Tag: play calling

Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez questions Badgers short-yardage play-calling

Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez has joined the conversation surrounding the Badgers’ struggles with 4th-and-short runs out of the shotgun:

Wisconsin legend Barry Alvarez has joined the conversation surrounding the Badgers’ struggles with 4th-and-short runs out of the shotgun.

The latest point of contention came during Wisconsin’s 38-21 loss to No. 11 USC.

Related: ESPN updates Wisconsin football win chances for remaining 2024 games after Week 5 loss to USC

The Badgers led 21-10 entering halftime after playing arguably their most complete half of the season. However, that momentum was quickly lost exiting the halftime break after a muffed punt turned into seven easy points for USC.

But Wisconsin quickly responded with a long drive into USC territory. It still led 21-17 and had the chance to regain control and momentum. While driving, Wisconsin 4th-and-1 from the USC 33 yard-line. The Badgers elected to go for it instead of attempting a 50-yard field goal.

The play: a shotgun run to RB Tawee Walker that went nowhere. USC safety Kamari Ramsey crashed off the edge to stop the play, just as Alabama safety Malachi Moore did two weeks prior.

Here is the play in question, if anybody needs another reminder:

The failed conversion is magnified because it is the second time in as many games that a failed 4th-and-1 can signal the exact moment a game went downhill for Wisconsin.

Here is the game script that followed the failed run: USC touchdown (24-21), Wisconsin punt, USC touchdown (31-21), Wisconsin punt, USC punt, USC pick-six (38-21), Wisconsin turnover on downs, end of game.

It is also magnified because Wisconsin continues to elect to run those short-yardage plays out of the shotgun. Whether that matters for the chance to convert the play, it has a much different aesthetic from what the Badgers used to look like in those situations. That aesthetic, paired with the poor results, has led many former players and program legends to express their displeasure with the approach.

This is where Alvarez comes in. Those at home watching Wisconsin vs. No. 11 USC on CBS may have noticed color analyst Gary Danielson reference Alvarez after the failed 4th-and-1, saying “there might be a guy in Naples that questions this call. An old coach.” “A hall of fame coach,” play-by-play man Brad Nessler continued.

Well, they were right. A short time later, Nessler said on the broadcast that he received a ‘call and a text from Barry Alvarez’ about the play.

Alvarez clarified his contact with Nessler earlier this week on ESPN Madison.

“I did not call, I texted,” Alvarez said. “[The text said] ‘You are correct my friend.'”

‘You are correct’ is in reference to Danielson’s guess that Alvarez may question the philosophy of running out of the shotgun on 4th-and-1.

Alvarez continued to explain his philosophy on short-yardage runs.

“When you watch any NFL game, these are guys that study 12 months a year,” Alvarez explained. “When it’s fourth-and-a-half-a-yard, what do they do? All of the sudden they’re lined up, then they run up under center, take the snap, and run a sneak or hand the ball off. Why do they do that? Because it makes sense. If you got a half a yard, you start closer.”

The comments from the legendary coach only add to the current discussion surrounding the Wisconsin football program. Early losses and on-field struggles have led many notable program alumni to join the conversation about the current regime.

Until Tuesday, the most notable was Braelon Allen — who sent a cryptic post on X referencing his experience with the Badgers in 2023.

Now, that is Barry Alvarez. This specific discussion is not much more than different coaches’ philosophies on short-yardage scenarios. But it is the first significant example of him asking a public question about the current regime.

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Wisconsin legends unhappy with Badgers play-calling in first quarter vs. Alabama

Thoughts on Wisconsin’s early play calling vs. Alabama?

A few Wisconsin legends are making their thoughts on Wisconsin’s play-calling in the first quarter against No. 4 Alabama known.

The Badgers have moved the ball well on the ground. However, the team’s first drive stalled after an injury to starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke. Backup QB Braedyn Locke entered and then attempted three consecutive passes, all of which fell incomplete. That led to a 53-yard field goal attempt.

Former Badger and current New York Jet running back Braelon Allen did not understand the sudden switch from the successful run, especially with a backup quarterback inserted into the game.

The bigger second-guess came on the next drive. Wisconsin drove the ball successfully and faced a fourth-and-1 on the Alabama 40-yard line. The Badgers ran the football, but out of shotgun. Alabama had little trouble stuffing running back Tawee Walker for a loss.

That process and result led to quite the reaction on X, one thought coming from program and NFL legend J.J. Watt:

Wisconsin trails Alabama 7-3 after one quarter of play.

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Draw It Up: How the Browns used reverse plays to beat the Colts

How the Browns used WR reverses to beat the Indianapolis Colts

In this week’s installment of “Draw It Up,” we’ll explore the use of reverse plays by the Cleveland Browns. The Browns only ran one reverse against the Indianapolis Colts, but they incorporated the reverse motion into a handful of run plays.

Reverse plays are always controversial. When they work, the coach looks like a genius, but when the play fails, the coach is a moron with worms for brains. Last week, Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman participated in a role reversal when he grilled a reporter, the coach of the flag football team Freeman’s son plays for, on his decision to call a reverse pass that failed in the red zone.

No play is more criticized than the reverse. That’s why I want to look at the process that goes into a play that’s solely dictated by its results. Kevin Stefanski does love his reverse plays, a tendency that he receives plenty of criticism for. The goal of the reverse is to outflank an over-aggressive opponent. It’s a good way to keep defenders honest and make them defend every yard on a football field. 

Draw It Up: Breaking down two of the Browns’ most fun plays vs. 49ers

Analyzing the Browns offense as they run crunch and super snag in their victory against the San Francisco 49ers.

Kevin Stefanski, the head coach of the Cleveland Browns, is a highly regarded offensive mind in the NFL. But what is an offensive genius? Outside of comedians, it’s hard to figure out. There are tons of different criteria to judge a coach on. At the micro level, it can be based on creative play designs. Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith gained fame with his impressive play designs. Zooming out slightly would reveal that genius revolves around personnel groupings; coaches like Ken Dorsey are highly regarded for their ability to pass the ball with an extra tight end or fullback on the field. 

Continuing to zoom out to the macro scale, discussions of strategy become more important in the discussion. The best offensive coaches are masters of disguise. Kyle Shanahan demands that every run play has a play action, bootleg, and waggle variations attached to it.

The variations force defenses to second guess what they’re seeing. The split second it takes to confirm a play for a defender is long enough to exploit that same defender. Offensive geniuses are like Chess grandmasters. Every move they make sets up an even greater move down the line. Rams head coach Sean McVay is famous for remembering every play that he has called. There are a ton of criteria that can make a coach an offensive genius, and it’s usually a combination of them that certifies a genius. Maybe a genius is simply putting players in their best spot to succeed as Dolphins’ head coach Mike McDaniel believes.

This series is meant to showcase what makes coach Kevin Stefanski so special on offense. I will be spotlighting various plays during the rest of the season in an attempt to get an answer. Today’s article will be about two separate plays. One is a run play called Crunch. The other is a snag concept with a swing screen attached to it. I will refer to the play as “Super Snag.” As nomenclature varies across the league, I want to keep the vocabulary simple. 

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Lions OC Ben Johnson got a creative play idea from an official during practice

Lions OC Ben Johnson got a creative play idea from an official during practice

Ben Johnson is quickly gaining acclaim around the NFL for his aggressively creative offense scheme. The Lions offensive coordinator is known for keeping defenses off guard with his play designs and timing in unleashing special plays.

Johnson draws inspiration from a number of places, most notably head coach Dan Campbell–who is quite involved the process. But Johnson recently got an interesting idea from an unusual place: an official working one of the Lions practices.

Game officials often work practices to help out the teams in learning what will get called, but also to stay sharp and get real-life training. They’re human, too, and one is apparently a budding offensive mastermind.

As Johnson explained enthusiastically before Saturday’s practice,

“We were – I think we were practicing against Jacksonville just a couple weeks ago and it’s the special teams period, and one of the officials walked up to me and he had – I still have the diagram in my office. It’s a piece of – he’s got 11 guys written up and he literally took the entire special teams period, it was over five minutes talking about how this play would work out, so. That’s probably been the coolest setting that I’ve been – I mean we’re right in the middle of practice and he went off on a tangent. It’s a good idea. It’s a little bit out of the box. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen it happen before, but.”

Johnson admitted he would acknowledge the source of the play if he ever uses it in a game.

“Yeah, I’ll let you – I have to give credit where credit is due,” Johnson said without further hint of what the play might be.

Vance Joseph dubs Sean Payton one of the best play callers in NFL history

“I think Coach is one of the best play callers in NFL history,” Broncos DC Vance Joseph said of HC Sean Payton.

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Joe Lombardi will serve as the Denver Broncos’ offensive coordinator this season, but head coach Sean Payton will handle offensive play-calling duties, just as he did with the New Orleans Saints.

Payton is considered one of the best offensive play callers in the league by his peers, including former opposing coach Vance Joseph, who now serves as Payton’s defensive coordinator in Denver.

Joseph said after a minicamp practice on June 14. “The personnel groupings he uses on an every-down basis is really to match [while] figuring out where he’s going next. He understands defenses very well along with fronts and coverages. He always attacks what you do best.

“Going up against Coach, there have been some good days, and there have been some bad days. He’s always ahead of the curve as far as your next move. He saves plays for big moments in the game that you haven’t seen in a month or maybe a year. They pop out in the fourth quarter, and he pops them on you. He’s a great play caller. The tempo he plays with and [the way he] calls plays is unique. It’s tough to defend.”

Joseph served as the Arizona Cardinals’ defensive coordinator when they lost to Payton’s Saints 31-9 during the 2019 season. Before a four-year stint in Arizona, Joseph was Denver’s head coach from 2017-2018. He is now back with the Broncos, this time with Payton on his side.

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Kirk Herbstreit: Ryan Day could ‘stop calling plays next year’

The conversation has happened #GoBucks

Ohio State’s [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] is one of the few head coaches who still calls his team’s offensive plays. That could be coming to an end as the Buckeye boss enters his sixth season at the helm.

According to former [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] quarterback and current ESPN analyst [autotag]Kirk Herbstreit[/autotag], Day told him during one of their production meetings that he was thinking of relinquishing play calling next year in an effort “to be more of a manager as a head coach.” Herbstreit went on to explain the rationale by saying “when you’re prepping a game plan, it’s a lot more that goes into it Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday to be ready to call those plays on Saturday.”

Keep in mind that Herbstreit said Day “is thinking about relinquishing” calling plays. The decision has not been made. With offensive coordinator [autotag]Kevin Wilson[/autotag] now the head coach at [autotag]Tulsa[/autotag], there is an open role in Columbus.

The first name that the former Buckeye quarterback mentioned was [autotag]Brian Hartline[/autotag], which makes plenty of sense. He could still coach the wide receivers while calling plays on Saturdays. Since we have yet to hear what the exact plans are from Day himself, at this moment it’s just conjecture.

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Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett turns over play calling to QBs coach Klint Kubiak

Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett has turned over play calling to QBs coach Klint Kubiak.

Denver Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett has turned over play-calling duties to quarterbacks coach Klint Kubiak, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero first reported on Sunday morning.

Kubiak, 35, will make his play-calling debut for the Broncos against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday afternoon. He is the son of former Denver coach Gary Kubiak, who led the team to a Super Bowl 50 victory in 2015.

Hackett’s offense has struggled this season, scoring a league-low 14.6 points per game. If the offense improves with Kubiak calling plays and Hackett managing the overall team, Hackett will undoubtedly hope this decision could save his job.

Kubiak served as the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive coordinator last year and Minnesota scored an average of 25.0 points per game, which ranked 14th in the NFL.

Kubiak got his start in coaching as an offensive quality control coach at Texas A&M in 2010. He later held a similar role with the Vikings from 2013-2014 before a one-year stint at Kansas and then a three-year run with the Broncos as an offensive assistant.

Kubiak returned to Minnesota in 2019 and worked his way up from QBs coach to offensive coordinator. Kubiak was not retained after the Vikings fired former coach Mike Zimmer, and he landed in Denver this spring.

Kubiak will now aim to help the Broncos turn their offense around.

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The 2022 Vikings are passing at a much-higher rate

The Vikings are becoming more progressive on offense

The Minnesota Vikings offense in years past has been one that was considered boring and archaic.

They ran the ball way too much and did so in spots that would have made more sense to throw the football. Think of all the times the play call was a run on second and 10 or longer. It was conservative, boring and poor use of the resources at their disposal.

Through three games, everything isn’t perfect on offense but they have been more aggressive and modern in how the offense is being called. That has been seen with how often the passing game has been used. The numbers bear out versus last year. For this exercise, we used PFF’s charting on what plays were called and not what the play ended up being. For example, if a passing play was called and Kirk Cousins ended up running when the play breaks down, it counts as a passing play call. The same goes with sacks

2021: 1,141 total plays, 695 passing plays (60.9%)
2022: 195 total plays, 133 passing plays (68.2%)

This is obviously a smaller sample size than an entire season and a strategy that can change for a myriad of reasons. However, the stats are encouraging in the beginning of the Kevin O’Connell era.

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Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett will continue calling plays

As a rookie head coach, Nathaniel Hackett is still learning to balance calling plays and making game-management decisions with the Broncos.

Nathaniel Hackett’s first two games as a head coach in the NFL certainly haven’t gone smoothly.

Hackett’s indecision cost the team a possible three points on Sunday, something the coach admitted himself. It’s still early, so there’s certainly time for Hackett to improve, but he’s struggled to handle both play-calling and game management as a head coach.

The coach was asked Monday if he’s considered handing over play-calling duties to somebody else so he can focus on making head coach decisions.

“I think I’ll continue the play calling,” Hackett said. “I think that’s been pretty efficient up to this point. We’ve done a good job moving the ball. We’ve had a good plan from that standpoint. We just have to finish those drives.

“I think from the game management standpoint, we just have to tighten that whole thing up. A lot of us — we are all working together for the first time, so we just want to be sure we’re more efficient in that and have the ability to make better decisions and quicker decisions.”

Hackett’s decision-making was heavily criticized after the team lost in Week 1, and it wasn’t much better in Week 2. The coach has admitted his faults, though, and he’s set out to correct them. Hackett is saying the right things — now fans (and the team’s front office) will want to see results.

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