2014 Training Camp Observations Thread

[MakoShark]

I don't think Rivers love the deep ball so much.

Really? Coming out of college, I had Rivers pegged as a deep ball throwing gunslinger with a quick release. I remember him being quoted about how he liked Friday practices under Norv because thats when they practiced a lot of deep balls and it was fun for him.

[Steve]

I didn't see that many games that Rivers played, but the ones I did see, he was more a dink and dunk guy who would then hit a WR on a medium pass, that would then have a lot of YAC. But since he completed 70% of his passes as a senior, there is no way he was throwing a lot of long passes downfield. And that is how Norm Chow's offense is usually characterized, is as a short passing offense.

Every QB likes to throw deep. But there are a lot of QB who really go nuts with the deep throws in the games, regardless of how they are coached and what is really open. I understand that Rivers likes to throw deep, but if the design of the plays and game plan is to dink and dunk, and take what the D gives us, that is what Rivers is going to do. He is not just going to wind up on his own and throw long unless there is a read that lets him.

Under Norv the plays have short reads, but the design of the play is to keep taking shots and attack the D down the field, generate the big play. Norv was not a fan of dinking and dunking his way down the field. He commented in a couple of games, that he was not a fan of calling long drives.

I am not sure that McCoy is probably all that different from Norv in many respects, but I do think he is one of the few coaches who really means to what he says when he talks about doing what the team does best. We didn't have the horses to throw long last year, so we didn't. We did generate some big, chunk plays, but mostly they were run after the catch types. NFL DB are really taught to take away the deep stuff and make teams go on long drives, and so that was what we did. But at some point, we need to go after defenses, and get some deep strike capability. It will not the primary character of our O like it was under Norv, but if we can add some of that to our arsenal, then it does keep defenses back on their heels. We need to get a little more room by forcing the S back, and giving our WR YAC room.

Guys like Reese can use their speed in the short passing game. A fast WR who has some quickness can force DB to sit back and that opens up shorter routes and crossing routes, where the fast WR can just run away into space.

[Wheels]

I don't care about the deep ball at all. That's not our style anymore. It just needs to be a threat.

If a DB is gonna give it to is by jumping short routes, sure go for it. Otherwise take the 8 yard completions and laugh all the way to the end zone.

Improve our red zone % is really all that needs to happen. First and foremost that falls on our blocking. It was horrible on various instances down there. Clean that up. Second is to make Green the first option. He's our greatest mismatch. Hopefully he's developed enough so we can finally exploit that.

Lastly is the running attack. Gotta do better punching it in. Assuming the blocking improves, this should take care of itself. Sadly Matthews isn't the type of back that makes it happen on his own, so they have to help him a bit.

I like the new offense way better than Norv's deep attack. I was advocating for a switch to a WCO years ago, because it would take advantage of Rivers' quick release and accuracy. That said, you don't have a threat for a deep ball unless you occasionally go deep and succeed at it. Outside of Green, we didn't have much of a deep threat. I expect our options have improved this season, and it should make us a more efficient offense.

[Beerman]

I don't disagree that there needs to be a deep ball threat, I just don't think it needs to be utilized often to serve its purpose. I think more importantly is acquiring YAC type WRs that can take a pass and run with it. Need to have quick acceleration in and out of cuts and off the line.

[OhioBolt]

I don't disagree that there needs to be a deep ball threat, I just don't think it needs to be utilized often to serve its purpose. I think more importantly is acquiring YAC type WRs that can take a pass and run with it. Need to have quick acceleration in and out of cuts and off the line.

I agree Royal and Allen have the ability to run after the catch and make people miss, Lardarus Green just runs away from people period, and Reese has the ability to do that also.

[thelightningwill]

Where is John Madden to talk about the YAC?

[Stinky Wizzleteats+]

Yacking up a turduckin, hopefully into a Raiders hat!

[thelightningwill]

Yacking up a turduckin, hopefully into a Raiders hat!

Awesome. I love YAC. That's why I love Allen, even if he did wear that evil hat. Floyd and Jackson weren't much on YAC.

[Steve]

You just don't want to be stuck like some west coast teams who were all about the short passing and YAC. Teams would just have their DB and LB squat on all the short routes, and the QB couldn't stretch the field any. Then you are just throwing really short passes and get your receiver banged up.

Longer passes don't typically get a lot of YAC, since the passes are in the air longer. So unless the deep receiver is really wide open, or the pass is perfect (less likely the further you throw), the DB is going to have a chance to close more. The short passes, the WR makes the break and creates separation very suddenly, so if you can throw the ball on time, a short pass is more likely to be on target (or close), and the WR can get it in stride and make a play.

[John Madden]

Did someone say turduckhen?

[Mister Hoarse]

Yacking up a turduckin, hopefully into a Raiders hat!

SOMEBODY REP THIS MAN!

[Panama]

Awesome. I love YAC.