OC/DC play calling and schemes this season

[kf3339]

So we are getting ready to start the regular season in 6 days. It's been fun watching the preseason, but really you can't gauge much by that on how we will actually play in real games. At best we can only look at individual match-ups, and back-end players.

So the real questions is what type of strategy will our beloved OC and DC call in games to start this season.

On offense will we be a typical boring run, run pass and kick team that doesn't even try to stretch the opposing defense or attack it's weaknesses? Or are we going to be aggressive and attack early and often. Go for the jugular in the first half and make them have to react to us. That to me is the biggest question I have to start.

I like probably everyone on this board loved how we called and played the second half of last season, but was that the new direction of this team's going forward, or the product of us being really bad the first half and somewhat desperately having to abandon our run first, predictable offense to get back into the playoff picture.

I am just not sure what offense PC and Bevell will call up right now. But it will be a major factor in how we start this season again.

On defense I personally hate soft zones. My guess is the vast majority of you do as well. But is that just the way Richard has been taught by PC and will not adjust to what opposing offenses are doing to us? Are we going to again have an interior DL who make no real effort to penetrate the pocket on a regular basis, and not just attempts on obvious passing downs?

Personally, I would like to see a much more attacking defense early on downs to confuse opposing OC's. We are so predictable in our defense play calling any OC can know how to game plan against us. Of course you need the players to make that work. I'm not sure Miami does, but it still makes me nervous.

So what do you think will be our defensive strategy going into this season. Will we mix it up, or be soft and predictable again this season as well.

Personally I just don't have a real clue.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

Please...just no more long bombs on third and short when we're trying to close out a fourth-quarter lead. If Bevell can just knock those off, I don't care what else he does.

 

[dogorama]

I think that Bevell is often doing things that the typical fan is not aware of, e.g., series play calling. A good OC will try to set up an opposing defense by doing this much like a good chess player would. There are different series of plays throughout the game that are designed to create opportunities and mismatches. Those bubble screens and quick outs can be very frustrating, but if you can get yds w/them then that will suck the D in closer so we can get our speedy guys long or quick slants to Baldwin over the middle. Same thing w/the run game. Of course much of what you do is predicated by what the defense gives you but I think Bevell is getting better at this and I know Russ is.

If we can build upon what we accomplished at the end of last season w/o falling into old familiar patterns I think this could be a very potent offense. Adding Graham and a really fast Richardson is really going to stretch the field and that combination w/McEvoy should really improve the red zone. A lot this depends on how well the offensive line plays, but I think you can do a lot to help them out by not being so predictable.

 

[Sports Hernia]

No bubble screens, horizontal passing plays, and 3rd and long draw plays on offense. Dump the dink and dunk crap. There is no need to spot the opponents a half+ of football because you are "trying to set something up for the 4th quarter", that's an asinine mindset, but that's our OC's default mode. That's wasting plays and wasting your offensive talent.

A lot less zone defense.

Basically stay aggressive on both sides of the ball. When the Hawks are aggressive on both sides of the ball they succeed, when they get passive with play calling they lose or make the game much closer than it should be.

Just one guy's opinion of course. 8)

 

[Smelly McUgly]

On offense, I want to see some creativity, especially in PA because Wilson slays in PA. Absolutely slays. I want to see more PA out of the read-option more often, for example. I also know that we run a lot of single-back, but I want to see more two-back sets without a fullback mixed into the playbook. Stuff like Rawls and Prosise in the backfield with Prosise running a wheel route on PA. I'm a big fan of misdirection on offense in general, and we have lots of moving parts that can do that.

If we're going to run bubble screens, I'm fine with that, but the ball needs to go to Lockett or Richardson and not Baldwin or Kearse. I also think that running fakes out of our screen formations would be nice.

On defense, I also want to see creativity. Maybe run more cover-2 than we normally do. If we're going to run zone, I want to see more blitzes when in zone. I don't have numbers to back this up, so it's anecdotal, but we tend to have some success with dialing up corner and safety blitzes. Those aren't something we want to overuse, but they are handy, and I'd like to see some different looks that utilize those, especially out of the 4-2-5 when we've got three safeties out there roaming the field.

The run defense looks good, so more of that. If we can take the run away and make teams one-dimensional against us, then we can throw a few different looks and be a bit more confusing than maybe in the past. At one point, just playing cover-three with a high safety was good enough, but the league has adapted, and hopefully we adapt as well.

 

[falcongoggles]

After watching Seattle against the Panthers last year, I'm afraid we are in for more of the old offense. NFCCG and what do we do - go right back to the vanilla pass, pass, run gameplan of the first half of the season. Why in the hell did we give up on the thing that got us to the playoffs and to the NFCCG? I will never understand that call and it is what makes me pessimistic about a change in strategy. If PC and the OC reverted back to their old gameplan when the entire season was riding out...what does that say about their mentality?

 

[dogorama]

After watching Seattle against the Panthers last year, I'm afraid we are in for more of the old offense. NFCCG and what do we do - go right back to the vanilla pass, pass, run gameplan of the first half of the season. Why in the hell did we give up on the thing that got us to the playoffs and to the NFCCG? I will never understand that call and it is what makes me pessimistic about a change in strategy. If PC and the OC reverted back to their old gameplan when the entire season was riding out...what does that say about their mentality?

Panthers 2nd round, we didn't make it to the NFCCG.

 

[falcongoggles]

After watching Seattle against the Panthers last year, I'm afraid we are in for more of the old offense. NFCCG and what do we do - go right back to the vanilla pass, pass, run gameplan of the first half of the season. Why in the hell did we give up on the thing that got us to the playoffs and to the NFCCG? I will never understand that call and it is what makes me pessimistic about a change in strategy. If PC and the OC reverted back to their old gameplan when the entire season was riding out...what does that say about their mentality?

Panthers 2nd round, we didn't make it to the NFCCG.

Copy, thanks for the correction. The point still stands

 

[FlyingGreg]

After watching Seattle against the Panthers last year, I'm afraid we are in for more of the old offense. NFCCG and what do we do - go right back to the vanilla pass, pass, run gameplan of the first half of the season. Why in the hell did we give up on the thing that got us to the playoffs and to the NFCCG? I will never understand that call and it is what makes me pessimistic about a change in strategy. If PC and the OC reverted back to their old gameplan when the entire season was riding out...what does that say about their mentality?

We were also down 14-0 before I finished my first beer and had no running game. That took us out of our game plan quickly.

 

[GeekHawk]

So the real questions is what type of strategy will our beloved OC and DC call in games to start this season.

We don't have a beloved OC.

 

[kf3339]

So the real questions is what type of strategy will our beloved OC and DC call in games to start this season.

We don't have a beloved OC.

:lol:

 

[Seahawkfan80]

On offense, I want to see some creativity, especially in PA because Wilson slays in PA. Absolutely slays. I want to see more PA out of the read-option more often, for example. I also know that we run a lot of single-back, but I want to see more two-back sets without a fullback mixed into the playbook. Stuff like Rawls and Prosise in the backfield with Prosise running a wheel route on PA. I'm a big fan of misdirection on offense in general, and we have lots of moving parts that can do that.

If we're going to run bubble screens, I'm fine with that, but the ball needs to go to Lockett or Richardson and not Baldwin or Kearse. I also think that running fakes out of our screen formations would be nice.

On defense, I also want to see creativity. Maybe run more cover-2 than we normally do. If we're going to run zone, I want to see more blitzes when in zone. I don't have numbers to back this up, so it's anecdotal, but we tend to have some success with dialing up corner and safety blitzes. Those aren't something we want to overuse, but they are handy, and I'd like to see some different looks that utilize those, especially out of the 4-2-5 when we've got three safeties out there roaming the field.

The run defense looks good, so more of that. If we can take the run away and make teams one-dimensional against us, then we can throw a few different looks and be a bit more confusing than maybe in the past. At one point, just playing cover-three with a high safety was good enough, but the league has adapted, and hopefully we adapt as well.

I like what I read here. Instead of waiting till the second half to change up the offense, how about waiting till the second Quarter instead? Would rather have run pass run with some other variables installed too.

Great post Smelly.

 

[themunn]

I like what I read here. Instead of waiting till the second half to change up the offense, how about waiting till the second Quarter instead? Would rather have run pass run with some other variables installed too.

Great post Smelly.

I've always been convinced that the reason behind waiting til the second half is that you don't give the opposition the 2nd quarter to adjust to your adjustments and a full halftime break to communicate them, by the time the 4th quarter comes around and you've diagnosed everything it's often too late.

 

[Sports Hernia]

I like what I read here. Instead of waiting till the second half to change up the offense, how about waiting till the second Quarter instead? Would rather have run pass run with some other variables installed too.

Great post Smelly.

I've always been convinced that the reason behind waiting til the second half is that you don't give the opposition the 2nd quarter to adjust to your adjustments and a full halftime break to communicate them, by the time the 4th quarter comes around and you've diagnosed everything it's often too late.

If that's the case, they are out smarting themselves.

 

[Siouxhawk]

Our franchise has won at a rate above 65% over the course of the last 4 years. I hardly think that qualifies as overthinking themselves. They have a great formula and as long as it produces victories, I'm on board.

 

[kf3339]

I like what I read here. Instead of waiting till the second half to change up the offense, how about waiting till the second Quarter instead? Would rather have run pass run with some other variables installed too.

Great post Smelly.

I've always been convinced that the reason behind waiting til the second half is that you don't give the opposition the 2nd quarter to adjust to your adjustments and a full halftime break to communicate them, by the time the 4th quarter comes around and you've diagnosed everything it's often too late.

If that's the case, they are out smarting themselves.

Exactly.

 

[kf3339]

Our franchise has won at a rate above 65% over the course of the last 4 years. I hardly think that qualifies as overthinking themselves. They have a great formula and as long as it produces victories, I'm on board.

Our franchise has also had less regular season and post seasons victories each of the last three years straight. Perhaps other teams have figured out our total game strategy and have started to beat us to the punch. Are some coaches now using our own game plan against us?

Just saying................

 

[chris98251]

Our franchise has won at a rate above 65% over the course of the last 4 years. I hardly think that qualifies as overthinking themselves. They have a great formula and as long as it produces victories, I'm on board.

Our franchise has also had less regular season and post seasons victories each of the last three years straight. Perhaps other teams have figured out our total game strategy and have started to beat us to the punch. Are some coaches now using our own game plan against us?

Just saying................

I think getting Boykin, Prosise will make the offense stable over the long haul and bring in a new wrinkle with Porsise if Bevell uses him more then just for bubble screens, and actually sets him up in the backfield and then goes to three and 4 WR sets. I really think that's what he is more then a RB, he can just set up as one and run basic plays from there.

 

[kf3339]

Our franchise has won at a rate above 65% over the course of the last 4 years. I hardly think that qualifies as overthinking themselves. They have a great formula and as long as it produces victories, I'm on board.

Our franchise has also had less regular season and post seasons victories each of the last three years straight. Perhaps other teams have figured out our total game strategy and have started to beat us to the punch. Are some coaches now using our own game plan against us?

Just saying................

I think getting Boykin, Prosise will make the offense stable over the long haul and bring in a new wrinkle with Porsise if Bevell uses him more then just for bubble screens, and actually sets him up in the backfield and then goes to three and 4 WR sets. I really think that's what he is more then a RB, he can just set up as one and run basic plays from there.

Yes, but first we have to see Bevell actually do what you describe. We will know soon enough.

 

[dogorama]

Our franchise has won at a rate above 65% over the course of the last 4 years. I hardly think that qualifies as overthinking themselves. They have a great formula and as long as it produces victories, I'm on board.

Our franchise has also had less regular season and post seasons victories each of the last three years straight. Perhaps other teams have figured out our total game strategy and have started to beat us to the punch. Are some coaches now using our own game plan against us?

Just saying................

And what you are saying is correct. We only had one quality win all season and that was in a shootout w/Pittsburg. Other than that we had a win against a Vikings team missing their three best players on defense and a win at Arizona when the season had already been decided. The rest of the wins came in a cupcake second half schedule of 5-wins or less teams.