Official Game Day Thread - Winnipeg at Edmonton, August 10, 2023

[Sir Blue and Gold]

He looked pretty awful on Thursday night even if it was short-lived. That weird play where he coughed up the ball on an ugly forced throw, only to get mangled by an incoming defender was just... I don't even know. Hideous football. Forcing plays is good way to get needlessly injured. The pick-six only added insult to injury.

Is this a gameplan issue? It's not the first time we've seen the offense come out flat and uninspired, with Collaros doing a deer-in-the-headlights bit. Makes me wonder what sort of play-calling Pierce is up to in these instances.

Hard to say for sure but I doubt it. Seemingly, Brown did alright with what was largely the same gameplan, I would assume. Seemed like he was just having an off night or sometimes you just get unlucky with the play call vs the defense and where your vision takes you.

[blue_gold_84]

Hard to say for sure but I doubt it. Seemingly, Brown did alright with what was largely the same gameplan, I would assume. Seemed like he was just having an off night or sometimes you just get unlucky with the play call vs the defense and where your vision takes you.

This is true. Silver lining being Brown's impressive performance in what could've turned uglier if not for his poise and playmaking.

Just seemed very uncharacteristic for Collaros to struggle like that, especially after how marvelously well he played a week earlier.

[TecnoGenius]

2. Long TD pass. Right play against right defence. It was 3 - 4 yards behind LOS and a missed tackle. Again, great move to evade tackle. Bad technique by Houston. He gave a bit too much cushion and went to make a tackle instead of making sure he remained upright allowing time for other tacklers to get into correct lanes.

What's the normal thing for the lone out to do on that play?  They do a go route or run up to the lone defender to jam.  That's why the D guy is sitting 5 yards off.  I'm not sure I've ever seen the WR just sit there back 5y.  I don't recall seeing a wide hitch in that situation before.  The D guy is trying to stop the expected 50 yard explosion pass, not the hitch.

I think they've identified that Hall likes guys to sit off and run up for the during-catch tackle (see: ADS) when they are behind the sticks.  Works great, except when you arrive late and whiff on the tackle.  Jarius drew up that play perfectly and we need to be careful in future games.  Need to protect both the hitch and the go, and not leave it down to one tackler.

P.S. Know who the fastest of our 3 D's chasing him was?  Rose.  Equally as fast, and almost got him.

[TecnoGenius]

No one has really said so but Collaros was not really playing smart football in the first quarter of that game. He got hurt on not-the-first awkward scramble where he was deep and away from the pocket. Haven't seen him work himself into such a bad position multiple times in a quarter and a bit. Say what you want about the hit but running 7 yards right and 12 yards back before trying to make a play is the wrong decision. It was odd. Throw it away.

We didn't get to see many downfield shots, but I wonder if EDM was doing more man coverage against Zach.  They certainly were doing a lot of zone against Dru.  It was clear Zach was seeing no open targets.

dd is right: teams are doing intense study of Zach and figuring him out.  They are studying how he escapes the pocket.  They are studying how long he likes to sit before getting happy feet.  Zach needs to stay put in his secure pocket longer.  Zach needs to be aware when the DEs going deep but not closing in because they are sitting out there waiting for him to roll out.  He needs to sit tight and gauge whether the DEs are making a real attempt to infiltrate the pocket, or just sitting.  If they sit, then Zach should sit.

All of this is film-studyable and coachable and I'm 100% positive Buck and the QB group are going over this and coming up with counter-moves.  It would be easy to bluff and sucker teams making the same moves on Zach.  The move dd identified would be simple to spoof, just keep going the same way instead of changing direction half the time.

We also may have been fixated on repeating the vs BC performance and trying to go deep on those early Zach drives, and EDM decided to go blanket coverage plus 2 FS.

[Waffler]

What's the normal thing for the lone out to do on that play?  They do a go route or run up to the lone defender to jam.  That's why the D guy is sitting 5 yards off.  I'm not sure I've ever seen the WR just sit there back 5y.  I don't recall seeing a wide hitch in that situation before.  The D guy is trying to stop the expected 50 yard explosion pass, not the hitch.

I think they've identified that Hall likes guys to sit off and run up for the during-catch tackle (see: ADS) when they are behind the sticks.  Works great, except when you arrive late and whiff on the tackle.  Jarius drew up that play perfectly and we need to be careful in future games.  Need to protect both the hitch and the go, and not leave it down to one tackler.

P.S. Know who the fastest of our 3 D's chasing him was?  Rose.  Equally as fast, and almost got him.

I think Houston knows there is no one behind him. He can't gamble. He has to force the receiver to make a move and hope to get contact but at least slow him by forcing some kind of one on one. Like you said, Rose or another guy would have then made the play.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I think Houston knows there is no one behind him. He can't gamble. He has to force the receiver to make a move and hope to get contact but at least slow him by forcing some kind of one on one. Like you said, Rose or another guy would have then made the play.

That play fail falls on Richie Hall, hard to imagine why he sent every player except Houston, at least leave B.A. back where he belongs, that's why the position is called Safety.