Is Ben slow with his reads?

Ben is the master of the pump fake and scrambling. I have wondered if much of this is because his receivers often aren't open (poor route runners) or if he can't tell someone is open or he is gunshy to sling it into a tight spot. There was one play Sunday where the camera angle was from behind Ben, and it looked like he had at least two open receivers running crossing patterns, but he held on to it and waited, eventually the coverage deep broke down, but he passed up great opportunities. I know he likes to sling it deep, but I wonder if that is because he can't read the quicker stuff and he resorts to backyard football. I don't see enough of the field to judge well, but it is a puzzlement. I know this is not true on all plays, but it seems true for a significant number of plays every game.

 

I'm not sure Sunday's game is the best baromter. He was rusty. he has always been rusty after not playing for at least a couple of weeks.

 

It wasn''t so much the rust as our WR'S where not getting open,when the Chargers passed guys off into the next zone that guy was right there and it seemed our WR'S ran right into the zone of the guy that just passed a Receiver into the next zone just perfectly to enable the Defender to pick up the new Receiver coming into his zone....Ben had no where to throw it early and he had no time.....

Ben is playing his best Football this year it is a shame our OL can't play better and our WR'S are having a off year as well.....

 

After a loss a feel bad but I can always count on you guys with coming up with these crazy threads to make me laugh.

 

TE on set plays where the ball comes out quick ben has been very good at. there is a difference in that and having to make a quick read adjustment. that is very evident in bens game and always has been. he's getting better at throwing guys open then he used to be.

 

I agree but what is Wallace and AB's excuse?? They were not rusty. Ben played a smart game aside from the pick and stuff happens when your down big and trying to lead the team back, while nursing a major injury. I was amazed that he played so well because I would have gotten frustrated over all the freaking drops.

 

Yea, that is the kind of thing I have been noticing. On timing routes this year, Ben has been spot on most of the time. I think if his first read is open, he is stellar (such as Heath over the middle, quick WR screens, etc), and I am sure he has lots of audible control as to which of these he is using as his first read. But if that is covered or gets blown up, he then seems to resort to backyard ball and struggles finding the second or third read that may be open. I am sure the QB position is way more complicated than I know, but I was wondering if others have noticed this trend.

 

Ben is fine reading the defense....ben is the least of our worries

 

I think that Ben was a little off on his reads in the first half - but - as others have said, receivers weren't getting open AND field position was HORRIBLE. Ben was NOT the problem on Sunday. It was a team loss, no doubt - from top to bottom.

 

LOL. Are you serious when you say something like that? Do you even know Ben? In his career, he has been the master at throwing it into tight spots; double, triple, quadruple-coverage even.

 

I don't think Ben was having any trouble with his reads, but nobody was getting open, then when they did they dropped the ball, witch perfect passes thrown their way.

 

He didnt play great, but you are right....he is NOT the problem.

 

X 3 ,i agree also

 

What you state is the way Ben's played his entire career.

 

That is true but it seems if we are 3-10 the receivers never get to the next 10 yds. to make a 1st down. I can't understand that thinking at all.

 

Ben is a moron, the only thing keeping him alive is his size, he couldn't read a grade 5 book, never mind a D. From day one he's been gambling by throwing into triple coverage, if he doesn't see somebody open then he try's to force it in, when he gets lucky it makes him look good. Nothing drives me more nuts when he throws into triple coverage and it gets picked off, then the camera goes to him and he shows no emotion as to say ya I've done it a million times whats 1 more.

i think he has tunnel vision, there's been a million times where other receivers were wide open, but he chooses to throw into triple coverage

 

He has the best 3rd down completion % in the league doesn't he?
gotta learn how to read a D pretty well to convert all those,and yeh the QB position is quite hard even at the HS(i was one) level let alone NFL..

 

reason we're #3 in 3rd down conversions..{used to be #1}, is because of Haleys quick slant plays. as soon as the ball is snapped ben throws it ..theres no reading involved, he's throwing it to that receiver regardless,, perfect example was the throw to paulsons butt .. how many times have we seen Ben change the play call in the redzone that resulted into nothing? thats on him trying to read the D

 

it's much less likely that there is much of a read on quicker passes.

we have been in so many 3rd downs that yes he is leading the league. this offense of haleys puts us into 3rd downs much more frequently. he sure didn't lead the league in them last week. not all his fault either.

nobody is really casting blame on ben but you guys always jump to that conclusion anytime something about ben is not all rosey. he's not as good at reads as some qb's. that doesn't mean anyone that says something about it wants him benched or traded or gone by any means so quit being so defensive and discuss it.

he makes alot of misreads and throws he shouldn't, but he also makes alot of good ones. this in no way means every play ben can't read a defense ever. it just means it's not his strong suite.

ben has a hard time dumping the ball off too. he's a downfield playmaker. thats what he likes and your not going to change that. double and triple coverage throws come with that. that's why he holds the ball.

ben is a better spot thrower then a read and throw qb. plain and simple.

our wr's are good at getting open for him when things break down in coverage. they have had to learn that. we need to quit blaming all the receivers for not getting open. this is the crux of this discussion.

a read is when you hit a guy in stride at a certain point in the pattern when said receiver is at his open point when that said receiver is the least covered receiver at that point. if he is not open, you go to the next guy in the progression. you have to know where that receiver is at that point in his pattern minus how long you looked at the first receiver waiting to get to the open point. then you go to the third read and have to start again.

wr's don't just stop and say oh i'm to far down the field now, i better go back within the 10 to 15 yard range because i was the number 1 read and he didn't throw it to me. they are running a pattern when the read breaks down for them, they don't just stop. ben knows they are running a pattern, and he might go back to them in that same pattern. ( we've all heard he broke that pattern off early)

there are so many things that make a play work that it would boggle most peoples minds. both qb and receiver have to be seeing the same things at the same time. it could be as much as a scouting report about this corner if his left foot is 6 inches closer to the LOS that he will react to the inside pattern more. stupid stuff that would seem way beyond most college and HS players for the most part. there is alot to it. backyard football is much easier. the receivers run around trying to get open and the qb runs around waiting for it. it works for him. he's a bull to tackle.

fix the O-line. give him time in the pocket without guys coming behind him or in his face to early. or a shrinking pocket around him and you will see him getting more comfortable with reads. the receivers can't see what has transpired when max or willie's man is running free to kill ben. ben has a quick clock because he has played behind pewtred offensive lines his whole career. fix this and we will see him get better at reading defenses.

it all falls back to the same problem with this offense and bens game. ben has carried this team this year. can he read defenses quickly? not always, but he is what he is and this far into his development, it will be hard to change. giving him a supporting cast to allow him to change is where the secret lies.

wow that was long winded but hopefully some will find it informative. thats just touching on it too. the rest this is not a quick read. LOL