Today's game plan

[2006Skins]

I think the skins will take at least 5 shots of over 20 yards, probably 10% of their plays ran so they can't just put 8 or 9 in the box to stop AlMo. Put Garcon and Morgan/Robinson in there so they have to respect the passing game.

[GoDeep81]

Pound the run and hopefully that opens up the pass.. Pretty basic game plan imo. Someone mentioned the WR's helping Cousins and I agree with that as well.. Everyone has to show up and do their job and we should be fine.. Defense also needs to keep playing/adjusting well.. A few points from them can't hurt!!

[CaliSkinsFan92]

Some people sound like winning by 10 is impossible like it's winning by 30 lol..i'll say we win by 7, we do similar things just no read option. zone stretch runs and boots more so. Have to see if we can still run without those huge running lanes that Robert provides.

[MustangSteve]

Curious where you saw that? Thats a terrible coaching mistake if true...

Its on the link here about Browns defense stopping RG3. They said they prepared for RG3 and will worry about Cousins if he plays. They are way over confident and Kyle should light their ass up! They had only a handful of Defenses against someone playing Cousins, but their mind and study was on Griffin.

[DieselPwr44]

Phasers on stun..photon torpedoes on standby.

Morris: Dammit Jim, I'm a runningback not a tight end!

Run, run, run and set that play action up for Capt. Kirk.

Defense: Haslett needs to dial up pressure on Old man Weeden and knock off the soft zone crap in coverage.

[RandyHolt]

I think we will see... for lack of a better word, the Rex Grossman offense. I do hope we pass when we should run and vice versa at times, do not blindly run morris into 8 or 9 in the box all day, and then expect him to excel in obvious passing downs.

I wonder how nervous Kirk is. If this fan is any measuring stick...

[NoCalMike]

The dilemma regarding the game today with Kirk starting is that the 'Skins are in a tight spot.

They aren't a bad team out of the playoff race, so you can't exactly throw caution to the wind, however they also aren't a team that can afford a loss right now, so you can't exactly go too conservative either.

My guess is that early on the 'Skins are going to test Cleveland's run defense and what if any adjustments they've made due to RGIII being out.

If the Browns can't defend the run, then there is absolutely no reason to go away from it. Heavy Running and playaction is the recipe.

If the Browns are stopping the run, then Kirk will have to come up big and probably start connecting on passes on 1st & 2nd down early, in order to help spread the Browns defense out so the running game can get going eventually.

To me, a lot of it comes down to the Browns defense and what kind of gameplan they have.

[veteranskinsfan]

The game plan worked to perfection. Cousins rolling out away from pass rush worked well. We have to keep him.

[dahibachi]

The game plan worked to perfection. Cousins rolling out away from pass rush worked well. We have to keep him.

Definitely for the next year or two but eventually his rookie contract will run out and we can't let him go for nothing. Great game planning today!

[Sticksboi05]

Masterful game planning. Kyle man, what a job.

[RandyHolt]

I saw:

Basic vanilla offense to start the game. Not even a single play action spanning several series. 1-6 INT.

Kyle finally ran play action and bootlegs, 25-31 2TDs

[mjames]

Well done Kyle Shanahan. Stuck to his game plan after struggling early and the D stepped up AGAIN. Really liking the future of this team.

[darrelgreenie]

Well done Kyle Shanahan. Stuck to his game plan after struggling early and the D stepped up AGAIN. Really liking the future of this team.

I think he altered his gameplan after the early lack of success. He went away from the drop back passing focus and went to the traditional boot-swap offense.

[RandyHolt]

I think Kyle will come out aggressive as ever. I hope he doesn't abandon the run game but I don't see Kyle dialing down his aggressiveness for Captain Kirk.

I too thought he would come out as aggressive as ever. Only, he came out as basic as ever. No play actions, no gimmick, no pistol, no shotgun, not even a college offense.

Asking the board, why was that? He was 1 for 6 and we were quickly down 7. Fans were even calling for Rex.

Did he want to evaluate Cousins with no gimmicks to be able to grade him cleanly?

Did he want to throw a curve at the Browns who likely prepared for The Rex/Beck bootleg offense, or the RG3 show?

Did we want to see how he responds to a high level of responsibility, to see what he is made of?

Peyton Manning and many others have made a career off of play action, and deception. I for one was stunned that we came out and put the game directly on his shoulders, and really did not call any plays that eased him in, so to speak. Pressures, a sack, bouncing the football, an INT, it went about how I expected with a rookie in any system that just runs it so basic like that.

Its like Kyle went against the RG3 model that is taking the league by storm, in which OCs are calling plays that are not easily defended. Luckily, he adjusted near the end of the first quarter, went back to last years bootleg offense, and the rest is history. I want to see RG3 run some bootlegs.

I think dissecting game plans before and after the game are a great topic for discussion.

[darrelgreenie]

1st

3rd 5-Doesn't step up in pocket...misses throw to Royster short middle

2nd series

1-10

Garcon on curl route good decision/good throw/on time-Drop

3rd-10

Deep square In-Garcon doesn't win on the route INT (bad decision) good throw/on time

3rd series

2-10 shotgun tight flat pass to Morris on time/on target good throw

3rd-6

Polumbus beat at snap quick sack-no chance

4th series

2-8 play action to Garcon open on a Go route- good ball, maybe a little short, but should be Pass Interference

3-8 missed Morgan drag, threw to Royster dropped (short of sticks)

---------- Post added December-17th-2012 at 12:35 PM ----------

I think dissecting game plans before and after the game are a great topic for discussion.

Upon further review I don't think it was a play calling failure early in the game.

I think Kyle saw tight man coverage and wanted to attack. It was just a series of miscues by different teammates that caused a lack of execution.

Morris gashes them on his first run gains a 1st down, gains 5 on the next down then there is a false start creating a 2nd 10.

The first pass came on 3rd and 5 so they couldn't use play-action Cousin should have stepped up in the pocket but shuffled his feet and threw off balance and short to Royster, who was short of the sticks.

The next pass was well executed from the OL and QB but a fail on Garcon with the drop.

Next pass was a failure on the QB in the decision but even more of a failure by Garcon to not beat the CB across his face.

Next pass shotgun quick pass to the flat.

Next pass OL fail for a sack.

Garcon wins on a go route deep, ball slightly under thrown but the CB took Garcon down should have been a penalty.

Missed Morgan on a drag short of the sticks but with chance of RAC, threw to Royster short but again with RAC chance, dropped by Royster.

[RandyHolt]

....

thanks for taking the time to document and share what you saw D Greenie.

I was ok with what I saw in the first series, thinking Kyle wanted to see how they were lining up, what coverage they were running. The feeling out process that I think some coaches do, or maybe baiting them into thinking there would be no PA, no boots today. But he stuck with it longer than I thought.

Perhaps Kyle was leaning on the solely on the WRs, a team strength, to carry us early on, through precise routes, Garcon, etc.

But he was also leaning on our weak links, scoring out of a vanilla offense, and drop back pass pro. Polumbus gets burned and Kirk gets popped, I wondered, if those play calls were wise for his first start. Our OL has struggled all year in under center drop back pass pro.

You do show the calls had a respectable chance of working, but in the end, we couldn't move the ball. So looking past the results, a miss or drop, a good throw or bad, were you surprised that we showed no play action, no bootlegs etc in the first 3 series?

Kyle hit the creativity switch rolled out Kirk and he split 3 across his body to Hank. What a stud throw that was, and great play call. Instant offense. Look at the GDT, me, a total amateur was wondering where was the creativity, and sure enough we got it, and our offense came to life.

In the end it didn't matter games are 60 minutes, but had we lost, I think those first 3 series would have been under a bigger microscope.

[darrelgreenie]

So looking past the results, a miss or drop, a good throw or bad, were you surprised that we showed no play action, no bootlegs etc in the first 3 series?

Good question. I was a little surprised, but Kyle can be unpredictable and can lean towards the drop back passing game to much at times.

I'm not gonna bang on the guy for a good play that ends because of a drop.

I did think/hope they would come out with the Pistol just to get a look at how the Browns would defend it.

Kyle hit the creativity switch rolled out Kirk and he split 3 across his body to Hank. What a stud throw that was, and great play call. Instant offense. Look at the GDT, me, a total amateur was wondering where was the creativity, and sure enough we got it, and our offense came to life.

By the same token though, I gotta give Kyle credit on the play-action bomb to Garcon. If Haden doesn't trip him that would have been a big play.

And if there isn't a false start on the 1st drive turning 2nd and 5 into 2nd and 10 maybe Kyle calls play-action there?

And if Garcon doesn't drop that curl route...who knows?

[RandyHolt]

....but Kyle can be unpredictable and can lean towards the drop back passing game to much at times.

....

That I think is the root of it. Even with RG3 at his control, he or Mike may still be in the somewhat common feeling that to be a QB in this league, you need to be able to drop back from under center. Or, that he is cut from that mold, and that is how he is best used.

I also think they wanted to see Cousins for what he is. No gimmicks, no trickery, to mask his stats. What do we have here.

You may hear some people say a Luck or an RG3 had it easy in college, their were often hitting WR's that were wide open based off of great play design.

I would love to be a fly on the wall when father and son talk offense.