snoscythe wrote:
One thing that has irked me (and I don't have the game DVR'd, so I can't rewatch to confirm) is that I don't think I ever saw a single rub, pick, or crossing route by any of our receivers at any point in the game, and more frustrating was not seeing it in the second half.
If you are getting swallowed up in man coverage, those are the routes you go to if you want to free someone up. Are they not in the playbook? Did I miss them? Is Anae too stubborn to admit his receivers can't beat man and his QB doesn't have the touch to make throws into coverage on a given Saturday?
Careful Sno, Hawk is going to start saying that he is smarter than you if you start calling Anae out. You are spot on. As I was saying all throughout the game, there were no quick slants, or anything over the middle of the field. Which, in man coverage and with blitzing linebackers on almost every play is inexcusable for an OC. Harbaugh - knowing Mangum's tendency to roll out to his right under pressure - had additional men in the first half (usually linebackers) blitzing from that side of the field. There were at least 5 times that Mangum actually ran right into a blitzer. As an OC - seeing that - you would say "cool" I'll just go to the middle with a crossing route, where it is ABSOLUTELY EMPTY, for the easy yardage, and see if our wr/hb's can make a play in the open field. But, at the very least we'll get first downs and - you know, cross the 50 at least one time in the game, and keep the defense off the field for a few minutes.
If Anae were to play chess, I am convinced that he would march each piece forward - regardless of what the opponent is doing - and then look around confused as the losses start to pile up. Instead of taking what is CLEARLY given to him and making the defense re-adjust, he keeps doing what he is doing, with what could only be supreme arrogance or a deep, deep, misunderstanding of the game of football.
