Rg3 Interception Vs Lions -- A Second Look

[clarkskin]

I'm not taking all the blame off of RG3 by any means, as he should have at the very least made it a ball that could only be caught falling out of bounds.  BUT that being said, Garcon should have been coming back to the ball and his QB.  That is WR 101.  Poor play all around, but the photos definitely provide a better vantage point than I saw on Sunday at the time.

[RandyHolt]

Positive momentum never hurts, but not every play can be positive. He didn't stumble. He was dragged down by the left arm or shoulder.

 

We have all seen that same play for INTs every year. When the QB rolls out, the DBs move up. They know any throw over the top is a duck.

 

It seems to me, WR's on almost every pass play....  they run their route, and stop playing. We don't know that they are even coached up to do more than that. I see a very methodical offensive approach from Kyle. Sure, half of fans want the WR's to come back to the ball, the other half want the WR to go deep. What does Kyle like, the throw away?

 

No positive momentum is gained from a ball into the stands, but its not always a bad play. Avoiding turnovers is preached by every coach as a priority, I am most certain.

 

It just sucks to see him getting caught by DL, and it's crushing his game.  We can pin that on Garcon sure but Garcon is not the problem with our offense.

[gortiz]

The smart decision there is to just throw it away. 

 

He made that exact same mistake last year against Minnesota. He forced the ball.

I don't know ... I think a better way to say it is the "safer decision" or "more conservative decision" is to just throw it away. 

 

Remember that amazing throw and catch by Tana last year against the Eagles ... it was was not the "smart" choice to throw it, but I bet your ass was out of your seat screaming when it worked!

 

After seeing this pic and hearing Shanny, I'm not too salty about this INT ... our guy is an aggressive play maker that gambles, this crap will happen, you live and die by it. 

 

Every damn thing is just compounded by a 0-3 record. 

[Momma There Goes That Man]

I don't know ... I think a better way to say it is the "safer decisioin" or "more conservative decision" is to just throw it away. 

 

Remember that amazing throw and catch by Tana last year agasint the Eagles ... that was not the "smart" choice on that, but I bet your ass was out of your seat screaming when it worked.

 

After seeing this pic and hearing Shanny, I'm not too salty about this ... our guy is an aggressive play maker that gambles, this crap will happen, you live and die by it. 

 

Every damn thing is just compounded by a 0-3 record. 

 

I get that but the Eagles game pass to Moss was easily the worst decision he made last year. Moss bailed him out big time. I don't mind him taking more chances, I expect that of a QB but I still want him playing smart and making smart decisions and plays. The play in question against the Lions was neither and is exactly how he was injured two different times last year.

 

He should have thrown to the open man or thrown it away long before he even had the chance roll towards the sideline and throw to Garcon. 

[Skinz4Life12]

he should have thrown it away but the screen shots make it appear that some blame could be placed on Garcon for giving up on the play

[BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93]

He was hounded by a Lions rusher the whole play so even if Garcon comes back to the ball, it's still a tough play.

 

He had two more chances at the first. 

[TD_washingtonredskins]

Agree with most that this makes it a little better, but it was ultimately still the wrong decision to force a pass into such a small window on first down in the red zone.

 

Thanks for putting this together. At least it helps us see what he saw.

[RG3Hunna]

RGIII should have just thrown the ball away, I think Garcon and RGIII both share the blame on this play. But I don't understand why we're so doom and gloom I mean RGIII is slowly looking like himself, that's something for us to be happy about even if we're 0-3. 

[Xameil]

If all he wanted was a 5yard gain he had that as soon as the play fake ended but he turned it down looking for a bigger play which wasn't there and then stalled and stalled some more hoping Garcon would get open. At best its a 50/50 ball so he should have just thrown it away or hit the open guy right away. 

 

What QB doesn't do this? You always look for the best play. Who knows what he was exactly thinking. I would say the best QBs are patient and let a play develop if they can. RGIII rolled out bought himself some time, ran out of time, and saw his best WR in a 1 on 1 situation, and went for it. I think that it was much higher then 50/50 if Garcon didn't give up on the play.

 

I do agree they both share some blame, but in my opinion, I put more on Garcon. I think if RGIII wasn't injured, and people weren't constantly questioning his health, then people blame Garcon for this given the evidence.

[ginsu101]

RGIII should have just thrown the ball away, I think Garcon and RGIII both share the blame on this play. But I don't understand why we're so doom and gloom I mean RGIII is slowly looking like himself, that's something for us to be happy about even if we're 0-3. 

 

 

 

AMEN!!!!!!!

[mistertim]

Seeing it from that angle at least gives me an understanding of what Griff was trying to do there. On TV it just looked like a complete numbskull move that Cutler would have facepalmed over. Either way, it still wasn't a good idea. I understand him trying to make a play and Garcon shares a bit of the blame for not continuing to come back to the ball, but he should have thrown it out of bounds.

[nemocystem]

i have to say i'm a bit appalled by some of the reaction to the throw.  if it was Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, or Ben Roethlisburger i guarantee that 8/10 times their receiver comes back to the ball & doesn't quit on the play no matter what.  if they so happen to give up those other 2/10 times EVERYONE would be having their heads for giving up on a QB who can make plays like that.

 

the ball that RGIII threw on that play was extremely accurate & Garcon had no business giving up on that play. 

 

initially i had actually believed that RGIII WAS throwing it out but that the defender grabbed him in his motion & caused that ball to come inside of the sideline rather than into the 3rd row. 

 

i just can't believe what i'me reading here.  even though some even intimate that "yeah, he was trying to make a play there, i can see what he was trying to do, but....." STOP IT!  there is no BUT!!!

 

this is ludicrous to me.  some of us are only saying this because were so afraid of turnovers & so used to horrible QB play that we're thinking from the Marty Schottenheimer school of QB play.  i WANT my QB to take risks as long as he's able to deliver the ball to the right place.  players need to be on THAT PAGE & not the one where they give up on a first down because they think the play is over.

 

WHAT KIND OF CRAP IS THAT???  everywhere on planet football says you PLAY TO THE LAST WHISTLE!!!  no excuses, EVER!

 

since when is it ok for a player to give up on his playmaking QB, no less, & in turn blame the QB for making a great throw when the cards he was reading said that this man HAS TO BE OPEN AS LONG AS HE FINISHES THE PLAY!!!

 

won't blame RGIII for that play at all ever...sorry....won't convince me of it.

[mistertim]

^^^ Lighten up, Francis.

[NoCalMike]

Maybe Garcon saw RGIII turn the corner on the bootleg and thought he was going to scramble, so he slowed up to make a downfield block just in case?

 

I have no idea...

 

But if you add up the pictures here and Shanahan comments, together, it's hard to say this was not on Garcon mostly for stopping on the play.

[texasthunder]

IMHO, I am satisfied that Robert made the best possible attempt at completing the pass.

Now we can "speculate" of what Garcon was thinking, but as was mentioned earlier, Garcon could have made a better play on the ball.

We can all second guess the play now that its over, and I truly believe in that if we had won the Lions game, there would have been a good many fans that would have dismissed that interception. 

[TheGoodBits]

The general reaction here is that this makes it more forgivable but Griff still should have thrown it away. You guys really want your QB seeing that his #1 receiver is 1 on 1 with position on the defender, in EXCELLENT position to make a play that results in a first down, and deciding instead that he'd rather throw it away? What kind of ridiculous hindsight loser mentality is that?

[IrepDC]

Scramble drill all receivers know to either go deep or work their way back to the QB. Standing and watching is not an option even if you think it's going to be thrown away.

[grego]

The general reaction here is that this makes it more forgivable but Griff still should have thrown it away. You guys really want your QB seeing that his #1 receiver is 1 on 1 with position on the defender, in EXCELLENT position to make a play that results in a first down, and deciding instead that he'd rather throw it away? What kind of ridiculous hindsight loser mentality is that?

 

 

i'm with you and nemo on this one. i'm surprised by the 'just throw it away' reaction. 

 

i love garcon, he plays hard. but you have to come back to the QB and help him out. 

 

football 101, i would think. 

[RiverboatGambler]

I searched and didn't see a thread already.

 

After hearing Shanny defend RG3's choice to throw the ball, it got me interested in a second look.  I found this image at hogshaven (sorry if that is a violation).  Look at Griffin passing to Garcon and notice that Garcon is closer to Robert than the defender as he threw it.  In the second pic, the defender appeared to just out play Garcon and make the interception.  If Garcon is coming to RG3 and is closer when he threw the pass, I can't totally say that was a bad pass.  It may have not been perfect, but I would expect Garcon to make that catch.

 

 

 

I am as big a Robert Griffin suppoerter as you will find outside his family and friends and that was a bonehead pass no matter what your pictures show. He has never been a gambler and throwing from an awkward position like that off balance is a bonehead move. Hopefully those mistakes are few and faw in between. Whether you are required to throw it 20 or 50 times again, you don't make that throw. You eat the ball ad take a sack or throw it away. Trying to keep plays alive that far beyond their expiration date is a recipie for turnovers and injuries.

[DogofWar1]

I think this play just shows that the team needs to get a little more focused on what to do on broken down plays.

 

RGIII had a good pass lane, but he needed Garcon to come back.  I think he expected Garcon to come back, but Garcon expected RGIII to throw it away.  I think that's a communication breakdown that can be talked about in practice.

[Ozymandias]

He's not perfect, its okay to admit that this pass was a mistake. I dont get why defending the pass he threw would change anything. Its still in INT that shouldnt have happened

[TheGoodBits]

He's not perfect, its okay to admit that this pass was a mistake. I dont get why defending the pass he threw would change anything. Its still in INT that shouldnt have happened

Don't get me wrong, I'm not blindly defending Griffin. He's made a few throws this season that never should have been made. This wasn't one of them though.

[Fight for ole DC]

There is no reason to throw that at Garcon, or towards the field of play.

 

He should have thrown that to a place where only Garcon could catch it; or no one. Out of bounds.

And Garcon was in great position to try to grab that "throwaway"

 

That may have been what 3 was doing. The DL catching RGIII may well have pulled that ball back in bounds

Yea...I agree. Accuracy matters. Ball should have been to the outside where only Garcon has a chance to catch it.

[Vilandil Tasardur]

IF, and that is a HUGE if, you want that pass thrown, it needs to be knee level on or outside the field of play. That gives Garcon a reasonable chance to go down and make a play with his feet in bounds. 

 

If you aren't in a position to deliver a perfectly thrown, accurate ball, then you throw it away. By leaving the ball chest high in the field of play he allowed it to be contested, and on first down, that is a no-no.

 

But that was just one of about 5-7 passes I counted where RG3's accuracy seriously affected the outcome of the play. Now, given that he threw what, 50(?) times, I'd say that isn't terrible. But pin point accurate Robert was not.

[Probos]

A thread dedicated to the lone INT RG3 threw,............

 

Holy F'ing over analysis.