How do we NOT have digital ball technology in the NFL, that can tell exactly where on the field the ball was at a certain point in time?
A big question Chris Russell wanted to know when he opened up his weekly Monday visit with Jay Gruden discussing the first big fourth down that sunk the Commanders Sunday, this one being the spot on Zach Ertz’s catch on the final offensive drive.
“It’s mind-boggling with all the money that's out there, that they can't figure it out. Look at the Falcons-Bucs game a couple weeks ago where Kyle Pitts dropped the ball before the one-yard line and they called a touchdown,” Gruden said. “Plays like that rear their ugly head throughout the season, and these are plays that make the difference in team going to the playoffs or coaches getting fired, so you would think they would do something.”
In Ertz’s case, the play was not reviewable because it was inside two minutes so Dan Quinn couldn’t challenge the spot, but why didn’t they run a longer play in the first place?
“I think there's a lot of different parts to it; sometimes you have an element that is a short element trying to attract the hook defender and that route coming behind it, because you can't have two guys in the same spot, so you gotta have some route distribution,” Gruden said. “But especially on fourth and nine, you wanna have at least three, maybe four guys that are getting to the sticks, and you always tell your players that you wanna get two yards beyond the sticks, because if the ball brings you back, you will still have a first down. That's the most important point; you don't wanna just run it nine yards, because if the quarterback throws and you gotta come back to the ball, you're gonna be short. That was such a bang-bang play, but it just kills you that it had to come down to that.”
The other fourth-down folly was Johnny Newton jumping offsides on fourth and one on the next drive, giving the Steelers a first down with just over a minute left and effectively ending the game – something Rooster things coaches should have hammered into the linemen’s heads not to do.
“That’s the veterans’ job, there’s gotta be a communication process by everybody before the ball is snapped,” Gruden said. “You’d like to that Wagner or someone would be the one in control to say ‘don’t jump,’ but they came quick out of the huddle and he’s a rookie and wanted to make a big play, and unfortunately, it was a bonehead play.”
Listen to Gruden’s entire visit above, as he also talks about Jayden Daniels’ off day, the lack of a running game against Pittsburgh, a bizarre special teams day, and more!