Red Zone: FG's are NOT enough

[BigBlue]

To me the difference between an average team and a good team is what they do with the ball on 1st down inside the opponent's 20 yard line.

As much as I liked Medlock  kicking 7 FGs, I felt like our play selection in the red zone is not getting the job done.

My working theory is that on first down, we are throwing the ball into the endzone and if that does not work we are left with a low percentage 2nd and long.... hence low redzone production. The defense is under extra pressure near their goal line and tighten up. The usual dink and dunk doesn't work the same because the entire D is creeping up when we are inside the 20. There are ways to spread the defense out but I don't think we are finding them.

What do you think will improve our redzone production?

[Atomic]

Apparently it was enough

[Goalie]

Catching the ball on the end zone will help. 2 drops today 

[bustamente]

That drop by Sheppard in the end zone could cost him his spot if Smith is ready or Mayo gets the call.

[B-F-F-C]

3 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

To me the difference between an average team and a good team is what they do with the ball on 1st down inside the opponent's 20 yard line.

As much as I liked Medlock  kicking 7 FGs, I felt like our play selection in the red zone is not getting the job done.

My working theory is that on first down, we are throwing the ball into the endzone and if that does not work we are left with a low percentage 2nd and long.... hence low redzone production. The defense is under extra pressure near their goal line and tighten up. The usual dink and dunk doesn't work the same because the entire D is creeping up when we are inside the 20. There are ways to spread the defense out but I don't think we are finding them.

What do you think will improve our redzone production?

I think the offence has yet to gel like the defence has.  Getting Dressler back will help as Nichols has a chance to build up a rapport with him plus it makes the defence have to key in on another threat.  I'm confident it will come and yes Lapo needs to design a few more plays that are higher percentage plays.     

[Brandon]

The two drops were massive

[Tracker]

When your offence scores only one touchdown, you will win some games but you will lose more than you win. We are probably going to make the playoffs due to a ferocious defence and a darned good kicker, but unless the offence gets untracked, we are going to be a one and done team there.

[Mr Dee]

What we have to appreciate is the fact that we recognized the weakness at a position (PK) and went out and got the best. We may falter on offence (especially after two drops) but we know that this offence is proficient enough to get us within range to win any game. We are now 6-4 because of it.

Could we have done better?

No.

We won.

End of story.

[Fatty Liver]

I don't think they actually made into the red zone much today, maybe once?  Most stalls seemed to happen from 35 yards and out, thus Medlock's longish field goals.  I don't have the stats. but I believe only one was a chip shot.

[wbbfan]

Yeah, its just not sustainable to kick 7 field goals and be +4 on turnovers or better every game. Needing that to win a nail biter is how you miss the play offs for several years, dont win a grey cup in 20+, and have multiple sub 4 win seasons in the last hand full of years. 

We had drops, and we had misses. Nichols talked in the ob post game show about missing guys out there. Early on he was kinda shaky. Didnt look comfortable in the pocket. 

 This game, our play calling was awful. I credit that a lot with our missed chances. Drops, and sub par execution in general certainly didnt help. Nichols had guys in great position and threw wide and low several times too. Some times what most fans see as a drop, was actual a great effort to get to a ball that was heavily over thrown. 

 If lapo had called a half decent game imop we have 30-35 points by half. Harris was tearing up the sask D and went a huge period of time with out a carry. During which we gave dressler runs twice. The run was soo hard on the riders what little play action we used worked great. But we didnt use it consistently etc. 

 Nichols needs to be better, our wrs need to be better, but plop more then any one else needs to get it together. I could see him getting fired mid season and Buck pierce taking over at this rate. 

[blitzmore]

6 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Yeah, its just not sustainable to kick 7 field goals and be +4 on turnovers or better every game. Needing that to win a nail biter is how you miss the play offs for several years, dont win a grey cup in 20+, and have multiple sub 4 win seasons in the last hand full of years. 

We had drops, and we had misses. Nichols talked in the ob post game show about missing guys out there. Early on he was kinda shaky. Didnt look comfortable in the pocket. 

 This game, our play calling was awful. I credit that a lot with our missed chances. Drops, and sub par execution in general certainly didnt help. Nichols had guys in great position and threw wide and low several times too. Some times what most fans see as a drop, was actual a great effort to get to a ball that was heavily over thrown. 

 If lapo had called a half decent game imop we have 30-35 points by half. Harris was tearing up the sask D and went a huge period of time with out a carry. During which we gave dressler runs twice. The run was soo hard on the riders what little play action we used worked great. But we didnt use it consistently etc. 

 Nichols needs to be better, our wrs need to be better, but plop more then any one else needs to get it together. I could see him getting fired mid season and Buck pierce taking over at this rate. 

Most of this must be a joke...Lapo getting fired and Buck taking over? Give your head a bigger shake than usual...it's getting worse!

[Mr Dee]

16 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Yeah, its just not sustainable to kick 7 field goals and be +4 on turnovers or better every game. Needing that to win a nail biter is how you miss the play offs for several years, dont win a grey cup in 20+, and have multiple sub 4 win seasons in the last hand full of years. 

We had drops, and we had misses. Nichols talked in the ob post game show about missing guys out there. Early on he was kinda shaky. Didnt look comfortable in the pocket. 

 This game, our play calling was awful. I credit that a lot with our missed chances. Drops, and sub par execution in general certainly didnt help. Nichols had guys in great position and threw wide and low several times too. Some times what most fans see as a drop, was actual a great effort to get to a ball that was heavily over thrown. 

 If lapo had called a half decent game imop we have 30-35 points by half. Harris was tearing up the sask D and went a huge period of time with out a carry. During which we gave dressler runs twice. The run was soo hard on the riders what little play action we used worked great. But we didnt use it consistently etc. 

 Nichols needs to be better, our wrs need to be better, but plop more then any one else needs to get it together. I could see him getting fired mid season and Buck pierce taking over at this rate. 

Say what? 

I wont get into the play calling too much (that's another discussion) but I can't believe you put the boots to Nichols on his throwing prowess today. Nichols threw the ball extremely well especially when it came to McDuffie and Denmark and Dressler. A lot of those passes were beauts, in very tight spaces. He was throwing the ball in the right places where only our receivers could get them. It's not his fault two potential TDs were dropped. 

Oh, and remind me again how many ints he threw, with the game on the line....

[BigBlueFanatic]

Yeah Nichols only threw for 322 yards and his receivers dropped two TD catches... What a bum - cut him! /sarcasm

[brett_c_b]

Sure there are things to improve on, but it's a long weekend, the bombers won in Regina, the bombers have won multiple games in a row. I know people around here don't know how to do this, but try enjoy it. I'm on a 6am flight next Saturday for no other reason than to watch the Banjo Bowl in person, and whether it's by 3 or 30 I'll enjoy a Bomber win over the Riders.

[wbbfan]

2 minutes ago, Mr Dee said:

Say what? 

I wont get into the play calling too much (that's another discussion) but I can't believe you put the boots to Nichols on his throwing prowess today. Nichols threw the ball extremely well especially when it came to McDuffie and Denmark and Dressler. A lot of those passes were beauts, in very tight spaces. He was throwing the ball in the right places where only our receivers could get them. It's not his fault two potential TDs were dropped. 

Oh, and remind me again how many ints he threw, with the game on the line....

He didnt look good to start, but rounded into shape. It was probably his best game, but he was still missing passes deeper then medium, and connecting on passes that were over thrown, and thrown low. He had some nice passes, Most of them. But his passes that were more then short were not great. 

 He threw no picks, again though he had more then one pass that should have been. Hes been the beneficiary of of defenses that havent caught the ball. If he played a D that caught the ball like ours hed be in big trouble. 

 Willy only threw one clutch time pick this year. That doesnt mean he was performing well. Same with his yardage. The offence has struggled especially with those passes over short with every qb this year and last. With more wrs then i can count and 2 ocs. 

32/44 358 2 tds 0 picks against calgary, 27/39 341 1td 0 picks against sask. 

Winning the game doesnt change that, nor do the stats. We still cant consistently hit guys in stride, or more then medium routes. 

[rebusrankin]

Today, FGs were enough. Helped us win a game we haven't won in 12 years. Put that in perspective, you have to be about 17 or 18 to likely remember Winnipeg winning that game.

[Mr Dee]

10 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

We still cant consistently hit guys in stride, or more then medium routes. 

Quincy McDuffie (2), Denmark, Dressler were all hit in stride...great throws, but if you mean all of them going for a TD, then no...what a bum.

[O2L]

We were in the red zone ONCE. So we were 0/1 in the red zone, and that included a dropped TD and Harris running out of bounds. The play calling was actually perfect. This thread is a joke. 

[BlueGoldBozo]

1 hour ago, tracker said:

When your offence scores only one touchdown, you will win some games but you will lose more than you win. We are probably going to make the playoffs due to a ferocious defence and a darned good kicker, but unless the offence gets untracked, we are going to be a one and done team there.

Considering where we were just a few weeks ago I'll take it

[Jpan85]

Dressler was open all game they are going to start hitting those plays.

[Noeller]

Nichols really was solid today. Made some real good throws. He had  tough drops by the receivers. 

[Tracker]

2 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Nichols really was solid today. Made some real good throws. He had  tough drops by the receivers. 

Seemed off in the first half, but better in the second. The drops by the receivers were tough catches for the most part.

[Mr Dee]

Looks like others saw the same thing...

 

 

[Noeller]

He had some really good throws. Was let down a bit. He hasn't always been solid, but today was one of his better efforts. 

[do or die]

When we ignore Harris for almost 3 quarters and go into play safe mode only up 19-3......then our play calling could be better.