[stupac2]

David Shaw's strategy is to maximize the strengths of the team and minimize the weaknesses. It just so happens that the strengths are the power running game and defense. The weakness is the short and intermediate passing game. This combination translates to ball control. Shaw is doing exactly what he should do with this team. Next year will be a different story.

I don't know if that's really our weakness. I mean, yes, it has been, but how much of that is because we keep throwing it to our crappy TEs and guys like Pratt when we're in short-yardage situations? In a Rule of Tree article today the author talked about how last game was the first time this season that Rector caught a pass on a slant over the middle, and shockingly he was really good at it! I get that they're not big targets who play close to the line, but guys like Whitfield and Rector can be awesome when used in the short game. We like doing screens with Montgomery, but why not put Rector/Whitfield into the slot and try to use them like Ertz last year? Smaller target, but faster, so a mismatch with a linebacker in a different way that Ertz.

Anyway, I agree that right now we're doing badly with that, but it's not clear to me that it's a problem we couldn't fix right now if we wanted to.

[stupac2]

David Shaw's strategy is to maximize the strengths of the team and minimize the weaknesses. It just so happens that the strengths are the power running game and defense. The weakness is the short and intermediate passing game. This combination translates to ball control. Shaw is doing exactly what he should do with this team. Next year will be a different story.

I don't know if that's really our weakness. I mean, yes, it has been, but how much of that is because we keep throwing it to our crappy TEs and guys like Pratt when we're in short-yardage situations? In a Rule of Tree article today the author talked about how last game was the first time this season that Rector caught a pass on a slant over the middle, and shockingly he was really good at it! I get that they're not big targets who play close to the line, but guys like Whitfield and Rector can be awesome when used in the short game. We like doing screens with Montgomery, but why not put Rector/Whitfield into the slot and try to use them like Ertz last year? Smaller target, but faster, so a mismatch with a linebacker in a different way that Ertz.

Anyway, I agree that right now we're doing badly with that, but it's not clear to me that it's a problem we couldn't fix right now if we wanted to.