I went back and watched the Chris Johnson wide-open-for-the-TD pass play last night. At the start of play, CJ saunters out to the wideout position. At this point, the Texan linebackers haven't noticed him, in fact they seem confused as there is much shouting and shuffling around among DeMeco/Diles/Cushing. Both cornerbacks are on the other side of the field. Freddy on the wideout, Dunta on the slot. Barber who is in the middle of the field can be seen looking at Eugene Wilson and Wilson is seen looking at and emphatically pointing at one of the wide receivers on the other side of the field. I take it Wilson is saying either "that's my guy" or "that's YOUR guy". From there, you can hear the crowd's volume (eyes on CJ no doubt) begin to build and the ball snaps and it's all over.
Conclusion: just a perfect storm of inexperience, confusion and undercoaching. I believe this play got Barber yanked but after watching it, I don't think he's entirely at fault. As a safety (and the last line of defense), he (Barber) at the very least should have scanned the field and made sure all the wideouts and possible trick plays were accounted for. Eugene, too. The linebacker on that side of the field should have spotted CJ and turned around to make sure one of his safeties was in position. That's the way I see it....
Last edited by Arky; 09-22-2009 at 12:51 PM.
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09-22-2009, 12:21 PM
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