01-31-2023, 07:24 AM
lex, there are three things that stand out about why the injuries to QBs have afflicted Shanahan QBs so acutely:
1. Jimmy Garoppolo can't stay healthy, suggesting he is not fit to build your team around at the QB position. It's fine to argue that his injuries could have happened to anyone. That's true, but the frequency with which Garoppolo has been injured - including before he was acquired by trade - makes investing so much money in him a very questionable idea at best.
2. Running Trey Lance like a RB, welcoming additional hits on him, and driving up the chances of him getting hurt. It's just idiotic to do this with a guy who isn't a physical freak, by size, strength, quickness, and/or speed. If Shanahan wanted a running QB, he should have taken Justin Fields, as would have been my choice, as he has elite speed. Lance is a good sized QB, but he doesn't have truly elite size, speed, power, or quickness. It's better than average, but not truly game changing. Most NFL people know to avoid hits on the QB as much as possible. And, Robert Griffin III had his career basically ended because Shanahan insisted on running him in ways that put him at higher risk for injury.
3. Not enough hot options built into passing concepts. This has been a consistent theme and biggest complaint from the analysts I've seen commenting on Shanahan's offense. There are too many instances without options to help out the QB when facing quick pressure, and too many free hits on the QB. Garoppolo was in fact lost for season on a play he was hit by an unblocked defender with no hot receiver. Not only would more hot adjustments - that provide immediate receiving options from pocket - protect the QB, they would probably increase the Red Zone TD efficiency.
I don't know if Purdy's injury is Shanahan's fault, but because he has been so cavalier about QB preservation, I can't rule it out. I don't buy the people saying it was crazy to have a TE blocking a DE, because that's how the play action design works. The TE made the DE loop around him, and a pocket was formed that gave Purdy the space to step up right before throwing the ball to Aiyuk. My question stems from whether Purdy was taught to throw from the position he threw from or not. As Mike Martz said, the QB must step up before throwing with that kind of protection on a play action pass (if possible and could have been done) because Purdy was in the target zone where a DE would aim on that kind of play. These are minor details, but very important ones. It's also possible Purdy just felt too comfortable and even if told to step up in that situation, he might have just not done so. For all I know, after the play that ended the season and f'd the offseason, Kyle might have told Brock "We said to climb the pocket before throwing."
Back to the point. The totality of the evidence suggests Kyle Shanahan puts QBs at risk for more injury than his peers. This isn't to say other QBs don't get injured. They do. But the severity and frequency with which Shanahan's QBs are injured is not just randomness. This is like drinking alcohol or smoking. Not everyone who does will have their health ruined by the same degree as others, but in the main, doing these things will lead to more serious disease. Playing QB for Kyle Shanahan puts you at risk for more serious injury than other coaches. The evidence proves it.
He really needs to look at all the details that contribute to his QBs being injured and make some adjustments. To continue with the same approach without making changes would be lunacy, suggesting there is a problem.
1. Jimmy Garoppolo can't stay healthy, suggesting he is not fit to build your team around at the QB position. It's fine to argue that his injuries could have happened to anyone. That's true, but the frequency with which Garoppolo has been injured - including before he was acquired by trade - makes investing so much money in him a very questionable idea at best.
2. Running Trey Lance like a RB, welcoming additional hits on him, and driving up the chances of him getting hurt. It's just idiotic to do this with a guy who isn't a physical freak, by size, strength, quickness, and/or speed. If Shanahan wanted a running QB, he should have taken Justin Fields, as would have been my choice, as he has elite speed. Lance is a good sized QB, but he doesn't have truly elite size, speed, power, or quickness. It's better than average, but not truly game changing. Most NFL people know to avoid hits on the QB as much as possible. And, Robert Griffin III had his career basically ended because Shanahan insisted on running him in ways that put him at higher risk for injury.
3. Not enough hot options built into passing concepts. This has been a consistent theme and biggest complaint from the analysts I've seen commenting on Shanahan's offense. There are too many instances without options to help out the QB when facing quick pressure, and too many free hits on the QB. Garoppolo was in fact lost for season on a play he was hit by an unblocked defender with no hot receiver. Not only would more hot adjustments - that provide immediate receiving options from pocket - protect the QB, they would probably increase the Red Zone TD efficiency.
I don't know if Purdy's injury is Shanahan's fault, but because he has been so cavalier about QB preservation, I can't rule it out. I don't buy the people saying it was crazy to have a TE blocking a DE, because that's how the play action design works. The TE made the DE loop around him, and a pocket was formed that gave Purdy the space to step up right before throwing the ball to Aiyuk. My question stems from whether Purdy was taught to throw from the position he threw from or not. As Mike Martz said, the QB must step up before throwing with that kind of protection on a play action pass (if possible and could have been done) because Purdy was in the target zone where a DE would aim on that kind of play. These are minor details, but very important ones. It's also possible Purdy just felt too comfortable and even if told to step up in that situation, he might have just not done so. For all I know, after the play that ended the season and f'd the offseason, Kyle might have told Brock "We said to climb the pocket before throwing."
Back to the point. The totality of the evidence suggests Kyle Shanahan puts QBs at risk for more injury than his peers. This isn't to say other QBs don't get injured. They do. But the severity and frequency with which Shanahan's QBs are injured is not just randomness. This is like drinking alcohol or smoking. Not everyone who does will have their health ruined by the same degree as others, but in the main, doing these things will lead to more serious disease. Playing QB for Kyle Shanahan puts you at risk for more serious injury than other coaches. The evidence proves it.
He really needs to look at all the details that contribute to his QBs being injured and make some adjustments. To continue with the same approach without making changes would be lunacy, suggesting there is a problem.