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I understand the double sneak

Reale01 : 1/12/2022 11:54 am
Aside from the horrible optics it made some sense. I am sick of everyone pointing to that as an indictment on Judge. It is an indictment on the players - and they deserve it!

The defense was busting ass and playing well and keeping the Giants in the game. The offense was horrible and had been horrible for really the whole year but especially the past couple weeks.

There were several recent examples of the offense giving up a safety or turning the ball over deep in our territory. They had just mucked up the previous play. The running game cannot be counted on to even get back to the line of scrimmage.

If I am on defense I am thinking just punt the ball and let us try to make something happen, or at least change the field position. Judge, who was losing his mind anyway, is angry and says F this shit just run a sneak. Can you run an F'n sneak? This is pathetic, I like my defense vs the WFT offense matchup better. Many of them will be back next year and very few of the offensive guys will. Who do you want to support?

He punts and as it turns out the defense gets a three and out and the offense gets the ball back at the 20. It actually worked out.

The problem is the optics and why is the offense THAT bad? The players say it shows no faith in your offense. Well F them - earn that faith. The offense was actually losing games with turnovers and pick 6s. Reference the first play of the Bears game. So BBI who had any faith in the offense? I actually think the chance of disaster were much higher than the chance of getting a first down. End rant,
I don't know that it's a good idea  
Bill in UT : 1/12/2022 11:57 am : link
to embarrass your team on TV. And after the first sneak, the punter had 14-15 yards to work with, which is certainly adequate
The problem with the sneak  
RHPeel : 1/12/2022 11:58 am : link
Giving up a safety is just not that big a deal, and coaching so as not to get "embarrassed" is a terrible way to coach. It's two points and a punt from 20 yards better field position.

I would have let the next GM make the decision on Judge rather than firing him outright, but the double sneak was unacceptable.
I have said the same - that I understand it - but  
Del Shofner : 1/12/2022 11:59 am : link
it was pathetic nonetheless. And what about the jet sweep on 4th down? We finally go for it on 4th down and run a play with zero chance of success because it does not include blocking the one player who is certain to be there to make the tackle? Pathetic all the way around.
but Judge is the HC  
markky : 1/12/2022 11:59 am : link
he is ultimately responsible for the offense being able to run a simple play. if he can't accomplish that then F him too.
The injuries and talent  
RAIN : 1/12/2022 12:03 pm : link
were most of the issue. Optics as a HC matter, and you need to keep your head. He needed to keep his composure, and I think he lost it a bit.

It may not be truly fair, but when your steering the ship, every little bit in the public eye matters. You may have to BS, your getting paid to eat Sh$T at times, its part of the job description.
RE: The problem with the sneak  
Shecky : 1/12/2022 12:05 pm : link
In comment 15548785 RHPeel said:
Quote:
It's two points and a punt from 20 yards better field position.


Two points is just WAYYY too much of a lead for our offense to overcome though...
.  
ghost718 : 1/12/2022 12:07 pm : link
Considering what happened in the second half...  
Big Blue Blogger : 1/12/2022 12:10 pm : link
...when they unleashed Fromm with a more aggressive play call, the two consecutive sneaks don't look so ill-advised.

I still would have run a play on third down. The one thing Saquon Barkley does well (or used to, at least) is break big gains on the rare occasions when he reaches the second level. It was worth a try. And yes, I realize the more likely result was a three-yard loss followed by a punt from a compressed set.
Why all the threads about Judge?  
Section331 : 1/12/2022 12:11 pm : link
He’s gone, give it up. Besides, there is NO excuse for those play calls, none. You’re telling your offense that you have no faith in them. Maybe that is deserved, but good luck getting them to continue to play hard for you.
Everyone Knew that Judge Was Risk Adverse..  
Jim in Tampa : 1/12/2022 12:11 pm : link
But two QB sneaks in a row in the 17th game of the year, when your team has only managed to win 4 games was an extreme, almost comical example of Judge's tolerance for risk.

I mean come on.
Agreed, sort of.  
CT Charlie : 1/12/2022 12:21 pm : link
Fromm gave us no confidence whatsoever, especially after his dreadful first down pass. The first sneak worked well enough to give us JUST enough breathing room for a safe punt. Because we've regularly lost yardage on simply running plays, however, handing it off ran the risk of putting ourselves back on the 1-2 yard line facing fourth down. This would have created a fine opportunity to give WFT 2 or 6 points.

From a pragmatic standpoint, the choice was either a sneak or a 50-yard hanging bomb to midfield. If it got picked, it would be as good as a punt. If not, no harm. Maybe we'd luck out with a pass interference call, but with our luck it would be called against us.

I think this is exactly the sort of thing that showed Judge's inexperience. If he ever faces this again – someday, somewhere – he'll make a better call.
Whose decision was  
Gregorio : 1/12/2022 12:23 pm : link
it for the double sneak plates, OC Kitchens or Judge? Serious question.

The entire second half of the season  
UberAlias : 1/12/2022 12:23 pm : link
Judge employed the same strategy. Play every offensive series with the goal of punt or field goal and put massive pressure on the defense to try to carry the team to a win.

Every week the results were the same. Defense came to play initially and usually keep it manageable if the offense was even half way competent but the werent' and the results were not very competitive double digit loss.

With nothing to lose we tried this strategy over and over with same results. The offensive players see there is no confidence in them and the defense grows tired of the pressure to carry the game series after series.

For a coach who came in preaching ability to adapt we employed the same pathetic losing strategy week after week to the same pathetic results. For a coach who preached putting players in position to be successful he set his defense up for failure week after week and only gave his offense opportunity to not blow it, unsuccessfully at that. For a coach who preaches teaching, the only thing he taught his team is that he has no confidence in them and will do his best to keep it to as close a loss as possible. Even the worst NFL players come from a background of being the best players at every level they have played. Instead of challenging or inspiring that he threw in the towel in the most obvious of ways. And that's the surest way to lose your team.
What do analytics show?  
STLGiant : 1/12/2022 12:27 pm : link
I bet more teams that give up a safety historically lose games.

Judge was right. Crappy OL cannot block for a run or pass play that deep. WR that cannot get separation, TEs who drop passes, WRs who won’t layout to catch balls. Unfortunately, you can’t play it too safe like that in the NFL.

That being said they still had a pick-6.

Overall, zero offense since Jones got injured.

Aaron Rogers’ comment likely set Mara throwing more chairs…
It's not the run call that's the problem - it's the sneak  
Remdad : 1/12/2022 12:31 pm : link
I think many would have been OK with a timid run call on third down in a close game when you're backed up. But the sneak has no chance of picking up a first down, and sends a message to your offense that you think they might lose 4 yards on a run play rather than asking them to play hard and try their best. That's how you lose a team.
The fact that it may have been a good decision  
AJ23 : 1/12/2022 12:34 pm : link
is why it should be so appalling. Judge and his staff had not prepared their personnel enough to feel confident in them converting on a 3rd & 9. At that point, Fromm had been with the team for more than a month. There is no excuse.
JFC...  
bw in dc : 1/12/2022 12:34 pm : link
It was an unacceptable sequence of plays. It's the last game of the year versus another horrible divisional rival. Play NFL football, not Army v Yale football, circa 1933.

Trust your initial intuition and feeling when it happened - it was embarrassing and completely unacceptable.





RE: JFC...  
Del Shofner : 1/12/2022 12:36 pm : link
In comment 15548914 bw in dc said:
Quote:
It was an unacceptable sequence of plays. It's the last game of the year versus another horrible divisional rival. Play NFL football, not Army v Yale football, circa 1933.


hey, don't diss Army v. Yale 1933! :-)
Those two plays were just the cherry on top  
JonC : 1/12/2022 12:37 pm : link
regressing into a complete turtle shell. Uber's right, it was the culmination of being ultra conservative all season long, trying to protect the offense, the QB, the OL, the defense against lack of pass rush, etc.
You can't do it from the 4 yard line on 3rd and 9  
NoGainDayne : 1/12/2022 12:40 pm : link
maybe the 2nd one. You need to have a short memory in football.

If you are a QB you have to shake off an INT. If you are a CB you have to shake off a big play allowed.

Give me a break about managing the game around a safety the PREVIOUS week. One safety. MAYBE if it was two you could say ok. But it wasn't. And despite the safety you had a 100 yard rusher last week so can it with the woe is me we can't do anything bullshit.
You can justify what he did  
Big Al : 1/12/2022 12:44 pm : link
but the symbolism was an admission to many of us of total mediocrity and surrender. I think that is more important than any possible justification. It was the final straw for me with Judge.
You can't justify what he did  
chuckydee9 : 1/12/2022 12:54 pm : link
he had several weeks to create an offensive game plan that involves running legit plays on a very pausible 3rd and 9 situation.. you can't have said I will call a victory formation run on that play..
Just to be clear  
Reale01 : 1/12/2022 12:55 pm : link
IMO Judge had to go - and I liked him. The first was fine but second sneak could/should have been a running play. I really think he snapped after the first pathetic play and said just run 2 f'n sneaks. That sends a clear message to your players. Basically, you suck and wake up and do something. I could see Parcells doing something like that. He did not embarrass them, they embarrassed themselves. They got the ball back at the 20 and still did nothing as I recall. To me, the jet sweep was by far more stupid.

This was the worst offense the Giants have EVER had and I have seen some very bad NYG offenses. There was literally NO HOPE. Nothing to look forward to watching when we had the ball.
there  
Eric from BBI : Admin : 1/12/2022 12:56 pm : link
is no defense of those two play calls. None.

Giants fans appear to be adopting the loser mentality of the franchise.

RE: Just to be clear  
Reale01 : 1/12/2022 12:57 pm : link
In comment 15548983 Reale01 said:
Quote:
IMO Judge had to go - and I liked him. The first was fine but second sneak could/should have been a running play. I really think he snapped after the first pathetic play and said just run 2 f'n sneaks. That sends a clear message to your players. Basically, you suck and wake up and do something. I could see Parcells doing something like that. He did not embarrass them, they embarrassed themselves. They got the ball back at the 20 and still did nothing as I recall. To me, the jet sweep was by far more stupid.

This was the worst offense the Giants have EVER had and I have seen some very bad NYG offenses. There was literally NO HOPE. Nothing to look forward to watching when we had the ball.


BTW - Losing it in mid-game is also unacceptable.
RE: there  
KingBlue : 1/12/2022 1:00 pm : link
In comment 15548987 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
is no defense of those two play calls. None.

Giants fans appear to be adopting the loser mentality of the franchise.


+1
RE: there  
armstead98 : 1/12/2022 1:00 pm : link
In comment 15548987 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
is no defense of those two play calls. None.

Giants fans appear to be adopting the loser mentality of the franchise.


The only defense is that they were tanking for draft picks, but that’s not what he was doing.

He was throwing a hissy fit and had given up.

I really liked Judge at first, I thought he had a lot going for him, but his in game decisions and playing not to lose was irredeemable. Those two plays capture it perfectly.

Time to move on
The sneaks were Joe Judge in a nutshell  
Giantfan in skinland : 1/12/2022 1:08 pm : link
When faced with talent deficits against his opponent, Judge's plan has always been to shorten the game, keep it close, and out execute the opponent. To be honest, in a lot of respects, that's the New England way. It's a sound philosophy if you're a superior coach with a smart, fundamentally sound team.

The first problem is that Joe Judge did not prove himself to be Bill Belichick and nobody would describe the Giants as a smart or disciplined/fundamentally sound team. So we time again ended up on the losing end of those games. Close, but no cigar. Second, even with that kind of approach, there has to be a recognition of when its time to take a shot. I think Judge completely lacked a feel for this. In short, Judge's approach turned into coaching to lose close games. Better to lose by 3-7 by playing safely than 14-20 taking chances.

IMO, there was no scenario where those sneaks gave the Giants a chance to win....only a chance to minimize damage. And THAT is why they were indefensible. ​They were Joe Judge and staff saying, "We can't think of any way to help this offense and so we're not even going to try." You can't stand at the podium talking about how the defining characteristic of the team and you as a coach is that the players won't quit and then turn around and essentially quit on them.
i really sometimes think people start threads like this  
Mike in Long Beach : 1/12/2022 1:11 pm : link
just to troll.

You can run the ball. You can run the ultimately "I give up" play and run a draw. Same result without literally declaring to the world you give up. Of course it was the worst call ever.
Judge was unprepared  
Big Al : 1/12/2022 1:13 pm : link
He did not have his quick kick personnel ready.
RE: i really sometimes think people start threads like this  
BlackLight : 1/12/2022 1:24 pm : link
In comment 15549038 Mike in Long Beach said:
Quote:
just to troll.

You can run the ball. You can run the ultimately "I give up" play and run a draw. Same result without literally declaring to the world you give up. Of course it was the worst call ever.


LOL. This is brilliant. "Instead of running *that* "We give up" playcall, they should've run *my* "We give up" playcall! Anyone who disagrees with me must be trolling!"

Again, the travesty of the double sneak sequence was not the playcalling - it was the fact that our offense was so inept that the playcalling was actually defensible.

And for people who concede that point and argue that it's Judge's fault the offense was so inept, that's fine. But then why didn't Judge get due credit for when the defense played well and kept us in the game?

The difference between even a draw and the sneak  
Giantfan in skinland : 1/12/2022 1:28 pm : link
is that a draw can work in some instances. Yes, it evidences a lack of faith, but it at least ATTEMPTS to gain yards and gives you the possibility of positive outcome. The sneak is conceding the down...point blank.
There's no defending the second QB sneak.  
Producer : 1/12/2022 1:29 pm : link
It will never make sense.

You have a shit team. With a shit record. You don't try o win the 18th game of the season with a field position approach.

It's so incredibly misguided, it is a firing offense.
RE: The difference between even a draw and the sneak  
BlackLight : 1/12/2022 1:31 pm : link
In comment 15549109 Giantfan in skinland said:
Quote:
is that a draw can work in some instances. Yes, it evidences a lack of faith, but it at least ATTEMPTS to gain yards and gives you the possibility of positive outcome. The sneak is conceding the down...point blank.


And when has a handoff on a simple draw play ever gone badly for this franchise?
RE: There's no defending the second QB sneak.  
BlackLight : 1/12/2022 1:37 pm : link
In comment 15549116 Producer said:
Quote:
It will never make sense.

You have a shit team. With a shit record. You don't try o win the 18th game of the season with a field position approach.

It's so incredibly misguided, it is a firing offense.


If the offense is so terrible that you had no other viable options, then yeah, you do try to win with a field position approach. Throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition in the last game of the year only works when you have something resembling a kitchen sink to throw in the first place.

It's so strange that people don't see the throughline from earlier in the season. Every time Judge punted at midfield or plus territory, we were seeing the same philosophy at work. He knew perfectly well his offense wasn't reliable enough to convert most 4th downs, and the way to victory was by playing field position and letting his defense try to make a play.
RE: there  
chuckydee9 : 1/12/2022 1:47 pm : link
In comment 15548987 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
is no defense of those two play calls. None.

Giants fans appear to be adopting the loser mentality of the franchise.


This what kind of stupid game plan is it to run a victory formation play in 2nd Quarter when down on a 3rd and 9?

Are you so stupid that you didn't plan for 3rd and 9?
How  
Les in TO : 1/12/2022 1:50 pm : link
About running a draw play with your #2 overall pick running back?
Double sneak is inexcusable!  
GMen72 : 1/12/2022 1:52 pm : link
Acting like this is OK is silly. Show other examples where NFL teams did anything like this? If the Jags, Texans, Lions, etc. can figure out how to run the ball up the middle (with RBs) and learn how to punt quickly, out of their own endzone, then a JJ coached team should be able to, also.

It shows that he didn't address it in practice and then panicked when the same situation happened again. JJ wanted to make sure he didn't look like an idiot (again), with another safety, and instead looked like a bigger idiot with a Pop Warner coaching move.

There's a reason it became national news the minute it happened...because it's unacceptable in the NFL.
RE: RE: There's no defending the second QB sneak.  
Producer : 1/12/2022 1:53 pm : link
In comment 15549168 BlackLight said:
Quote:
In comment 15549116 Producer said:


Quote:


It will never make sense.

You have a shit team. With a shit record. You don't try o win the 18th game of the season with a field position approach.

It's so incredibly misguided, it is a firing offense.



If the offense is so terrible that you had no other viable options, then yeah, you do try to win with a field position approach. Throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition in the last game of the year only works when you have something resembling a kitchen sink to throw in the first place.

It's so strange that people don't see the throughline from earlier in the season. Every time Judge punted at midfield or plus territory, we were seeing the same philosophy at work. He knew perfectly well his offense wasn't reliable enough to convert most 4th downs, and the way to victory was by playing field position and letting his defense try to make a play.


Field position football is losing football. It is not something to aspire to. You need to focus on building a winning formula.

The win is meaningless, so embarrassing yourself, and the franchise, with 2 QB sneaks, to win a meaningless game through field position, is a narrow and reductive view of the job. And by the way he still got shellacked by a shitty team.

Sorry you don't see it. It was a small decision by a small minded man.
Uber nailed it  
AcesUp : 1/12/2022 1:57 pm : link
It was the epitome of his flawed approach. Before the injuries ever took a toll he was ultra-conservative and never seemed to shake the perspective of being a former special teams coach. Not even to mention the message it sends to your players and the embarrassment you are putting on them and the franchise.

He got a raw deal, anybody with eyes and a brain could see that. That doesn't mean you can't evaluate him. I feel bad for him in some ways but am perfectly fine moving on from his one-man crusade to actually make Special Teams 1/3 of the game.
There is no crying in Baseball  
arniefez : 1/12/2022 2:06 pm : link
and there is no giving up in the NFL.

No one would have said anything if they would have handed the ball to Booker instead sneaking Fromm. The comments would have been they're afraid to let Fromm throw the ball and he demonstrated why a little later in the game.

There is no way to sell giving up to the locker room. He might have been, probably would have been, fired anyway but after that he was dead coach walking. Between running an offense that had no chance to score in the teens after Jones got hurt, the 2 QB sneaks and the meltdown in front of the media where he touched the 3rd rail about Shurmur and Washington he had to be replaced or IMO next year would have been another double digit loss season.

What would have happened if they kept Judge and started 0-2 again?
RE: RE: RE: There's no defending the second QB sneak.  
BlackLight : 1/12/2022 2:23 pm : link
In comment 15549241 Producer said:
Quote:
In comment 15549168 BlackLight said:


Quote:


In comment 15549116 Producer said:


Quote:


It will never make sense.

You have a shit team. With a shit record. You don't try o win the 18th game of the season with a field position approach.

It's so incredibly misguided, it is a firing offense.



If the offense is so terrible that you had no other viable options, then yeah, you do try to win with a field position approach. Throwing the kitchen sink at the opposition in the last game of the year only works when you have something resembling a kitchen sink to throw in the first place.

It's so strange that people don't see the throughline from earlier in the season. Every time Judge punted at midfield or plus territory, we were seeing the same philosophy at work. He knew perfectly well his offense wasn't reliable enough to convert most 4th downs, and the way to victory was by playing field position and letting his defense try to make a play.



Field position football is losing football. It is not something to aspire to. You need to focus on building a winning formula.

The win is meaningless, so embarrassing yourself, and the franchise, with 2 QB sneaks, to win a meaningless game through field position, is a narrow and reductive view of the job. And by the way he still got shellacked by a shitty team.

Sorry you don't see it. It was a small decision by a small minded man.


Nobody is suggesting that playing field position football was Judge's aspiration. We're suggesting that, after years of poor talent evaluation and a brutal rash of injuries, field position football was what we were left with.

People talk so blithely about football being a results oriented business, where wins and losses are all that matter, and coaches need to put their teams in the best position to win. But then they meet a coach who, for all his faults, actually lives by those principles, and could give fuck-all about the optics of certain decisions, and look how quickly these same people abandon those arguments.
I think it was also the 'turtle' or 'fetal position' formation  
Del Shofner : 1/12/2022 2:30 pm : link
twice in a row. True, we are talking 'optics' but I think it's fair to say that no one had ever seen this before in such a situation. It wasn't just that it was a QB sneak, they didn't even line up in a formation to make a play.
They  
noro9 : 1/12/2022 2:34 pm : link
Should have just punted on third down.
RE: there  
KDubbs : 1/12/2022 2:36 pm : link
In comment 15548987 Eric from BBI said:
Quote:
is no defense of those two play calls. None.

Giants fans appear to be adopting the loser mentality of the franchise.


this! most embarrassing thing I have seen from my teams and im a knicks, mets and isles fan and I have seen some embarrassing shit.
In a 3-0 game, first half, at your own end zone, in a meaningless game  
D HOS : 1/12/2022 2:36 pm : link
That makes no sense. There was nothing on the line. What was the point? So what if they ran a FB dive, a WR screen, whatever you want and its a safety? So what? 3-0, 5-0, the only thing on the line is +/- 2 draft spots within the top 10...

I get that ultimately it accomplished the goal - no disaster, punt and we get the ball back and try again. But honestly, that method of accomplishing the goal is so damn conservative and shows that you feel there is no better option in your playbook, that is just pathetic no matter how you try to justify it. And it admits there there was no better way to go, nothing that could get you the next set of downs. That's not a team I want to root for. We can be and need to be better than that.
Ask Aaron Rodgers what he thinks about it...  
90.Cal : 1/12/2022 2:53 pm : link
I like his take on the matter much better than yours... I trust him more too.
Qb sneaks upset me but  
Bizfoodie : 1/12/2022 4:10 pm : link
I understood why he did it. He was fed up. A coach should be able to maximize talent without a doubt but on offense the giants have 2 players who can make plays outside of what is called and that is Daniel Jones with his running ability or Toney making people miss. Everything has to be perfect and if it is perfect the best outcome never seems to happen. Giants block a running play perfectly which is rare and the rbs can’t get to the 2nd level. Or a pass play gets a WR open and pass blocking is ok but the QB either misses a throw or doesn’t seem a WR open. I’m sorry that’s not coaching the players on offense suck badly. What position group is average on the giants offense? Everything is below average the only group that might be above average is WR but imo our best WR were always injured Toney and Sheppard. They couldn’t complete a screen pass that was open because Fromm can’t make a 5 yard pass without it hitting the turf. What can any coach do to stop that from happening? Judge imo really felt the talent was so bad on offense a sneak was the best option lol. That’s on talent but he has to stand behind that choice as it means you’re not even trying.

This team needs talent on offense and to have players in place that compliment eachother. No identity…any coach can try to put an identity in place that’s fits the team but if the players suck it doesn’t matter. I’ve watched the giants lineup with heavy personnel 7 on the line and the defense has 6 and they get stopped in the backfield or at the line how is that the coaches fault a player misses a block completely. And it’s never just one player it’s a different one each time. This offense is bad. I kid you not this is the worse offense I’ve ever watched in my 25 years of watching football.
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