In this case it was probably the best play to call given the matchup. The tall veteran receiver going 1 on 1 against the smaller rookie corner Dennard whose tendencies Wilson knew quite well from his game against Nebraska last year. Wilson studied quite a bit of tape on Dennard last year and let's just say he was prepared. He knew what he had before the ball was snapped. It was a good timing route and great effort by Edwards. What was genius about it was that Wilson got away with lofting a soft catchable ball because he threw it early and placed it low and outside.

The underrated part of Wilson's game is his vision and how he sees a throw before his receivers break free. That vision and trust in your receivers is what will make him more like Rodgers and Brees than a Mike Vick.

And of course Wilson gained a lot of confidence in Braylon Edwards during the preseason, with Edwards making big plays for him on 50-50 balls that Wilson threw up and Edwards went after and won. A guy makes plays like that for you, and as a QB, you are going to make sure to go to him when you need someone to flat out make a play, and that's what Wilson did. Who says preseason is meaningless.

I haven't read the whole thread, so I don't know if anyone pointed this out ... but when I re-watched this catch, I noticed we're lucky Braylon caught the ball. Right before it hits his body, he seems to look down and close his eyes. No idea why. But we're lucky he caught it.

EDIT: He may have been looking down for the sideline, but still ... he wasn't looking at the ball when he caught it.

This may have already been posted but I'm not going to read 3 pages to find out...

Stop with the Bevell hate.

RW decided to go with the risky throw here, and it's probably cause he saw Braylon 1 on 1 and it worked in the preseason so he went for it. But the bottom line is the call here is for Braylon to draw the left side of the field away so when Tate cuts over he is wide for the first down. This is blatantly obvious. It was a great play call and it is a very high percentage play to Tate. But RW went with the fade.

Stop trying to hate on Bevell when he called a great game.

Wait till we lose, jesus.

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"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories." - Sun Tzu

It looks like a well designed play and the execution couldn't have been done better. I think the coaches deserve some credit for having the balls to do it. I think the aggressive play calling is what the offense needed.

Seattle is going into the games dictating their attitude and making great adjustments, I see them doing the same thing in San fran.



No more

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Wow! the same people who say it's the process, not the results are the ones saying quit bitching, it was a touchdown. But just because the play worked doesn't mean it wasn't a stupid call. I can see that 4th and 3 is probably too far to give it to Marshawn. That's low percentage too. But a fade? Ugh, when is Bevell gonna call some high percentage plays on 3rd or 4th and short?

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Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

R. Sherman: "I don't want to be an island. I want to be a tourist attraction. You come, I take your money & you go."

Salish you do realize it was not the intended throw right? The throw was supposed to be to Tate. Braylon's route was intended to clear the left side.
RW chose that receiver.

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"Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories." - Sun Tzu

So basically you didn't actually read any of the posts of those that don't care for that play call.

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The point that it was a low % play is true but it was a pick the open guy route and the team likes using Edwards size.

For me the reality was the team needed to score and then score again so the risky play was an option that was realistic in the situation.

In the end your point is taken but the play worked and thus is moot.

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Until we develop a pass rush that will cause opposing teams to be forced to scheme to defend it we will never be able to completely take the final step. Until the OLine is strengthened the team will remain weak.

I thought it was a brilliant play. If you're gonna throw a fade, you either have someone capable of getting it like Aaron Hernandezs TD, or you throw it short to the back shoulder where your WR can make a last second adj.

So you're saying the rookie made a low percentage play when a very high percentage play is what was called and what should have been thrown, but despite the process being flawed, he got the result?

You mean his TD pass wasn't proof of "progress" by our rookie QB?

That's blasphemy around here you know,

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Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

R. Sherman: "I don't want to be an island. I want to be a tourist attraction. You come, I take your money & you go."

Pete said it was an adjustment made at the LOS. Russell saw Braylon was one on one with the smaller rookie who (as others have stated) Russ is very familiar with, and makes a snap judgment call. I'd say that's progress.

They're probably all on ignore...

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#FREEBROWNER

I'm not gonna lie... When he threw that ball I immediately swore at the tv because the fade route has not worked for them once this year from what I can remember. But then he caught the ball and I was jumping up and down

Same here...I watched it at EQC (which BTW if you haven't watched a game there, you should. Awesome atmosphere) half the people swore at the screen, I took off my hat and was getting ready to throw it, then BE made a great adj and the place erupted.

If you're looking at process over results, then that's a borderline one right there. Going for such a low percentage play with the game on the line when going with the play as called would have had a much higher chance of success. On top of that, it's a pass to Braylon "butterfingers" Edwards. I wouldn't call it progress, I'd say no one is in any position ultimately to second guess Wilson however.

But if you're truly honest that you want to look at the process over the results, then I don't grade Wilson highly on that one.

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Richard Sherman doesn't just wanna get in your head, he wants to build a vacation home there.

R. Sherman: "I don't want to be an island. I want to be a tourist attraction. You come, I take your money & you go."

If you're looking at process over results, then that's a borderline one right there. Going for such a low percentage play with the game on the line when going with the play as called would have had a much higher chance of success. On top of that, it's a pass to Braylon "butterfingers" Edwards. I wouldn't call it progress, I'd say no one is in any position ultimately to second guess Wilson however.

But if you're truly honest that you want to look at the process over the results, then I don't grade Wilson highly on that one.[/quote]

Why not? I see it as a young QB recognizing a mismatch and exploiting it. Braylon Edwards has come up big for him before. He has no reason not to trust BE. Generally that play may be low percentage, but if you factor in BE's height and ball skills, Dennards lack of height and inexperience, then that play becomes a higher percentage one.

Thanks for these pictures. I hated the play when the ball was in the air (fade routes just seem like a roll of the dice), but these pictures show why RW did what he did. Both the slot receiver and the receiver wide right have safeties lined up deep behind them. That means the man with shallow coverage can be a lot more aggressive in jumping short routes. Braylon (who is huge) appeared to be in 1:1 coverage against a much smaller corner, which in the red zone is a mismatch. As was mentioned, the primary receiver on the play may well have been Tate, but once Wilson saw the look that the defense gave, he thought the odds were better going to Braylon. THE OTHER THING is that this was not a typical fade route--this was a back shoulder play. The CB, being in 1:1 coverage against a taller guy with no help deep, was no doubt worried about the deep fade in the corner. This gave Braylon, already with a big size/strength advantage, an extra edge in getting position on the ball. This is a throw that they no doubt have worked on in practice, based on the execution and Wilson's confidence in choosing this route.

Great play.

I use to think electricity was fast before I met the internet.

The same could be said about results mattering. Then I read this thread.

Radish nail it.