Red_One43 wrote:This is one explanation on what Madieu Williams was thinking on that Cruz play. The film showed that Cruz never runs a go from the slot position. Cruz was lined up in the slot. Madieu saw that and was confident that Cruz would break off the route. The Skins were very conscious of the Giants marching down the field and kicking a FG, so Madieu was positioning himself to jump the route and possibly make the INT.
What was not known to the the person giving this explanation is the extent that Madieu was coached to watch for this tendency of Cruz. Madieu was responsible for Cruz deep, so it was his fault. Blame could also go to Wilson because he not only failed to get his hands on Cruz, as he turned to run with Cruz he seemed to open his hips awkward and quickly lost a step. It was said that Wilson should never have been over the slot guy because he is not physical enough. Williams being a veteran should have known when to turn and run and play the possibility of the deep ball, but the person giving the explanation kept emphasizing that Cruz never ran a go from the slot.
If that's true, it's probably because Cruz hasn't seen such an atrociously played coverage from the slot before.
If he was even thinking about jumping the rout Cruz was running, he ought to get cut, because that is the corner's option when he's got Safety help over the top. The safety is called that for a reason. In that situation, the absolute last thing that you can allow to happen ... let the guy get behind you, happened.
Go look at the play and watch it several times. Hall is covering Nicks one on one, and keeping Nicks in front of him ..... and I believe Williams was watching Eli, anticipating that he might throw to Nicks in single coverage, where he might jump that rout, because it was clear that Nicks wasn't running a go rout. And before he even gets moving, Cruz already has Wilson beat and is on top of him and Williams is dead meat at that point and Cruz knows it. By the time the ball is released, Williams is behind both Cruz AND Wilson, when he should have been in front of both.
Williams sucks ... and Wilson ain't much better when you see how fast Cruz got past him.
Red_One43 wrote:It seems to me that the person giving this explanation was saying that the coaches were also at fault because, he felt that Madieu was coached to look for Cruz to break off the route and the fact that Wilson being over the slot receiver.
Here's the issue with my source. I hearded this on either ESPN980 or the 106.7 The Fan. I came in after the guest was speaking. This wasn't a random caller, it was a reporter or someone who has inside football knowledge, who was a guest on the one of the shows. I flip back and forth on the stations, so and can't remember which station I was listening to at the time. This was a couple of days ago.
Perhaps someone else heard it as well and can elaborate or heard this from another source.
This the best I can find on the internet. I did find another person in this link from a mesage baord that they have read that Cruz never runs a go form the slot.
http://cpnd.proboards.com/index.cgi?boa ... 377&page=1
The coaches would not be coaching him to stand there like a statue ... and if they are, they need to go.
The more likely scenario is what I suspect ... that Williams was splitting his attention between Cruz and Nicks ... he's watching Eli instead of Cruz, and Eli looks him off of Cruz just enough to freeze him, allowing Cruz's speed to blow by him ... since Wilson was already beaten like a Salvation Army drum, the moment Cruz sees Williams flat fotted, it's pitch and catch for the TD.