I'm already over it.

[Zelmo]

The Coaches Cam of select plays went up today on NFL Rewind...Inexplicably, they have the coaches cam replay of the garbage time interception by Eli but no coaches cam replay of this INT.

 

 

 

-Z

[Treehugger]

The Coaches Cam of select plays went up today on NFL Rewind...Inexplicably, they have the coaches cam replay of the garbage time interception by Eli but no coaches cam replay of this INT.

 

 

 

-Z

Boo!

[JackStroud]

That play goes the hall of shame nest to last yrs meltdown in Philadelphia, the SFO Debacle...........now this FKKKKK UP

 

you really will never forget it, face it

[Treehugger]

The Coaches Cam of select plays went up today on NFL Rewind...Inexplicably, they have the coaches cam replay of the garbage time interception by Eli but no coaches cam replay of this INT.

 

 

 

-Z

Where are you viewing the NFL Rewind?

[Zelmo]

Where are you viewing the NFL Rewind?

 

It's a pay service

 

 

 

-Z

[Treehugger]

It's a pay service

 

 

 

-Z

[Storm]

Link - NFL.com videos

 

Storm, 2:15 mark on the video is the play. I just looked at it about 10 times to ascertain the positioning of the Seattle defense. They basically were playing a combination zone/man coverage, most of the back 7 backpedaled and was playing the goalline. They were just trying to keep everything in front of them.

 

Hakeem Nicks was doubled, and it looks like, on the video, that was Eli's first read. He quickly got off Nicks because they had a guy over the top of him and a guy underneath.

 

Ballard took the seam to the goalline. He was blanketed, there was nowhere to put the ball to Ballard.

 

Manningham was key to the play. He was the outside receiver in a tight formation, but he ran a slant towards the middle of the field. His job is to draw coverage out of that area, which he did. The coverage on Manningham was very tight.

 

Cruz and Bradshaw were the only two places to go with the ball. Cruz looked like Eli's next read. Eli sees Manningham draw his defender to the the middle. Eli also sees that Cruz beats his man when he initially begins to make his cut, and there is a hole in the zone Cruz is going to (a hole made by Manningham's route). The DB covering Cruz was positioned to his outside, so Cruz had perfect positioning to make the play. There was a safety over the top of Cruz playing the goalline. This is the guy that comes up and lays a lick on Cruz, basically crushing any chance Cruz had of tipping that ball back to himself. The player that had coverage on Ballard also came up and was there, he may have been the one that tipped it the second time, hard to tell. But Cruz was not double or triple covered. He was single covered and he had his man beat. He just needed to keep his feet through his cut and the ball is on the money. No, it's not going to score, but the Seahawks had dropped 7 guys into coverage, and most of those guys dropped back to the goalline, with the responsibility to react on a play in front of them. That is what they did.

 

Bradshaw was the final receiver and he was wide open. Eli COULD'VE seen most of the defense lined up to the left of the formation, and I'm pretty sure he saw Nicks doubled. This could've told Eli that Bradshaw would be wide open. But Cruz was the next read, and he was open. I have no problem with that read. Eli's looking downfield and he'll go to Bradshaw in a checkdown only if nobody downfield is open. Eli makes his read and immediately makes his decision. No time for what if's or thinking about it, he's a pro QB on a field with pro athletes that are ready to lay a hurt on him or jump a route if the ball isn't on time. There was nothing wrong with the throw, nothing wrong with the read.

 

You can criticize the play design, because the spacing of the receivers, to me, was an issue. I would've had Ballard run to the back of the endzone, not the goalline... that would've drawn his man farther away from the play underneath. But nevertheless, Cruz was single covered. He slipped, and that's why the play wasn't executed properly. The ball was coming out. Cruz has to make that play. Shit happens, like I said, it never should've come to that, but it did.

 

Also, saying there was 4 defensive lineman in the area is ridiculous. They were rushing the passer and out of the play, and would've been out of the play had Cruz caught it. There was a guy on Manningham, a guy on Ballard, a guy on Cruz, and a safety over the top. Shit, if you look at the pre-snap defensive alignment, you can see 5 guys at the LOS, with the 5th guy, on the right side of the formation, he backs up and takes the underneath coverage on Nicks. The Mike 'backer is 5 yards off the LOS, too. There's a DB on the bottom of the screen taking outside coverage (this is the player who took Cruz. EVERYONE ELSE IS AT THE GOALLINE OR DEEPER. That's 4 defenders at the goalline. Only 5 upfront... and a 6th "man in the box", being the Mike, lined up at around the 5. If you want to criticize Eli, criticize him for not checking to a running play there, because it was open. Again, I invite you to look at the video.

 

The Seahawks left the underneath open, and that's where Eli went with it. As I said before, it's just a fluke play. If Cruz makes his break cleanly, he's got a completion and he's probably down at the 4 yard line. He would've caught it at the six, in stride had he made the cut. Instead, he's reaching in front of him and behind him at the 5, tipping it up in the air for the defenders, who were at the goalline when he makes his cut, who are breaking on him as they see Eli going in his direction. How anyone can say that throw or decision was bad... well, they just have to look at it more. It was the proper read and decision. Players don't play under the microscope we put everything in after the fact. They make decisions in milliseconds and that decision by Eli was the right one under the circumstances, and he executed properly. Cruz didn't. Therefore, the result of the play was on the guy that mis-executed. That's Cruz. So much attention on this one play. But not on the safety the Seahawks scored. Not on the earlier Cruz fumble. Not on the busted coverage where Baldwin scores the TD, and not on the plays that allowed the Seahawks to march down the field all day, starting with the very first possession. It's frustrating to continue to talk about this one play when we were losing at the time because of a lot of mistakes and bad game planning and preparation.

 

 

I was trying to illustrate that there were 4 players to the left of the Eli Manning. 4 defensive lineman rushing the passer. That's 8 players accounted for. I don't care if Cruz had single coverage. There were 4 players ready to make that play 5 yards in front of him. It was a boneheaded play call and decision. You aren't going to change my mind. If the defensive is overwhelmingly playing one side of the field you don't throw to that side of the field.

[Storm]

This is exactly right. Timing is used on most poass plays. I dont understand whats meant by not using timing plays in the red zone. The main thing done wrong in this situation, was not choosing a better target. But it still wasnt the worst option. If Cruz doesnt slip, we may be looking at 4-1.

 

Meaning you don't have guys run into the flat at the 7 yard line, not looking at the ball, then quick turn their head after a slip and the balls there with 4 defenders there to make a play at the 7.

 

If Cruz had even caught that, he had to turn, look up field, and look forward to getting leveled at the 6. Awesome 3 yard gain. Hey, wasn't that what we were averaging running the ball?

[Storm]

Here ya go Tree:

 

 

 

In this pic you see the ball already passing his body and in his left hand....the ball is already PAST it's target and there's still no defender near making a play on the ball...

 

The "triple-coverage" that everyone is talking about is one defender diving behind the play and two defenders 5 yards away.

 

There was nothing wrong with Eli's decision to throw to Cruz at all.

 

 

 

-Z

 

Dude, who the fuck cares if they can't "make a play on the ball". How often do safeties make a play on the ball? Not often, they smash wide receivers on timing routes when they are 3 yards away when the ball arrives.

 

Tell me, what takes longer, running full speed, straight ahead 3 yards or concentrating on catching the ball, and turning up field toward the goalline? I'll consider 4 defenders converging on the ball as SOON AS IT'S GOING TO BE CAUGHT to be sufficiently covered.

[Storm]

I've never had a problem with him throwing to Cruz (though I believe Manningham was the better option), I have a problem with where he placed the ball. Even if he hadn't slipped (which he recovers from very fast) he's pitching it straight at the oncoming defender rather than placing it where only Cruz can catch it.

 

Thank you Tree.

 

I love these stills that effectively show how fast the game of football is played.

 

And btw, the video is unavailable at the present time.

[BIGBLUE01]

Meaning you don't have guys run into the flat at the 7 yard line, not looking at the ball, then quick turn their head after a slip and the balls there with 4 defenders there to make a play at the 7.

 

If Cruz had even caught that, he had to turn, look up field, and look forward to getting leveled at the 6. Awesome 3 yard gain. Hey, wasn't that what we were averaging running the ball?

 

OK, I agree with that, but its kinda what Im saying, there was a better option than Cruz.

 

And as for what happened after Cruz made the catch, we'll never know. He could have snaked his way in. Probably not with all the defenders, but maybe. Or on the next play maybe. Too late now though.

[Storm]

OK, I agree with that, but its kinda what Im saying, there was a better option than Cruz.

 

And as for what happened after Cruz made the catch, we'll never know. He could have snaked his way in. Probably not with all the defenders, but maybe. Or on the next play maybe. Too late now though.

 

And the fade route isn't a timing route in the sense that everything has to be bang bang bang perfect or it won't succeed. That allows a little room for error in that the receiver can adjust, isn't going to get hit with a ball coming at him like 70 MPH off his break (like on quick routes like Cruz had)....there's virtually no chance of a ball being batted up in the air on he fade.

[JackStroud]

actually that is Cruz greatest strength...........he has incredible vertical leap and outjumps everyone.......

 

that ball he caught a few weeks ago on the goal line was no fluke, he outjumped tha nagamura character on the eagles by a full head and shoulders

[Mr. P]

hahahah "tha nagamura character ".