I posted it to compare CMU's situation where their HC was calling the plays and not Cummings.
I get that. I'm hoping that people get something meaningful out of this whole discussion. There probably isn't a more visible source of blame, or not visible, not the right word....EASY is better - easy source for blame, when things go wrong, or on the other hand, for credit when things go right on offense, for the football fan, than the offensive play caller.
IMO, this is why as the responsibility transitioned over the years from the QB on the field, to a coach either on the sidelines or up above somewhere, that the "critical" role this plays gets blown up. In many cases, the entire play sequence to start the first few possessions of a game are scripted well in advance of the game actually starting.
One more story, then I'm out for new year's. I've shared this one before, one my favorites. Norm Macdonald? What the hell is his name -mind freeze, the OC for the Dallas Cowboys under Jimmy Johnson, went on to be a mediocre head coach. Norm something. Whatever - name not important. But the guy had this reputation that he built an entire career on as a play caller because of his time in Dallas. But the Dallas offense was simplicity in itself - they had incredible players, the offense was the simplicity of a freshmen high school offense.
But anyway - 1992 NFC championship game against the 49ers in a sloppy, nasty Candelstick Park. I believe it was against Steve Young's niners. Cowboys were NOT favored to win. They had the lead in the fourth quarter, by I think a field goal with about 6-7 minutes to go, but the niners had just scored and had all the momentum and had the cowboys pinned deep in their territory. That's the set up - here's the story.
The Niner's defensive game plan, had keyed on taking away the inside slant post pass route to Michael Irvin that was the Dallas bread and butter to move the chains. Emmit Smith's running play was not the bread and butter of that offense. They had been running the same play all day long, and Irvin had been taken out of the game. The field conditions were bad, the OL wasn't getting the same push anymore with Smith running, they were able to defend that route and had been getting better at stopping the run during the course of the game. things didn't look good for Dallas. Niners would get the ball back if they couldn't move - and in good field position.
Norm MacDonald in the booth calls down to Jimmy Johnson on the sideline duringn the TO change of possession. He asks JJ literally, "how do you want to play this? Run the clock out, throw it?" Johnson, in typical head coach fashion, says back to him "I want to score." That's it.
Norm calls the first play from scrimmage, the same pass play, that's the offense bread and butter, they'd been calling all day and Irvin had been getting doubled and taken out.
Troy Aikman gets in the huddle, and starts the cadence. Before the Aikman finishes the call, Irvin knows the call, and has sprinted out of the huddle to the Z position (Alvin Harpers) in the play, rather than his normal X that had been taken away all day. WHY? Because he wanted the ball. The game was on the line, and he wanted the ball, and on that play call all day long, Aikman had been going to the Z option on a hook route. So Irvin, thought he would get the ball by taking Harper's spot. There's a moment of confustion behind the line of scrimmage as they line up but Harper goes out to Irvin's normal X spot.
San Francisco adjusts their defense to Michael Irvin, they bring blitz because he's not in the slant / post route position. The normal X route slant, is left single covered underneath. Ball is snapped. Aikman makes his read, and delivers the ball to the open slant, Harper catches it and outruns the coverage for about 70 yards eventually getting run out of bounds.
Irvin had run the Z route, and turned and fully expected the ball in his chest. He did work himself open, and Aikman always went to Irvin in the clutch. No ball. He turns and sees Harper running down the field and runs faster than he probably ever did in his life to chase him down. It looks like he's trying to help out, downfield blocking, and congratulating him after the play, but he was really pissed off that Harper had caught his ball. They look like they were congratulating each other on the sideline, but really, Irvin will tell you, that he was screaming at Harper, angry, because he wanted the ball.
A few plays later, they put the ball in the endzone and game is over. Chances are, had they lined up that play as it was supposed to, the players, the defense is different and the entire course of the game is different.
This game is about players, - not coaches and play calls.
