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12-17-2008, 01:32 PM #1
If no Rice again this week, a question.
OK, if we are without Rice again this week against the Cowboys, who do you line up next to Flacco in the shotgun in the backfield in passing situations? McGahee was there pretty much exclusively on Sunday and to be quite frank we saw why he never played on 3rd downs before. I remember a few threads & posters (myself included) asking why McGahee always came out on third downs (under Billick particularly) and we found that answer out on Sunday. To be quite frank he sucked, his hands are terrible and he can't block. For a third down back in obvious passing situations that's not acceptable and he's a liability there.
So the question I'd ask is who do you put back there this week if we're without Rice? They like to send both OLBs off of the edge or switch up to a four man line in obvious passing situations so we might need to keep someone in.
Do you:
- Stick with McGahee?
- Stick Heap in the backfield and line up Wilcox at TE if we have one?
- Stick Wilcox in the backfield and not move Heap around?
- Stick both TEs in the backfield and go 3 wide?
- Stick Neal in the backfield and forget having a receiving threat?
This conundrum and the lack of Rice really does expose a lack of another even halfway competent blocking back on this team, big hole exposed by the lack of Rice destroying our depth in the backfield, nobody else doing anything to compliment McClain. McGahee needs to buck his ideas up and get his arse in gear if we're going to stick with him, though I'm not sure we have much choice.
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12-17-2008, 01:36 PM #2
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
They'll stick with McGahee. But the whole point is to avoid obvious passing 3rd downs by mixing it up on 1st and 2nd.
Pissburgh didn't have to guess what we were gonna do Sunday and it helped them greatly.
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12-17-2008, 01:43 PM #3Veteran Poster
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- Aug 2006
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- 4,260
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
Missing Rice on Sunday was a huge loss that doesn't get talked about much.
To answer your question, I don't care what they do but it better not be exclusively McGahee.
PP
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12-17-2008, 01:44 PM #4
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
I really like the idea of sending out 2 TEs and no RB in that situation. Then when the huddle breaks, the defense could be facing any one of a number of formations.
Realistically I think it will be McGahee. But in my personal fantasy football, it would be Wilcox or Heap, with the other lined up at TE, depending on the play call.
I want to say Neal, but I think putting Lorenzo Neal in a single back set might cause a tear in the spice time continuum.
Good question.Festivus
His definitions and arguments were so clear in his own mind that he was unable to understand how any reasonable person could honestly differ with him.
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12-17-2008, 07:58 PM #5
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12-17-2008, 08:05 PM #6
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
Put Ngata in the RB position. He seems to be playing every other position and doing it well.
I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman!
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12-18-2008, 12:26 AM #8
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12-18-2008, 08:38 AM #9
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
Yes, the spice time continuum is on Reisterstown Road, somewhere near the Owings Mills Home Depot, you can smell it as you drive past sometimes.
Oh wait, that's McCormick.
I knew it was something. :)Festivus
His definitions and arguments were so clear in his own mind that he was unable to understand how any reasonable person could honestly differ with him.
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12-18-2008, 09:48 AM #10
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
Figurs might be worth a try on passing downs. He probably can't block but he's got the speed to break a long one if he gets a little room to manuever after making the catch.
I dunno. We're running out of good options when Rice is out given the way Mcgahee has (not) been catching the ball.
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12-18-2008, 12:56 PM #11Regular 1st Stringer
- Join Date
- Aug 2006
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- Sparks, MD
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- 631
Re: If no Rice again this week, a question.
Troy Smith -- we need to use his athleticism. Think that getting him in on an option play or 2 (NOT the suggs package but just in as a QB) could be another way of opening up our offensive options.
Saw America's Game about the 1990 Giants -- there's a great story about Jeff Hofstedler wanting to play so bad as a backup quarterback that he used to play special teams routinely. So why not be creative?
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