The Next Step of the Offense

[seraph]

If you want to say that the players don't have enough experience playing from behind huge deficits that's fine. I don't understand how the offense would be unprepared to play from behind because they don't pass enough every game. They have reps in practice how would they be unprepared?

[Yogidriver]

If you want to say that the players don't have enough experience playing from behind huge deficits that's fine. I don't understand how the offense would be unprepared to play from behind because they don't pass enough every game. They have reps in practice how would they be unprepared?

Game experience is XX times more difficult in all facets, both mentally and physically, than any practice rep.

[The Excellector]

Game experience is XX times more difficult in all facets, both mentally and physically, than any practice rep.

A good question to ask would be whether or not we believe the Chiefs passing offense would be as it is if they didn’t pass nearly as much during the regular season? Some would feel that it would still be deadly come playoff time. Some would feel that it’s deadly, partly due to them repping it out in game situations, game after game after game. There’s also a mental aspect to it. KC isn’t gonna sweat falling behind and having to throw their way back, because they do it game in and game out. Another offense that doesn’t throw but 25-30 times a game and only off of the run setting the tone, suddenly having to do it with 45-50 attempts and without the run setting the tone. That’s a tough spot. I’m not saying unequivocally that’s the sole reason for the issues. I’m just trying to put thoughts out there that help some understand why it’s tricky to look at volume as just volume. Volume does have its purposes and reasons.

[The Excellector]

This offense was great this season. It was dominant. It was efficient. Greg Roman did a very good job with it overall and Lamar Jackson made everything go.

However, there are two clear issues with it that will need to be worked on, going forward. This passing offense can be very efficient........as long as the rush offense is dominant. That is where a lot of the spacing comes from and why we saw so many open guys this season. However, on its own, it diminishes in quality a great deal. Connected to that, this is not a team that is able to throw itself out of a hole.

However, with the way this passing offense was talked up during the season, you would think that it could stand on its own just fine. Efficiency numbers and QB stats were plastered all over the place. If anyone dared to say that Lamar had issues throwing toward the boundary, it seemed like a bar fight was ready to break out.

Personally, I have always felt that Lamar’s ability as a passer was extremely high. So, there was hardly any disagreement there.

I guess my issue is this: We have Marquise Brown, who we hope will be fully healthy next season. We will have Andrews and Hurst. We have this QB that everyone says is a great passer. He does go through his reads very well for a guy his age. His feel for the game is glaring in a good way. His passing has undeniably improved from year one to year two.

So, why don’t we want to throw more going forward? Why does it feel like fans and quite a few posters just want slight increases in how much we throw. Firstly, why do we want to trap Lamar, with all of his immense passing potential, in this Greg Roman ideology. Secondly, how do we honestly expect him to reach his full potential as a passer, in this ideology?

Do some believe that we can play the same way we did this year, get into a playoff game, fall behind again and suddenly become Kansas City, just because we made a slight upgrade over Seth Roberts? Is that all we think it takes? Like, ‘This all looks great on paper and it should just work when we need it to work’.

That’s not how Kansas City developed their passing offense. That’s now how New England developed their passing offense in 2007. That’s not how the Saints developed their passing offense.

I’m not saying we have to throw 700 times, but what’s the point of even trying to upgrade the skilled position players if the offense is just going to be 450-460 passing attempts? You wouldn’t be getting the most out of those guys anyway.

Hey, maybe I’m wrong. I’m sure I’ll get flamed. It is what it is. I know how to use the ignore feature when necessary.

It just feels like it’s one thing to hear Baltimore fans admire a team like Kansas City. Its another to actually be supportive of seeing the passing offense head in that direction, with the work and changes that would have to take place for it to properly evolve in that manner.

It’s been the same way for twenty years. We could complete ten straight passes, and fans are like, “We’re still gonna need to establish the run at some point”. After that tenth pass, we can try a run and no one will bat an eyelid.

We could run the ball effectively ten straight times and it’s “YEAH, RAM IT DOWN THEIR THROAT”. I mean you would think the city’s ready to have an orgasm.

After that tenth run, we could even try to throw it and it’s....... “RUN THE BALLLLLLLLLL!!!!”, followed by the expletives of your choice.

That’s Baltimore football culture and has been for God knows how long. Listen, if that’s what you want, that’s fine, but if you watch a Kansas City and want what they have, there are growing pains and a lot of work that comes with that. It doesn’t just happen because you continue to underutilize your second TE in the passing offense and replace Roberts with, oh, I don’t know, whose the latest slightly above average WR flavor of the month?

Now, if you believe that Roman and Harbaugh are absolutely down for the offense taking those steps forward in the coming years, then I’ll try to share in your hopefulness. There’s just this “We need to get back to Ravens football!” thing, from the organization to the coaches to the fans, that, unless your defense is delivering swashbuckling a Stone Cold Stunners, there are going to be limits come playoff time.

Another oldie.