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[Talon]

Someone brought this up, but I guess Clay Matthews had 4.5 sacks his senior year. I really have no idea, but maybe Jordan just never was given enough opportunities?

See, here's the thing. That USC team didn't ask Matthews to rush the passer, as far as I recall.

Jordan was the pass rusher on Oregon for the past two seasons. Granted, that shitty DC Aliotti spends half his time parking in zone off a 3 man line, so Jordan actually did a lot of coverage in the flats. But he didn't exactly flash dominant skills when he was pass rushing, even against shitty offensive lines like Wazzu.

 

[squicken]

See, here's the thing. That USC team didn't ask Matthews to rush the passer, as far as I recall.

Jordan was the pass rusher on Oregon for the past two seasons. Granted, that shitty DC Aliotti spends half his time parking in zone off a 3 man line, so Jordan actually did a lot of coverage in the flats. But he didn't exactly flash dominant skills when he was pass rushing, even against shitty offensive lines like Wazzu.

Thanks Talon. He very much seems like the classic bust guy. He's so small you wonder how he's going to hold up vs the run, and if he can't rush as a package guy, what is he?

 

[Talon]

Thanks Talon. He very much seems like the classic bust guy. He's so small you wonder how he's going to hold up vs the run, and if he can't rush as a package guy, what is he?

My good friend from college who's the big Ducks fan that made me watch these games is more bewildered than I about all the talk Dion Jordan is receiving. Seems counterfactual to both of us.

Next, someone is going to say that John Boyett is tall and excels in coverage.

 

[Milchjon]

This may sound like a weird question, but here goes:

When watching football, where do you look if you want to catch as much of the play as possible? Always at the guy with the ball (which I guess is what I do), or is there any other way? Especially on the defensive side, there's often so many possible places to focus on...

 

[squicken]

This may sound like a weird question, but here goes:

When watching football, where do you look if you want to catch as much of the play as possible? Always at the guy with the ball (which I guess is what I do), or is there any other way? Especially on the defensive side, there's often so many possible places to focus on...

Before the snap I try to watch the defense, but the camera inevitably pulls in and you can't see the safeties. Once the ball is snapped I follow the ball

Only when re-watching the game do I not look at the ball. Watching live is about the entertainment of the game, after all

 

[DeaconKnowledge]

Before the snap I try to watch the defense, but the camera inevitably pulls in and you can't see the safeties. Once the ball is snapped I follow the ball

Only when re-watching the game do I not look at the ball. Watching live is about the entertainment of the game, after all

Over the course of the game I tend to drift towards certain players who's performance I am interested in, particularly along the O and D-lines.

Steve McLendon's play at Nose for the Steelers, for example.

When I watch skill positions, I mainly try to see how the team uses that player, how the other skill personnel is split and what kind of separation they get. It also helps me understand the performance of the quarterback and how the play is drawn up. For lesser quarterbacks like Sanchez, many personnel groupings are employed to free up one particular player. It helps explain to me why the defense reacts in the manner they do.

 

[LJ11]

I've wanted to contribute some things over the last couple of weeks, but I was just too busy. Intended to make up for it this weekend but was sick and just laid in bed/couch watching sports/movies.

Glad you guys did the community mock, it's a fun thing to do.

Buddy Nix has only drafted first rounders that have visited predraft.

Mingo, Jones, Patterson, Hunter, and Vaccaro are the only possible non-QB first rounders that visited one Bills Drive.

Mingo and Vaccaro are probably lock top 15 talents, so the Bills are either taking a QB or one of these two players. Remember, they loved Barron last year, and Vaccaro's better in coverage if you ask me.

Probably going to be a QB, even though they want to bail out of the pick.

 

[squicken]

I've wanted to contribute some things over the last couple of weeks, but I was just too busy. Intended to make up for it this weekend but was sick and just laid in bed/couch watching sports/movies.

Glad you guys did the community mock, it's a fun thing to do.

Buddy Nix has only drafted first rounders that have visited predraft.

Mingo, Jones, Patterson, Hunter, and Vaccaro are the only possible non-QB first rounders that visited one Bills Drive.

Mingo and Vaccaro are probably lock top 15 talents, so the Bills are either taking a QB or one of these two players. Remember, they loved Barron last year, and Vaccaro's better in coverage if you ask me.

Probably going to be a QB, even though they want to bail out of the pick.

Well you got Tavon based on the previous post!

ari is in console warrior hell with snes. Post in the main thread!

 

[Draxal]

Well you got Tavon based on the previous post!

ari is in console warrior hell with snes. Post in the main thread!

In his long ass post, he mentioned pass rushing lb as need hence me pushing Mingo.

 

[LJ11]

Well you got Tavon based on the previous post!

ari is in console warrior hell with snes. Post in the main thread!

They nuked his account?

 

[squicken]

They nuked his account?

I thought he got perm'd but I guess he's back. Who cares? He never posts in the NFL thread anyway

 

[yankeehater]

Technically you said you wouldnt post anymore in the playoff thread, so if we consider all the NFL related threads within a season to be extensions of the same thread, then the draft thread would start the next season cycle. So I would think you would be fine to post in the draft thread once it goes up without violating the spirit of the bet.

 

[BigAT]

This may sound like a weird question, but here goes:

When watching football, where do you look if you want to catch as much of the play as possible? Always at the guy with the ball (which I guess is what I do), or is there any other way? Especially on the defensive side, there's often so many possible places to focus on...

On the snap I usually look at the offensive line since it usually gives me the best idea whether the play is run, pass, play action, a draw, screen, if any guards are pulling, etc. I also try to get a general impression of what type of pressure and how many players the defense is bringing. After that it's just ball watching. If there is a replay I try to put together some idea of what type of coverage the defense ran.

It's hard to look down on or truly argue against simply ball watching during most games though. You simply don't have enough information with the standard NFL camera angle to put it all together, considering you lose the CBs after a second and might not even see the safeties. Just do whatever you find most enjoyable.

 

[cashman]

What does it mean to be a 1/3/5 technique DT? What are these techniques? What's the difference in the type of athletes for this?

 

[BigAT]

What does it mean to be a 1/3/5 technique DT? What are these techniques? What's the difference in the type of athletes for this?

It refers to the positioning of the defensive lineman and how they line up in relation to the offensive lineman across from them. All of the ones you listed line up against the outside shoulder of an OL, starting on the interior (1-tech) and then heading out (5-tech).

Taking this link from FV's OP:

http://www.dawgsbynature.com/2011/4...gy-the-three-technique-and-the-five-technique

 

[Futurevoid]

I've been watching this game over the past few days in an effort to get some game looks at Pugh/Nassib for the Giants. I'll have some thoughts on it later tonight for Pugh and Nassib. I've seen Nassib play before so I know a bit about him but I wasn't very knowledgeable on Pugh. Here's the game (Pinstripe Bowl from December):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27_09VIL3d8

Feel free to share any thoughts if you have them in the interim. Not just for those players as there's plenty of other prospects to comment on.

 

[squicken]

I've been watching this game over the past few days in an effort to get some game looks at Pugh/Nassib for the Giants. I'll have some thoughts on it later tonight for Pugh and Nassib. I've seen Nassib play before so I know a bit about him but I wasn't very knowledgeable on Pugh. Here's the game (Pinstripe Bowl from December):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27_09VIL3d8

Feel free to share any thoughts if you have them in the interim. Not just for those players as there's plenty of other prospects to comment on.

I'll give it a watch later tonight. Didn't really watch much that Bowl game aside from the flip over to enjoy the snow football

 

[cdyhybrid]

Thought experiment/speculation about how the Seahawks' front seven will play out with all the new additions.

Highlights include Bruce Irvin moving to SAM, Cliff Avril not having an obvious (to an outsider) spot, and Jesse Williams potentially being a starter.

Crossposting from the Offseason thread. This guy is probably the best independent Seahawks blogger.

 

[squicken]

I

Feel free to share any thoughts if you have them in the interim. Not just for those players as there's plenty of other prospects to comment on.

Problem I have with Pugh is the same problem I had with Lane Johnson. Big12 defenses are so awful that I can never tell how good an offensive lineman is. I can tell if one is bad. But hard to say anything about Pugh based on this game. WVU was just so crappy all year

I do have a few comments on WVU's skill guys. First on Geno

www.youtube.com/watch?v=27_09VIL3d8#t=2h7m15s

He gets tripped here and has a right to be pissed. But he's just so out of control that it's bad form. He's a 3 year starter and Holgo is almost consoling him in the middle of the third quarter b/c he's taking it so poorly

Tough game to judge Austin. He's not going to be of much use on bad footing. He gets yards and is obviously fast, but there's just never that much space in the NFL

Bailey is better than Iglesias and Manny Johnson, Bradford's two main guys when he was at OU. He's faster and has really good skills when the ball is in the air. Good hand fighting and high pointing his catches. He'll never be a #1 b/c he's not fast enough, but I still feel like he's just as good as a lot of WRs that went in the second round. Outside of the Tennessee guys, I don't see any potential traditional #1 X WRs. I'd rather have Hopkins, but I'm not sure there's a huge disparity between he and 5-10 other WRs that went later

 

[Mackenzie 92]

You guys know of any good depth chart editors and or scheme editors or apps? Looked through the thread and google was no help either.

 

[MiKeD]

Should add 'Intentional Grounding' to the common penalties section. It's a pretty big one which you do see a good amount of times during a season.

 

[Futurevoid]

Intentional grounding added to the common penalties section.

 

[BlackGhost]

2014 Qb talk!

QB guru George Whitfield believes Clemson senior Tajh Boyd is the most complete QB in college football today.
"I think he brings the most to the table in terms of tools and intangibles," Whitfield said. "I think he is the most capable of hurting a defensive coordinator's gameplan... I am not saying he is this man, but in a lot of ways it is like watching Aaron Rodgers play." Whitfield went on to discuss how defenses have to "pick their poison" in regards to pressuring Boyd, since he can beat them with his feet, or sit back and be picked apart with his arm.

Speaking with NFL Network's Bucky Brooks, QB guru George Whitfield believes Texas A&M redshirt sophomore QB Johnny Manziel is still a work in progress.
"In terms of his position, he is just scratching the surface." Whitfield said. "He is working towards getting bigger and stronger. At one point this spring he was up to 212, now he's at 208 pounds." Whitfield went on to add that at the end of the season, Manziel weighed 191 pounds. They discussed his improvements mechanically, but Whitfield admitted that Manziel would not be prepared for the NFL level right now. We agree and do not take it as a strong criticism and instead appreciate the honesty.

Glad to here he's putting on weight, I'd like to see him fill out his frame more

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah tweeted that the buzz is already building around San Jose State QB David Fales.
We've mentioned Fales a few times after seeing his tape when spotlighting David Quessenberry and Ryan Otten. He flashes tremendous talent as a pocket passer, showing touch downfield and an ability to work through the pocket and progressions to find open receivers.
Source: Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter May 7 - 5:35 PM

ESPN's Brock Huard ranks Ohio State junior Braxton Miller as the No. 5 draft-eligible QB for the 2014 draft.
Miller checks in behind Teddy Bridgewater, Tajh Boyd, Aaron Murray, and Marcus Mariota. However, Huard does place Miller ahead of big names like A.J. McCarron, Johnny Manziel, Stephen Morris, Logan Thomas, and Derek Carr. "Accuracy can't always be taught, but neither can winning and toughness," Huard writes. "If his passing efficiency improves, Miller's stock will soar and NFL teams will clamor for a leader they couldn't find in the 2013 draft."

This ones alittle surprising for me, let's see how the season goes. I'd love to see him succeed.

 

[BigAT]

I've been rather impressed with what I've seen out of Bridgewater so far in his career. Great poise in the pocket, tough player and a pretty big arm. I personally don't think Manziel will ever do anything of note in the NFL.

 

[Hitokage]

Couple of interesting blog posts about Pete Carroll's D:

http://www.fieldgulls.com/football-...defining-the-seahawks-defense-an-introduction
http://www.fieldgulls.com/football-...wks-defense-history-pete-carroll-monte-kiffin

Too bad the server is total shit, though.

 

[chuckddd]

I've been rather impressed with what I've seen out of Bridgewater so far in his career. Great poise in the pocket, tough player and a pretty big arm. I personally don't think Manziel will ever do anything of note in the NFL.

It depends on whether Johnny Football has been working on his mechanics in between all the partying and celebrity appearances.


And thanks for that, hito. Good read.

 

[BigAT]

It depends on whether Johnny Football has been working on his mechanics in between all the partying and celebrity appearances.

It certainly looks like he has:

 

[LJ11]

Couple of interesting blog posts about Pete Carroll's D:

http://www.fieldgulls.com/football-...defining-the-seahawks-defense-an-introduction
http://www.fieldgulls.com/football-...wks-defense-history-pete-carroll-monte-kiffin

Too bad the server is total shit, though.

Thanks for sharing this. The Nike Clinic piece a few years ago was a big eye opener, been interested in his D ever since.

A couple of comments on the QBs in the 14 class, no clue what people see in Aaron Murray. He's good on his best days, but rarely is he at his best. Just don't see why he's even brought up as an upper echelon talent.

I really like Tajh Boyd, but he can't beat you with his feat, just not that athletic. They basically run Gus Malzahn's offense with great athletes/weapons all over the field, lots of option and misdirection, really fun to watch and if you're a football fan it's must watch, but Boyd doesn't rip off runs like you'd expect.

Boyd needs to flesh out his game, especially his pocket presence. He's a drifter, keeps dropping back, tendency to throw flat footed or off his back leg. Some awful decision making too, just dumb throws, kind of like Tyler Wilson in a way. Great QB when he's on though. Hit or miss on deep throws. Should be an interesting year for him.

 

[squicken]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/30/sports/ncaafootball/30spread.html?pagewanted=1&ref=sports&_r=1&

An older article talking about the spread, but had some good points about defending it, with a good line from Gary Patterson

If the defensive end is fast enough to be able to play the running back or the quarterback instead of some other person on your defense, that frees up a guy," he said. "If nine guys out of your 11 can run somebody down, it always helps.

Definitely seeing teams trend towards lighter, faster guys. But also, willing to take on unpolished players figuring they can teach technique. This is the Rams adjustment to the ZRO. All their rookies defenders are on the small side, but all are very fast for their positions. A couple of converted safeties at LB. Would seem a poor match to play SF, though it worked last year

 

[Mackenzie 92]

Good read on Kiffin's 4-3 that he will be using in Dallas.

http://newbury1310.blogspot.com/2013/02/cowboys-new-look-defensive-line.html

 

[chuckddd]

Here's a zbs breakdown, courtesy of Behind the Steel Curtain.

 

[LJ11]

Good read on Kiffin's 4-3 that he will be using in Dallas.

http://newbury1310.blogspot.com/2013/02/cowboys-new-look-defensive-line.html

I like Newbury, good follow on twitter, also likes hockey!

Shameless plug for one of the most underrated players in the league.

Kid who wrote piece is a Euro, good work so far from him. Good to see the sport spreading.

 

[Futurevoid]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaLaBJ2isaQ

16 minutes of Jayron Hosely footage from his rookie season with the Giants. Rough go for the kid. Looks lost more often than not so you can tell he's still learning the defense. Late to press, doesn't understand his zone assignments. There's some flashes of speed and awareness. Hope he is able to make the jump this coming season. We need him to.

Here's a zbs breakdown, courtesy of Behind the Steel Curtain.

That's a great read. Thanks!

 

[Futurevoid]

Resurrecting for some film study related items. Cross posting this from the regular NFL thread. Bigblueview has a nice article on Prince Amukamara, his 2012 season and what he could do in 2013/2014. Some nice film study in the article of Prince playing both press and zone coverage.

http://www.bigblueview.com/2013/7/5...prince-amukamara-fil-breakdown-darrelle-revis

 

[XiaNaphryz]

FIgure I should post this here:

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/26/derek-mason-stanford-read-option/

Stanford's defensive coordinator talks about defending the read option. Pretty long article, along with a video clip where he goes over some of the differences between the college and pro approaches to the read option.

Total number of Stanford defensive players drafted in 2013: zero, same as the year before. So why did so many NFL coaches seek out Mason for advice?

Stanford’s players might not rival Alabama’s in terms of athleticism, but they execute a pro-style, two-gapping 3-4 defense and have football IQs on par with NFL veterans who are trying to adapt to the read-option. What coaches learned from Mason, a Vikings assistant from 2007 to ’09, should make offensive coordinators think twice about letting their thoroughbred QBs run wild this season.

He won’t win a Nobel prize for his work, but as all great teachers do, Mason simplifies the problem to its root cause: Mobile quarterbacks who can throw on the run with the casualness of delivering newspapers create an extra gap that defenses rarely had to account for before last season. Closing it requires a defense that is Stanford to its core: equal parts arts and science.

***

The two biggest adjustments being made in professional football will ramp up once the pads are strapped on in training camp. Teams that favor a 4-3 single-gap defense are going to need a backup plan, meaning they’ll have to become a 3-4 team against the read-option. And all edge defenders will need to be retrained, if not brainwashed, on how to play their position.

But before jumping into the Sanskrit of X’s and O’s on Mason’s whiteboard, let’s take a step back and go over a few basics.

A defense letters the gaps in an offensive line. The spaces between the center and both guards are called the A gaps; the B gaps are between the guards and tackles; C gaps are between a tackle and a tight end; and D gaps are just beyond a tight end’s outside shoulder. Most defenders are assigned a gap on every snap. If a defensive tackle shoots the A gap, for instance, a linebacker would take the B. When you hear TV analysts saying a player is being undisciplined, it’s often because he’s chasing the flow of a play instead of minding his gap.

The best defense to stop a traditional running offense is the 3-4. With three down linemen responsible for the interior and two outside linebackers covering the edges, all the gaps are covered. The two inside linebackers react to the flow of a play and help form a wall, meaning a properly defensed running play should yield no room for a back to break through the line of scrimmage.

“If you’re playing single-gap defense, you’re going to be one gap short every time,” Mason says, pausing at the whiteboard and turning around to make sure this important point is understood.

In a single-gap scheme, often a 4-3, a lineman is tasked with clogging one hole and making a tackle if the ballcarrier comes his way. In a two-gap scheme, often a 3-4, he’s responsible for the gap on either his left or right. His main job is to engage blockers so the linebackers behind him can make tackles. The 3-4 alone won’t stop the read-option, because it creates an extra gap, but it allows for the easiest adjustment.

Against a pocket passer in a traditional offense, gap responsibility stops at D. And the defense has the upper hand in such matchups, essentially playing 11 against 10 because the quarterback isn’t a threat to run. But when you introduce a QB who has the ability to fake an inside handoff and then scoot around the weak end of the defense­, the E gap is created in an area that is typically left unguarded. The game now becomes 11-on-11, the new math of the NFL.

The first thing a read-option quarterback looks for when he gets to the line of scrimmage is to see if the defense has left itself short somewhere. That is, is the E gap being accounted for? The easiest way to take away the E gap is to play a 3-4 (because everything else is covered) and rotate a safety into the area that would normally be unguarded. But it’s not a perfect solution. This forces a defense to become more vanilla in its pass coverage, because a lone safety lined up deep doesn’t allow for convincing presnap disguises.

Most of the Packers’ blown yardage in that playoff game against the 49ers came when they were employing man coverage with help from two safeties over the top. In this schematic wrinkle, cornerbacks position themselves as close to receivers as possible while staying between the quarterback and his target. This, however, requires them to play with their backs to the line of scrimmage, which might as well be a Bat-Signal for QBs like Kaepernick to take off running.

By watching film of college teams, and that of the Steelers—Pittsburgh held Griffin and the Redskins to a regular season-low 255 yards of total offense in its 27-12 victory last October—you quickly realize that defenses should play the percentages when defending the pass … and hope the quarterback has moments of inaccuracy.

To account for the quarterback as a runner, defenses should play mostly quarters (facing the play, two corners and two safeties are each responsible for one of four vertical columns in the secondary) or single high safety, with the other safety providing run support. The latter leaves defenses susceptible to deep shots, which the Patriots learned against the 49ers last December. Trying to attack the E gap isn’t new in football—think of a naked bootleg around the weak side—but what makes the read-option so groundbreaking is that it’s being orchestrated by quarterbacks who can throw as well as they run. Pure option quarterbacks have never thrived in the NFL, but when Kaepernick throws the deep ball with accuracy, the 49ers are virtually unstoppable. As a defensive coordinator you need to pick your battles.

“Our goal is to stop the run and defend the pass,” Mason explains. “You can’t stop everything. But if they can run, that sets up the play-action pass, and they’re rolling at that point. That’s what they want.”

The read-option not only limits a defense’s coverage, it deflates the pass rush as well. Players who predominantly line up with a hand on the ground in a 4-3 will now be drilled to use a two-point stance (that is, to stand up). They’ll be instructed to read and react to a developing play instead of going straight for the quarterback—a tactic that allows them to crush pocket passers, but one that makes them look like bystanders as read-option QBs react to their impulsive moves.

Mason, whose arm seems to be surgically attached to the dry-erase marker, draws a straight line signifying an instant rush from a defensive end—the unblocked one opposite the tight end side of the formation—to the quarterback. If the unblocked end charges in this fashion, and if you don’t have an inside linebacker or safety moving into the vacated gap, good luck stopping the read-option.

This hard-charging end is left unblocked for a reason. He’s like a basketball player trying to defend a pick-and-roll by himself. In other words, he’s powerless. If he comes at the quarterback, the running back takes the handoff. If the end angles his shoulders toward the dive back, the QB pulls the ball back from the handoff (also called the mesh point) and takes off around the corner, forcing the end to turn back and give chase.

Mason depicts a solution on the whiteboard, showing the unblocked end first going upfield, at no one, and then squeezing down on the running back once he gets the ball. The idea is to let the quarterback make a decision without giving him all the information he wants.

“The quarterback wants a fast read all the time,” Mason says. “If you don’t give him a fast read, then things start to break down and he starts to panic because everything is predicated on him being able to make a fast read. Especially in the NFL, because they don’t want to get that guy hit. If you come up the field and then try to squeeze, it’s now hard on the quarterback.”

* * *

A slow read forces the quarterback to think more. In football, thinking equals slow, and slow equals disaster. Slowing down the read won’t just stop the quarterback, it’s also important in wrapping up the running back. A week after running roughshod over the Packers, Kaepernick was held to 21 yards on two carries by the Falcons in the NFC title game. But the 49ers still advanced to Super Bowl XLVII with a 28-24 victory because tailback Frank Gore had 90 yards on 21 carries and scored the game’s final two touchdowns.

On each of Gore’s TDs, the Falcons attacked Kaepernick but didn’t have anyone covering the inside gap. Thanks to strong play from the offensive line, Gore was able to slip through. Atlanta kept Kaepernick in check, but the read-option isn’t solely about the quarterback. There’s a reason why Alfred Morris, a sixth-round rookie out of Florida Atlantic, finished second in the league in rushing with 1,613 yards playing alongside RG3. Read-option offenses don’t care for whom the gap is opened—they’re going to exploit what you give them.

Not surprisingly, the Packers and Falcons both took courses on college campuses (Green Bay went to Texas A&M and Atlanta to Clemson). Even so, defenses across the league might still be a step behind. At the college level, Mason has seen offensive coordinators using faster tempos by going no-huddle, and they’re creating ways to make reads off interior defensive lineman, not just edge players. Offensive coordinators in the NFL might use as many as 15 formations with the same personnel grouping in a game, but a defense isn’t going to have as many schemes to confuse an offense. Stopping the read-option is about knowing how and where to line up, and being on the same page about how to attack the formation. One blown gap and Kaepernick is sprinting 60 yards for a touchdown.

“There’s no magic elixir playing against those schemes,” Mason says. “It’s being fundamentally sound in terms of your keys. That’s it. If you don’t understand your fits, or where your eyes go and where your help is, you’re at risk. You’re just out there playing ball, and they’re always going to be one step ahead of you.”

And with that, Mason wipes the whiteboard clear. Can’t give away all the secrets.

Going into a new season, defensive coaches have had months to take lecture notes from college coaches like Mason and become teachers themselves. Expect any 4-3 team that plays against a read-option offense in 2013 to employ modified version of a 3-4, two-gapping scheme.

Mason may know how to slow the read-option, but the best advice comes from a different Stanford classroom. Across the Oval and Main Quad, where they teach applied physics, you’ll be reminded that “for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.”

NFL defenses have taken action, and offenses will soon react. Whoever studied the best this offseason will ace the test. The loser will have to enroll in summer school again.

 

[BigAT]

FIgure I should post this here:

http://mmqb.si.com/2013/07/26/derek-mason-stanford-read-option/

Stanford's defensive coordinator talks about defending the read option. Pretty long article, along with a video clip where he goes over some of the differences between the college and pro approaches to the read option.

Good article. I think the most interesting storyline this season will be how defenses are able to handle the read option now that they have had a full offseason to prepare for it.

 

[eznark]

3-4 defense with athletic and explosive OLB's like Clay Matthews is the answer. This is why the Packers dominated the 49ers.

I still think defenses will "solve" it by using an attacking, rover style SS who forces the QB to react a whole lot quicker than they had planned which is generally going to result in either a keep or a poorly thrown ball AND is going to put defensive backs on an island. That's good for a guy like Wilson who is super accurate but not as great for a guy like Kap who relies more on strength and zip to get the ball to covered receivers.

Most of the Packers’ blown yardage in that playoff game against the 49ers came when they were employing man coverage with help from two safeties over the top. In this schematic wrinkle, cornerbacks position themselves as close to receivers as possible while staying between the quarterback and his target. This, however, requires them to play with their backs to the line of scrimmage, which might as well be a Bat-Signal for QBs like Kaepernick to take off running.

This is only true of the "big plays." Specifically, the Kap runs. In general, through the air, the Packers got burned playing two high safeties, man corner with pathetic zone blitzes from the linebackers.

 

[Lonestar]

One way to solve the Read Option:
Step 1: Draft Clowney.
Step 2: Have him kill the RB and QB at the same time.
Step 3: Profit.

 

[BigAT]

Couple of articles I read recently that I thought warranted posting over here. First off, former TE Anthony Becht on the surge in training camp injuries and the changes in offseason conditioning programs.

http://bechtsmouth.blogspot.com/2013/08/breaking-news-nfl-player-and-product.html

He doesn't go so far as to completely blame the new offseason schedule for all the injuries. If nothing else it's interesting to read about the huge shift in offseason preparation with the new CBA. I remember thinking it was crazy when it was announced, but even reading it again having only 14 padded practices for the entire regular season still seems absurdly insufficient.


I posted this in the other thread as well, but here's an article on the trend towards eliminating tackling and contact in training camps and practices.

http://pro32.ap.org/article/nfl-teams-trending-toward-no-tackling-camp

Chip's camp for the Eagles is completely free of tackling. Saying "We have four preseason games for that" seems insane considering how important and fundamental a skill tackling is and how few snaps some players will actually see in the preseason. It's not inconceivable that an Eagles player could go into the regular season without having attempted a single tackle, which is crazy.

 

[ShaneB]

Just posting to sub

Time to read the OT and learn more about football besides the basics I've known for years

 

[brentech]

One way to solve the Read Option:
Step 1: Draft Clowney.
Step 2: Have him kill the RB and QB at the same time.
Step 3: Profit.

He'll be exhausted after doing that once or twice

 

[Lonestar]

He'll be exhausted after doing that once or twice

Yeah, I should have seen him being out of shape a month before the season started



Article on Manziel vs Alabama's Defense

Rip/Liz Defense and other high level stuff.

 

[brentech]

Yeah, I should have seen him being out of shape a month before the season started

I don't watch a huge amount of college football. I've probably watched more this year than last year already....
Apparently he had a stomach bug the first game, but he still seems to dog it a lot. Not sure if that was the case last year? Hopefully he just needs a bit more time. When he has the energy he seems to blow things up.

 

[squicken]

Tyran Mathieu is really going to develop a rep as the year goes on. He's basically Finnegan Jr. There's a lot of little subtle shit he does that is right on the edge of the rule book and sometimes across. Hopefully the GIFs are big enough to show what I mean

http://i.minus.com/iQQ9SlHQbjryl.gif

If you can see it, he uses his right hand to unbalance Pettis in the air and then drive him down so he lands hard. I know when I see sketchy stuff. He does it

http://i.minus.com/i7jLxbQFjNFgO.gif

On this, Austin has him beat deep. So as Austin turns inside, Mathieu just keeps running full speed, throws his arms up, and crashes in to Austin. It's hard to see, but the ball lands about 10 yards from where they crash together. He knew he was going to interfere, so figured he'd get a free shot in. And to be fair, their gameplan was to bang on Austin. They tried to hit him as often as they could. It's something STL will have to watch for.

Like I said, neither of these is a rule violation, but it's the kind of thing most players don't do. When he goes up against Boldin or the SEA WRs, guys that will fight back, you will see some ruckus

 

[Talon]

Thanks for pointing that out Squicken. I have to imagine that Mel Blount was doing shit like this all the time with his big body. It's all about playing the game, after all.

 

[squicken]

Thanks for pointing that out Squicken. I have to imagine that Mel Blount was doing shit like this all the time with his big body. It's all about playing the game, after all.

If you can see it in the Austin GIF, as he falls down, he makes sure to get a knee to the head of Tavon. Yes, it's about playing the game, it's also something most players do not do. It's like Suh and trying to use his legs so he can trip and then slam QBs across his legs

Finnegan used to do this to Andre Johnson. I remember a very specific play. The Texans faked an end around to Dre, and Finnegan flashed across the line of scrimmage, jumps on Dre's head, and takes him down. Technically within the rules b/c Dre was acting as a ball carrier and head contact is allowed. But he knew Dre didn't have the ball. It was just a chance to get a shot in. That was the play that lead to Dre beating the crap out of Finnegan later on.

Seattle has some crazy WRs. They will absolutely be throwing down with Honey Badger

Coaches tape is now up for all the games. I will post that stuff here. No point posting that in the ketchup chip thread

 

[Lonestar]

He did some of this back in College.

 

[BigAT]

Tyran Mathieu is really going to develop a rep as the year goes on. He's basically Finnegan Jr. There's a lot of little subtle shit he does that is right on the edge of the rule book and sometimes across. Hopefully the GIFs are big enough to show what I mean

http://i.minus.com/iQQ9SlHQbjryl.gif

If you can see it, he uses his right hand to unbalance Pettis in the air and then drive him down so he lands hard. I know when I see sketchy stuff. He does it

http://i.minus.com/i7jLxbQFjNFgO.gif[IMG]

[url]http://i.minus.com/i7jLxbQFjNFgO.gif[/url]

On this, Austin has him beat deep. So as Austin turns inside, Mathieu just keeps running full speed, throws his arms up, and crashes in to Austin. It's hard to see, but the ball lands about 10 yards from where they crash together. He knew he was going to interfere, so figured he'd get a free shot in. And to be fair, their gameplan was to bang on Austin. They tried to hit him as often as they could. It's something STL will have to watch for.

Like I said, neither of these is a rule violation, but it's the kind of thing most players don't do. When he goes up against Boldin or the SEA WRs, guys that will fight back, you will see some ruckus[/QUOTE]

I know you watched the full thing and I didn't see virtually any of this game (I had a five hour power outage in the middle of the first Sunday of football, ridiculous), so you might have seen more of it happening throughout the game, but I really don't see anything wrong in the first GIF.

He initially goes up and tries to get his arm between the receivers hands, which is proper technique obviously. After that he has virtually no idea if the ball has been caught or not from his vantage point, at which point he brings his arm down to drag the receiver both toward him and toward the ground. By dragging the receiver towards him he tries to make sure that he lands out of bounds (which he does). By dragging him down he increases the force with which the WR hits the ground and the chances that the ball is jarred loose, which is just as important with the emphasis that has been placed on "completing the process" when a receiver is taken to the ground on a catch.

I'm not saying Mathieu isn't a chippy player, it wouldn't stun me if he is, but everything that first GIF seems not only like fair game, it looks like effective pass coverage.

 

[squicken]

I know you watched the full thing and I didn't see virtually any of this game (I had a five hour power outage in the middle of the first Sunday of football, ridiculous), so you might have seen more of it happening throughout the game, but I really don't see anything wrong in the first GIF.

He initially goes up and tries to get his arm between the receivers hands, which is proper technique obviously. After that he has virtually no idea if the ball has been caught or not from his vantage point, at which point he brings his arm down to drag the receiver both toward him and toward the ground. By dragging the receiver towards him he tries to make sure that he lands out of bounds (which he does). By dragging him down he increases the force with which the WR hits the ground and the chances that the ball is jarred loose, which is just as important with the emphasis that has been placed on "completing the process" when a receiver is taken to the ground on a catch.

I'm not saying Mathieu isn't a chippy player, it wouldn't stun me if he is, but everything that first GIF seems not only like fair game, it looks like effective pass coverage.

It's just hard to capture the whole thing in a GIF. There's just a little extra follow through that he gives that tells me I am right. I'm not really trying to clamor for him to be blacklisted. I'm giving my observation on a player and it's something I think subsequent weeks will bear out

It's like the Seahawks and their illegal contact. It's not something that jumps out until your team plays them and you see for yourself how disruptive it is for an offense

 

[squicken]

Other thoughts on Rams-Cards

-Rams defense stayed in soft zone on the outside the whole game. 2 rookie safeties so it makes sense, but good WRs and a decent QB will eat that up. A lot of pitch and catch. That defense made Brandon Weeden look All Pro in the preseason so I don't know how to really feel about it

-I would guess Matt Ryan will light them up, but they have protection issues too. AZ exposed Palmer too much, just like we all thought Arians would. By the fourth quarter he was hearing footsteps and was ineffective

-I think AZ has a bad defense. DET will light them up and the Rams offensive outing will lose a little of the luster the fans have heaped on it

-Bradford checked down too quickly, but that may be a little misleading. They seemed to not want to challenge Peterson 1v1, even if it was vs Givens.

-Even though Peterson followed Givens around the field, they still kept a safety over the top. It left a lot of room underneath. Back out of the backfield was there all day

-Cook's big catches came on plays where AZ was doubling Tavon. They seemed far more worried about Tavon, leaving Cook matched up with Dansby 1v1. Total mismatch

-Mathieu had Tavon almost the whole game, but almost always with some help from a LB or safety. Don't know what Mathieu is on the depth chart, but he was a slot CB in this one

-I want to think that Givens, Cook, and Tavon put their defense in a bind, and they had to pick their poison. But there were gaping holes all over the field and AZ had no pass rush. Think it's going to be a long year in the desert