Wheaton also missed a ball on a crossing route that would had gotten a first down. It was slightly to his back shoulder but very catchable.
Wheaton also missed a ball on a crossing route that would had gotten a first down. It was slightly to his back shoulder but very catchable.
"My team, may they always be right, but right or wrong...MY TEAM!"
Just curious, as I know nothing about how they decide what route to break to - what about the play makes you think that Wheaton read it wrong and Ben correctly? Obviously it would be expected that Ben make less mistakes than Wheaton in that regard, but is there any key that shows one way or the other who messed it up?
I don't know the play & I can only assume because of it based on my fooball knowledge. WRs are given option routes in 2 minute and everyone has to be on the same page. They weren't on the same page. Maybe it wasn't an option route & BB thought that Wheaton was supposed to run the seam but I think that is unlikely. When the D knows the pass is coming (2 minute), option routes are more often than not deployed.
I did find a replay. It was Sanders running the fly & Wheaton was on the seam. Given the coverage which looked like a 2 deep umbrella (zone)...Sanders would clear out the high Safety and create a soft part of the zone behind the first line. If it was 2 Deep-Man Under...The corner route (which Wheaton Ran) would have been the right read because Sanders would have taken his CB with him deep and the sideline would have been open with the DB in trail. Given that this wasn't about down & distance but about clock management the D was protecting the sideline and giving the middle of the field. As you watch the play develop, the Safety was in a backpedal over the top of Sanders. Sanders CB released him and played deep 3rd to protect sideline. BB read the seam (Wheaton) underneath the Safety backpedalling because the CB was sitting in a zone at the sideline. If Wheaton continues down the seam he could have caught the ball right in front of that Safety.
We may find out more about it. Perhaps tunch will break that play down on Chalk Talk or BB may talk about it. He did talk about his first INT. He said he threw it earlier than he wanted because of a blitz up the middle and Cotchery didn't get out of his break to see it. Which made sense from what I saw as I mentioned. Throwing off his back foot told me he took the hit and threw fading back to buy Cotchery some more time to see the pass. It didn't happen.
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