The crown for stupidest play in history is already taken.
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Picture Pages: The Dumbest Play In The History Of Football
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I don't think I'm exaggerating. It's second and eight after one of Michigan's most successful RB runs of the night. Michigan trails 21-10 with six minutes left in the second quarter. They put some dudes on the field and move them around. When we come back from Matt Millen saying something about something, this process has already started.
Houma and Chesson are switching spots. What this is supposed to do to the defense remains unknown, because it did not happen. Now… there's something odd about this play. Since we don't ever see the outside WR, I don't remember if that's Funchess or Williams or whoever, but Michigan puts him off the screen to the field. Also…
They have no left tackle. They have put their left tackle at super right tackle.
I think this is a run.
Penn State thinks this is a run. They have eight guys in the box against six blockers.
ESPN's camera man thinks this is a run, zooming almost to the box before they even snap the ball.
It's a run. Specifically, it is a zone stretch to the boundary. Because this is the only run it could possibly be, Penn State is prepared for this. Kalis gets driven back. Bryant and Glasgow don't scoop the backside tackle (not that it really matters since there is an unblocked guy in the cutback lane and another unblocked guy checking Gardner).
This looks familiar.
Kalis finally finishes losing his guy, who pushes Toussaint to the edge of the field, where a ninth Penn State defender—a safety lined up over a formation that cannot have a tight end emerge from it to threaten downfield—comes up to tackle for loss…
…if Kalis's guy doesn't do it first.
Third and ten.
Video
Slow:
Items of Interest
This is the stupidest play in the history of plays. You can't pass because you don't have a right tackle and refuse to throw perimeter screens no matter how blitheringly open they are…
all of these occurred in the first 20 minutes of the game
…and Penn State knows this, so they put eight in the box against six blockers and have a safety overhanging who knows 100% that he has no immediate pass threat to deal with.
I mean, you can see the entire PSU D on the field here:
There is a wide receiver outside of Gallon. Only the dumbest playcall in history could allow a D to align like this and be successful.
You really confused them, though. Having Chesson and Houma switch places is the cherry on top here. Yeah, you fooled 'em up real good right there. Now Penn State's eight in the box against 5 OL and a WR is eight in the box against 5 OL and a FB. Green fields ahead, boys.
They're setting them up for something! If you don't have an automatic check to whatever your clever business is when you see two DBs on 3 WRs, you fail.
Line didn't do well, but whatever. Kalis gets blown up here, but since Michigan just told Penn State the play they were running it's not really the focus.
The bigger picture. This was insane and far from isolated. Michigan kept running tackle over stuff against a defense that was stuffing it even after Taylor Lewan went out. They asked AJ Williams to play left tackle, and because of Borges's increasingly legendary stubbornness they allowed Penn State to align in formations that doomed their crammed-together paleolithic run game without either testing PSU's young and not very quick corners or taking the buckets of free yards these alignments provided.
The bubble screen stuff took on a life of its own over the course of the last year, and it's come up again—a screenshot of Michigan's first snap of the first overtime screaming for a bubble has made the rounds of every message board. To reiterate, the bubble is a constraint: it prevents the defense from lining up in certain ways and thus simplifies your life as an offense since defenses can't pack the box as much without getting free yards on their face. Borges's allergy to getting the ball to guys in a ton of space went from annoying to crippling in this game.
How can anyone have faith in a guy who looks at this when he needs a field goal to win…
![eFlqGZa[1]](http://mgoblog.com/sites/mgoblog.com/files/images/Picture-Pages-The-Dumbest-Play-In-The-Hi_B7A2/eFlqGZa1.jpg "eFlqGZa[1]")
…and doesn't throw a bubble because it's not what Vince Lombardi would do? It boggles the mind. A lot of things lost this game for Michigan. Al Borges is high up on that list.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:53 PM
#2
The crown for stupidest play
October 15th, 2013 at 3:15 PM
#3
That was crowned like Autzen Stadium's field
The excellence demander in me is still pissed that Hobson didn't slow up to let Drake or someone else block for him. There was no other Florida player within 15 yards and he had two escorts. That would have been the football version of Jordan Morgan's dunk against Syracuse in the FInal Four.
October 15th, 2013 at 4:02 PM
#4
I tend to disagree...
That play the Florida receiver made was not nearly as stupid as Gardner's pick six against ND, given the scores, players' natural positions, and the relatively likelihood of success, not to mention the consequence of failure.
No contest here.
October 16th, 2013 at 9:32 AM
#5
Tryna be positive and have
Tryna be positive and have some fun here guy.
But to be serious bizness for a moment. This is really the stupidest of stupids.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:54 PM
#6
Dumb Question
But wouldn't Lewan be a super right tackle in this formation?
October 15th, 2013 at 1:57 PM
#7
Don't cloud the issue with
Don't cloud the issue with details!
October 15th, 2013 at 1:59 PM
#8
yes, fixed.
yes, fixed.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:06 PM
#9
Also, "Michigan trails 21-10
Also, "Michigan trails 21-10 with six minutes left in the second half", that should be either first half or second quarter. I think Brian was so full of rage, he couldn't help but make a few small errors.
edit: I'm too slow.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:56 PM
#10
But I wanted the post where
But I wanted the post where pictures are highlighted of almost every single play in the overtimes involving the obscenely simple quick pass to the outside 10 yard cushion. Guaranteed 5-7 yard gain when trying to get into better fg range. All I could think about was that specific post. Disappointing. But not as disappointing as big Al.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:40 PM
#11
WHy DID YOU POST PICTURES ...
I've been depressed since Saturday night, as I sat in the upper deck screaming to throw the FUCKING football. The last pic showed the PSU defense, essentially on every play in OT. The slot receiver has NO ONE within 15 yards of him ... THROW HIM THE FOOTBALL.
OMG - how can a supposed offensive coordinator sitting up in the press box NOT SEE THIS? FUCKING MORON. Wow ... used fucking as an adjective.
October 15th, 2013 at 3:35 PM
#12
Pictures Posted
Pictures were posted so my wife could see why all three dogs were cowering under the sofa as I was yelling at the TV screen to throw the GD ball to the flankers....
October 15th, 2013 at 3:20 PM
#13
Only pussies take free
Only pussies take free yards.
MANBALL'D!
October 15th, 2013 at 4:12 PM
#14
+ several useless points to you.
i lol'd
October 15th, 2013 at 1:56 PM
#15
This is just painful to look
This is just painful to look at.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:57 PM
#16
To make yourself feel better,
To make yourself feel better, just watch Lewan (ONLY Lewan) and what he does to his guy. I'm not sure that defender ever made it out of the stands . . .
October 15th, 2013 at 5:47 PM
#17
Thanks
I do feel better having done that!
October 15th, 2013 at 1:56 PM
#18
Goddamn it.
Goddamn it.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:56 PM
#19
Jeez
Rarely do I get worked up about football after the game but this is infuriating.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:05 PM
#20
I know
every day, I get angrier and angrier about Borges.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:59 PM
#21
I probably shouldn't mention
I probably shouldn't mention he's the highest paid offensive coordinator in the B1G and the third highest in all of college football, then...
October 15th, 2013 at 3:23 PM
#22
I hate
I hate you.
October 15th, 2013 at 3:45 PM
#23
To be *gulp* fair, a good
To be *gulp* fair, a good number of the best college playcallers are head coaches, and make considerably more than Al the Hutt.
October 15th, 2013 at 5:16 PM
#24
Please stop
before my colostomy bag bursts
October 15th, 2013 at 1:56 PM
#25
...and this defensive
...and this defensive alignment is called "here, have 4 yards". what's that? you don't want any handouts?
October 15th, 2013 at 2:14 PM
#26
Sadly, I'd be very impressed
Sadly, I'd be very impressed if they could hold the bubble to 4 yards in most of these shots. Sigh.
October 15th, 2013 at 4:36 PM
#27
agree
if the screen is thrown to gallon and funchess shoots out to block the CB, that safety has to haul ass to get to gallon. one little juke and it's a TD. plus, there is zero risk of failure here. no chance for a TO or lost yardage.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:58 PM
#30
I... I think Mike Debord
I... I think Mike Debord throws the bubble screen here.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:58 PM
#31
I also like this one for
I also like this one for stupidest play ever but it is more on the player than the coach.
October 15th, 2013 at 1:58 PM
#32
You're making it hard for me
To get over this game Brian. That is a lot of space there, guessing that is Chessson in the slot there? Hard to tell. The one time Borges would call it we would probably biff it somehow.
There has to be easy checks out of these shitty calls? Right? Do they not trust DG to simple say Red red at the LOS which means abort the play and run the Red Audible?
October 15th, 2013 at 2:02 PM
#33
I judt don't think that this
I judt don't think that this "system" has checks to take advantage of alignment. That's too much chess-playing for Borges's taste.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:05 PM
#34
No time for checks
If you look at most of those screen caps, there's only 7-9s left on the play clock. They just don't have time to make any sort of checks or adjustments. Its just line up with 10s to go, announce HEY, WE'RE RUNNING THE BALL NOW, OK?, watch the defense line up and say 'sure', and then lose 1-5 yards.
Its they type of stuff that should get your OC fired. But since Borges is Hoke's boy, I have my doubts about that happening. This offseason will be a real test to see if Hoke's ready to be a big time CFB coach. If you want to coach a top program, sometimes you have to fire your friends.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:10 PM
#35
The thing is, you don't need
The thing is, you don't need much time check into the quick throw to the WR. As long as it takes for the WR and QB to use some sort of signal that's all the time you need. The other 9 guys don't even have to know it's a check because they will just run the play as is. The problem is our offense doesn't have these "sight adjustments" built into our offense that even if we did try to throw the bubble Gardner would have to change up the play entirely and you are right, that would take time.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:33 PM
#36
Manning
Peyton Manning makes this check every weekend. Walks to the line, gives the WR a look, snaps and throws. Nobody else even realizes it until the play is over. Disgusting.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:53 PM
#37
Peyton Manning is one of the
Peyton Manning is one of the greatest QBs of all time, as well as one of the very few QBs that has ever called all his own plays at the line. He is also one of the longest tenured NFL QBs. In addition, he never beat Florida.
Probably, bringing him into this discussion will not clarify anything.
October 15th, 2013 at 3:07 PM
#38
Peyton Manning being a great QB doesn't mean you
Peyton Manning being a great QB doesn't mean you need a great QB to make this adjustment. There are high school QBs that can do this.
October 15th, 2013 at 3:08 PM
#39
My high school QB and I used
My high school QB and I used to do it all the time...it's really not that hard.
October 15th, 2013 at 3:36 PM
#40
That's what she said?
That's what she said?
October 15th, 2013 at 9:42 PM
#41
I think this is a likely case
I think this is a likely case of "That's what he said" unless the poster or the QB are female.
NTTAWWT.
October 15th, 2013 at 4:31 PM
#42
Peyton may be one of the few
Peyton may be one of the few QBs to call his own plays nowadays, but I remember QBs calling their own plays used to be commonplace.
October 15th, 2013 at 7:31 PM
#43
There's a difference between
There's a difference between calling plays (Peyton) and calling audibles and hot routes (basically every pro QB). Many QBs are expected to call hot routes in the face of tipped blitzes, basically telling their WR to go to the spot the blitzer is vacating - this check would be no more complicated than that, actually much less.
October 15th, 2013 at 9:36 PM
#44
I wasn't talking about
I wasn't talking about audibling, I meant what I said: QBs used to call their own plays. Maybe this was before your time? I'm not sure when OCs started taking over - 80s or 90s? - so it's been awhile. But maybe playbooks weren't as complicated back in the day? And certainly the 70s, when I got into football, was a simpler, manbally time.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:00 PM
#45
I've never called for Borges
I've never called for Borges to lose his job, but this stuff is making that position the only logical solution.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:10 PM
#46
I agree, I wonder if his
I agree, I wonder if his stubborness to throw bubble screens will finally disappear now that every opponent has video proof of how stupid he can be.
October 15th, 2013 at 6:53 PM
#47
???
Do you really think opposing teams didn't have video proof of how stupid Borges could be until Brian posted this?
(How do you think Penn State knew they could stack the box like they did?)
October 15th, 2013 at 7:11 PM
#48
Yep. OSU last year was all I
Yep. OSU last year was all I needed.
October 15th, 2013 at 10:12 PM
#49
Honest to God, the
Honest to God, the playcalling has been so moronic that it just has to be part of some grand surprise scheme for November. Right?
Right? Hello . . . anybody?
October 15th, 2013 at 2:01 PM
#50
This is the easiest read in
This is the easiest read in the history of football and should be attached to every running play. We have a mistake prone QB, why not get his confidence going be letting him make an easy throw and seeing the WR catch it. It's like a basketball player who is struggling with his shot getting to the free throw line and seeing the ball go in the hoop. The thing is, literally only 2 people have to be on the same page for the quick throw to be succesful. The other WR could literally block no one and the play would get 5 yds by default. But because it's a called run play the other WR is going to be blocking the CB anyways. I almost wish Devin and his WR's would just go ahead and do this without Borges' blessing. And seriously what is the worst thing that happens? The pass is incomplete? Sweet so it's 2nd and 10 instead of 2nd and 11 or 12. By that logic we gained 2 yds on an incomplete pass.
October 15th, 2013 at 2:18 PM
#51
Because that is what RR would do
and we don't want to have to have a quick paced exciting offense because it might upset the blue hairs and big money donors. This may be the only OC in the country that refuses to take free yards when they are presented. Is it his stubborness? Maybe Hoke should put on a damn headset during the game and tell Uncle Fester to stop passing up easy opportunities instead of 30 rushes for less than a yard per carry.
