Sage does a much better job of running the quick-route offense... while Schaub is better suited to a style where he can drop back and hit the deeper cross routes vs. the underneath ones. Yesterday, with the offense having pass protection issues, they would have been better off STARTING the game with the quick-outs/slants rather than adjusting to it around the 2nd quarter (and fully commiting to it once Sage came in). They both have strengths and major flaws. Schaub can be neutralized when the line fails to protect. He does take some hits he should try to avoid. And when he's hurt (like yesterday) he doesn't want to come out. Sage can sometimes try to do too much (duh), and he will never learn how to play any other way. He even attempted to defend his awful interception yesterday by saying "If I just get it a little higher, it would have been fine..."... uhh, no Sage. You were throwing a jump ball to Kevin Walter who was double-covered. In the end... the only thing we can hope for is that the line continues to develop and will some day have a good showing against a quality team's BASE defense. Either of these QB's are more than adequate in that situation, while this team won't be going anywhere soon until the lines get better regardless.
Ugh. Year 7, err 3, and we're STILL talking about the O-line. "Baby steps." They've taken several this year, but it seemed yesterday they took some "baby steps" backwards, as mediocre teams will do from time to time.
They could have addressed it MUCH earlier... but drafting lineman wasn't sexy. We were going for "best available"... even when we were drafting Travis Johnson, Dunta Robinson (who wasn't bad... just not as important), and getting Jabbar Gaffney with that pretty damn valuable first pick in the 2nd round of an expansion team. Is it a problem that they really only started to build up the line in year 5 when Kubiak got here? Yes. Is it a problem that they finally used a first round pick before year 7? Yes. However, now that they're developing, and showing some progress, I am optimistic that the line is no longer hopeless. However, as you said, there will be ups and downs before it is finally fixed. And even then, every o-line (even the good ones) can have bad days against quality defenses. Jared Allen was a beast out there yesterday... most pro bowl LT's have issues with him as well.
throwing an interception in the red zone in a game you lose by 7 is "inconsequential"?....... it was another in a long line of poor decisions by rosenfels this year. and frankly, i didn't paticularly care for the playcall, either - it's 3rd and 1 and your qb has proven to be a bit turnover-prone: run the damn ball and pick up the first down - don't get cute.
some of that is on our QBs - neither are comfortable in the shotgun, neither are paticularly good rolling out and neither are above-average NFL athletes. some more of it is on their Dl, which is maybe football's best. but i thought the OL blocked well in the running game.
Apparently Kubiak wasn't aware it was a 3rd down (he thought they had gotten a 1st down) until it was too late. Sage realized... and he called the play (which Kubiak acknowledged he's trained to do). Why he called THAT play... and conciously decided to throw it into double coverage (a throw that he said would have been fine if just "a little higher") goes right in line with why he's been (and likely always will be) a career backup QB.
I didn't care for the play either, but it looks like that was all on Rosenfail (if the following report is to be believed): You could see Gibbs screaming at Sage as he came off the field. Poor execution all around....
if he doesn't score, they kick a field goal, that was my point, the play was screwed up from the beginning when they didn't get the play in
Rosenfels and Schaub do have the capability to either call a play or take a timeout when that situation arises. Yes, the coaches need to get the play in as much as possible... but if it doesn't happen (communication breakdown, or playclock issue), the QB's are trained to make a decision. If anything, you expect the veteran QB to make the most logical decision... especially if the playclock is running down (call a timeout!). Or at the very least, run the ball or sneak it. He chose to go for the TD, and he threw the bad pass. I don't think any team is best served by the coach being required to oversee each and every single aspect and every single playcall of every single situation. The QB should have some leeway and decision making capabilities. However, seeing what happened, maybe Kubiak should be anal-retentive/controlling and simply take over every single aspect of the game. Rosenfels made a poor decision.
well I'm not going to go that far, I don't know if you're being sarcastic considering sage did play a very good game overall, especially considering he came in, in a hole. I mean he did end up with the 103 rating and yes i would expect the coaching staff to be better prepared on such a crucial play
No, I mean it was on Sage. He has the freedom to make a call in that scenario, and rather than take a short gainer to keep the chains moving, he gambles and goes for it all. At the very worst, the Texans should've had three points, but that we couldn't even do that right....
Shocker. Then he defended it after the game. In all likelihood, we get another Rosenfumble start this Sunday against the Ravens. Yay.
Sage did play well, and the offense as a whole made a great adjustment (starting with Schaub's last two drives) to scrap the drop back deep stuff, and go to the quick slants/outs. That definitely opened up the game plan, and Sage does run that offense to perfection (until Minnesota re-adjusted to it, and the offense failed to put together a drive to tie the game at the end). However, he made another bad/cruical/costly decision... in a season where he's made several already. Its not his ability, but his decision making that ultimately keeps him where he is. His gut instincts aren't conducive to mistake-free/risk-free football, and I doubt that will ever improve. There's always going to be situations where the coaching staff can't be there for the team. Certain times, they should be the ones calling the timeouts and making the decisions (like the fake punt in Jacksonville)... however in this situation, a QB should be able to get the team to the line and call a play. Sage did that... he was able to call a play without burning a crucial timeout... it was his choice of play that was a bad decision (not to mention the equally as bad decision to try and force the ball in). That's why Kubiak says in hindsight, he would have called a timeout... but in a close game, those timeouts are at a premium. If anything, this will lead to more hands-on managing by the coaches, more burned timeouts (they already burn quite a bit as is), and more hesitancy from the team.
Anyone hear Kubiak after the game say, he didnt know it was 3rd and 1, and thought it was 1st and 10 on the Schaub int? I find that ridiculous, as a coach, how do you not know, let alone admit that. The coaching staff has made some very poor moves this season. Especially the blunder on special teams against jacksonville.
Can you challenge a measurement? Anyone remember that measurement Min got that gave them a first down when the replay showed that they didn't make it?
That was so weird. It seemed like it was clearly 4th down. I assumed they woulda gone for it anyway and probably would've gotten it (can't remember the spot on the field) but still...
