02-06-2017, 03:41 PM
I think this discussion reinforces why it's so hard to definitively call playcalls or even strategy broadly 'bad' or 'good.' Like the Falcons could've burned more clock -- both shortening the game and resting the defense. But would that have stunted offensive effectiveness? Perhaps!
My point here is that Shaw critics tend to assume you can hold defensive and special teams quality constant while jacking up offensive quality, as if Shaw has an "offensive quality dial" he's unwisely chosen not to turn to 11. Maybe there are some easy gains he can make without compromising defensive quality. But then again...maybe it's tradeoffs all the way down.
One more point: we were told pretty consistently that Kyle Shanahan is a playcalling genius before the game. Now, lo and behold, he are told he made some mistakes in the Super Bowl. Now I imagine good playcallers have bad games, just as, say, good offensive tackles. The problem is, our assessments of good offensive tackles is pretty consistent. It's not with offensive playcalling:
Oct 17 2011 Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/re...e4aacf0ac -- doesn't specifically cite Shanahan as a great playcaller, but that's the implicatoin of the piece
Oct 31 2011 -- Kyle Shanahan suddenly a bad playcaller: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/re...0832fbfde8
Oct 2013 -- Kyle Shanahan gets questions for play-calling: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/kyle-s...y-calling/
Dec 2013 -- Kyle Shanahan should get play-calling responsibilities taken away from him, opine pundits: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-s...3627f52612
Jan 2014 -- Kyle Shanahan has unfair bad rep when it comes to playcalling: http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ss...wns_k.html
June 2014: Kyle Shanahan, mastermind play-caller: http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/arti...7a849ee078
Nov 2014 -- cut Browns player complains about Kyle Shanahan's playcalling: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...r-10-games
And so on! The point is: if playcalling is such an important ability, why can observers so rarely consistently identify it in the wild?
My point here is that Shaw critics tend to assume you can hold defensive and special teams quality constant while jacking up offensive quality, as if Shaw has an "offensive quality dial" he's unwisely chosen not to turn to 11. Maybe there are some easy gains he can make without compromising defensive quality. But then again...maybe it's tradeoffs all the way down.
One more point: we were told pretty consistently that Kyle Shanahan is a playcalling genius before the game. Now, lo and behold, he are told he made some mistakes in the Super Bowl. Now I imagine good playcallers have bad games, just as, say, good offensive tackles. The problem is, our assessments of good offensive tackles is pretty consistent. It's not with offensive playcalling:
Oct 17 2011 Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/re...e4aacf0ac -- doesn't specifically cite Shanahan as a great playcaller, but that's the implicatoin of the piece
Oct 31 2011 -- Kyle Shanahan suddenly a bad playcaller: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/re...0832fbfde8
Oct 2013 -- Kyle Shanahan gets questions for play-calling: http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/kyle-s...y-calling/
Dec 2013 -- Kyle Shanahan should get play-calling responsibilities taken away from him, opine pundits: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dc-s...3627f52612
Jan 2014 -- Kyle Shanahan has unfair bad rep when it comes to playcalling: http://www.cleveland.com/browns/index.ss...wns_k.html
June 2014: Kyle Shanahan, mastermind play-caller: http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/arti...7a849ee078
Nov 2014 -- cut Browns player complains about Kyle Shanahan's playcalling: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000...r-10-games
And so on! The point is: if playcalling is such an important ability, why can observers so rarely consistently identify it in the wild?