more snaps for our man Patrick

[ggez44]

hey here is a way to get you more snaps Patrick and also maybe score some offensive touchdowns as well.

we should line up in pseudo-punt formation with Devin 15 yards in the backfield. Put McKie/Ayanbadejo/whoever back there with him as lead blockers.

don't laugh guys, seriously it would rock. Screens and end arounds haven't worked too well with Devin cuz he really needs more room to work with. I mean you can see he's trying to create room for himself on those plays by running 5-10 yards backwards.. why not just give him that running start....

run it as a surprise play like 4-5 times each game and try to catch the other defense with their corners in there vs our big blockers..

it's been a while since we revolutionized football with the t-formation, it's time for the h[ester]-formation!

[UrlachersOranjKleats]

If you think they should make Hester a running back you are football retarded.

[gaba]

Uh, so are we trying to come up with some sort of fake punt with Hester back? I think they'll see it coming. Part of the reason you can run the ball is because the defense has to be ready for a pass too. Does Hester have some sort of new skill we haven't seen yet? It'd never work. No matter how you look at it, it's just got failure written all over it.

Creative, new, fresh... still dumb. Sorry. But HEY... WELCOME TO THE WEBWAY.

[ggez44]

what? i wrote all that and it's interpreted as "use him as a rb"?

whole point is that i don't think he is as effective starting flat footed (in situations like a rb or catching a screen), so start him 15 yards back and give him a running start like in a punt return situation. sit the qb and put in an extra blocker, meaning 3 wedge/lead blockers in the backfield with him.

i wish madden would let you create your own formation to "prove" my idea, haha

but come on Patrick! make the coaches try it in practice!!

[ggez44]

Uh, so are we trying to come up with some sort of fake punt with Hester back? I think they'll see it coming. Part of the reason you can run the ball is because the defense has to be ready for a pass too.

not a fake punt, straight up play..
it's not completely lacking the threat of a pass, i mean you can still have a TE rub off of a block. If they utterly don't respect that, any professional athlete can throw a wounded duck 20 yards.

but anyway, on a regular punt return, there's no threat of a pass either. Basically just trying to recreate a punt return situation by taking out a QB for a wedge

[gaba]

I know what you mean but I still don't see it working. Any player can throw up a wobbly pass, but it usually only works because it's unexpected. I think starting out the play having already exposed that you're gonna do something crazy is just a bad way to go. I think just a plain old reverse, if executed properly, could have the same effect.

[UrlachersOranjKleats]

First of all, if Hester's in the backfield and you have 10 guys in the box that clearly are going to block for him (8 guys on our offensive line that are old, slow, and crappy, not to mention 2 of our 3 tight ends are recieving specialists, and our recievers rarely block well), the defenses that see that will simply blitz 11 men. The t formation worked for it's time or place. Freak plays in today's NFL don't work. The Bears can barely manage their offense up and down the field with basic blocking, running, and catching, so what makes you think they could pull this off? Stop smoking crack. Please.

[ggez44]

Stop smoking crack. Please.

well it was originally a bit tongue-in-cheek, but if you're gonna be this stubborn about it, i'll keep going.

what do you think makes devin successful on returns? are the 11 guys on the coverage team confused about which Bear will get the ball? is the coverage team holding back 4 guys in preparation for the illegal forward pass?

no, it's because hester has a major strength in following blockers and quickly busting through small holes... and no it's not the same skills as a regular back, because he won't be breaking any tackles. and like i said a few times already, i think he's just much better with a running start which he's not getting if he's getting a hand off or catching a screen.

and no we wouldn't be trying this with wolfe and olsen in the formation, you'd put in your best blockers including guys on the regular return team. In a good scenario the other defense is caught off guard and they have their regular DBs in there who are going to be pancaked by Idonije and the like.

[UrlachersOranjKleats]

I'm dumber for having read every word of this idea.

[ggez44]

ok buddy,
thanks for a great mature conversation and all your insightful comments

[gaba]

what do you think makes devin successful on returns? are the 11 guys on the coverage team confused about which Bear will get the ball? is the coverage team holding back 4 guys in preparation for the illegal forward pass?

This is only a useful comparison if you can convince the defense to agree to start 50 YARDS off of the line of scrimmage.

[UrlachersOranjKleats]

ok buddy,
thanks for a great mature conversation and all your insightful comments

I can't possibly have a conversation when you're suggesting something completely ignorant.

You're basically saying we'll have Hester line up behind 10 other guys and he'll just run all over the place. The only way this would work is if the defense decided to play WAY off the ball. This is a peewee football play. With your logic we should have Olin snap the ball to rex, and other 9 guys on the field would all be recievers, and Rex would just toss deep bombs because he's got a sweet long ball.

Please, don't give me this guilt trip about how I should banter with you on the possibilities of utilizing this silly gimmick formation.

[ggez44]

This is only a useful comparison if you can convince the defense to agree to start 50 YARDS off of the line of scrimmage.

not true. on punts, by the time the returner catches the ball, there will be someone <10 yards away who is already running at full speed. in this formation, i gather hester could encounter his first would-be tackler 4-5 yards in the backfield if someone missed a block. and i totally concede the point that having the defenders already be at top speed running towards him actually helps hester a lot, which is probably the most valid point against this formation/play.

With your logic we should have Olin snap the ball to rex, and other 9 guys on the field would all be recievers, and Rex would just toss deep bombs because he's got a sweet long ball.

wow, how is that at all a parallel to what i am suggesting. you think the grossman deep ball is on the same level as what hester has been doing on returns? your 9 WRs won't run into each other? the DBs promise to play the ball only if it's thrown to the receiver he's covering? we have 9 top WRs?
oh and btw, have fun finding a formation that lets you have 9 eligible receivers downfield.

[ggez44]

and no i'm not trying to prophetize a 1500-yard 20 TD season for hester. i imagine he'll get tackled for a loss half the time, and gain less than 5 yards on almost the rest.. it's the hope of the long play that's intriguing and there's pretty much no way of predicting that based on some wild theory on paper. that's why i proposed this in this forum hoping Patrick can get the coaches to try it out in practice.

[gaba]

DOH, you forgot the sarcasm brackets UOK.

ggez44 (what does that mean anyway), it's an interesting, if not particularly useful idea. If you're looking for a way to get the ball into Devin's hands, just getting him involved in the passing game would probably be a better bet.

If you're looking for a way to get more play time for Mannelly (you're not alone and) they should just go with the shotgun more often and sit Olin on the bench for a while (a couple years should be enough).

[ggez44]

DOH, you forgot the sarcasm brackets UOK.

i understood the implied brackets, but if i was willing to waste time responding to UOK's other posts (you're football retarded... i'm dumber for reading this.. this is completely ignorant..), then i had to take the time to reply when he actually tries to make an argument of some sort.

[UrlachersOranjKleats]

I wasn't entirely sarcastic. This idea would be cool for Madden, or as a trick play we could run once. But it's just silly. The idea is okay. But this is nothing you consistently do, not at all. I imagine that if this was ever trotted out, the defense would take a timeout and adjust for it. It's just plain goofy, to be honest.

[gaba]

DOH, you forgot the sarcasm brackets UOK.

i understood the implied brackets, but if i was willing to waste time responding to UOK's other posts (you're football retarded... i'm dumber for reading this.. this is completely ignorant..), then i had to take the time to reply when he actually tries to make an argument of some sort.

So you've been around long enough to know what sarcasm brackets are but you didn't know that UOK's a d*ck? C'mon newb, get with the program.

(Just kidding UOK... Maybe.)

[UrlachersOranjKleats]

I'm a dick when it comes to smart people making dumb ideas. I understand the logic, I just don't understand why people actually think it's intelligent to try it in the NFL.

[gaba]

Maybe it'd work in pee-wee. Hell, everything works in pee-wee.


Love the new sig.