It’s third-and-15. Wide receiver screen. It’s second-and-3. Inside split zone. Play-calling in the NFL will always represent the area fans always zoom in on no matter the level of team success.
Think Paul Hackett, the man who called the New York Jets‘ offensive plays from 2001-2004, a four-year span that produced three playoff teams and two postseason victories. The man could never snag any wide-ranging level of fan respect despite the team’s overall success.
The king of the third-and-long draw play dealt with an oft-injured quarterback in Chad Pennington and molded an offense around his strengths and limitations.