It’s never as simple as …

Do you find the game slowing down for you over the years, like it does for a veteran player? In WYMM, I often need slow-mo to see so much of it in real time.

Watching games from the press box, I struggle to pick up on a lot of detail and miss many TV replays while I focus on the live blog. I often make a mental note to take a closer look at certain plays on film to understand what exactly happened. Sometimes I have an idea, but I rarely know for sure until Monday morning.

Earlier in the season, there was a lot of criticism of Josh Myers’ performance. But in Spoff’s WYMM, there was much praise for his game against the Rams. Do you see a noticeable improvement in his ability and technique as the season has progressed?

To me, it seems like Myers has been playing more consistently and reliably. His game is smoothing out, which has been the source of the praise we’ve heard from coaches lately.

How much notice needs to be given by the NFL to make a scheduling change? I have a hunch the Pack vs. Giants game may be flexed out. Thanks again!

Here are the procedures regarding flex scheduling this year, taken right from the league website:

• For Sunday Night Football in Weeks 5-13 and for Monday Night Football in Weeks 12-17, the NFL will decide (after consultation with CBS, FOX, NBC, and ESPN) and announce no later than 12 days in advance of the game, which game will be played on Sunday night and which game will be played on Monday night.
• For Sunday Night Football in Weeks 14-17, the flexible scheduling decision will generally be made no later than 6 days prior to the game.
• For Thursday Night Football in Weeks 13-17, the flexible scheduling decision will be made no later than 28 days prior to the game.
• For Week 18, the final weekend of the season, the scheduling of the Saturday, Sunday afternoon, and the Sunday night games is not assigned. The schedule for Week 18 will be announced no later than six days prior to that week’s Saturday game (January 6, 2024).

When was the last time we had 10 players from the most recent draft play in a game? Is this as rare as it seems?

I don’t have any lists in front of me, but it does seem rather rare, particularly having nine play from scrimmage on either offense or defense, and not just special teams.

Isn’t pre-snap mistakes or unclear assignments a reflection on the coaching?! Teach, drill, correct, drill again, review film, drill again, etc. A player can have all the talent in the world, but if they can’t do what they’re supposed to, they are a liability. Those who don’t get it need to sit.

Pre-snap penalties and assignment miscues are two different worlds in my view. The former is a focus and concentration issue, plain and simple. You can drill different snap counts and cadences all you want, but if in the moment the player loses focus, that’s how those infractions occur. With assignments, though, what makes the NFL a much faster and more complicated game is that a player’s assignment (whether it be for blocking, running a route, filling a gap on defense, executing a coverage, etc.) can change before and/or after the snap. The pro game features constant on-the-fly adjustments players must make based on the opposition’s alignments and post-snap movements. It’s never as simple as breaking the huddle and saying, “On this play call, this is what I do. Okay, just go do it.” That’s not how the game is played at this level. That’s why the only way to learn the pro game is to play in real live contests because the speed of the action and mental adjustments can’t fully be replicated in any other setting.