Words on things I watched, read & heard

[holyredeemer]

I wasn’t watching for him, but Dugger just kept popping up on the screen. I’m really excited to watch him develop. As much as I’ve been impressed with Cam, it’s hard not to be as impressed with a D2 player coming into the league with no preseason and all that, and look like he belongs. He’ll have his share of road blocks, but at the end of the day, dude looks like a hard nosed baller!

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

Bacon Bits ...

• Josh . I've heard some complaints about play calling. I get it but as usual he's working with weird parts. Or strengths/depth just aren't there in some cases. Look it's week 2 but after this summer it looks like we want to be a physical team that works off the power with PA. So I get that we wanted to establish the run early. Also it's not lile things were out of hand early. If that's our identity and it looks like thats the case. You can't blame him, 1st half/week 2. He opened it up but with this strengths/weaknesses of this team. I get the game plan. I definitely have a problem with a few calls but I get the game plan. You're basically asking him to win a race with a slow car so the driver makes all the difference in the world. Hopefully we keep growing bc there were improvements. Cam looked great at times. - Last play. They knew where we were going a few times. Honestly at the time I'm saying "run bootleg" which would have gave us a much better shot but you obviously can see why we went left. 71 might have lost his balance or we but 91 just slipped off his block. FB got dive bombed for like the 2-3 third time. There was also penetration backside/through the middle from Wagner who cut off Shaq.
  Again a naked boot like we saw last week or some sort of counter run would have been much better. Seattle was just ready at that point. Hopefully we keep growing bc there were improvements. Cam looked absolutely great at times.
  

• Run blocking wasn't great and this might be nitpicking but I thought we also left a few yards out there early on. Not the biggest holes, just a few run plays. I could be wrong but I thought maybe we could have hit a few holes a little harder. Tough for me to say on my couch but I think we need more if were going to be a running team, no? Harris needs to run like Gump and not look back. Seattle was prepared though and played above their talent/depth imo. They got vertical at the right time. Slanted at the right time (last play). Like things really added up for them tonight there. - Again run blocking wasnt great but that jumbo is fierce. I can see why Josh likes it (I'll get to him) 71/76/62 play a hell of a song on the left side. My goodness. Lumberjack on that Cam 1 yard run. Again all 3 just cleared a path. They cleared a lot of weight a good 3-4 off the line. Wynn & Thuney have Muy Bueno on combos and creating a wall at times. When 71 comes in its a tough look.​
• 
  Pass protection was near flawless. I think Wynn was the best player on the OL tonight. Easily one of his better games. Even run blocking. He was fantastic in pass pro. A lot was made about Wynn's length as a prospect. So far when he gets his paws on you it's a wrap. Uses length very well so far. Very good at making first contact with his hands without any tells. + Anchor. Shown big time attitude. Thuney was great as well. Made a few crucial pickups - him & Wynn are smooth handing off rushers. Picking up pressure-stunts.
  
  
• Loved the call on 2/7 or we it was. Good call and execution. Nice sell by 34/76/62. Nice patience and key blocks by Wynn and Thuney. Shaq out in front. We got 3 but could've been 7 easy. Rex for like 2-3. Edleman drop and then pressure from Adams. Looked liked Rex was asked to block two guys on one play. Missed FG. Came down to last play at their house. Can't just throw it away over 2 yards. We should have been throwing more. Probably another deep shot to Byrd? Maybe two lol? Should have went with tempo more?
• Bentley was awful. *Gets taken out/worked by C who climbs to him 2nd level. No eyes on contact, carrier. No hands. *Very next play Bentley cuts off washed. *Ok I'm waiting for the A22 but this fogs up my Oakleys. 3rd quarter 2/4. Bentley bites on the handoff but it's immediately clear the coverage is holding up. Wilson is back there buying time. So much space and grass in front of him. Bentley might have been covering underneath but someone needs to attack that angle. Go make a play big dog. You have to try to make it happen there. Again I'll admit if I'm wrong but sometimes you have to make play. Also situational awareness. Know where and where Wilson can beat you. It's the scramble there that's the killer. *2/9 Middle opens for Wilson. No closing speed or drive. Hesi and bites on fake. Should be closing with everything you have there for TFL once he saw the play develop. *Bentley near halftime gets eatin up. Flag on Sea holding Rivers but again no bueno. *Pancaked by Fant few plays later. Just some notes. I think two TD's came off a few of these plays. Hate to harp on him but he looked slow. No change of direction. Didn't bring the aggression needed to take on OL. He just didn't looked right out there.
• Cam targeted Rex like 5 times in a row at one point. Few passes and a run or we but Rex is our best back in this offense. I noticed 11 back there as well. I like that combo back there. Even just to get 11 a free release. *Beautiful bomb to Edleman. Nice protection. Wynn turns his man across the pocket. Cam slides and throws in rhythm. Top 5 catch for Jules. You'll see that forever. He's so good ... Then it happens! Izzo from inline! Haven't seen that in like two years. Can we have more please. Should be an easy 40 yards a game off PA and just to work MOF.
  
  Power read - Harry - lookd like QB Sweep ? - Fake, nice pick Thuney- TD* -Just some offensive notes from the 2nd half. Rex, Harry, Izzo, Byrd isn't ideal but Cam made it work. We definitely need Byrd to stretch the defense more. Izzo down the seam route is something I can get used to as well.​
• 
  I still need more from Harry to justify the 1st round pick (2nd round grade from me) but he looked better for sure. Not the guy we hoped for but I'm giving him 3-4 more games. He came up big a few times for sure. No YAC. Not really stretching the field but doing solid work.
  
  
  
• The DK TD was just an elite athlete making a great play.
  So a QB is supposed to lead and a WR is supposed to track a ball. This was just a dandy of a play. Top notch on both ends (QB~WR). Wilson might be the best QB on earth and might throw the prettiest deep ball ever. Mahomes is absolutely right there. I mean talk about QBs carrying their respective teams? He's also outstanding at maneuvering in the pocket. Protecting himself. Making something happen through scramble or pass. So calm and relaxed.
  Dude is a class act. I know I'm gushing but we. He's a professional in every sense. Talent through the roof. First thing he does is reach out to White. Before and after the game in the interview. I know some go after his personality but give him for 10-12 years all day every day. Family man that just wants to win on the field. I hope he gets another ring at some point.
  But seriously that throw and catch were perfect. Gilly has outside leverage. DK runs a terrific route. Watch the head fake! Looks a corner/post or we and just whips it back. Has the space, moving like that at 230lbs. Good luck. Gilly actually also plays it great imo. I mean again DK is a freak. He absolutely knows the ball is coming and almost strips it. Hes looking at DK eyes or something. I mean it doesn't get any higher of talent, competition than right there. Can't be mad at Gilly.
  
  ​
• Wilson was just at the top of his game. The ability to scramble, extend the play is priceless nowadays. Him and Mahomes have really put their respective teams on their backs and we saw Cam do that tonight. Wilson was just on fire. Scrambling/extending the play. Maneuvering the pocket. Displayed crazy accuracy, touch, placement on some of those passes.
  
  
• I thought carried a few TEs pretty well. Tough to see without the A22 but he was great in in the box. He was a missile attacking the OL. Blew up the A gap on Rivers/Wino sack and another play pressuring the QB. Loved the aggression he played with.
  
  
  
• Tough game. Winnable sure but Seattle was just better. Not just better but this was peak Seattle mind you. Like you won't see them playing much better than last night and we didn't flinch or back down. This was supposed to be a guaranteed lose but came down to the last play, last second. Progress even though the end result isn't wanted. I have some clips (Bentley, Pass Pro, few more) I'll post when I get a chance.

More analysis on the last play.

So I'm seen this thrown around a few times so it should be addressed. QB and RB's have lost careers trying to bounce power outside.
1)it's not the call so your blocks aren't the same as they would be on a sweep for instance. It's hero ball which is needed like .1% of the time.


Here's the play in real speed not a screenshot for likes. FB gets bombed so Cam has to bounce that back and then race for the TD. Maybe, who knows. Sometimes players have to take it in their own hands but again 99.9% you run the play called. Trust your teammates and live with the results. Especially a NEP team. I remember saying this when I first started watching ball. Just bounce it outside when it's clogged up. That's a 50/50 at best with Cam taking it by himself. What if 57 picks up on it and gets off Izzo? Again Cam has to go around that dive bomb so it's not a clean angle.

Big point here is guys are coached from an early age not to do that.
https://twitter.com/Seahawks/status/1307885279840149504?s=19

From the bits above, this morning ...
"Last play. They knew where we were going a few times. Honestly at the time I'm saying "run bootleg" which would have gave us a much better shot but you obviously can see why we went left. 71 might have lost his balance or we but 91 just slipped off his block. FB got dive bombed for like the 2-3 third time. There was also penetration backside/through the middle from Wagner who cut off Shaq.
Again a naked boot like we saw last week or some sort of counter run would have been much better. Seattle was just ready at that point. Hopefully we keep growing bc there were improvements. Cam looked absolutely great at times".

Also I've seen a few "we ran the same thing, the same play" or something to that effect.

I would have like to seen a counter (below) play or the boot from last week. Or even the QB power pass to a FB/TE. Honestly felt like that at the time but I totally get the call. Not really trying to second guess. It's nice to have a few options down there. Even when we're that heavy it's nice to have a backdoor on the weak side you can call on.
Counter
https://twitter.com/Patriots/status/1307848027781173248?s=09

QB Power
https://twitter.com/PFF_Patriots/status/1307881190842605568?s=09

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

 

[Oswlek]

Again a naked boot like we saw last week or some sort of counter run would have been much better. Seattle was just ready at that point. Hopefully we keep growing bc there were improvements. Cam looked absolutely great at times.

I consider that a preseason play. Not in a pejorative sense, more in the "team building" sense. Rather than exploit a weakness, you'll often intentionally pit your guys against their best because you want to see how they perform against higher caliber players. Or you'll run what you want regardless of the look because you want to see if they can still pull it off in less than ideal circumstances.

Everyone knew Cam was likely to run it, but using personnel and motion to telegraph where and how it was going? Against a defense that had dominated NE's run game all night?

IMO, Bill prioritized getting some "let's see what we have here" insight over optimizing the odds of success on that play. Had it been for the Super Bowl, I expect they would have called something different. Possibly so had there been an actual preseason this year.

All IMHO, of course.

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

I consider that a preseason play. Not in a pejorative sense, more in the "team building" sense. Rather than exploit a weakness, you'll often intentionally pit your guys against their best because you want to see how they perform against higher caliber players. Or you'll run what you want regardless of the look because you want to see if they can still pull it off in less than ideal circumstances.

Everyone knew Cam was likely to run it, but using personnel and motion to telegraph where and how it was going? Against a defense that had dominated NE's run game all night?

IMO, Bill prioritized getting some "let's see what we have here" insight over optimizing the odds of success on that play. Had it been for the Super Bowl, I expect they would have called something different. Possibly so had there been an actual preseason this year.

All IMHO, of course.

Good points I can see that.

 

[condon84]

More Dugger

 

[Uptown]

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

A few weeks ago ..

• Im very curious about ST in particular. Again how's everyone's cardio in the 3th/4th after running a few live 50 yard sprints? A return or punt can open real quick and all a sudden now you're chasing someone east/west and head on a swivel for the first time in a year.
• How will the lack of physicality, getting "calloused" up, competition effect certain players & teams. Guys coming back from injury, rookies & the speed of the game - conditioning/cardio/football shape.

It's been evident guys are gassed. Early, late. Especially rookies. NFL speed is a different animal.

Obviously a few teams have had some kicking issues ...

Injuries were just insane. This is Bosa's 2nd in 5 years (SR HS) Just brutal for a guy that might make a run at the HOF with a healthy 8-10 career.

Same with SQB. He's supposed to be a cornerstone player. Now you're forced to make some hard decisions next year. Especially if you have a poor record. Still just devastating. Barkley & Guice both suffering big injuries. Both were two of the best backs I've ever seen coming out of college.

Lynn has some explaining to do in LAC. It's well known he loves TT. Just likes the player and person. Thought he got a raw deal. It's obvious.
Now I don't need an explanation as to why you want to sit Herbert. I get it. I honestly don't think hes ready but what do I know. Anyway good luck telling that to a fan base after yesterday. Cat's out the bag, they saw him perform. So every time TT plays it safe, won't throw a guy open or make a play. You're getting JH questions. Talk about bad luck yesterday.
Also how crazy would it be if they were in the running for Lawrence after drafting Herbert? I really can't wait to see the draft order. Some teams might be put in tough spots depending on who their QB is. There's only 3-5 QB's safe from removal in case you get #1 overall.

I personally would love to see the 49ers implode and let Kyle work with Lawrence.

I mentioned that BD in Buffalo would be mentioned with the likes of Roman and you can see it happening in Buffalo.
1)Allen looks good. Like he's playing very well. Pretty ball. Leading guys open. That offense is deep and versatile.
2)BD is doing exactly what Roman did in Balt. You have a core of a game-plan you're running every week but making small changes depending on opposing personnel. I mentioned that with Balt you'll see the same guys left unblocked over and over in the running game. Their so comfortable with what they do well and knowing who their opponent is they can take advantage of it. Creating matchups, # advantage... Buffalo is doing the same in different ways but BD deserves a lot of credit so far. Like Allen and that offense wasnt nearly as bad as some made them out to be. Especially Allen but BD kept pushing through and now you see the results. Still 14 games left but this wasnt out of nowhere. Those will be tough games. Most important of the entire year.

Minshew continues to exceed expectations. What a story he is. He has that offense moving. He's more than capable. If Jacksonville really doesn't want him in the end some team will get a player. He needs playmakers around him but again maybe in SF if things don't work out with Jimmy?

It's getting embarrassing watching some of these coaches drool over themselves. I'm sure they can rattle off some impressive stuff but results speak for themselves. Without mentioning names, it's just obvious some guys don't get it. Get some new, fresh blood in there.

Speaking of new blood. Arizona is so fun to watch if you enjoy football. Like really fun. I'd love to see a them go far and shake things up.

Kyler Murray is legit if you haven't seen him/them yet. Lamar, Mahomes, Wilson get the clicks but this dude is nuts. He's just as much a threat as Jackson. Crazy acceleration. Wow is he exciting.

 

[Uptown]

 

[BaconGrundleCandy]

 

[luuked]

Nice design. Mentioned how we saw 11 in the backfield last night. Like to see that continue and play off that. Mesh with a wheel out the backfield.

It was a great catch by the NBC crew to almost immediately point that out after the commercial break. One of the few times a year a broadcast immediately gave the right context to a blown coverage / big play.

 

[TomPatriot]

It was a great catch by the NBC crew to almost immediately point that out after the commercial break. One of the few times a year a broadcast immediately gave the right context to a blown coverage / big play.

Phillips was barking out assignments, but JC seemed to miss that he had Swain.

I wonder if with High that play goes down differently.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]