Pass to Dunn on 1st and Goal

I liked Joe Valerio. The tackle-eligible pass has a certain elegance that I like.

Not much different is the pass to Jason Dunn. I saw it on a highlight reel and fault neither the call nor the pass. Looks like a breakdown in execution by Dunn.

I don't know that I'd fear Seattle's goal-line stand just because Denver couldn't crack it. They're still not the dominant unit up front that they were during their SB runs, and certainly not as strong a unit as the Chiefs'. So I would probably have given the ball to Holmes, to take one step up the middle and then just race to the corner. I doubt the 'Hawks could stop Holmes from picking up a yard.

I read today that Gonzo was open on that particular play, but wasn't in the progression. THAT would seem to be a breakdown in coaching. A wide-open Gonzo is a MUCH better bet than a wide-open Dunn. I know if I'M the QB, a breakdown in the D that left Gonzo unguarded would be something I'D notice in a hurry (if I weren't overtrained about where to look).

On 26 Nov 2002, Harry S. Mills opined:

True, but he must have thought Dunn was open. The problem is that they were supposed to take on Gonzo as bait. No one in the world thought they'd let Gonzo be THAT open.

99% of the time he would be covered. That was the idea, to take defenders with him as a decoy.

It's not about being overtrained. When you have progressions, you take the first one that is open. And that was Dunn. There was no reason for him to continue his progressions. It's not like you have all day back there to survey the field and look for the perfect play. By the time he looked for Gonzo, if he'd have been covered, then it would have been too late to go back to Dunn.

That's the theory. And I don't really have a huge beef with going to Dunn on that one. It seems to me, though, that Green doesn't really have a sense of where everybody is on the field, and this play prodded me to start ranting about it.