the first couple of games we had spencer in their. and for a few weeks after that we still had all our starters minus spencer(although our center position probably improved once that starter was replaced). once a few weeks after spencer went down kubes could tell that he couldnt protect carr and thats when they started to change the offense(imo) and went to the short passing game. kubes took away most chances for carr to go downfield by coaching him to get rid of the ball. thats could be what happened anyway.
what you are sugesting(letting carr compete for a job and not be the starter) is fine by me. i just think we have to much invested in him to give him away unless the coaches are 100% sure he cant play. if thats the case let him go. if not might as well not let him just walk away. i doubt we get much in a trade for him either.
Spencer played one game. RonDayne ran over his leg in the first possession of the Indy game(his second). Flanagan also got hurt(on the next possession I think) and didn't start the next two games. When Flanagan came back two weeks latter, McKinney got hurt. then three weeks later Wiegart went down.
David was doing well, until he got benched. He was going through his progressions, he was challenging the defenses, he was playing football.... He was still fumbling the ball way too much. Tennessee was our 7th game of the season. week 8. David had fumbled in all but three games at that point, for a total of 10 fumbles.
I think it was after that Tennessee benching, that we realized we couldn't protect David. Tennessee's pass rush isn't all that, and they were all over David.
he came back and played well against the NYG, but he started the one read and dump...... or one read and run thing. And really started to stare down his receivers.
Buffalo, Jets, Oak, Tenn, NE was a string of games where David was completing less than 10 yards/completion. games that were mostly three step drops..... dump offs..... lateral, and not vertical.
outside of those games, we ran just as many play action passes(which work out to about a 5 step drop), 5 step drops, and 7 step drops... well we mixed them up enough.....
I don't think we ever implemented a short passing game. a 3 step drop works out to be about 2.0 seconds. in 2 seconds, guys like AJ, Moulds, Walter can run 15 yards. Owen, Bruenner, & Putz can make it out to about 10 yards, and your backs can get about 5 yards pass the LOS.
David just has this thing were the guy has to be wide ass open before he throws the ball to whatever reciever(except on slants..... he's got that down pretty good). Defenses were just keeping everything underneath..... allowing the shorter throws....... when you only have to defend between 5 & 15 yards from the LOS, you fill the field up pretty good.... there isn't a lot of space to pick up YAC... you'd think if David was completing 70% of his passes then we'd pick up first downs... but for some reason it didn't work that way.
I've watched the game again, & I think the Indy game at reliant was David's best game of the year. nothing spectacular, but most everything was thrown 10 yards down field..... he looked good on the bootlegs.... and he didn't turn the ball over.
If he were a rookie, and I were Kubiak, I'd bring him back next year as the starter...... no questions asked.
which is why I think he will be brought back next year, and we are getting our selves worked up about David leaving the team for no good reason. Kubiak has treated him like a rookie all year long, and I believe he will continue to treat him as if this was his rookie year.
I do believe David has done everything Kubiak told him to do.. he's responded to everything Kubiak has said to him. I don't think this means that Kubiak told him to throw the ball 5 yards when we need 17. There's at least one receiver out there beyond the first down marker, and David has to do something to get the ball to him. If that means he has to leave the pocket, step up into the pocket, pumpfake to the flat...... whatever... David needs to take the initiative to get it done. I think that is what disappoints me..... and most likely Kubiak. more than anything. His lack of initiative..
anyway........ I'm rambling.
