tukafan21

You do realize that none of his downfield completions were him "slinging dots", right?!?! All of the downfield plays were lofted touch passes, which yes, they were well placed throws. But there is a Grand Canyon sized gap between a well placed touch pass and "slinging dots" which would be driven throws into small windows. I'm not bashing Bryce after today because it's not warranted, but let's not start giving him credit for things he wasn't doing because you can't differentiate various types of throws. Just sayin'

Eh, I get what you're saying, but I don't think THAT play call was that. That wasn't a play call that just fooled the defense and caused an easy 4th down conversion, it was Bryce and Coker making a great play to get it done. If you want to give Canales credit on the T-Mac 4th down TD, I wouldn't fight it. And again, no, that has NOTHING to do with that play having been T-Mac and the other wasn't. It was that there were multiple options on that play call for Bryce to find the open guy and make the conversion. The other was a 4th and short and the play call was for an immediate 15+ yard down field throw, which I thought was just moronic.

Said this in another thread last night, but that's a completely unrealistic notion. You can't have a former #1 overall pick who has started for that team since Week 1 of his rookie year (a few weeks aside), pick up his 5th year option, and then still put him in a true competition for the starting spot in year 4. If you're putting him in a true competition, you need to just cut/trade him and move on. It's either his job or it's not at this point, and that is the problem. I said this in a thread before that draft, the worst case scenario is he's too good to flat out cut, but not good enough to actually be the reason for winning and we'll get stuck in QB purgatory with him.

No he didn't. He came into the game with the correct strategy of "we're going to force the run all game long" and he stuck with it. That's not calling his best game of the season, there were lots of terrible play calls in key situations where the players made extraordinary efforts to make the play work. That's on the players for doing well, not on Canales for making the right play calls.

17 points but yea, the point still stands (as that last one wasn't going to be a TD but a FG)

LOL, that second line was funny as I literally just edited my post to say had that been T-Mac, I'd still have thought it was a terrible call. It was 4th and 3 and we called a play where Bryce takes the snap, doesn't even take a drop back, and rises to throw a floater 15+ yards downfield. I'm sorry, but how is THAT the call on 4th down? Where there wasn't even a 2nd option after the snap, had that pass not been completed, this place would have had a collective aneurism over how bad of a play call it was in the situation. 4th and 3 with a bunch of big bodied WRs, call a play with multiple guys running 4-5 yard routes and let Bryce find the open man. If that fails because Bryce Bryce'd it up, then it's one where I would have blamed Bryce but still given Canales credit. I don't view the result of the play as one to give Canales credit for tricking the defense or anything, I just felt it was a stupid play call in the situation. And again, my issues were more than that one play call. As I pointed out, I thought our players bailed him out with great plays off of terrible play calls on numerous occasions all game long. Today is a day to give the players credit for a well played game to get the win. I just didn't see it from Canales today outside of saying "we're going to run the ball more because of this terrible weather" and actually sticking with it. That's HC'ing 101, not some great decision making and play calling by the HC.

Hate to be that guy today, but I see it very differently on Canales. Yes, I give him credit for focusing on the run today, especially with the weather. But that's something that 32 out of 32 HC's in the NFL should have been doing in a game like this with the roster we have, so why does Canales get credit for doing the right thing as opposed to just being an idiot? There were still a ton of play calls today that I thought were terrible and we got bailed out by the players making a great play. For example, how many times did we run it up the gut on 3rd and 4ish, get stuffed, but see the RB break a tackle to bounce outside and get the 1st all on their own? Or the TD to Coker, great throw by Bryce, but still hated a 4th and 3 play call of being an immediate 15+ yard downfield throw after the snap. I said it before and I'll say it again, even as a massive anti-Bryce guy, if I'm being told one has to come back next year and one has to get replaced, I'm bringing Bryce back over Canales 100 times out of 100. It took Stafford turning it over 3 times for us to get this win, something he hadn't done once in like 2 months or something. Today is a day I'm giving the players credit for the win, I don't see Canales having done anything to get this win today other than having an overall smart gameplay to run in bad weather, something any 12 year old would know to do. And before someone says it as I know someone will... this has NOTHING to do with T-Mac only getting 2 targets. That Coker TD for example could have been T-Mac instead and I'd still have said it was a terrible play call that got bailed out by a good throw/play by the players themselves. I've also said this numerous times this year after wins, where I felt it was credit on the players and not Canales.

Wait a second... targeting your best player actually turns out to be a good thing?!?!?! Who would have thunk it?

Agree, I even said he did, but this idea seems to be more geared towards helping Canales poor game day decisions. Which to me was Rivera's biggest flaw, he's the #1 Monday-Saturday coach I've ever seen.

And I didn't knock your idea itself, just the suggestion of Rivera.

Wow, can't stop a catch like that, hat off to you on that one Puka

He didn't tackle him, he just ran right through him and continued to make another block down field, hell of a play by that WR

What was the play call there on that sack? Bryce steps up in the pocket to throw, but T-Mac and someone else (didn't notice who, maybe a TE?) were both downfield looking to throw blocks, not running routes. Couldn't have been a screen pass or he wouldn't have stepped up into the pocket like that, what was that?!?!

Great throw and catch, but I actually thought it was a TERRIBLE play call, despite it working. 4th and 3 and you call a play for a 15+ yard pass downfield with no other possible options since it was a snap and immediate throw? It worked, so it's hard to fault it too much, but it was 4th and 3, why are you calling a play where it's a downfield throw and only a downfield throw, just found it odd. Had they not completed the catch, it would have REALLY looked like a bad call. So credit where credit is due, with Bryce for making a good throw, but still not a fan of the play call by Canales even though it worked.

LOLOLOL is this a serious suggestion? Rivera was one of the worst game day coaches I've ever seen and had the exact opposite of a killer instinct (don't get me started on the whole Riverboat Ron thing, that wasn't him being a gambler, it was him finally just going for it in situations where every other coach would have gone for it but he previously never would because he's too old school). I thought he was a great player motivator Monday thru Saturday, his players loved him. But his game day coaching was atrocious and always felt we won games in spite of him and because of our elite talent on those teams, never because of Rivera himself.

100%, I wasn't defending that particular throw to him, was just pointing out that I think the root of why he locks in on T-Mac at times is because of how often Canales calls plays without T-Mac being a potential target. And if Canales didn't do that as often, Bryce would feel less of an internal need to lock in on him on plays like that.

Nobody said we had to throw the ball there after a TO. Call the time out, get the personnel you want on the field and get a good play call in and just run the ball again if you don't trust Bryce to not giving it right back to the Rams. It was poor clock management, no if's, and's, or but's about it

I totally get that and not saying he shouldn't be. Just pointing out that I don't think it's a case of him locking in on T-Mac as much as Canales being the one who is "forcing" him to do that because of how few play calls Bryce gets to where he even has a chance to throw him the ball. Case in point, we had what, a 3rd and medium at one point in the game so far. T-Mac with 1 on 1 coverage on the left side of the field, so of course the only natural play call is for Bryce to catch the snap, not even take a drop back, and rise up and throw an incomplete pass out to Coker (I think) on the right side of the field. I'm sorry, but we have one of the league leaders in 1st down catches with 1 on 1 coverage and you don't even allow your QB to look his way. And we've been doing that ALL season long, just terrible. (and no, don't attack me for "complaining that my guy isn't getting targets", we have a true #1 WR who just doesn't get targeted when he should be, it's just dumb)

Seriously, we wasted about 30 seconds to have an incompletion off a scramble. It was a minute left at midfield with 3 timeouts, there was literally zero reason to not call a timeout there. Canales ISN'T THE GUY, maybe even more so than Bryce not being THE guy, which is saying something. Bringing either of them back next year will be a mistake, but sadly we're likely going to bring both back and just double down on the stupid.

Disagree, it's kinda the exact opposite, T-Mac has 1 target so far this game and it wasn't really a catchable ball (as if he caught it, he might have been killed) It seems clear that they call a lot of plays where T-Mac isn't an option, that he's used as a decoy as Bryce never even looks his way, it's either an immediate pass to someone else or he goes through his reads and never even gets to T-Mac, because he was always meant to be a decoy on the play. So when they actually call a play for him, Bryce then feels the need to lock in on him. We're the only team with a true #1 WR who thinks they're better off trying to use them to trick the defense by using them as a decoy as opposed to just throwing him the damn ball. When you limit the chances Bryce has to throw the ball to him, it's hard to expect him to turn down those opportunities when they do call plays for him.

I’m glad he didn’t catch it, as if he did, his season might have been over, he’d have gotten absolutely blown up by the defender if he caught it

The problem is even in this scenario, it's hard to have a former #1 overall pick and 3 year starter since they were drafted, then be in a true open competition, as if he loses it, having that guy around as a backup is just weird. Bryce isn't the guy, it's time to just admit it and move on. Trade him for whatever the best offer is for him (if there is any) and then find a Brissett or Jameis type (or one of them) next year. Someone with a live arm who at worst will be able to help our young pass catchers get better with a real QB throwing them the ball.

Gonna be hard to run the ball that often when we're down 3 scores in the 2nd Quarter. The Rams have been getting off to fast starts lately and we're missing half our secondary this week, Stafford, Puka, and Adams are about to put a hurting on us and force us to abandon any attempt at a running game

Sorry, but any answer other than Potatoes is just flat out incorrect. Can't go wrong with some quality mashed potatoes, but for me, you can't beat a good roasted red skin potato, best side dish for any occasion.

I was saying this after the Falcons shut out win, that we won, but I still was seeing way more flaws than good, but was told to just shut up and enjoy the wins because we were so bad for so long or I'm not a real fan.