This has been going on regardless of the QB. Whenever I hear about the offense being out of sync, before blaming one player or position group, I reference the conversation between Cecil Shorts and Wade Smith.
- They mentioned that due to the game plan offensive approach, on a weekly basis, too many players get inconsistent roles in the weekly game plans.
- They mentioned without an identity, the offense is always probing the defense before identifying their plan of attack. Could this be the reason for the slow starts? Holding the ball?
- If the top WRs are limited during practice, the QB is practicing with the backup WRs, the game starts and timing is off between the WRs and QB. Again, holding the ball?
- If the game plan is always changing, plays that haven't been practiced since training camp can be in a November game plan. Again with limited practices, is the timing off?
Just think. For years, the Colts had one of the more explosive offenses in the NFL. Shoot, their WRs did not even switch sides. Marvin Harrison rarely ran patterns from the left, he was always on the right side of the formation. They simply ran the same plays from multiple formations. Being on the same page and executing the plays regardless of the defensive formations was the foundation of their offense. I don't see the value in O'Brien's game plan, offensive approach. I think he has over complicated things to the point that it gets young players in the dog house and leads to the inconsistent play we see on the field.
So, before I think about a QB going off script, I want to look at the script. Why does the script lead to Coutee being inactive? If the QB is holding the ball, is the script flexible enough to call for more 3 step drops this series or quarter to get the ball out of the QB's hands? Does the script adjust and have defined routes for the WRs that are struggling with timing or even the game plan? Why did the script have plays that a known, poor blocker like Ryan Griffin was coming across the formation to pickup a blitzing LB?
Inquiring minds want to know.