Brit, Aussie, and Bok rugby commentators often use the phrase "asking questions" in their critiques of teams.
With Ball in Hand, Team X needs to ask more questions of the defense. This phrase has resonated with me through the offseason regarding the decline of the Ram offense after last year's bye week.
Sean McVay, like Mike Martz before him, excels by asking questions of defenses that they have a really hard time answering. But like those of Martz, those questions began to be easier for teams to answer as they began to get the book written on how to deal with him.
Now, McVay is famous for asking a narrow range of questions. One personnel grouping: 11 personnel. A very narrow deployment, with WRs in pretty close and flankers threatening the Jet Sweep. Fact is, this was in many ways a rebirth of the old double wing formation.
McVay has done a lot with that range of questions, and much of it has been pretty subtle. He has managed to drive defenses crazy as they are manipulated within that narrow front.
But then, beginning with DET, the defenses weren't being driven so crazy. They were getting the hang of answering the questions McVay kept asking. I personally think this was the root cause of our frustration down the stretch, much more so than Goff or Gurley.
Now what do I know? Pro offenses are incredibly complex, far beyond what this old dinosaur can properly follow.
Nevertheless, I have a conviction. Our offense will certainly be good. But it will, IMO, not soar until McVay starts asking more questions of defenses. Jet sweeps in a double wing will not, in my view, be enough to scare anyone any more. And with an OL weakened in the middle, it will be hard to sustain pockets for routes that take time to develop.
So what do I prescribe? Well, I dunno from nuffink, but I do want to see us spread the field more and create space for quick throws that not only alleviate pressure from the pass rush but also drive DBs off the LOS and create more space for running.
Of course, that's what all teams do. Could McVay do that and remain cutting edge? I dunno. Maybe he needs to do something else.
But I am convinced he needs to ask more and very different questions if our offense is going to soar again. We'll see.
