We are proud to share NFL Films Legend and Tape Wizard Greg Cosell’s raw notes from his film observations. We’ll be releasing his notes every week, either on Wednesday or Thursday.
PACKERS OFFENSE VERSUS 49ERS DEFENSE
Adams 36 yard TD to end first possession came out of 21 personnel with Adams the boundary x, 49ers out of base played cover 3 with Moseley as always the boundary corner; Adams straight go route with a great ball placement throw by Rodgers to the outside away from Moseley
Dime was game planned by the 49ers on 3rd down and selected down and distance situations, Corner Taylor was the dime and he matched up to the TE versus 11 personnel when the 49ers went cover 1 with 5 man pressures
49ers continued to feature tilted fronts out of sub fronts with Warner the wild card as a blitzer and coverage player
Ward continued to be the predominant TE out of sub nickel when the 49ers went cover 1 versus 11 personnel
49ers only played 1 snap of sub dime because Williams got hurt and Taylor became the slot corner, My sense was the 49ers game planned to play dime but Williams injury prevented it
Valdes-Scantling 52 yard TD at the 2 minute warning in the 1st half came out of 11 2x2 with Valdes-Scantling #1 to the field versus 49ers disguise late movement to cover 6, Packers nice concept with Shepherd jet action to the field and Sternberger deep crosser to from the field to the boundary to control boundary quarters safety Ward; Jet action and Sternberger route isolated Valdes-Scantling vertical route on cover 2 safety Harris
Adams 49 yards on 3rd + 7 on first possession of the 3rd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Adams #1 to the field in a plus split, Adams stutter-go beat Verrett; 49ers cover 4 out of sub nickel
49ers continued to match Ward on inside slot WR in 1x3 sets when they went cover 1 out of sub nickel
Harris replaced injured Tartt at strong safety late in the 2nd quarter, Harris is a true strong safety re: size and traits
Adams 34 yards on 3rd + 4 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 empty with Adams #2 to trips versus 49ers nickel cover 1 with Taylor matched on Adams, Adams slot fade got on top of Taylor – Adams beat Moseley, Verrett and Taylor on his 3 explosive plays
49ers blitzed on 44% of Rodgers drop backs, That percentage was little higher than their season average of 37%
49ers high percentage zone coverage with cover 3 the predominant coverage but also significant snaps of cover 2 and cover 4/6
BILLS OFFENSE VERSUS SEAHAWKS DEFENSE
Bills had 34 first down plays not counting the kneel down at the end of the game, They called a pass on 24 of those 34 first downs (71%)
Bills opened the game out of 10 empty, Seahawks cover 3 out of sub nickel with safety Adams carrying #2 to twins Diggs in a zone match
McKenzie 25 yard TD on 1st + 10 to end first possession came out of 10 3x1 with McKenzie the inside slot to trips versus Seahawks nickel cover 3, #3 on over route attacking hook-to-curl safety Adams who showed no awareness of the route
Bills game plan approach featured 10 personnel, spreading out the Seahawks anticipated cover 3 and cover 4 out of sub nickel
Singletary 22 yard reception on second possession came out of 20 personnel with Singletary and Moss
Allen showed a good sense of progression reading, He saw things clearly and cleanly
Seahawks aggressive with blitz frequency as part of their game plan, Wagner continued to be used as a primary blitzer with Adams and Wright also featured
There were 1st down snaps in which the Bills went with 7 man protection concepts, They were not shot plays but 3 man route concepts designed to attack zone coverage
Bills anticipated they would get blitz pressure from the Seahawks and they were prepared for it with 6 and 7 man protection concepts
RT Williams had some excellent snaps in one-on-one pass protection versus Dunlap in the 1st quarter
Empty sets out of both 11 and 10 personnel were featured part of Bills game plan, and it was not quick game based; Bills coaching staff clearly believed their OL could pass protect versus Seahawks front four
Seahawks started to play more man coverage as the game progressed into the 2nd quarter, and the Bills did a good job attacking it: Diggs 21 yards on 1st + 10 in 2nd quarter a good example with mesh concept
Dunlap sack late in the 2nd quarter came when he was aligned at DE and he beat LT Dawkins
On 3rd and goal in the tight red zone in the 3rd quarter the Seahawks went zero out of sub nickel rushing 5 and deploying Wagner as a spy on Allen, They matched Adams on back Singletary versus Bills 10 personnel
Adams sack on 3rd + 6 in the 3rd quarter came out of nickel double mug front, Bills went 7 man protection and Adams beat TE Knox
Seahawks played some snaps of 3-3-5 sub nickel with Brooks the third LB with Wagner and Wright: Moss 20 yard screen late in the 3rd quarter came versus 3-3-5 blitz with LB Wright not accounting for Moss crossing the formation
Diggs 25 yards on 2nd + 8 late in the 3rd quarter came out of 10 3x1 with Diggs the inside slot to trips versus Seahawks 3-3-5 nickel cover 1 blitz with Adams matched on Diggs, Diggs beat Adams jam and then won easily on an out route off an inside release
Seahawks went sub dime early in the 4th quarter with safety Neal the dime, They went cover 1 blitz with Neal matched on Diggs in the inside slot to trips: Diggs 11 yards on out route
For the second consecutive game the Seahawks had a high blitz frequency, and they played significant snaps of man coverage – Seahawks blitzed on 58% of Allen drop backs, getting 3 sacks
Allen versus blitz: 18-23, 255 yards, 127.4 QB rating – Allen outstanding versus Seahawks high percentage pressure
Bills 12 snaps out of 10 personnel: Allen 10-11, 135 yards, 2 TD; Seahawks only played one snap of dime in the game
Allen out of 10 personnel for the season: 54-73, 74%, 624 yards, 3 TD, 2 interceptions, 8.5 yards per attempt
SEAHAWKS OFFENSE VERSUS BILLS DEFENSE
Milano inactive for the Bills, Klein was the nickel LB with Edmunds
Bills started the game with big nickel versus Seahawks 12 personnel, Marlowe was again the third safety
Seahawks featured 10 personnel on their second possession – They only had 6 snaps of 10 coming into the Bills game
White continued to play boundary corner with Wallace the field corner, White did not match up to Metcalf specifically
Bills went dime on Seahawks first 3rd down of the game, Neal was the dime; Bills went 1 robber with Poyer the robber and Marlowe the TE matchup
Bills continued to play snaps of sub dime on 3rd down, They also played man coverage out of dime with Marlowe the predominant TE matchup – Dime was part of Bills 3rd down package, They played 3 snaps of dime
Slot corner Johnson featured as a blitzer, at times as the fifth rusher and other times the fourth rusher in 4 man zone exchange concepts
Klein also featured as a blitzer, both in 4 man zone exchange concepts and 5 man pressures, both zone and man pressures
Bills played high percentage zone coverage concepts on 1st down, with some match principles; Overall they played high percentage zone concepts with some match including boundary lock in cover 3
Bills went zero out of sub nickel on 2nd + 9 in the high red zone in the 1st quarter
Metcalf 41 yards on 2nd + 7 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Metcalf the boundary x versus Bills nickel cover 3 with White boundary lock on Metcalf, Metcalf straight go route got on top of White and Wilson dropped it in the bucket
Bills went cover 1 blitz out of sub nickel on Wilson first drop back of the 3rd quarter, Klein was the fifth rusher and Edmunds green dogged when back Collins picked up Klein
Hughes sack-forced fumble on 3rd + 10 on Seahawks first possession of the 3rd quarter came out of sub nickel, 5 man zone pressure with an inside stunt with Klein the picker and Oliver the looper that forced Wilson to leave the pocket
Bills second snap of zero came on 2nd and long in the high red zone in the middle of the 3rd quarter, This one came out of big nickel versus Seahawks 12 personnel
Bills played 3 snaps of zero with the third coming on 3rd + 7 just outside the red zone late in the 3rd quarter
Klein sack on 2nd + 15 in the 4th quarter came out of sub nickel, Bills cover 1 with Klein rushing through the A gap; Reduced front alignment resulted in back Collins picking up Klein, Wilson had no defined throw within the timing of the drop and Klein tripped up Wilson as he left the pocket
Addison sack on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter featured desirable combination of coverage and pressure: Cover 3 executed perfectly versus post-cross with Addison beating LG Simmons to chase down Wilson
Klein sack-forced fumble on 3rd + 2 in the middle of the 4th quarter came out of sub nickel, Double mug look with Hughes and Edmunds in the A gaps and Klein on the boundary edge; 4 man zone exchange pressure with cover 3 behind it, Klein not accounted for and was clean to Wilson
Homer 50 yard screen on 1st + 10 late in the 4th quarter came versus Bills disguise late movement to cover 2 invert with Hyde the corner and White the deep safety, It was a boundary screen and they caught Hyde racing underneath Metcalf with no awareness of the screen, 3 OL blockers out in front of Homer – Seahawks got the right coverage for the play call
Bills blitzed on 44% of Wilson drop backs, with 3 of their sacks coming on blitz; It was aggressive pressure game plan – Wilson versus blitz: 11-17, 109 yards, TD but only 6.4 yards per attempt
DOLPHINS OFFENSE VERSUS CARDS DEFENSE
Simmons played LB in the Cards 4-3 base defense, with Hicks and Campbell; Cards also played a 3-4 base front with Reddick and Golden the OLB, with Hicks and Campbell the stacked LB – Simmons some snaps at OLB in the 3-4 front
Cards corners were P. Peterson and K. Peterson with Whittaker getting snaps in the base and Bausby snaps in the sub nickel opposite P. Peterson; Whittaker was the slot corner in the sub nickel
Dolphins foundations with Tagovailoa: Play action boot and quick timing and rhythm throws; That’s the strength of his game – Gesicki 17 yards out of 12 personnel late in the 1st quarter a good example
Dolphins also featured schemed concepts with Tagovailoa: Smythe 19 yards on delayed middle screen off fake screen to each side of the formation; Well-designed screen concept just outside the red zone to define the throw for Tagovailoa
Dolphins also featured fade balls with Tagovailoa, Those are also timing and rhythm spot throws: Williams 35 yards early in the 2nd quarter a good example
What stood out was Tagovailoa was precise with his ball placement, That is a critical foundation of his game – Parker 14 yards on 3rd + 9 from -8 yard line late in the 3rd quarter a good example in a critical situation
Dolphins played a good percentage of 12 personnel with Gesicki and Smythe the TE, That kept the Cards in base defense limiting the pressure concepts – Dolphins played 12 personnel on 46% of their offensive snaps (Williams hurt on his early 2nd quarter TD, Grant became the second WR and Perry the third WR)
Once Williams got hurt P. Peterson lined up on Parker when Parker was on the outside; Cards playing street free agents opposite Peterson
Baker continued to be featured as a blitzer in both the base and sub nickel defenses, Simmons also used at times as a blitzer off the edge
Cards stayed base versus Dolphins 11 personnel with Grant and Perry, When they went cover 1 they matched Simmons on Gesicki and safety Thompson on one of the WR
Safety Thompson was used as a man-to-man defender on both slot WR and TE Gesicki
Cards started to pick up blitz frequency as the game progressed, LB Campbell was featured in multiple pressure schemes
Hollins 11 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter came on quick fade versus smaller corner Whittaker, Another timing schemed throw
Gesicki 19 yards on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter was his only late-in-the-down pocket throw of the game, He slid to his left and threw it across the field to Gesicki on the out route from the inside slot
It will interesting as Tagovailoa plays more to see if he can consistently make throws outside of the schemed rhythmic structured timing of the pass game, He has a quick arm with short to intermediate velocity within timing but not a naturally strong arm
Tagovailoa was decisive within the schemed context of the Dolphins passing game, The reads and throws were well defined – OC Gailey did an outstanding job
GIANTS OFFENSE VERSUS WASHINGTON DEFENSE
Washington sub nickel: Fuller and Darby the outside corners with Moreland the slot corner, Everett and Curl the safeties with Bostic and Holcomb the LB (Pierre-Louis played some snaps in the sub nickel with Bostic)
Curl was the TE matchup when Washington went cover 1 out of sub nickel versus 11 personnel
Giants continued to feature 1x3 sets out of 11 personnel with TE Engram the boundary x
Mack 50 yards on 1st + 10 to start second possession came out of 11 2x2 with reduced splits to the boundary and resulted from Washington corner Darby and flat defender Curl getting caught in the gray areas in cover 3, Darby needed to stay with Mack on the out-and-go
Washington went zero blitz out of sub nickel on 3rd + 10 in the high red zone on Giants second possession, Curl got in clean and forced a hurried Jones incompletion; No Giant WR ran a route to give Jones a quick throw
Washington aggressive with blitz out of sub nickel, Multiple pressure concepts out of different front looks
Washington featured tilted fronts out of sub nickel, They showed multiple stunt concepts out of the 3 man side
Morris 19 yards on 2nd + 8 in the 2nd quarter came out of no huddle 12 closed to the boundary twins to the field versus Washington sub nickel, C/G pull scheme to the boundary with Morris able to widen and turn the corner; Great one-on-one block by TE Smith on DE Kerrigan
Giants have had success this season with the gap scheme run game, That has been their most efficient run game concept
Jones continued to be inconsistent and erratic with his ball placement; The other issue, which was a positive trait in his rookie season, is he is not as firm in the pocket in the face of pressure as needs to be – The cumulative effect of pressure
Rookie LT Thomas battled and competed in one-on-one pass protection versus Young
Giants continued to work in rookie Peart at RT in rotation with Fleming, Peart has been getting about 25 snaps per game in recent games; Peart also some snaps at LT in this game
Engram 16 yard TD on 2nd + 9 late in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Engram the slot to twins versus Washington cover 1 with Curl matched on Engram – Matchup football with Engram running the seam and post safety Everett cheated to the field
Washington another snap of zero blitz out of sub nickel on 3rd + 21 from the +36 yard line – Overall in the game Washington blitzed on 46% of Jones drop backs: Jones versus blitz: 11-15, 68 yards, TD, 3 sacks, 4.5 yards per attempt
Curl sack on 3rd + 6 with just over 2 minutes remaining came out of sub nickel versus Giants 11 2x2, Double mug look with Bostic and Holcombe in the A gaps and Curl blitzing off the boundary slot, Giants protection could not account for Curl
WASHINGTON OFFENSE VERSUS GIANTS DEFENSE
Giants continued to play big nickel versus 12 personnel with safeties Love, Peppers and Ryan
Giants conventional nickel had Holmes the slot corner with Peppers and Ryan the safeties, Martinez and Downs were the nickel LB
Giants continued to play dime on 3rd down and 2nd and long situations: Love, Peppers and Ryan were the safeties with Holmes the slot corner; Sheard and Fackrell the predominant edge rushers in sub dime
Yiadom-Tomlinson sack on 2nd + 9 in the 2nd quarter came out of big nickel versus Washington 12 2x2 with reduced splits to both sides of the formation, Yiadom boundary corner blitz well-disguised from a press man look and he got in clean
Giants continued to feature disguise and late movement out of their sub defenses, especially sub dime; They continued to show 4 man zone exchange concepts with cover 2 (both conventional and invert) and cover 3 behind it
Peppers used at times as the fourth rusher in 4 man zone exchange concepts, He has become a multi-dimensional player in DC Graham’s schemes
Ryan also used as the fourth rusher in 4 man zone exchange concepts, a role he mastered in Tennessee the last couple of years
Giants showed a lot of different front looks out of sub dime, with Sheard at times a standup 0 and 1-technique
C. Sims 32 yards late in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with C. Sims #1 to trips versus Giants dime cover 2 invert behind 4 man zone exchange pressure with Peppers the fourth rusher, Dagger concept with Sims running the deep dig
Bradberry predominantly lined up on McLaurin when McLaurin aligned outside, There were man coverage snaps in which Bradberry went inside with McLaurin
C. Sims 45 yards on 2nd + 6 on first possession of the 3rd quarter came out of 21 personnel (McKissic and Gibson) with McKissic orbit motion to the field, Giants another zone exchange pressure concept with slot corner Holmes the fourth rusher and cover 3 behind; Smith fake to McKissic on the screen off the motion with post-wheel concept, Sims off initial blocking action ran the wheel behind flat defender Peppers who reacted to the screen – Schemed big play
Peppers continued to be the TE matchup when the Giants played man coverage out of sub dime versus 11 personnel
C. Sims 33 yards on 3rd + 4 in the 3rd quarter came on mesh concept versus Giants cover 1 blitz out of sub dime, Sims and McLaurin ran the mesh with added element of natural rub by Thomas vertical release immediately putting Yiadom in trail position on Sims – Another well-designed concept
McLaurin 68 yard TD on 1st + 10 in the 4th quarter came out of 11 1x3 nub with McLaurin the inside slot to trips versus Giants 4 man zone exchange pressure with Holmes the fourth rusher, McLaurin ran the crosser into the void in cover 3
Peppers interception with just over 2 minutes remaining came out of sub dime and featured disguise and late movement to cover 2 invert behind 4 man zone exchange pressure with Ryan the fourth rusher, Ryan off the edge forced Smith to move out of the pocket and make a hurried off-balance throw to McKissic that was high
Giants staples on defense out of sub nickel and sub dime: Multiple front looks; multiple stunt concepts; 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts with Peppers, Ryan and Holmes the predominant fourth rushers; disguise and late movement to different zone coverage concepts
Giants last 2 games versus Bucs and Washington: 59% sub nickel and 32% sub dime with no snaps of dollar
CAM NEWTON VERSUS JETS DEFENSE
Desir played left corner and Austin right corner for the Jets, Poole was the slot corner in sub nickel – Hall played significant snaps at left corner and Maulet played slot corner after Poole left the game after 8 snaps
First 3rd down (3rd + 5) the Patriots chipped on both sides, helping LT Wynn and RT Onwenu
Meyers 33 yards on 1st + 10 on first possession came out of 21 (6 OL personnel) straight I with Meyers reduced split field z versus Jets cover 1 out of base, Shot play concept off play action with 2 man route combination; Meyers ran the sail route versus Desir and Newton made an excellent throw; Good route, good ball
Jets two fronts out of sub nickel: 4-2 with LB Hewitt and Langi, 5-1 with Hewitt the stacked LB; 5-1 featured reduced Bear front
Three issues that have been of Newton’s game his entire career and still exist: He does not have great field vision, he is a beat late with a lot of throws and his ball placement is inconsistent and erratic – Newton left throws on the field versus the Jets, many showing up as check down completions
What stood out versus the Jets was either Newton did not see things clearly, or he played conservatively intentionally
Rookie safety Davis used in multiple ways in the Jets defense, He is by position the strong safety and he predominantly aligned in the box; He was used as a man-to-man defender on the TE and as a blitzer
21 personnel was a foundational part of the Patriots offensive approach: Fullback Johnson played 45 snaps, 56% of the Patriots offensive snaps
Jets aggressive with blitz throughout the game: safety Davis used as a blitzer on multiple snaps, along with LB Langi and Hewitt
Meyers 19 yards on 3rd + 20 on tying 4th quarter TD drive came on dagger concept with Meyers running the deep dig from #1 to trips, It looked like the Jets were playing cover 2 invert with field corner Desir staying too far outside in what should have been a deep half responsibility
Newton made some strong timing throws on the tying TD drive: Meyers 19 yards on the deep dig, Byrd 31 yards on the outside stop route
Meyers 20 yards to set winning FG came on deep dig versus Jets cover 2, Rookie corner Hall was the boundary corner to Meyers side and he expanded covering grass while boundary half field safety Davis played so deep as to have no impact on Newton’s throw
This game was a step in the right direction for Newton but he is still a work in progress in the Patriots pass game, and at this point in his career, his deficiencies are what they are
TITANS OFFENSE VERSUS BEARS DEFENSE
Trevathan the strong side ILB and Smith weak side ILB in the Bears base 3-4
First 3rd and long (3rd + 7) Titans went 12 personnel with Smith and Firkser the TE – Humphries inactive
Mack lined up as a standup 3-technique on the same side as Quinn on the Titans first 3rd and long, Edwards was the edge rusher on the opposite side
Titans went 12 personnel on their second 3rd and long (3rd + 9); Bears matched up with 1 robber out of sub dime with Jackson the robber, Slot corner Skrine was matched up on Firkser #2 to trips and dime Houston-Carson matched up on Smith #3 to trips, Mingo used as a spy on Tannehill
Titans used Smith to help LT Sambrailo versus Quinn on their second 3rd and long: 3x1 set out of 12 personnel with Smith the inside slot to trips
Trevathan stood out in the run game through the Titans firs t3 possessions, He worked through traffic effectively to make tackles on Henry
Both Trevathan and Smith consistently showed up in the run game, They were both aggressive playing downhill
Titans continued to feature their staple bang play action pass game out of base personnel: Brown 38 yards on third possession was a good example, Brown broke safety Jackson’s tackle
Formations and chips part of Titans tactical approach, especially on 3rd down, to help both OT Sambrailo and Kelly; That limited Titans pass game concepts – Smith often used to chip which minimized his use in the 3rd down pass game
Titans featured quick game throws – 3 step and 5 step timing throws – to help both OT Sambrailo and Kelly; That limited the need for helping them in pass protection with eligible receivers
Edwards sack on 2nd + 7 late in the 2nd quarter came on Titans shot play out of 13 personnel with Firkser running the crossing and Raymond running the deep post, Pass rush pressure squeezed the pocket but there was no throw for Tannehill; Edwards beat LG Saffold to the outside
It was evident as the game progressed that the Titans game planned to play 12 personnel on 3rd down, with formations to help both OT in pass protection
Smith sack on 3rd + 10 on first play of 2nd quarter came out of nickel cover 1 blitz with Smith the fifth rusher, Bears tilted front with Mack the wide 9 rusher opposite the tilt; Smith beat back McNichols to sack Tannehill, Trevathan followed Smith as a green dogger
Bears featured 5-1 front out of sub nickel with Smith the stacked LB, That at times featured reduced Bear front; They also played 4-2 fronts out of sub nickel with Smith and Trevathan the stacked LB
Titans changed up on their sixth possession, They featured more 11 personnel after playing predominantly 12 and 21 personnel on their first 5 possessions
Smith was game planned as a blitzer on 3rd down out of sub nickel, They were man blitzes with cover 1 behind it
Saffold hurt in the middle of the 2nd quarter, He was replaced at LG by Douglas for the rest of the game – Douglas beaten by Urban in one-on-one pass protection on his first play
Brown 40 yard TD on 3rd + 2 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 2x2 with Brown the slot to the field versus Bears nickel cover 1 with Skrine matched on Brown; Brown slot fade with a precise ball placement throw by Tannehill versus excellent coverage by Skrine – McNichols chip on Mack to help RT Kelly
When the Bears went cover 1 out of sub nickel versus 11 personnel Jackson was the predominant TE matchup
Nichols sack late in the 2nd quarter came on E/T stunt with Quin the picker and Nichols the looper, It attacked LT Sambrailo and LG Douglas
While the Titans run game foundation is outside zone they featured some gap scheme runs with Henry
Bears defensive front dominated the Titans OL in the run game, Titans OL did not generate needed movement to get Henry past the first level of the defense
Two Bears DL that stood out in the run game: Urban and McCullers; McCullers was a force in the middle of the defense
Bears used Trevathan as a spy on 3rd + 4 in the 4th quarter, Bears went cover 1 out of sub nickel versus Titans 12 personnel
Smith 2 yard TD on 1st and goal in the 4th quarter came on a well-designed tight red zone concept with Davis blocking Jackson who was matched man-to-man on Smith
An important question for the Titans going forward: Can their passing game operate at a needed high level independently of their run game? They are struggling with that right now
BEARS OFFENSE VERSUS TITANS DEFENSE
Butler and Borders were the outside corners for the Titans in all defensive packages, King was the slot corner in sub nickel and sub dime; Titans sub dime featured 3-2-6 with LB Evans and Brown
Titans matched Butler on Robinson which made sense given that Borders is a free agent corner making his first NFL start
Titans showed a big nickel package with Byard, Vaccaro and Hooker versus Bears 11 personnel with Patterson the third receiver with Robinson and Mooney
Titans cover 2 out of sub dime on Bears first 3rd down (3rd + 4) with slot corner King the half field safety to the boundary, Titans initially showed cover 1 before late movement to cover 2
Titans featured 4 man zone exchange pressure concepts out of sub dime on 3rd down, Safety Vaccaro often used as the fourth rusher; King the fourth rusher on the Montgomery fumble and 63 yard return TD
Titans continued to feature snaps of 1 robber out of sub dime on 3rd down, It was a staple coverage; Byard continued to be the robber with Hooker the deep safety and Vaccaro the TE matchup
Titans also played snaps of cover 1 and cover 1 blitz out of sub dime on 3rd down, Evans was the fourth rusher in 4 man pressures and Brown the fifth rusher in 5 man pressures
Titans edge pass rushers out of sub dime on 3rd down were Landry and Roberson with Simmons inside and Evans predominantly the fourth rusher; Some snaps with Brown the fourth rusher and Evans in coverage
Titans able to generate good pressure on 3rd down with their sub front, with both 4 man and 5 man pressures; A lot of snaps in which they squeezed Foles in the pocket and he felt the pressure
Titans featured tilted fronts and multiple stunt concepts out of sub dime on 3rd down
Disguise and late movement part of Titans 3rd down approach out of sub dime, predominantly to cover 2 and at times with 3 man pressures
Roberson flashed as an edge rusher, Several snaps in which he pressured Foles; He showed explosive burst off the ball generating velocity and speed quickly, He also showed an effective club-rip move
Tart predominantly the 1-technique in base and sub nickel fronts with some snaps at 3-technique, He showed good natural quickness with both his feet and hands; Excellent arm over move to beat RG Ifedi which resulted in Montgomery no gain on 4th + 1 in the 1st quarter
Tart played some snaps in the sub dime in the 4th quarter, Excellent pass rush versus LG Hambright late in the 4th quarter; Ray snaps as an edge rusher in the sub dime in the 4th quarter
Brown sack on 1st + 10 in the 2nd quarter came on a green dog: Titans cover 1 out of base versus 12 personnel, Brown matched on TE Kmet who stayed in to pass protect off run action; Crawford forced Foles to move and Brown cleaned up
Tart responsible for tight red zone sack on 1st and goal early in the 4th quarter: From 1-technique alignment he beat OC Bars and prevented Robinson from crossing the formation on the called shovel pass
Ray played some snaps at both OLB in the Titans base defense and edge pass rusher in the sub nickel, He showed some natural quickness
Robinson one of the best receivers in the NFL: Size, plus movement, strong hands, wide catching radius, run after catch – He would be talked about as one of the best if he played on a team with better QB play and a better passing game
Titans DL dominated a makeshift Bears OL that played with 2 undrafted free agents (OC Bars and LG Hambright) and a former free agent DL playing RT who was the starting LG (Coward)
LAMAR JACKSON VERSUS COLTS DEFENSE
One player who continued to stand out in the Colts defense was 1-technique DT Stewart, There are some snaps in which Stewart lined up at 3-tedhnique; He has an outstanding season
Colts sub nickel: Rhodes right corner and Ya-Sin left corner with Moore the slot corner, Nickel LB were Leonard and Walker/Okereke depending on down and distance
Colts predominant sub nickel front on 3rd down: Houston and Muhammad the edge rushers with Buckner and Autry inside at DT – Autry continued to play outside in the base defense and the nickel in normal down and distance situations
Colts showed more multiple front looks on 3rd down and continued to feature Leonard as a wild card moveable chess piece who was at times used as blitzer
Colts base defense had Walker at MIKE with Leonard the strong side LB and Okereke the weak side LB
When you play Jackson and the Ravens run game second level defenders must play to their responsibilities and not let the multiple backfield actions dictate their reactions – Leonard tackle on Jackson for 1 yard on 3rd + 4 in the 2nd quarter a great example
Colts played more single high safety in this game to defend the Ravens run game, Willis is the box safety with Blackmon the post safety
Colts continued to feature tilted fronts out of sub nickel with Leonard the wild card at times lining up as the stand up 3-technique in a 5 man front
Colts have a strong base LB corps: Walker is a solid MIKE, and Leonard and Okereke are both athletically explosive and can play sideline-to-sideline; Leonard one of the best LB in the NFL
Starting in the 3rd quarter the Ravens featured play action and RPO concepts to define the reads and throws for Jackson and try to get him into a rhythm – Second play in the 3rd quarter was RPO concept: Brown 14 yards on the slant from the boundary slot
Brown 20 yards on 2nd + 7 in the 3rd quarter came on pistol play action out of 21 personnel closed to the boundary twins to the field versus Colts base cover 3, 2 man route concept with Duvernay from the slot running the over route to threaten post safety Blackmon and Brown running the dig off a reduced split and an outside vertical stem to expand corner Rhodes
Ravens well-designed vertical route concept out of 12 personnel on 2nd + 6 just outside the red zone in the 3rd quarter: 3 verticals from the field with Andrews off motion across the formation running the seam, Jackson never looked to Andrews who was open for the TD (that was the read) instead throwing to Boyle on the underneath shallow working to the front side
Right now Jackson is not seeing things clearly with the result that he is leaving throws on the field and breaking down in the pocket prematurely
Ravens pass game right now is remedial: Basic route concepts with heavily defined reads and throws – The question is why?
COLTS OFFENSE VERSUS RAVENS DEFENSE
Bonds was the Ravens slot corner with Humphrey on the COVID list, Queen and Harrison were the nickel LB with Board also getting snaps with Queen predominantly on 3rd down
Smith plays right corner and Peters left corner, They do not match up to specific receivers
Campbell played 3 snaps and the left the game with an injury, He did not return
Harrison brings some pop as a run defender in the Ravens base 3-4 front – He delivered a blow to LG Nelson and tackled Wilkins on outside zone run on Colts second possession
Wilkins has become the Colts primary back over the last 2 games – Taylor still looks a little tentative which is negatively impacting his quickness and explosiveness
Ravens feature multi-dimensional and multi-positional players in their sub fronts: Judon, Bowser, McPhee
Colts continued to feature crossers versus man coverage – Pascal 20 yards on second possession a good example
Safety Clark the predominant TE matchup when the Ravens went cover 1 out of sub nickel versus 11 personnel, There were snaps in which the other safety Elliot matched up to the TE
Pittman looked quick and explosive in his movements, He lined up in multiple locations in the Colts offense
Hines a matchup piece in the Colts passing game, He lines up as a split receiver and is used on tunnel screens and vertical routes when matched on LB
Harris adds an explosive element to the Colts offense with his speed on jet sweeps and orbit reverses, He can get to the perimeter
In the 1st half the Ravens played more zone coverage than man coverage, and they did not blitz much at all; For the Ravens it was more of a conservative passive approach
Rivers in the 1st half missed a few throws with poor ball location that he must make: Johnson on a shallow crosser on 3rd down, Johnson on deep post late in the 2nd quarter (a good throw and it was a TD)
Colts at times line up in 13 personnel and spread the formation to create matchups in the passing game: Alie-Cox 17 yards versus Judon late in the 2nd quarter a good example
Colts pass game limited in scope, Rivers again struggled to drive the ball at the intermediate and deeper levels
In the 4th quarter the Ravens increased their blitz frequency and played more snaps of man coverage, predominantly cover 1
With Humphrey out the Ravens did not play one snap of sub dime, which they had played over 30% of their defensive snaps prior to the Colts game
BUCS OFFENSE VERSUS SAINTS DEFENSE
Saints have essentially become a nickel defense as their base with Gardner-Johnson a hybrid safety-LB versus 12 personnel
Bucs started the game with a matchup they liked: Godwin off motion in the slot versus Gardner-Johnson on the out route, Jordan bull rush drove back RT Wirfs in the pocket and did not allow Brady to make a clean throw
Saints aggressive with man coverage out of both sub nickel and sub dime: Lattimore was the matchup on Evans, Jenkins was the predominant matchup on Gronkowski
Saints felt very comfortable with Jenkins on Gronkowski, No better example than 3rd + 9 on third possession when Gronkowski was the nub TE in 1x3 set; Saints 2 man concept with boundary safety P. Williams focused solely on the trips side leaving Jenkins zero man o Gronkowski
When the Saints went 2 man out of sub nickel Davis was the matchup on Gronkowski
Hendrickson continued to line up inside at times in the Saints sub dime fronts, with Jordan and Davenport outside; Saints also featured tilted fronts out of sub dime
First play of Bucs second possession was bang power play action to hit Evans on the 5 step slant but half field safety read it and jumped Evans route, Brady came off of it and got hit as he threw to the other side of the field – Staple concept defended well by the Saints
Bucs took a big play shot from their own 4 yard line on 2nd down on their third possession, They got Brown one-on-one versus Jenkins on a deep post with the whole field; Brady off pocket movement threw the ball too far inside allowing Jenkins to make a play on the ball
Bucs OL struggled in one-on-one pass protection through the first 3 possessions, It was across the entire OL – It continued through the entire 1st half and created significant issues in the passing game
Bucs started fourth possession in 10 personnel; Brady incompletion on routine out route to boundary x Miller – All 3 plays on fourth possession came out of 10 personnel
3rd + 3 on fourth possession Brady wanted Godwin on the delayed slant underneath Evans vertical release, Gardner-Johnson took it away and Brady got stuck with no throw off 3 step timing
When the Saints went 2 man coverage out of sub dime versus Bucs 10 personnel they matched Lattimore on Evans, Jenkins on Brown, Gardner-Johnson on Godwin and P. Williams on Miller
A lot of bodies around Brady throughout the 1st half, He did not have many clean pockets; The cumulative effect of pressure, Brady started to play a little faster
Saints multiple man-to-man matchups on Gronkowski depending on personnel and pressure/coverage: Jenkins, Davis and P. Williams
Saints did an excellent job taking away Brady’s rhythm throws off 3 step and quick 5 step drop timing – 4th + 6 in the 2nd quarter another example with Jenkins taking away the slant to Brown
Backup LG Haeg struggled throughout the 1st half in one-on-one pass protection, He had too many bad snaps
Bucs had 1st and goal from the 1 yard line in the 3rd quarter and did not get in the end zone: 3 pass plays and a Jones run, 2 fades to Evans versus Lattimore and a bang power play action to Gronkowski
Too many bodies around Brady and too many hits, Brady was never comfortable in this game
Bucs 11 snaps of 10 personnel, Brady 8-11 for 90 yards; Saints played 26 snaps of sub dime out of 46 Bucs (56.5%)
SAINTS OFFENSE VERSUS BUCS DEFENSE
Saints featured a lot of base personnel snaps on first possession, That kept the Bucs in base defense and limited their pressure concepts
Bucs a foundational 5 man front base defense with Pierre-Paul and Barrett the edge players, On Saints first possession they had a high red zone snap in more conventional 4-3 front with Pierre-Paul a stacked LB with David and White
Edwards continued to play safety with Winfield on 3rd down, Whitehead played with Winfield on 1st and 2nd down
Smith 14 yard TD on 3rd + 10 in 1st quarter resulted from Kamara factor, He motioned out of the backfield to set up what looked like a bubble screen with inside slot Hill and #2 Smith blockers; Bucs 4 across cover 4 red zone coverage out of sub nickel with corner Dean reacting hard to bubble screen look, Hill delayed bender to eat up safety Edwards, Smith delayed wheel behind Dean for easy TD – A schemed play in the high red zone
Bucs cover 2 invert on Saints first play of second possession: Harris 40 yards in the inside void between the numbers and hash, Bad tackling by the Bucs defense
It was evident the Bucs defensive approach was more 4 man pressures with zone coverage concepts behind it, It was not a pressure game plan
Saints continued to feature base personnel and multiple formation looks out of it, That kept the Bucs base defense on the field; Slot corner Murphy-Bunting a significant part of Bucs pressure schemes
Trautman 7 yard TD on 2nd and goal late in the 1st quarter came out of 22 2x2 versus Bucs base defense, Trautman from LOS TE alignment to the boundary ran the stick-nod and Brees put the ball high on his hands; Saints attacked Bucs tight red zone cover 3 with 3 man boundary route concept isolating Trautman on LB White
T. Hill 21 yard reception on 2nd + 16 in the 2nd quarter came out of 12 empty with Hill from inside slot to trips running the crosser versus Bucs base cover 3, Hi-low concept versus boundary hook-to-curl defender David with Thomas from the boundary slot running the sit route to control David
Bucs stayed base when T. Hill was on the field with 2 WR, They treated him as a back not a WR
Hill 23 yard scramble came on one of the few snaps the Bucs played man coverage, They went cover 1 out of base with Pierre-Paul in a standup Joker alignment
Sanders 12 yard TD on 2nd + 10 in the 2nd quarter came out of 11 3x1 with Sanders the boundary x, Bucs out of sub dime played their first snap of zero; Sanders great route to beat corner Dean
Bucs started to play more man coverage beginning early in the 2nd quarter after playing almost all zone coverage concepts in the 1st quarter, They also started to increase blitz frequency
Hill was a factor in this game both as a QB runner, by design and scrambling, and as a receiver: 12 yards in the 2nd quarter was a beautifully executed QB power run out of 6 OL personnel
JAGUARS OFFENSE VERSUS TEXANS DEFENSE
- Reid and Murray were the safeties in the Texans base defense, In the sub defenses Murray was the slot corner and Johnson was the safety with Reid, In sub dime safety Thomas was the dime
JERRY JEUDY PASS TARGETS VERSUS FALCONS DEFENSE
18 yards on his first target: Reduced split x to the field versus cover 1 with Sheffield matched on him, The subtleties of route running using his route stem to show vertical push to create needed separation on the crosser versus Sheffield (one of the fast corners in the NFL)
Falcons multiple sub nickel corner combinations: One had Sheffield and Terrell the outside corners with Oliver the slot corner, Another had Terrell and Dennard outside with Wreh-Wilson in the slot
Jeudy lined up at both boundary x and field x, He also played in the slot; He lined up both on the ball and off the ball
When Jeudy was aligned at reduced split x, both to the boundary and the field, he was featured on crossing routes with Lock play action boot
20 yard TD on 3rd + 5 in the 3rd quarter another example of both the subtleties of route running and his ability to stop on a dime, Corner Terrell picked up his speed to defend the fade ball and he was out of position to play the comeback
41 yards late in the 4th quarter came on a vertical route, Jeudy got on top of Sheffield who looked back inside too early
The main question with Jeudy at this point is the consistency of his hands, Too many drops and too many double catches; That needs to be cleaned up for Jeudy to become a great NFL receiver