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Notes From Lombardi

Michael Lombardi

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From Michael Lombardi:

FIVE THINGS THAT STILL BOTHER ME FROM WILD-CARD WEEKEND...

1.  I have gotten a ton of emails regarding this sequence in the Philadelphia-Minnesota game near the end of the half:  

Philadelphia Eagles at 1:51, (1st play from scrimmage 1:46)

Philadelphia starts the drive with the kick off after Minnesota scored to make the game 16-14 with under two minutes to play.  The Eagles have two timeouts left.

1-10-PHI 25 (1:46) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short right to J.Avant ran ob at PHI 38 for 13 yards. P5

1-10-PHI 38 (1:40) B.Westbrook left guard to PHI 38 for no gain (B.Sapp, E.Wyms).

Timeout #2 by PHI at 01:34.

Not confident the Eagles should burn a timeout. If a draw is called in the huddle, it is usually centered around two plays -- we run a draw and then we run whatever the next play might be.  This timeout was interesting and maybe the Eagles coaches had a specific play to run. 

2-10-PHI 38 (1:34) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short middle to B.Celek to PHI 47 for 9 yards (J.Allen).

Now was the time to call a timeout, but after the completion, the Eagles come to the line and run their next play.  This is a gray area for two-down calls. Had the Eagles not gotten a first down, they would have had to punt and risked the Vikings gaining marginal yardage and kicking a field goal.  This had to be a precise call and probably should have been tied to a timeout, but they burned it the play before. 

3-1-PHI 47 (1:10) D.McNabb pass deep left intended for K.Curtis INTERCEPTED by C.Griffin at MIN 13. C.Griffin ran ob at MIN 13 for no gain. 

This one is on McNabb. He has to know the down and distance, and the last thing he wants to do is give the ball back and keep the crowd in the game.  McNabb must make the throw that gets the first down, not risk an interception.  The Eagles can even work the middle of the field here in order to get the first down and burn their last timeout and make it a spike game to stop the clock. 

Minnesota Vikings at 1:10.

With this field position and the risk of a turnover, unless they get a big run on first down, the Vikings’ main objective is to not put their 32nd-ranked punt coverage team on the field. 

1-10-MIN 13 (1:10) C.Taylor left end to MIN 13 for no gain (C.Gocong).

Eagles do not call a timeout, and the Vikings do not seem anxious to run another play. 

2-10-MIN 13 (:37) T.Jackson pass incomplete short right to B.Wade. 

This is the call that makes you wonder what Brad Childress was thinking.  After running the clock down, why throw the ball here and have to punt?  The key was to not have to punt and watch the league’s worst coverage team cover. 

3-10-MIN 13 (:34) C.Taylor left tackle to MIN 16 for 3 yards (S.Brown).

Timeout #3 by PHI at 00:29.

4-7-MIN 16 (:29) C.Kluwe punts 53 yards to PHI 31, Center-C.Loeffler. D.Jackson to PHI 44 for 13 yards (C.Greenway). 

The Vikings are lucky this ball didn’t come back to the house.  Very lucky. 

Philadelphia Eagles at 0:18

1-10-PHI 44 (:18) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to B.Westbrook pushed ob at MIN 47 for 9 yards (C.Griffin). 

2-1-MIN 47 (:13) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass incomplete short left to B.Westbrook.

3-1-MIN 47 (:08) (Shotgun) D.McNabb pass short left to B.Westbrook to MIN 44 for 3 yards (C.Greenway) [J.Allen].

2.  The one that was interesting to watch was the end of the Chargers game. They wanted to be in position to tie the game but also not allow the Colts too much time to come back and beat them with a FG.  I believe had they shown a replay of the Peyton Manning play, it would have been ruled a fumble on the sack by Tim Dobbins.  For all the cries about how unfair the overtime rules are, this non-call was huge.  In addition, NBC never touched on the subject very much, and for me, sitting at home, this looked like a fumble. 

San Diego Chargers at 1:48 Chargers do not have a time out as they begin the drive, so they are faced with spike game in order to stop the clock. 

1-10-IND 38 (1:48) (Shotgun) P.Rivers pass incomplete short right to D.Sproles.

2-10-IND 38 (1:44) (Shotgun) P.Rivers pass short middle to A.Gates to IND 27 for 11 yards (F.Keiaho). P19 Key call.

Not only does it get a first down, it gets the clock moving. 

1-10-IND 27 (1:16) (Shotgun) P.Rivers pass short middle to A.Gates to IND 16 for 11 yards (T.Hagler, K.Ratliff). P20

1-10-IND 16 (:54) P.Rivers spiked the ball to stop the clock.

I am very sure the Chargers did not want to do this at this point.  With this much time, you need to keep the clock running and keep your play count alive.  Had Manning come back to beat them, this would have been the play that hurt the Chargers. 

2-10-IND 16 (:53) P.Rivers pass incomplete short right to B.Manumaleuna. 

Now, this forces a run because of the spike and incomplete pass before.  The Chargers needed to run the ball here and get the clock moving. They are going to make the field goal. 

3-10-IND 16 (:46) D.Sproles up the middle to IND 8 for 8 yards (T.Jennings).

Timeout #1 by IND at 00:33. 

The Colts lost 7 seconds trying to call timeout.  The clock should have been reset at 41 seconds.   

4-2-IND 8 (:33) N.Kaeding 26-yard field goal is GOOD, Center-D.Binn, Holder-M.Scifres.

IND 17 SD 17, 7 plays, 30 yards, 1:17 drive, 14:29 elapsed

N.Kaeding kicks 66 yards from SD 30 to IND 4. C.Simpson to IND 19 for 15 yards (A.Cason).

 

Indianapolis Colts at 0:31, (1st play from scrimmage 0:24)

1-10-IND 19 (:24) (Shotgun) P.Manning pass short middle to J.Addai to IND 25 for 6 yards (S.Cooper, J.Tucker).

Timeout #3 by SD at 00:16.

2-4-IND 25 (:16) (Shotgun) P.Manning pass short right to J.Addai to IND 32 for 7 yards (Q.Jammer). P17

Timeout #2 by IND at 00:08.

1-10-IND 32 (:08) (Shotgun) P.Manning pass incomplete deep left to R.Wayne.

2-10-IND 32 (:01) P.Manning kneels, dead ball declared at IND 31 for -1 yards.

3.  I do not understand how the Vikings could have placed Tarvaris Jackson in 18 third-down situations.  They had to know that the more third downs he was faced with, regardless of distance, it was going to be bad for them.  This really bothers me.  I knew in the first half after they had an 11 third downs, this was not going to go well. 

4.  The blitz call by Cards defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergrass on fourth and 6 still kills me.  At some point, you have to know your opponent is the clock, not the Falcons.  Being creative is one thing, being reckless is another, and this was reckless at the wrong time. 

Atlanta Falcons at 7:51

1-10-ATL 42 (7:51) M.Ryan pass incomplete deep left to H.Douglas.

2-10-ATL 42 (7:45) M.Ryan pass short right to B.Finneran to ATL 46 for 4 yards (A.Rolle).

3-6-ATL 46 (7:10) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass incomplete short left to M.Jenkins (R.Hood).

4-6-ATL 46 (7:03) (Shotgun) M.Ryan pass short left to J.Norwood to ARZ 26 for 28 yards (A.Francisco). P17

Who cares if they get the first down? The clock is your opponent, not the Falcons. Make them work the ball down the field at 6-7 yards at a clip, not a big play.  This call was not a factor in the big picture because the offense was able to convert and not kick the ball back.  The Cards have to be smarter with their game management and calls if they are going to advance another round. 

1-10-ARZ 26 (7:03) M.Ryan pass short middle to J.Peelle to ARZ 20 for 6 yards (G.Hayes, D.Rodgers-Cromartie).

2-4-ARZ 20 (5:54) (No Huddle) M.Ryan pass short left to M.Jenkins to ARZ 17 for 3 yards (R.Hood).

3-1-ARZ 17 (5:32) M.Ryan up the middle to ARZ 15 for 2 yards (B.Berry). R18

1-10-ARZ 15 (4:57) PENALTY on ARZ-B.Berry, Defensive Offside, 5 yards, enforced at ARZ 15 - No Play. unabated to the quarterback

1-5-ARZ 10 (4:53) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White to ARZ 5 for 5 yards (D.Rodgers-Cromartie). P19

1-5-ARZ 5 (4:19) M.Ryan pass short right to R.White for 5 yards, TOUCHDOWN. P20

J.Elam extra point is GOOD, Center-M.Schneck, Holder-M.Koenen 

The Cards have to call and manage the game better this weekend if they are going to beat a team on the road. 

5.  I am still amazed at how well the Colts’ defensive line dominated the Chargers’ offensive line and was surprised that their defense played so well.  The Colts’ defensive line made it very uncomfortable for Philip Rivers. 

 

COACHING/LEADERSHIP BOOK IDEA OF THE WEEK...

 READ ERIC MUSSELMAN’S BLOG FOR MORE GREAT IDEAS...

 Good story in the January '09 issue of Harvard Business Review about the keys to success for new leaders.The authors outline five common traps that new leaders frequently fall into as they look to "prove themselves by going after quick wins" (i.e., early results).

Instead of "abandoning the quest for early results ... the leaders who make the most successful transitions do, in fact, focus relentlessly on quick wins. But they focus on a different kind of achievement. Rather than riding roughshod over others to prove themselves, they pursue ... 'collective quick wins,' accomplishments that make their entire teams look good."

Here are the five common traps:

1. When a leader personally attends to details, the rest of the team/staff can't see a role for themselves in the effort. There's no "shared understanding." Further, when focusing on one area, a new leader can ignore "the performance issues they considered to be higher priorities."

2. Reacting negatively to criticism. "At the very least, an inability to deal with criticism means that the leader takes much longer to improve in areas of relative weakness."

3. Intimidating others. "When leaders come to new roles convinced of their brilliance and the inevitability of their rise ..., they can be intimidating to those around them. Confident of their plans' success, [new leaders] can mistake their team's compliance for agreement and endorsement."

4. Jumping to conclusions. "Some leaders hoping to score a quick win jump into its implementation too quickly. To the people around them, it feels as if these leaders have arrived with the solution already formulated instead of engaging others in its design."

5. Micromanaging. "Leaders new to their roles often make the mistake of meddling in work they should trust others to do. Unwilling to take the time to get [the team] on board with an overall vision or goal -- but afraid their decisions and actions won't align with it -- they second-guess and micromanage."

According to the authors, members of "the team must make real, direct contributions." In their words, "Make people believers, not bystanders."

They recommend asking, "Can key players on the team see their fingerprints on the outcome? Would they cite their contributions with pride? If the answer to either questions is no, the win is not collective."

Further, "a leader ... should engage a respected member of the team to help." Why?  Because this person "may have more credibility with the team than [the new leader] does, so the early endorsement will quickly alleviate the skepticism of other team members."

Comments

Add a Comment
bobd
Jan 06, 2009
08:40 PM

Hey Mike, good stuff here. That Minn. sequence at the end of the half really got me. How can a coaching staff be that stupid? But they are. On the other hand if TJack was any kind of a QB he would have realized that a safe dump down pass was called. So if it isn't there he should be a man and take the sack and the hit not chuck the ball in the ground.

Rodney
Jan 06, 2009
09:33 PM

How could Tavaris Jackson have ever been given the start? Once Ferotte was healthy he should have been back in there. He was the one that went 8-3 until he got hurt right?

Another bad coaching decision in a long line of bad decisions in Minnesota.

Tyler
Jan 06, 2009
11:30 PM

Not saying this was the reason Childress called the pass play on 2nd down, but he was booed heavily after he ran it on 1st (clearly showing the fans he was satisfied being down 2 going into the half despite the fact there was 1:10 remaining). Childress has been booed throughout his tenure as the Vikings coach and if the fans are indeed affecting the way he calls his gameplan, he needs to go asap.

Mr.Murder
Jan 07, 2009
05:38 AM

MN needed Jackson's mobility at play. He only broke one run.

The Vikes did present a blueprint for taking away a lot of what Philly likes to do best. Their HC knows the Reid system, and Leslie Frasier implemented ways to stop it or at least reduce some of its best plays and forms.

More on that tommorrow....

Mr.Murder
Jan 07, 2009
10:38 AM

Childress knew Andy Reid's favorite items in his gameplan and he limited some of those things to a very good degree with an extremely aggressive defensive attack.

Leslie Frazier used a lot of his old Chicago Bears/Buddy Ryan playbook, from a safer front. He blitzed the A gap almost every play. This was a direct challenge to Andy Reid's initial premise for his offense.

"West Coast Offense" teams don't like the shotgun as much, they prefer the passer have the ball in hand, set up short, and always have the run as a compliment.

Bringing pressure up the A gap cannot entirely be stopped by a set back. Westbrook lines up behind McNabb to be the great run threat, now he has no block angle for pressure approaching over the center, right up the middle.


If you offset Westbrook it radically shifts the angles you can implement certain runs. This also changes protections to the side he is on, and changes who the hot will be for certain items. This included the Eagles working in a different tight end, and Kevin Curtis had a phenominal game on his routes and moving chains over the middle. Those were big items, Reid ended up making Celek a primary to get him involved to greater degrees, close to the blitz. That makes certain the timing is right because the focus is there, but it still forces the Eagles to prove they will execute.


Reid's playbook was cut by more than half. Credit McNabb, remember when it was noted Donovan on Minnesota would equal a playoff winner, the teams facing each other made it apparent.

The Vikings showed how to best address some of the Eagles' favorite items, and the Eagles adjusted on the go. McNabb made some amazing lateral steps in his dropback to find set up points or get rid of the ball. Sometimes the best thing a play can result for you once snapped is an incompletion, he understood that fact. He always found time to take his shots, to stay in the plan, and when to discard all of that and get into bailout mode. All under tremendous pressure and noise.

His team found its swagger. Two stars beat one most of the time. McNabb and Westbrook vs. "All Day." Adrian Petersen is so talented that his presence can impact a game for the duration. You have to be on your game all day to stay in front of that and the Eagles QB and RB were.

Burkhalter also has worked in great to the degree he now plays in similar ways to Westbrook. He's more likely to line up in the I, but now he's getting some lateral reps to set up from the same places Westbrook works his magic from. You can no longer key one player to one style in their specialty sets. The game plan and what the Eagles do best applies all the time, and they add new explosiveness to a player who was already best used in that mode as a quality reserve.

A great plan was in place, and great players adjusted their game with the coaches to make plays around that and still manage some game items.

There were extra reps for a team able to get better Qb play. The Vikings were challenged there. A line that is healthier might stand up better to the Eagles great rushing ends. The Vikings QB and line was having some form breakdowns to the point it also helped key some tendencies and set up locations for their young passer, announcers and commentators mentioned as much during the coverage of the event. Travaris had radically different stances from under center on certain play calls, and his eyes were giving away play calls from the shotgun because he would take a different look at the front and the back four for a run or quicks than he would a read set. He didn't make his number three a consistent enough item and the Eagles used three wide well enough to force the Vikes into more bland of a three deep cover set.

There's a lot of yards in the game plan, who will be able to execute to win those yards?

Special teams is also the difference between two closely matched squads. Desean Jackson should be kicked away from, consistently. That five, ten, or fifteen yard difference is better than a thirty to fifty yard difference.

That game had some some of the best counterpunching in place. I was rooting for the Vikings to a greater extent for a friend, and it was a heavyweight card. This is just building up to a title bout, great teams still have to square off. The best is yet to come.

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