So how would you fix it?

[NYbucsfanNY]

collect insurance money.

hahaha, its sad when the bucs franchise is in a better position than you. we stink but we'll only get better. i don't see it getting any better for you. need a QB, WR, CB, and d-line. once peppers is gone you'll see what is left, not to much.

[Cyberjag]

hahaha, its sad when the bucs franchise is in a better position than you. we stink but we'll only get better.

Nice fantasy. Are there girls in it?

[Urrymonster]

You do realize that is already where most of Jakes completions come from right? He's completed 62 passes between 0-10 yards and 17 between 11-30 yards. He's 0-11 on anything deeper. Just over 2 deep balls a game isn't exactly airing it out. This is the distance he threw the ball, not how far the play ended up going. 8 of his interceptions are on passes 20 yards or shorter. He's already throwing 65% of his passes 0-10 yards. Just how much shorter do you want to make the passing game?

This is what worries me the most. He already IS focusing on short passes, yet people do not realise and call for short passing games that are 'high percentage plays'. Now I realise a lot of our passing is predictable, but we currently are doing what everyone is calling for. The deeper passes are the exceptions, not the rules.

The fact that the interceptions are mainly ocming from the short passes is even more of a worry, they know he is throwing short and are gunning for it.

Predictability is the major problem for us, not he length of the passes. It even seems to me they have already made it a 'rookie' passing game as many have called for. Part of me thinks that we are treating him with too much caution...

Guess I have to pull the Kevin Winslow .....

Ok you are a field commander in an army(Jake). A general in Washington(Fox) tells you, I want you to take this valley in <insert hostile are>. Your strategist(Davidson) says we should position tanks(Stewart,Williams) in the middle and base the offensive on them. You know the enemy doesn't have enough anti tank weaponry to stop you as long as its all not concentrated in 1 place. Your stategist also tells you to expect some Air Support(Wide receivers) to take some pressure off the tanks and to keep reinforcements from arriving. Infantry(Offensive Line) is gonna hold any ground taken and protect the Field Commander. What happens, if the Field Commander makes a mistake with implementing the plan? Failure right? It's all the FC's fault.

However what if what helped the FC make the mistake was that the tanks fire on friendly positions(fumble)? Or Air support doesn't stop reinforcements from arriving(drops, bad routes, not going for the ball, etc.)? Or if the Infantry lets hostile units camp right outside the FC tent(sacks, pressure). Or the strategist, who knows the capability of all the units, tells the FC to move toward the front lines, when he knows the infantry can't protect him in the open and his air support is having logistical issues and might not be there? Any one of these things happen and the battle might be won or loss, but no matter what the FC looks incompetent when it might not totally be his fault. He is not making the plan, he is following the plan set forth by the General and the strategist.

Not exactly necessary, but an amazing post. Well done!

[Mesmer]

This offense has never been built around Jake winning the game, whether or not he's done it for us or not. Obviously there have been times when Jake has orchestrated a comeback drive and won the game for the team.

That being said, he's never been expected to win the game outright. This team has always been built from the inside out, with a good defense, and a good running game. That's been the plan, and it still is. You can argue all you want about how well it's executed, but Jake's role in all of this is to be a smart veteran that converts 3rd downs and doesn't turn the ball over.

Of course he's playing poorly. How on earth did you come to figure that out? The point here is that we're stuck with what we got and bashing Jake every week and spouting garbage about how amazing Moore is doesn't accomplish anything.

If there's one thing this offense can do, coaching wise, that could improve our success... it's switching the focus. Steve Smith complained last week about not being involved. As far as I'm concerned, let him complain. He's not the best runner in space on this team anymore. #34 is. More plays need to be run to get DeAngelo the ball in space. He's our best playmaker by far, and he makes guys miss constantly.

He's just not getting enough targets right now, and I feel like with poor QB play, that throwing to the RBs may be just what the doctor ordered.

EDIT: I would also like to add that you never want to take the deep ball out of the gameplan completely. At some point, you have to stretch a defense. You have to make them respect the fact that you're at least going to try to get Smith the ball downfield. If you don't, it makes everything else nearly impossible.

There's obviously still some fear out there for Steve Smith, despite Jake's poor start.. and we have to use that to our advantage.

[Tank]

Panthers are suffering from a stale scheme, aging/declining players at key spots, poor coaching. I think the coaching is the worst of all of it but all three need help. It is fixable but there is a need for a new OC, DC and HC if the current HC is too stubbon which my personal belief is that he is. A new GM wouldn't hurt but probably not as critical as the other three unless Hurney can't/won't make decision to fix above.

[bleys]

Regardless of how poorly Steve Smith is playing, not many teams are going to be willing to leave him out there 1 on 1 against anybody the danger of a double move will be enough to keep the offense honest along with a few deep shots during the first few drives to establish Smith as a threat.

The A number 1 game plan for next week should involve getting Smith the ball 5 times on our first two drives if we run 10 plays or more. I would like to see a modified version of the smoke route where we stack three on one side and let Smith come back in under them and read the play from there. Cornerbacks know that the smoke is an option, so we have to mix it up. Also, throwing in a fake smoke route to Smith may cause the whole side of the defense to collapse against that side and make a good opportunity for a counter play. Our entire passing game is predicated on teams being afraid of Steve and right now it's just not happening. When we open Steve up and get him pounding his chest and doing his thing, then we open up the rest of the field. One thing I have noticed is that our pass catching guys hardly ever break route to come back to Jake when he's facing a ton of pressure and that would really help him. Giving him somebody to knock the ball down instead of getting sacked all the time would make his life so much easier.

If I were Davidson, this is what the first drive would look like next week:

1st play - Deangelo Williams single back formation draw to the right side.

2nd Play - Single back Williams play action fake slants quick read to Smith, second option check down to King sitting down on the first down marker.

3rd Play - If short, I formation Stewart rush up the right side. If long, see me Steve Smith smoke route.

4th Play - Deangelo Williams I form strong left side draw.

5th Play - Steve Smith reverse rush from single back fake draw to Moose's side.

6th play - If short, Moose on a quick hitter slant from single back with Stewart. If long, Steve Smith double move to the endzone with Rosario crossing the field as a safety valve in case of double coverage on Smith.

7th Play - Fake Smoke to Smith, backside handoff to Stewart up the middle.

8th Play - 3 Wide Curls with the TE in to block. 3rd WR 5 yard turn, Moose and Smith 10 yard turn.

9th Play - Deangelo Williams pitch to Muhammad's side.

10th Play - Three step drop quick read. Progression: Smith then Moose then King.

That would be my first ten scripted plays.

Love it... Defenses have the smoke route figured out, so what was a problem becomes our biggest asset in faking the smoke route. We have thrown a lot of passes before TB and the draw sets us up to take advantage of this. I like how you used our trends to trick defenses, seems those play calls might keep defenses on our toes. then again, field play would have to dictate that.

Jake Delhomme and his inability to find open receivers and his inability to step up in the pocket/buy time to look for an open receiver is what is killing this team.

3td's 11int's isn't a playcalling malfunction it's a damn personal problem with the QB

Pass protection would be the cause of this.. Look at Brady when teams manage to get to him. He looks horrible. Now replace Brady with an average QB and this is what you get 9 times out of 10.. It's not Jake declining so much as it is defenses getting to him. You have to have time to find the receiver.

Granted, examples like TB show Jake is declining/screwing up, but most of the time our OLine has been f**king horrible... This shows Jake's confidence is truly shaken more than anything, add into the fact that defenses are getting to him and it's compounded 10 fold.

Plus, no receivers are open for him to find. Play calling needs to adjust to help that out. Also, being predictable on the run -vs- pass compounds this.

To ignore all of this is kind of crazy...

[carolinanimal]

how did all of a sudden moose ,smith, dwill, stewart, oline all of a sudden just suck but delhomme has gotten better or stayed the same. all of a sudden our wrs cant get seperation when they all could last year. how does that happen, does any really think that steve smith has slowed down a step ? even if he has he is still a top 5 wr. do you think he has these numbers from not trying?

[mountainpantherfan]

Let me say this louder because either no one heard me the first time or I was ignored.

WISHBONE TRIPLE OPTION.

Throwing this in could have the same effects that the wildcat had last year, teams will just not be ready for it. Plus it also allows Williams, Smith, Stewart, Rosario and Moore to be on the field at the same time. You can also mix it up and even have Smith lining up in the back field with Rasorio at TE and only one WR. Talk about confusing a defense, who's got Smith, a LB?

I'm telling you, the Wishbone would work wonders for this offense and I don't think it would be out of the question for Fox/Davidson to use it. If I'm not mistaken Fox/Henning use to use the wishbone formation often back in 03-05.

[Zod]

Probably limit Jake to short slants, screens, no throws over 15 yards. Treat him like the Bucs and Ravens did with Trent Dilfer. They managed to get into the playoffs with a terrible QB, but it requires a defense that gives up less than 13 points a game.

Hmmm....sounds familiar.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Really stepped out on a limb, there.

[Kurb]

Really stepped out on a limb, there.

:cornut: