A possible reason for Henning's ineptitude at playcalling

Henning's plays are all scribed onto banana papyrus...

 

Years ago I played this football board game that used cards with plays on them, and dice to add an "X" factor.

I did OK, but one day I got the idea that although there were a lot of Offensive cards and fewer but still a lot of Defensive cards, and although the permutations numbered in the hundreds - they were finite.

And although this was before the days of computers, I manually ground out every permutation possible and put it on a playsheet, with Offensive plays correlated to every Defensive play (even accounting for every dice variation) and vice-versa.

It literally took me weeks with a calculator but I never lost another game, ever. It got so that no one wanted to play me anymore. They claimed I had "cheated," but they knew the truth: I had outsmarted them and out-worked them.

Henning is getting outsmarted and out-maneuvered every goddamn week.

 

Henning's Playbook for Jokes:



And yes, I made that.

 

Henning takes too much grief. He has upgraded his computer needs in recent years from his slide rule to his TI-30.....

 

There was something before TI-83?

 

The TI-55II was state of the art. Honestly.

 

I have never heard of that calculator before today, just now, when I read your post.

 

I'm surprised to see anyone mention a slide rule, honestly.

I was the only student on my graduating ChE class not to have owned/used a graphing calculator, but thankfully I never had to use a slide rule.

 

Henning loves his slide rule.... he keeps it right next to his abacus

 

That play sucks vs. Cover 2, but Henning knows how to catch the defense off guard by calling terrible plays. That's the genius of him.

 

So someone caught that too. I was wondering if my artistic vision was lost.

 

sad part is, the OP might be on to something.

 

I just hate it when an offensive coordinator throws interceptions, can't block a blitz and misses his blocks on the offensive line. These are player failures, not coordinator failures. This is the same coordinator that we ran the wildcat, pulling guards, trap blocks, unbalanced lines and had a great running game with. Obviously it can't be all his fault. I would say it's about 25% Hennings fault and 75% horrid coaching, playing and preparation.

It's time to start firing some coaches starting with the "Offensive Line Coach", the "Strength and Conditioning Coaches", and who ever is in charge of "Offensive Quality Control." If we keep the same line up of coach boobs next year I think I'll pull my hair out of my head. I can't suffer much more with these goofballs.

 

I agree with this statement for 1 very obvious reason--- Henning is experiencing the onset of Alzheimer's evidenced by a few of its symptoms:

1. Having problems planning and carrying out tasks: Dan's yet to update our playbook despite having a different QB. (Can't get any more brilliant than that.)

2. Having difficulty recalling recent events: forgetting what down & distance we're on by calling play-action on 3rd & long.

3. Not recognizing familiar people and places: mistaking RBs for WRs by calling 2WR-2RB sets on 3rd and long. He's apparently, on occasion, mistaken Polite for Cobbs or Hilliard on 2nd or 3rd and long.

4. Having trouble exercising judgment, such as knowing what to do in an emergency: my favorite-- calling play-action late in the 4th quarter when trailing by multiple scores. Oh boy.

5. Having trouble finding the right words to express thoughts or name objects: accidentally calling runs on 3rd and long when he means to say pass.

6. Having difficulty performing calculations: the inability to calculate that using 1WR-2TE-1FB in a 4 receiver set on 3rd and long is not the most effective means of gaining a 1st down.

7. Not keeping up personal care such as grooming or bathing: no explanation needed..... plus he soiled himself 3 hour ago.

 

well just because he is old it doesnt mean he wouldnt be doing these things, but i appreciate the originality of the opening post

 

That's a whole lot of speculation in that theory. It seems more likely that the game is just passing him by.

 

You’re joking, right? Sparano LOVES technology, especially any form that lets him stay in contact with players. He texts the players constantly during the offseason, for instance. He’s also a stat freak, and you don’t keep track of pet stats without computers to compile the data for you. Simple time management. Sparano isn’t spending his nights with a yellow pad and a calculator tabulating hidden yardage.

As for Henning… his problem isn’t trend analysis or being afraid to turn a computer on, it’s simple, old-fashioned getting outcoached. The problem is that he outcoaches himself. Play action on 3rd and long? Wildcat plays on 3rd & 6? We used to make fun of the Jets for having a tendency to call draw plays on long 3rd downs that predictably failed to convert; we’ve become that. Henning allows himself to get too clever: “It’s an obvious passing situation and the defense is expecting that, so they’ll drop guys and try to jump routes. So let’s try an off-tackle run here and convert with the element of surprise!” It doesn’t work, and out comes Carpenter to set fantasy football leagues ablaze.

There are some who think that Henning is being made to look bad by poor player execution. I think they overlook the fact that it’s Henning’s job to put the players in the best possible situation that allows them to execute, and he’s just not doing that.

 

This is an excellent point because the Scripted plays (normally the 1st 10-15) work pretty damn good we normally get on the board early. But when it comes down to adjustments and recognizing Henning just doesnt have it for whatever reason. I have problems with his formations as much as his playcalling and since I live in CBUS with no other Phin fans the day he is fired I will go alone to the local pub and celebrate with a tall draught beer.

 

best henning post yet! Bravo!!!

 

First, let me get a few things off my chest about your original post....To call Henning "inept" is wrong. And second, just because he's older doesn't mean he isn't technically savvy. That's certainly a stereotype. I'm 54 yrs old and have been operating/building/repairing PC's and Mac computers for years. I've actually "grown up" with technology. Perhaps Henning isn't very savvy, I don't know, but there is a whole staff who probably has learned to coach via the use of another tool (computers). I think it's completely dumb to think that he has less knowledge as an OC because he may or may not know how to turn on a computer...I'm sure David Lee can....and for all we know, Henning may be just as competent as anyone in that aspect of coaching.

As to inept, lets recall that he's been in the business 31 years. He's taken multiple offenses to the SB,winning 2 of them. He won a SB with Doug Willliams for goodness sake...that's got to be a feather in his cap. The bottom line is that his experience makes him a good coordinator.

Now, I too am of the opinion that he's not right for this team, right now. I can't exactly put my finger on it as to why though. Maybe it's because Sparano tinkers too much or that we just don't have the talent that we, as fans, seem to think we do...The bottom line is that they aren't getting it done. Henning has been predictable, but is that because of the level of the talent he has or because he's not savvy enough to be unpredictable ??

One more thing that has to be remembered when talking about our offense as it is, while unpredictability may be an issue, execution is the real culprit. That's what makes the bus go round and we are not executing....that can also fall on the coaches, but if the plays called aren't executed properly by the 11 guys on the field....well, you get 5-5 and see-sawing seasons...

 

I don't think it has as much to do with technology as it does the game passing him by. Ironically, the fact that he's been in the league as long as he has is actually contributing to his ineptness. He does nothing fresh, nothing new, nothing anyone hasn't seen before.

He's the guy trying to sell you CD's when everyone's moved on to MP3. (There's your technology tie-in)

 

While I agree that Henning has not performed well this year and should go at the end of the season, he's simply an easy scapegoat for what are numerous problems with the offense.

An o-line that can't run block, a QB who is average to mediocre right now and can't beast a cover 2, no speed on the field at all. Simply changing the coaching won't alleviate all those problems. I've yet to hear what system would be better for these players, Henne specifically.

Until we add some speed and set on a line once and for all we will continue to be inconsistent.

 

Why fire the offensive line coach he didn't miss any assignment, didn't get owned b a DE, he did get called for holding?? The Strength and Conditioning coach didn't get anybody hurt??

You can't say that its the players to blame when it comes to Henning and the coach's to blame when it comes to other aspects of the game. Yeah Henning did call some wildcat plays, but I'm pretty sure it was David Lee that came up with the idea to use it. We did have a good running game last year, so why was it forgotten about this year??

You have to put up points in this leauge to be competitve anymore, Henning is a great coordinator in the old days of ball control and stomping teams out, but when he has been asked to create a passing game that can get the ball down the field and points on the board he was fell way short.

You can't argue with the experience that a guy has but asking him to run an offense at this time is like asking somebody that fixed all those old computers that everybody on here is talking about and handing him a new mac book and telling him to have at it. He might know some of the parts, but your computer is still going to be a mess.

 

This made me laugh out loud.

 

this^^^^^

so much of this

 

Well, I think there is a simpler explaination:

Heading into 2010, the offensive scheme was changed to go with more of a passing attack, if you think about it:

-Incognito played on the "greatest show on turf" teams
-Berger is a better pass blocker than run blocker
-Thomas was a bad pass blocker anyway you look at it.
-did not bother to add a solid #2 Te after Haynos broke his foot, an injury that was more costly than we may think it was at the time.

So they added Jerry and McQuistan, with McQ they had an idea of what he could do from the Dallas days, ditto Proctor.

10 games into the season, it has not worked, the offense is atrocious by any measuring stick.

They cannot now change horses in mid stream and try and return to the power running game of 08-09, wrong personnel for it.

The question then becomes, now what?

Think about it, this offense cannot run the ball vs normal 7 man fronts, though they can but it would be ugly..RW and RB basically become battering rams.

 

We're all frustrated and trying to find reasons for why we've been sucking this year. We try to point the finger at one guy, when the reality is that it's never going to be just one guy. It's going to be a number of reasons with a number of people to blame. Also, there's always the "luck factor" that plays into it, which hasn't gone our way this year. (injuries, the ball not bouncing our way, etc, etc, etc). That always plays a big part in things because, in the NFL, there's just such a fine line between winning and losing. Do you think the Jets would be were they are without some luck going there way? Not a chance. The best thing is to keep looking for as many play-makers as possible. We need a lot more of them on O and if we get them, I bet the O will improve. Pretty simple.

 

Considering something like 10 of the 12 NFL teams he's been with have only had him on for 3 years or less, I would say that one problem of his is probably that he incubates an offense based on what he finds with a team as he arrives, and he doesn't adapt the offense properly (either due to unwillingness or ineptitude) as off season and in season developments change the character of the personnel, or as defenses begin to catch on to what he's doing.

If you look through his coaching history you see that in some of the places he goes, he gets an immediate pop in the offense's production, but then they start dropping off afterwards. The closest thing he had to sustained success was really his Carolina stint with Jake Delhomme and Steve Smith. But that had dropped off severely by 2006 and he was run out of town.

 

I've been saying this all along Padre, One day Henning decided to try to change the identity of this offense from a run first to pass every down and ignore the run scheme. It was the dumbest move ever. All of a sudden for no good reason at all Henning ruined the true identity of this offense. We have a young QB who needs to develop without the pressure of not having a running game. When it doesn't work they put the blame on Henne and bench him for a more experienced QB that gets hurt when he is touched. It is the dumbest thing I have ever seen. Then you put Thigpen in to start, who has barely played and you run the ball six fuggin' times. It's clown shoes. I don't know what made Henning do the transformation. Is it all the ridiculous talk about the pass only league with the media and the fans or was it getting that #1 WR. Whatever it is it hasn't worked and now the offense is backwards and dead in the water. In Dan Henning's decaying old brain he see's something were not and that is a sling it every down type of team. He thinks we are the Colts.
The old dumbass has got to go.

 

I'm sorry but you're grabbing a few stats to make him seem competent, and it's just not accurate. Someone correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't it Gibbs, not Henning, who was the offensive mind behind the Redskins. Regardless, those SB wins were over 20 years ago. His other SB trip with the 2003 Panthers--- the offense ranked 15th at 20 pts/game. Their defense is what pulled them through the season. 10 times during the season and playoffs they scored 20 or fewer points. 9 times the defense held opponents to 17 points or less.

"In the business for 31 seasons"? Big deal. All that means is the game has passed him by. He's a dinosaur. Excluding the Redskins, his teams (when he's been HC or OC) have averaged 19 pts/game for over 20 years. You can make all the excuses you like, but that's a pathetic scoring total. Throw some whipped cream and a cherry on top and it's still pathetic.

Cmon now, the geezer hasn't updated our playbook since he got here. Remember-- this is the guy who's running the SAME offense no matter who we have at QB. You can't put your finger on it? That's like saying: "Hmmmm, I'm feeling a little pain somewhere.... not sure where it's coming from..... it could be my head..... no it's not my head....... maybe it's my hand that was just cut off by this skill saw..... I should go to a Dr and let him tell me why I'm hurting."

Was execution the culprit during the half dozen or so times he's been fired? Sorry, not buyin it.

 

Henning was not on the mtn top and thusly decreed Killahp, this was a organizational shift that started with adding Marshal.

I'd further say they misjudged Henne's state of readiness to run that sort of offense and instead of rocket balls downfield, they got check down passes.

The fact we are 5-5 is a testimony to Sparano and Nolan, otherwise this would be one ugly season instead of a seemingly disappointing one.

I have not been saying this Raiders game is massively important for no reason, "if" Sparanoball is effective we should not see a huge drop off in the newbies play on the Oline and maybe Wr.

Here is another reason why:

Post Thanksgiving last yr?

They laid the egg in Buffalo with Henne having his worst game of 09.

What will post thanksgiving bring this year?

BTW, looked at Football Outsiders truisms, and one of the them is:

Good teams handle the teams they are supposed to beat.

We are road underdogs this game, but within the normal 3 pt home advantage.

 

that or he inherited a talented offense and Titanic'ed it...... and subsequently was canned for his failure. How many times does this guy have to get fired before other teams stop giving him opportunities?

 

Yeah fair enough I see your point here. You shell out a mountain of cash for a guy you better damn well use him. Change your scheme to him and all. They should have kept Ginn to stretch the field if that is the case. Marshall can't do it. Henning should recognize Marshall isn't that type of player and adjust. You can't throw the ball every down with a young QB. You are inviting disaster to strike. With all of Henning's experience he should know that.

Agree though if it weren't for Nolan's defense we would be awful. I can't give Sparano credit though as long as he enables Henning to screw it all up.

 

We also have to keep in mind that he run game just has not been good for a number of reasons: From the beginning, the OL was doing good in pass blocking, but were not as good in run blocking. Now, with all of the injuries there, it has made the run blocking even worse and now the pass blocking is seriously suffering. It's clear to see and it becomes a vicious cycle.. So, I'm not defending Henning here, but it's hard to have a balanced O when there are just so many injuries. Don't you think that if the OL was plowing open some good running lanes that The R&R express would be doing A LOT better and Henning would be calling more run plays? Fact is; the run blocking has been atrocious and because of that, the R&R express have not been able to find their groove and in turn, the passing game suffers. I don't know if we can put all that blame on Henning. What does he have to work with? He can't call a balanced game with such poor run blocking, forcing us to have a first year starter at QB carry the O. That's a recipe for disaster. It's hard to make chicken salad out of chicken s--t.

 

I read your post in another thread on the Henning breakdown. Very well done and all valid points. I even repped ya!

 

Well, I blogged about that, if you have a young Qb the only way they will improve is by..throwing the ball more and learning to read defenses thusly, "we" have to take our lumps while that happens, that does not mean "lose" that does mean there will be some ugly in there especially when the young Qb does not have weapons all over the field.

Eh, in that light, while I do think Henning should go, the performance is explained, keep in mind Killahp, an OC is not calling trickeration plays because they have overwhelming talent on offense, quite the opposite, you pull that stuff out when you are overmatched.

My beef with Henning is he has never developed a young Qb and we probably need a OC who can handle that job.

Even still 5-5, do we have even a single offensive category where we are not bottom 7 in the NFL, for all of the grief Sparano is taking have to admit he is getting it done somehow.

OT: I'd love to add Phillip Hunt from the CFL to save the high draft pick to take a Te, we need another pure passrusher, we have limited draft choices, Ireland has to mine for gems again, everywhere from the CFL to UFL to street FA's.

 

Really? Go back and watch the first drive in the Baltimore game. Ronnie ran for close to 50 yards on six carries. It was an 11 play 7 minute drive that ended with a 12 yard Ronnie Brown TD. We ran the god damn ball 5 more times in the football game. A close game at that. But you don't blame Henning because we can't run. That is laughable. You have to run the ball to achieve success.
Jesus Christ this isn't hard to see people. It's obvious as hell.