I have gone back through the play-by-plays of all of our games this year and studied our efficiency and play calling on third downs (Some plays may be missing but the sample size is large enough). The stats are actually pretty telling: Buffalo: 10/14 (4 Non-Conversions) Pittsburgh: 4/12 (8 NCs) Miami: 6/17 (11 NCs) SF: 2/13 (11 NCs) Of our 34 non-conversions, we dropped back to throw 29 times. Only 5 times did we not convert on a running play (once was to run clock at the end of regulation in Miami). Sanchez has been sacked 7 times and has taken off running and failed twice. 13 times we've had 3rd-and-5 or less and failed to convert. So what does all of this mean? We can't handle the pressure, even when we know it's coming. We are throwing the ball far too much on third down, especially third-and-short. The distances that we need are becoming further as the game goes on. And finally and most importantly, we cannot execute and it's only getting worse.
Don't you? The media (along with half the fans here) turned the whole Tebow thing into such a circus that Rex is afraid to use him fearing the next 10 million articles that will be written if he does. There is no other logical explanation that he wasn't put in yesterday when we obviously had no chance whatsoever of winning.
Greene always gets exactly 3 yards every run, so it only makes sense to use him on 3rd and short.......
It means that in situations of 3rd and less than 5 they have no faith in greene, they have no receiving check down threat out of the backfield and they have no reliable tight end. They have to relay on 3rd, 4th, and 5th string receivers to run precise routes under press coverage and they fail to do so. That is why Sanchez hold the ball too long and take a sack. No one gets open in those situations.
And this is why you run Tebow out there with the read option and give him two cracks at getting five yards, move the sticks and get the regular offense back out there.
In theory, this sounds great. However, Tebow has really been ineffective so far and seems to kill our flow. I don't think we need Tebow to run for firsts on third down. A runningback should be able to do the job, probably better than Tebow has shown he can.
One drive in particular I remember against SF went like this: 1st down - 5 yard run by Greene 2nd down - 4 yard run by Greene Brings up 3rd and 1....and we drop back to pass? Seriously? Greene hasn't been running good, but he actually showed a little life against SF. Why did they not try to establish something? Luckily Greene seems to get better as the year goes on. Hopefully this year is the same.
This. Greene is the same RB as he was a couple of years ago, only difference now is the O-line isn't opening running lanes for him. You can't run the ball on every down. Ever see a team with a mediocre line try to force it into the endzone on a goal line stand, by running it every time? The simple answer is bad teams struggle to get first downs.
