WR Screens

I may be the minority, but I don't completely hate the call to run the WR screen. Our run game is ineffective and our best offensive playmakers are on the outside (at least with Shai McKenzie out). I do hate the design of our WR screens.

The play design that Loeffler tends to run sends the receiver moving away from the QB when the throw is made. This means it takes longer for the ball to get into the hands of the receiver. Another thing I don't like is it usually relies on 1 WR to block 1 DB with the pass-catcher left to make the other defender miss.

If the blocker does not execute his block or if the pass is not perfectly on target, we have a negative play. Brewer has struggled at times with the long, quick throw out to the flat, and high passes or passes behind the receiver completely mess up the timing of the play.

After watching Ole Miss and Auburn successfully run a lot of screens to their receivers, I noticed that their plays look nothing like ours. The video below shows a TD on a screen pass to Treadwell. My favorite part is it uses a short pass and the receiver is moving back to the QB when he makes the catch. The execution by the two ball-handlers is far easier than in our play design. This puts the ball into the fast guys hands as quick as possible with little room for error. The play then relies only on blocking, not on a perfect throw.

I would love to see Loeffler run more (or any, really) plays like this.

video credit to Micahel Belz