Thanks this was super useful and pretty nerdy ...
So as I understand, EP works when you have established QB and receiver tandem with a established OC , whilst for a team in transition, just holds you back.
Could EP system be one of the reasons for the subpar season that cam had. Agree , cam was not a functional QB and Mac acclimatized well to EP last year. But lays a lot more learning on QB and receivers.
So the reason to move away from it this year has more to do with Josh who is not around to teach the nuances or explore the infinities as well as understanding limitations of new receivers who join the team. so we go to a simplified offense that is easier to coach and also for new players to acclimatize. If that's the case , when can we expect to see better assimilation of these newer but simpler concepts by the offense?
Does the new shanahan /mcvay system place more learning on offensive line instead of QB and receivers , hence leading to sloppy offensive line play? If that's the case our evaluation of Offensive linemen might need to change?
I was going to go back and edit my initial post in response to you because I didn't have time to finish it, but since you responded to it, I will start a new one.
First, I want to go back to that Superbowl vs. the LA Rams. The players in the EP system that year, were so knowledgeable, so experienced, that you could take any one player and put him anywhere on the field and he would know exactly what to do. That's why Josh was able to dial up that famous Hoss Y Juke play that broke open the game- it wasn't even in the script for that game, hadn't even been called for a few games (IIRC) but since the players were so experienced, Josh was able to dig deep into his bag and dust it off, and what's amazing was the personnel on the field was a 22 if I remember right, the very last type of personnel you want executing four vertical routes, but they did. I can remember thinking WTF was Devlin doing split out wide?? But it was what finally defeated what was a very masterful defensive duel.
The EP works when you have a handful of players who have mastered it deeply- especially the QB, and it's a nice bonus if the QB is very cerebral as Brady was (is). That's why I was not happy when James White announced his retirement- when he left; the final link to that "deep knowledge" was removed.
And yes, Cam just couldn't master the EP- he's an instinctual player, not a cerebral one.
We're not moving away from the EP, we are simply evolving- the EP was never and will never be a static offense, it's always evolving, on a yearly basis. Right now we're moving away from utilizing FB's, but to what? I don't know, and I don't even think the team knows. they won't know until mid-October which Belichick has said is typically the time when you know what kind of team you have.
Mac Jones has only one full year in the EP system, some of his receivers have had only a few- so there's bound to be growing pains, errors, and such. It's not a matter of simplifying or trying not to make things too complex, it's just a matter of reps. The more time you put into it, the easier it becomes- muscle memory so to speak. That's why BB has had two joint practices this year with two different teams- invaluable reps right there.
So next year, you'll probably see the NFL outlaw holding more than one joint-team practice, per team.
Not sure why you are referring to Shanny/McVay in relation to our OL's sloppy play?
