Yes the line sucks. Half the league’s line sucks. Yes Howell holds on to the ball too long. He’s basically a rookie and EB is calling plays that take too long to develop. Yes the receivers aren’t getting open. EB has Howell throwing 40+ times each game. A good playcaller runs plays that maximize his current roster. We should be calling quick hitters, RPOs, and establishing the run with play action. The defenders can just peel their ears back and come for the qb. DCs can call blitzes knowing they have no threat of an effective counter attack. EB can mitigate our lack of talent but he chooses not to.
I think it’s all three things (EB, line, Howell). EB’s play calling is the one that’s most maddening, though, because it’s by far the easiest one to fix.
The line probably won’t get better until we have better personnel next year – the fact that we’re looking to salvation in the form of Tyler Larsen speaks to the futility of the situation (but I do hope that playing him helps).
Howell has shown some ability to learn and adapt, but he’s drinking from a firehose in terms of learning all of the things being thrown at him. It’s unrealistic to expect that process to be fast.
EB, though, is standing on the sidelines looking down at a clipboard that has better plays on it right now. All he has to do is read calls for runs, screens, rollouts, slants, and quick outs into Sam’s ear instead of reading calls for slow-developing downfield pass plays. He can do that at any moment, and it should be obvious to him that he should. He hasn’t, and it’s fucking frustrating.
Yea I’m nervous for him though. Second OC in 2 seasons, possibly a third if EB is let go. That would mean a third playbook to learn, a third system to adapt too, new HC to earn the trust of. If I was GM I’m going LT first round, RT second round.