Bubble Screen

Edog, Either you misunderstood what I was saying, or I didn`t say it clearly enough.
I wasn`t talking about the infamous "bubble screen" ( a quick throw to the wr, out of the bunch formation),...
but rather,...
more traditional screen passes, where the line does the blocking, after letting the defense think they "beat" them, on their way to the qb, and then throwing it over their heads, to a rb, or wr, with blockers in front of him (other recievers, te`s, or linemen).
It`s something we seemed to do well, when we had below average qb`s, but either neglected to do, or didn`t do well, when we had decent qbs.
I realize the quality(or lack thereof), of the O-linemen probably has a lot to do with it as well.
In NO WAY was I advocating more use of the bubble screen!!!
I`m not saying to shelve it completely, it has it`s uses, ONCE IN A WHILE, just not the way we had used it for the last 3 years plus...
It seems Haley is focused on traditional screens, and quick passes to the back out of the backfield, to get the ball out of Ben`s hands quicker.
And I think that is nothing but a GOOD thing!!
It doesn`t mean we will run a "west coast" offense, or never take our shots downfield, but it should bring back a weapon that can stop teams from just teeing off on blitzing us, while we wait for deep passes to develop all game long.
Unpredictability is a good thing, brother... We just don`t remember what that is...
GO STEELERS!!!

 

.... and for further clarification, Dog.... My post from the FIRST page... ^(Above)^

 

Every time I use the bubble screen on NCAA 13 I lose yards so I don't like it.

 

HMMMMMM.... Did anyone notice Brown's TD last night? That play looked kinda familiar.

 

NO....it really didn't.

First, that play actually worked out.

Second, it was not from our traditional formation. It was called from a different formation last night.

Third, again it is not about the play call itself....at least not for me. It was the fact that it became predictable for the defense. It seemed like the play was known to be coming. Last night it worked....because no one saw it coming. I don't care if he calls the bubble screen, but 3 times a game is a bit much IMO.

Fourth, if this is a staple of your offense it means 1 of 2 things:

1. The CBs are scared of your speed on the edges so they are playing off 7 yards leaving this as an option.
2. The defense doesn't respect the ability of our WRs to break away from them after they catch it.

 

Brown's TD was a screen pass but it was drawn up to bring 2 blockers ahead of him, and that's why it worked. What's-his-face's bubble screens pretty much leave the wide out by himself with no interference and when he gets smashed up by the cornerback and saftey, the receiver ends up in the shape of a bubble. Hence the name.

 

:roll: Ugh

Mmm'Kay... Looked like a bubble screen to me.

 

You are referring to the EMPTY set as an MT set. Clever. Very clever.

 

Not that familiar. Not that familiar at all.

As I've tried to point out a number of times, it's not the WR screen that is the problem. It's the usage. When it's used, what the defense is like, what our blocking scheme is like. BA had a tendency to run it when the CB was in press coverage (or close to it) and the WR's nearest blocker was 8-10 yards away. Last night Brown had appropriate protection. There were 3 Steelers and only 1 Colt to that side. Most of the ones we've run in the past have more defenders than Steelers. You're requiring the WR to break at least one tackle at the line of scrimmage. And it's only one tackle IF all the other blockers nail their assignments. And that's IF they can physically get to their assignments, which sometimes they can't because they're too freaking far away. And then they still have to make the block, and keep in mind David Johnson was used a lot here.

For the one from last night, Pope had an easy shot at the first guy (ok, he whiffed, but Brown made the guy miss -- not the OC's fault, because the blocker was in perfect position), Miller didn't even encounter the second defender until Brown had already gained 7 yards and the first down. Brown didn't meet his first unplanned-for obstacle until he had gained 17 yards. That's 17 free yards. Yeah, BA managed to average 6 yards per bubble screen, but that's only because so many of them were dangerous plays that lost yardage or gained very little. This play is a beautiful example of why dumping BA was overdue.

 

Thank-you snack. You made a much more eloquent & detailed description of that non-bubble screen pass than I.

 

I personally don't like the bubble screen in the offense as often as we used it. I think the formations we ran it from tipped the play quite a bit. It wasn't a horrible first or second down play and not much different from a run - if the defense doesn't see it coming. That said I see a few holes in the article from Steelers Depot.

1. If Hines Ward dragged the average down getting cheap receptions what was Antonio Brown doing? He had two more attempts and 0.70 yards per attempt less than Hines.
2. He skips the throw in the Tennessee game that Finnegan (IIRC) picked off because he (the author) couldn't tell it was a bubble screen. Everyone on the planet (especially Finnegan) knew it was a bubble screen and that's why it got picked.
3. If you take out the 46 bubble screens including the Tennessee pick our other pass plays averaged 8.23 yards per play versus the 5.96 for the bubble screen.
4. Wallace's TD was the last score in the 35-7 blowout of the Bengals. Defense looked pretty indifferent on that play.
5. The play averaged close to 6.9 yards in the first half of the season and 5.28 in the second half - even with Wallace's 19 yard TD. Take a quick look at the plays it clearly wasn't working as well late in the season.