FanPost

Jags Games Review Notes: Watched it twice so you dont have to. (Spoiler: Reich is Right)

So after the initial sting wore off, I took some time out to rewatch the Jags game. Partially because of Reich's presser, where he said that the gap from where they are and where they want to be is not that large.

Given Reich's typical nonspeak, I wanted to see if this was indeed true.

Offense:

  • Danny Pinter is a liability at RG. Gets blown up (like usual) on literal first play of the game. Ends up nearly in Ryan's lap. Misreads a stunt on a 3rd down play and runs himself right into Braden Smith, instead of handing the player off and dealing with the inside stunt.
  • The pressure on Ryan that led to his first INT was 100% Pinter. He didnt pass off the stunt, while also running into Braden, preventing him from cutting off the stunt. Braden Smith hasn't been perfect, but a lot of this is because Pinter is next to him. That INT hung in the air because Ryan couldn't step into the throw due to the pressure up the middle.
  • Pinter is really looking like a Ballard miss on this one, he doesn't look stout enough to defend against interior d-linemen, or smart enough to recognize stunts at that position. The Jags abused him with this all game. I counted a least two sacks, and INT, and multiple pressures & hurries all caused because of Pinter's inability to hand off blocks.
  • Bring in Raimann or Dennis Kelly for LT (or even better - Move Braden to LT but I know this wont happen because he's the second best player on that line), move Pryor to RG, and put Pinter on the bench.
  • Hines looks electric with the ball in his hands. Dynamic pass catcher, so his lack of touches were a bit confusing.
  • JTs the only other effective offensive target, and sees hardly any touches until the game is out of reach.
  • The Jags scheme against the Colts run game is pretty simple, but Reich, for some reason, can't seem to figure it out. Basically all they care about is crashing down on the edges and holding onto the Colts OL to clog up the running lanes.
  • Sometimes they'll run blitz, sometimes not. But they ALWAYS focus on keeping all Colts linemen clogged up in the middle of the field. They have figured out that Taylor is robotic in the way he will follow his blocks. He never bounces the ball outside until he's stopped in the middle, so they don't even bother to account for that. It's literally about clogging up the middle as much as possible. I think the coordinator realized that the only way to limit JT is to use his blockers to ruin his reads. They literally just try to hold the OL in place/smash them into each other. The crazy part about all this is that if Reich actually paid attention to what he was seeing, he would key in on the fact that counters/delayed hand offs off the edge would absolutely murder this run defense. Even their LBs just run into the middle of the OL. I'm not even kidding, watch the tape, its unbelievable that his guru brain hasn't figured this out yet.
  • The gameplanning / playcalling was absolutely terrible this game. I have no earthly idea why Reich thought it would be smart to run long developing pass plays with a slightly mobile qb (with no escapability skills) and a porous o-line against a high-speed, pass rushing front. Sometimes I legitimately wonder if he's the type of person that has book smarts, but lacks common sense. Where are the shallow crossers? The 5 yard outs? Literally anything that gets rid of the ball quickly?

Defense:

  • All offseason, Gus ran a defense that was heavily press man coverage and gave the Colts problems all over the field. Nearly every week we'd get updates on how hard it was to beat Gilmore, or to get open. However, for some reason when the season started, he runs zone with CBs 5 - 10+ yards off the ball on nearly every play.
  • In this game, you could literally tell the keys Trevor Lawrence was getting for their gameplan. On nearly every passing play, he'd look to see who was playing man vs off, then fire the ball to whoever was playing off 5 - 10+ yards. There were literal plays where Gus ran man on the interior, and off on the exterior and guess where the ball went? Like, its so stupidly simple to see, its maddening.
  • While the pass rush was a major issue for two games now, I actually think its fixable, if Gus is willing to adapt and use his personnel better. He has corners that are elite press man defenders and he plays them in zone. Knowing this is the case, he should be letting them play to their strengths. If he does this, his pass rushers have more time to get to the QB, and we should start seeing the sack totals increase.
  • Grover Stewart is by far the best D-Lineman on the field over the last two games. I think Buckner is playing hurt, so while he can occupy double-teams, he's not going to be the reliable pass rush presence we all hoped he would be (at least for now). The better option would be to keep Grover in the game on running and passing downs, and let him slash all game. I have yet to see a center or guard that can hold him. For two weeks now, we've seen him single-handedly shut down entire offensive drives. If he's unleashed, he can be an even bigger wrecking ball this year.
  • Gus needs to give up on this pass rush package. They are woefully inadequate. Why Banogu is even getting minutes right now blows my mind. Paye, Buckner, Stewart, Ngakoue. That's who should be getting the bulk of the minutes. Odeyingbo, Lewis, Cowart to spell them throughout the game. I firmly believe that you put your best playmakers on the field as much as humanly possible. IDK why the Colts have an aversion to this both on offense and defense.
  • Its a crime that Isaiah Rodgers isn't starting. I do understand the desire to get your guys PT, but he was very clearly one of the best CBs on the team last year, and he doesn't see the field outside of special teams.
Summary:

So after rewatching the game, is Reich right? Actually, yes he is.

The crazy thing about that is I believe it makes everything worse.

Poor personnel management, poor gameplanning, poor in-game adjustments, and poor playcalling have all led to the Colts looking like one of the worst teams in the NFL.

The Colts have the players (even with the existing WR corps), and they have the next level talent to make this team an NFL juggernaut. However, Reich's inability to coach effectively in the NFL makes the team look worse than they really are.

If this team truly takes stock of where they are and what they have done to this point - and are making the changes to put this team in a better winning position, you will see a very different Colts team - a team that can compete and win against anyone. But that all depends on Reich's ability to get out of his own way, and therein lies the problem.

The issues with the line are a personnel management problem. (Reich)
The issues with the pass rush are a personnel management problem. (Reich)
The issues with the secondary are a personnel management problem. (Reich)
The WR corps getting open is a personnel, gameplanning, and playcalling problem. (Reich)
JT and Hines - two of your most dynamic playmakers on offense getting reduced touches are an egregious personnel, gameplanning, and playcalling problem. (Reich)

Reich is correct. There is a small gap between where they are and where they need to be. But that gap is quite literally caused by Frank Reich's incompetent coaching.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Stampede Blue's writers or editors.