Conversation

SBF
@SBF_FTX
2) I'm watching the Bucs vs Cowboys game today. The announcers just talked about how
@TomBrady
used the run to set up the pass: a) defense plays against pass b/c of Brady/Jones/Evans/Godwin b) Bucs run c) defense adjusts to run d) Bucs pass
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
3) This is a classic strategy; generally it's framed as "you have to run a lot so that they respect the run, in order to set up the pass". But I think that framing of it lacks nuance
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
6) Because at the end of the day, "run to set up the pass" implies that every time you run, the defense forgets about defending passes. The real strategy, though, isn't that simple. The real strategy: "Do what's right."
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
7) If the defense is fading really hard for a pass, run it; if they're ignoring your wide receivers, pass it. And, sure, maybe that means that you alternate runs and passes. Or maybe it means you do nothing but run it, if they keep expecting the pass.
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
8) Or if they have no way to defend your passing game, then yeah, let it cook. The problem with the Seahawks, I'm guessing, is that they didn't decide each time based on what was right. They tried running because "that's what you do"; then they tried passing to "let Russ cook".
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
9) Which means they were predictable, and they weren't trying to base their strategy on the conditions each time; they were being ideological, even if that ideology changed over time.
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
10) And you can see, in the public tension around how much they ran vs passed, that a lot of what was governing the decision making was ego, and tradition, and "the way we do things".
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
11) If your decisions are impacted by ego and tradition, you can't "just do the right thing" each time. Defense ignores the run? Maybe running isn't what your players want. Defense ignores the pass? Well maybe you're too busy "establishing the run to set up the pass" to pass.
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
12) Who escapes this? Who actually just does the right thing, no matter what? Maybe it's those who see the truth clearly. Maybe it's the misfits who don't care what people think. Or maybe it's the GOAT, without any ego on the line anyway, who's free to do what's right.
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SBF
@SBF_FTX
14) Anyway, I wish we were the GOAT, but realistically we're still more of the upstart, with a bit of a chip on our shoulder; misfits as much as anything else. We're definitely not perfect; you all remind us of our weaknesses every day. But hopefully we can keep getting better.
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