After Further Review: Tebow is limited offensively, but not Chudzinski
|
|
| The Broncos may be winning right now, but it is almost in spite of Tim Tebow. (Getty Images) |
One of the things you get from re-watching games is an idea of who has the good offensive schemes.
Most of them are -- as expected -- the top offenses in the league, with most of those offenses run by the head coach of the team. So for teams that might be looking for a head coach next January from the coordinators who actually run an offense, the pool will be limited.
Take a look at the top-10 offensive teams based on the rankings this week. They are in order: New Orleans, New England, Philadelphia, Green Bay, Dallas, Carolina, San Diego, Houston, Oakland and Pittsburgh. Of those teams, the only two where the head coach isn't involved in the offense is Carolina and Pittsburgh.
| More on Week 11 |
| Analysis |
 |
| Related links |
|
| Video |
That's it. Some will say that isn't the case in New England, but we know better with Bill Belichick. He's as involved with that offense as any coach. Bill O'Brien is the coordinator, but Belichick and Brady have a lot of say in what happens on offense.
In Philadelphia, former Lions coach Marty Mornhinweg is the coordinator, and he does call the plays, but Andy Reid is an offensive coach who is heavily involved.
In Carolina, Rob Chudzinski runs the offense. In Pittsburgh, it's Bruce Arians. Those two have control of the play calling and the implementation of the offense. They are the only two in the top 10.
So both could be considered head-coaching candidates next spring, although there was once a movement in Pittsburgh to get Arians fired.
That leaves Chudzinski. He is in his first year running the Carolina offense and has it ranked fifth with a rookie quarterback in Cam Newton. Chudzinski's play calling is innovative and creative. He isn't afraid to take chances. This is his second stint as a coordinator after serving in that capacity in Cleveland from 2007-2008.
At 43, his time might be coming. What's even better for him is that it's coming at a time when the head coaches are running the good offenses in the league right now.
With so many head coaches handling their offenses, guys like Mike McCarthy (Green Bay), Sean Payton (New Orleans) and Jason Garrett (Dallas), Chudzinski might be one of the few choices for teams looking to liven up the offensive side of the ball.
Film Study (10 things I saw on the tape)
1. After watching the Denver-Kansas City game, I still can't figure out what it was the Broncos did on offense. They controlled the football with the running game, but they didn't even try to make plays down the field in the passing game. Tim Tebow completed two passes -- one that was caught at the line of scrimmage -- and he only attempted eight. There were several third-and-long situations where the Broncos didn't even attempt a pass. It's only a matter of time before the spread-option is figured out and the Denver offense is stalled. The way I see it, the Broncos are basically admitting that Tebow can't be an NFL quarterback.
2. One of the most improved units in the NFL this season is the Houston Texans offensive line. They have been outstanding running the team's zone-blocking scheme. They are quick and athletic and they are good at getting out on linebackers to free up Arian Foster and Ben Tate. The most improved player is left tackle Duane Brown. Now in his fourth season, Brown has quietly developed into a top-level tackle. That unit dominated against Tampa Bay, although Albert Haynesworth gave them some trouble with his power on some plays. That line makes the offense go, which will make not having Matt Schaub a lot easier to handle the rest of the way. They operate with precision, including the cutting of linemen on the backside. Their cohesive style is a thing of beauty at times. Opposing teams hate that style, but it works.
3. Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo was sharp against the Bills -- he was 23-for-26 with three touchdowns. But there was a big reason why: He wasn't pressured at all. The Bills don't rush the passer. They had 10 sacks in a game against Washington, but aside from that they just haven't been able to muster much of a pass rush. They didn't sack Romo, and when they brought pressure with blitzes, he was able to spin away and make plays, like his second touchdown pass to Laurent Robinson. The Bills need an outside rusher in the worst way and I would imagine that will be an offseason priority. Marcell Dareus is good in the middle of their defense, but would they have been better off with a guy like
4. It seems like a weekly thing, but Texans linebacker Brian Cushing deserves more praise this week for the way he played against Tampa Bay. He was all over the field. Cushing got a sack early in the game when he beat right guard Davin Joseph, who is having a good year himself, with a power blitz. He then made some big stops in the run game. He also made a nice tackle in coverage on third down on running back Kregg Lumpkin and later got an interception off a deflection. With all due respect to Patrick Willis, Cushing might be playing the best inside linebacker of anybody in the NFL.
5. There has been a lot of criticism aimed at Jaguars rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the lowest-rated passer in the NFL. He hasn't looked good, and at times he's looked jumpy. But the Jaguars haven't helped him much. They use a lot of play-action passes where he turns his back to the defense. That is tough for a rookie. Why not put him in the shotgun on early downs to find out what he can do? The Jaguars need to move away from being a run-first team the rest of this season. There is talk that Gabbert might be a bust. It's way too early for that. But some personnel people who watched his games on tape say he's jumpy and his mechanics are bad. Even on his touchdown throw to Jarrett Dillard last week against the Colts, he threw off his back foot. On another play, he was pushed up into the pocket and rather than stay there and throw down the field, he took off running. He needs to work on the little things. The interception he threw came when he didn't read the corner bailing into coverage. He should have checked it down to fullback Greg Jones. But it's too early to call him a bust. And it would also help if he stopped turning his back to the defense all the time.
6. Don't dare think Broncos corner Champ Bailey is close to being done. Bailey can still play some good man coverage, which he did against Dwayne Bowe last week. Bailey limited Bowe to two catches for 17 yards as he was targeted seven times. Bowe did beat Bailey on a crossing route once that should have been a big play, but Matt Cassel missed the throw. Bailey's coverage helped the Broncos get four sacks and hit Cassel several other times. Bailey is far from done. In fact, he just might be on his way to the Pro Bowl again.
7. What's wrong with the Jets defense? Two things, they don't get much pressure -- at least they didn't against Tom Brady -- and their safeties aren't very good. Eric Smith and Jim Leonhard continue to be liabilities in coverage. The Patriots got them in some favorable matchups last week and they had problems. Smith is especially a problem in coverage. That might not be an issue this week against Tim Tebow and the Broncos, who don't throw it much, but against passing teams that will show up. Brady had a ton of time to throw against the Jets. To be honest, he missed some open receivers and some throws that could have made the game even worse. The Jets played a lot of man coverage with a single-high safety, and the corners did a decent job. It's those safeties that have issues.
8. For a guy with two broken ribs, Michael Vick sure did a lot of running after just one look last week against Arizona. That's the old Mike Vick. The new, improved Vick we saw last season let plays develop and scanned the field before taking off. The Vick we saw last Sunday was running after just one read. Vick broke his ribs on the second play of the game, so you would think he'd be more patient. There were times where he didn't have any pressure and he got out of the pocket. On a third-and-9 play in the third quarter, the Cardinals rushed three. There was no pressure, yet Vick looked once to the right and then ran up the middle. He was far too quick to leave the pocket. His accuracy wasn't good either. This version of Vick, injury or not, hasn't been close to the one we saw last season.
9. Watching the tape of Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski against the Jets was even more impressive than watching it as it happened. Gronkowski abused the Jets, catching two touchdown passes, but he is also a bullish blocker. One of my favorite plays from the game was when Gronkowski went in motion from left to right and had to "wham" block nose tackle Sione Pouha on a running play. He didn't knock him down -- it's hard to when he's outweighed by 70 pounds or so -- but he did get a nice square block on the big nose tackle to help seal the running lane. On another pass play, the Patriots kept him in to protect, which they do sometimes, and he knocked Jets linebacker Calvin Pace to the ground. Gronkowski is much more than a pass-catching tight end.
10. The Patriots aren't a good running team, even though they have two good physical guards. Why? Center Dan Connelly gets eaten alive at the point of attack. He is smart and knows how to make the line calls, but he couldn't handle Pouha or anybody else on his nose in the run game against the Jets. The Pats miss Dan Koppen.
Hot Tub
1. Cowboys cornerback Terence Newman: He looked young and athletic against the Bills. He did have two pass-interference penalties -- one questionable -- but he also played well in man coverage and picked off a ball for a touchdown.
2. Raiders rookie receiver Denarius Moore: He looked like a polished veteran against the Chargers, catching two touchdown passes.
3. Steelers corner William Gay: A week after having a horrible game against Baltimore, he bounced back to play better against the Bengals. His interception sealed the game.
4. Broncos nickel corner Chris Harris: In the past two games, he's had 19 tackles, one interception and two tackles for loss.
5. Jaguars defensive end Jeremy Mincey: He had 2 1/2 sacks against the Colts and continues to hold up against the run. Good self-made player.
Cold Tub
1. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford: He threw two picks that were returned for touchdowns, but he was also jumpy in the pocket all day against the Bears.
2. Falcons receiver Roddy White: He should have caught what would have been the game-winning touchdown pass and he also had two other drops. White needed to do more with Julio Jones hurt.
3 Bucs guard Jeremy Zuttah: He had two penalties against the Texans and was whipped all day.
4. Chiefs right tackle Barry Richardson: His trying to block Broncos rookie Von Miller at times was comical.
5. Jaguars right tackle Guy Whimper: Robert Mathis blew by him for two sacks -- although one was called back for a penalty -- and he has struggled big time the past four games.
Three and outs
Three top referees in my opinion
1. Gene Steratore: Does a great job explaining things. I know he was on the crew that had the Calvin Johnson call, but I like his style.
2. Mike Carey: Always easy to understand and seems to have a command of what he's doing.
3. Ed Hochuli: Yeah, yeah, I know the guns are his thing. But I think he calls a good game -- even if he does like himself a lot.
Three personnel men teams should be hiring
1. Baltimore Ravens Director of Player Personnel Eric DeCosta: He's been taught by Ozzie Newsome, one of the best there is at putting together a roster. It's DeCosta's time.
2. Green Bay Packers Director of Football Operations Reggie McKenzie: Has been with the Packers since 1984 in the personnel department and is well-respected around the league.
3. (tie) Jacksonville Jaguars Director of Player Personnel Terry McDonough and Arizona Cardinals Director of Player Personnel Steve Keim: Some will wonder why these two are on the list considering their team's records. Here's why: They know players. And both will fight for their convictions on players.
Tweets at me
1. From @gatorgirl5028 Man, it must really suck to be you.
2. From @TebowsourQB Just admit you are wrong about Tebow and move on you guys are looking dumber and dumber trying to bash a winner
3. From @MGTsr Wonder when Pete Prisco's boss is gonna throw his hands up admit that @PriscoCBS is full of crap?
