Maybe he needs one of those situations where he is iced, kicks it anyway and misses, then nails the 2nd kick.
2020 NFL: Wk.1 Game Thread
- Thread starter Ale Xander
- Start date
My heart has never pounded harder in a less important game situation in the grand scheme of things.
No kidding. They didn't run the clock when they had the lead and the ball, and they let the clock run when they didn't have the ball and the opposing team was in chip shot territory. The strategy on offense made no sense at all, and the strategy on defense only makes sense if you think Ghost had no chance to hit anything. It was so bad that it surprised Vrabel and forced him to call a timeout. Just embarrassing.
Exactly. We got some drama as well as Vic Fangio's apparent disdain for clock management. Its mystifying.
That was clearly what it was if we posted it within seconds of one another!
Also, kudos again for your screen name. Its brilliant.
So sorry it took so long. NFL really took their time releasing the all-22.
I am going to spoil my game notes since they are long. Watson's delivery when under pressure needs some work however if I were to assign blame that would be low on the list. Could he have been better? Sure. Would I put this game on him? Hell no. He was under duress a lot. His RT, Tytus Howard is awful. Chris Jones basically ruined his day by himself. He is still getting used to Cooks as a receiver.
In particular when he is trying to release under pressure to hit someone downfield he is hopping or jumping into his delivery. He also has a jump throw that he also makes under pressure to shorter areas of the field that hurts his accuracy. But when you look at bad Watson mechanics vs the other shit going on in the play? The majority of plays his mechanics are fine, the location and the read are fine, and the decision was sound. This game was on the receivers for not making catches, not getting open, and for his line for the lack of protection. By the end of the game they started going to some max protect looks. I think part of that is that they wanted to take deeper shots down the field because they were behind but also because Watson was getting killed.
On his interception he has to either throw it out there or take a sack. He had Cooks open but he couldn't make the throw with one guy draped on him and another guy slamming into him.
First drive:
Second play on Houston's drive the timing, anticipation and drop into the bucket downfield for Fuller couldn't have been any more perfect on a corner route and Fuller just drops it. Fuller wasn't open at all when he released it. That to me was a brilliant throw and Watson had trust in Fuller to make it.
They take a penalty and on 3rd and 10 he gets pressure and his receivers are still in their routes and not close to breaking them off by the time he has to release it. He couldn't step up or drive in the pocket to make that throw because he was under too much pressure and the pocket collapsed. His throw is awkward but he needs to get over a lineman or two. Not on Watson here either. They went 20 and both the RB and the RT, Howard, who blows btw, missed a block and Watson was under duress immediately.
Second drive:
TD - not going to cover it.
Third drive:
3rd & 10 - absolutely no one open and he has to scramble.
Fourth drive:
1st & 10: not sure what happened here but Cooks had a step on whoever was covering him but either he didn't break off his route when he was supposed to or Watson underthrew him. It looked like Watson rushed the throw a bit and didn't get enough on it. By this point in the game he had been under pretty consistent pressure. I think Watson would like this one back.
They get a 1D
1st & 10: looks like a mesh concept and he has Cooks open on a shallow crosser. But, and stop me if you heard this before, he is under major pressure.
They get a 1D
1st & 10: Yikes he has this weird hopping into his deliver and misses a WIDE OPEN Fuller down field. He was under pressure. They didn't even block Jones or Clark or whoever it was. Their blocking game sucks. They just give Watson one more second there it's an easy throw and catch. Still, he could have stepped up and to the left there and made a better throw.
2nd & 10: another pressure and he jump passed it. He could have done that or thrown it away.
3rd & 10: Misses Fuller, overthrows on a deep go. Fuller had enough separation that if he dropped it into the bucket down there he would have had it. I don't get the play-call. Why not work the middle of the field more? Also no one was open.
2nd half:
First drive he has a sack on 3rd & 7. No one is open and the TE on the right side of the field actually gets open for a minute in the scramble drill and then STOPS!!! WTH. Watson was working to him too. Had he kept running back to his qb or to the sideline that's a 1D. /sigh.
2nd drive:
2nd & 5: no one open scrambles for 6.
Interception on this drive: He needs to tack the sack there. He tried to fire it down the field to Cooks who was open but he was hit as he threw. It was a lame duck easily intercepted.
Third drive:
1st & 10 from HOU 47: takes a sack. Absolutely no one open and pressure is there at his feet right away.
1st & 10 from KC 36: under pressure makes a 1D throw right to Stills who drops it.
2nd & 10 from KC 36: no one open - scrambles for 2 yards.
3rd & 8 from KC 34: Hits Stills again in the hands and he can't make the catch. Yeesh.
I think I have seen enough.
Second play on Houston's drive the timing, anticipation and drop into the bucket downfield for Fuller couldn't have been any more perfect on a corner route and Fuller just drops it. Fuller wasn't open at all when he released it. That to me was a brilliant throw and Watson had trust in Fuller to make it.
They take a penalty and on 3rd and 10 he gets pressure and his receivers are still in their routes and not close to breaking them off by the time he has to release it. He couldn't step up or drive in the pocket to make that throw because he was under too much pressure and the pocket collapsed. His throw is awkward but he needs to get over a lineman or two. Not on Watson here either. They went 20 and both the RB and the RT, Howard, who blows btw, missed a block and Watson was under duress immediately.
Second drive:
TD - not going to cover it.
Third drive:
3rd & 10 - absolutely no one open and he has to scramble.
Fourth drive:
1st & 10: not sure what happened here but Cooks had a step on whoever was covering him but either he didn't break off his route when he was supposed to or Watson underthrew him. It looked like Watson rushed the throw a bit and didn't get enough on it. By this point in the game he had been under pretty consistent pressure. I think Watson would like this one back.
They get a 1D
1st & 10: looks like a mesh concept and he has Cooks open on a shallow crosser. But, and stop me if you heard this before, he is under major pressure.
They get a 1D
1st & 10: Yikes he has this weird hopping into his deliver and misses a WIDE OPEN Fuller down field. He was under pressure. They didn't even block Jones or Clark or whoever it was. Their blocking game sucks. They just give Watson one more second there it's an easy throw and catch. Still, he could have stepped up and to the left there and made a better throw.
2nd & 10: another pressure and he jump passed it. He could have done that or thrown it away.
3rd & 10: Misses Fuller, overthrows on a deep go. Fuller had enough separation that if he dropped it into the bucket down there he would have had it. I don't get the play-call. Why not work the middle of the field more? Also no one was open.
2nd half:
First drive he has a sack on 3rd & 7. No one is open and the TE on the right side of the field actually gets open for a minute in the scramble drill and then STOPS!!! WTH. Watson was working to him too. Had he kept running back to his qb or to the sideline that's a 1D. /sigh.
2nd drive:
2nd & 5: no one open scrambles for 6.
Interception on this drive: He needs to tack the sack there. He tried to fire it down the field to Cooks who was open but he was hit as he threw. It was a lame duck easily intercepted.
Third drive:
1st & 10 from HOU 47: takes a sack. Absolutely no one open and pressure is there at his feet right away.
1st & 10 from KC 36: under pressure makes a 1D throw right to Stills who drops it.
2nd & 10 from KC 36: no one open - scrambles for 2 yards.
3rd & 8 from KC 34: Hits Stills again in the hands and he can't make the catch. Yeesh.
I think I have seen enough.
