Reading between the lines, the lack of deep passing....

is by design. You can get on Eli all you want, but both his and Shurmer's statements to the press back it up. They are being risk averse by not taking chances. Eli is being coached not to push the ball downfield if the defense isn't giving him the look.

Shurmer:

Quote:

A: Again, I mentioned it yesterday, we took some shots and they were playing in two-shell, so the ball gets checked down. That’s one reason for it. A: Yeah, we called them. There were deep routes called that we couldn’t get the ball downfield, so you check it down. Then you move on. A: You call plays to be aggressive. If they’re there, you take your shots. That’s how you dictate. And if they’re not there, you check them down, and then the backs catch the ball and run with it. You’re talking about seven-eight yard gains, which is fine, so that’s how you dictate. Then you make them defend those. That’s how you dictate, and then when you choose to run the ball, you make yardage.

Eli:

Quote:

Q: If the defense is taking away those deep routes, is it worth it at all to take a shot anyway, even though the coverage isn’t ideal for that? A: That usually leads to bad plays. There’s ways to get explosive plays without throwing it deep. It’s not like they all have to be go-routes or post-routes. Hitting guys on the move when they do play man, in zones you can still hit plays. In breaking routes and buying time. You can still hit explosive plays when teams are trying to take away the deep shots.

This is all being coached.

Look at Case Keenum's numbers last year:

68% completion percentage. 3500 yards, 22 TD's, only 7 INT's.

This is the pace Eli is on, only Eli is not Case Keenum. Shurmer needs to open it up, IMO.