Holding something back during the season.....

[nygnts4ever]

Here is a question that has been bugging me for the last 6 or 7 years....

I'm looking at the offensive side of the ball, but the question can be asked of the defense also....

Does anyone know if NFL teams purposely design games plans in the beginning of the season to "offset" game plans they may use during the second half of the season?  In other words, hold something back that they think they can use for the second half of the season, instead of showing it early.

I suspect the answer is "NO", that every NFL teams tries to figure out what they do best, and goes with it from the beginning of the season.  And as other teams adjust to what they are doing, they try to adjust their offense.

I ask this because it seems that every single year, the GIANTS offense seems to slow down in the second half of the season, especially in the GREEN zone.  It's like all the other teams know what we are going to do....

Now I'll admit, last year's run was a little different, but I'm looking at the last 6 or 7 years....

I'd like to get your thoughts....

[MightyGiants]

Keith I think in the Giants case, the slow downs was mostly the result of injuries.

As far as I know I don't think teams deliberately hold anything back for the second half of the season.  After all a win in week 2 is equal to a win in week 14.   Again looking at things from an offensive side, I think that a team may add more plays as the season goes on.  If a team is young or has many new players, there may be a tendency for coaches to simplify things (at bit) early on until the players get comfortable with the system.  On top of that teams rarely stay stagnant.  As you pointed out there is a constant move counter move game going on.  I also think many coaches look at what works and doesn't work with their offense.  So they are constantly removing or changing the things that don't work and looking to add more of what is successful.  That my take on the situation.

[retrojint]

What the Giants use in week one, they think will work against their opponent in week one.  They won't hold anything back.  They will, however, give varying degrees of workloads to younger players, allowing them to integrate into the game plans on both sides of the ball, incrementally.  I think you saw that last season with Bradshaw.  His role expanded only when TC and his staff trusted Bradshaw. 

As for preparing for an opponent as the season progresses, same rule applies here as does for any accounting, audit or evaluation:  The most recent history is the most important history.  If you read what the Giants' coaches had to say about playing Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game last season, they mentioned that they were dealing with a Packer team that was dramatically different from the one that had beaten the Giants in Week 2.  It is true that the Giants prepared for the Packers' shuffle screen game.  If you remember, the rookie defensive tackle Wright (no longer with the Giants) had an embarrassingly bad time of it being suckered by Favre at the Meadowlands.

There is a fluidness to preparation.  You never lose identity as to who you are, how you play, and the fact that you want to exert your will on the opponent.  But you know darn well that the other guy is a professional who has been given the tapes of your last four regular season games, and he's going to do everything he can do to thwart what you do well.  You can't prepare for an NFL opponent like John Wooden prepared for a NCAA opponent.  That is, Wooden completely disregarded any preparation at all about the other team, and simply concentrated on his Bruins playing their game at peak efficiency.  It doesn't work that way in the NFL.  To some degree, you have to adjust your gameplan to try and counter the strengths of your opponent, while simultaneously seeking to exploit their weaknesses, as evident on film. 

Additionally I think familiarity, especially within division, will result in rivals playing each other more conservatively, dare I say more predictably because both teams know each other pretty well, especially if the coaching staffs and key players from each team have been together for awhile.  In the NFC East this season, we will have a new head coach with the Redskins.  They will use the same running plays that were employed under Joe Gibbs last season.  But the passing routes will be quite different.  Therefore, the "book" will not be as pronounced. 

The Giants have struggled in the second half under Coughlin for a variety of reasons.  Injuries certainly have been a factor.  Eli Manning does not throw a good ball in cold, windy, rainy or snowy weather.  I don't know of any quarterback who truly thrived in those conditions with the possible exception of Jim Kelly .  But, in Giants history, Simms was a much better foul weather quarterback than Eli.  The Giants will seek to run the ball even more than usual in games played under wintry conditions.  But the defense will anticipate this, and will run blitz on early downs frequently.  What we don't notice is that offenses throughout the NFL struggle in poor weather.  Teams like Pittsburgh play pretty well in the slop of their home turf, but the games are hardly of the high efficiency sort.  Rather they're mud scrums. 

Looking at this year's schedule, the Giants will play at Arizona on 11-23.  That should please Eli.  There is also a game in Dallas on 12-14, which is not a bad time to play them in Big D.  The season concludes in Minnesota on 12-28, which will be, of course, inside. 

Seasons unfold.  You're never the team at the end of the year that you were at the beginning.  There is the inevitability of change, adjustment and personnel manipulations.  I don't think they consciously "save" game plans for later in the season.  Looking at this year's schedule, they might try something quite different against the Vikings, I would humbly suggest.

[MightyGiants]

Great post Steve

[nygnts4ever]

Enjoyed reading the replies...as opposed to the usual dribble and one liners.....

A few comments, and then on to another topic....

I agree wholeheartedly on the comment about "fluidness".....

I think my point with our Green Zone ineffectiveness in the second half of the season (I don't have stats, but would love to see the numbers over the last 10 years) is that I feel we generally try to stick to what "works" for us too much....basically saying, we know this works for us, you know this works for us, and we are going to do it anyway.  I don't know how many times I have seen that easy little TE release play work for a team on first or second down inside the three yard line.....I just wish we had a little "Sean Peyton" in our play calling down in the Green Zone on occasion.....no end arounds...trust me...lol.

Also agree with the assessment of Eli vs Simms in cold weather.....I'm not sure Simms started out as a great cold weather / wind QB, but there is no question that mentally he turned into one....I hold out the same hope for Eli.....

Thanks for your thoughts guys......enjoyed it.

[retrojint]

You're certainly welcome, and welcome aboard.  By the way, I think the word is "fluidity," not "fluidness."  Either way, I think you know what I meant.