Four or five plays..

[Mr. Scot]

I've talked before about what I call the Ryan-Cunningham method, so named for then Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan and his quarterback, Randall Cunningham.

Ryan used to say that all he needed to win games was for Randall Cunningham to make four or five big plays and his defense would take care of the rest.

Does that sound familiar?

It should. And in case you didn't know or you've forgotten, Ron Rivera was a Buddy Ryan disciple.

Rivera's oft stated notion that a game turns on four or five plays is quite likely a slight variation on the philosophy he picked up from Ryan. It's probably also no accident that Rivera ended up with a super athletic quarterback similar to Cunningham (though Newton is a far better passer).

The problem? Ryan didn't actually build a consistent winner off that theory. Rivera has certainly gone a lot farther with it than Ryan did, likely as much as anything because he has a superior quarterback.

But the theory still falls flat.

Other coaches tend to understand that every play matters. Those are the guys that coach a more complete game than Rivera does. Likewise, some coaches also would tell you that every game matters, whereas Rivera can often be dismissive of losses.

Some might actually see this approach as similar to the Coryell offense, an attack which combines a power running game with the occasional chuck downfield. The fallacy there though is that again, every play truly matters, even if it matters primarily as a setup to something else.

Of course, if you genuinely believe that there are only a few plays per game that truly matter and the rest are just throwaways, then I guess I could see how you would coach the way Rivera does.

In truth, it boils down to the philosophy that most defensive coaches have been known to employ, i.e. maximum defense, minimal offense. Do just enough on the offense not to lose and count on the defense to be the agent that actually wins the game.

In other words, play not to lose.

Can that method work in today's NFL? Well again, this approach didn't win Buddy Ryan a championship even back in the old days, did it?

So no, I don't believe it's going to win Ron Rivera one in modern days either.

[Cdw]

Ron finally had the defense clicking well enough tonight to where 4 or 5 big plays by Newton may well have sealed the deal.  Unfortunately he already ran Newton into the ditch this season.  I do wonder with the way the D played tonight if Ron had made the right decision to rest Cam so he can get healthy, maybe Heineke could have done enough to get us the win, doubtfull most likely.

One of the most frustrating traits of the Rivera era is that to often only one side of the team can be effective at a time.  If the D clicks, the O shits and visa versa.

[Mr. Scot]

Defense actually did do okay tonight, though that hasn't been the case for most of the year.

Of course, the defense has been the weak point for the majority of our games so far. That's outside of Ron's comfort zone.

[Jangler]

 

[Mr. Scot]

I would add I believe this is a core philosophy for Rivera and I don't see him changing it.

I also believe this approach is one of the reasons we're losing.

[Ace_Aladdin]

Hard to make big plays when you QB can't throw over 10yds.

 

[Mr. Scot]

It's not just what's happening with Newton. It's the whole approach that's flawed.