our issues offensively have been 1 of those 2 things.

[Mr Mojo Risin]

 Looks like you basically just killed your own thread. I know people hate on Shula, but no team in this entire league breaks out the exotic schemes in a meaningless preseason game.

Shula? Exotic?

Wat

[Castavar]

Shula doesn't catch, Shula doesn't block.  Most of our issues offensively have been 1 of those 2 things.

The majority of those drops came from ONE person. As for our O-line not run blocking well, that reflects a lot on Shula as a OC. For example, Kubiak and Shanahan hardly ever have weak OLines primary because of the zone blocking scheme and the way they coach it. Similar to how well Miami ran with a spare parts line last season in a comparable scheme ran by Bill Lazor. Point is, sometimes it's not on the O-line, but rather failing to implement a blocking scheme.

[UpstatePanther]

The majority of those drops came from ONE person. As for our O-line not run blocking well, that reflects a lot on Shula as a OC. For example, Kubiak and Shanahan hardly ever have weak OLines primary because of the zone blocking scheme and the way they coach it. Similar to how well Miami ran with a spare parts line last season in a comparable scheme ran by Bill Lazor. Point is, sometimes it's not on the O-line, but rather failing to implement a blocking scheme.

i dont want our offense to fail to score points this season, but if they do (and especially if we miss the playoffs because of it) i take solace in that Shula's head is the first one that has to roll. there is no one else to blame. you cant blame injuries. you cant blame cam. you cant blame the receivers. the talent is there, and on the whole, so is the execution. but scheme and playcalling were horribly lacking last year. and if it isnt better this season, changes need to be made.

im waiting to see what happens the first couple games, but if we start slow offensively, i am going to get a social media movement going to replace Shula. #fireshula....

[Cammmmm]

Tolbert is a short yardage specialist.  Up the gut specialist.  And he cant get 2 yards on 4 plays by Tolbert.

 

[tiger7_88]

 Shula

exotic schemes

lol