SB Nation User Blog: calvinandhobbes

Understanding the Zone Blitz:

calvinandhobbes — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:31:45 -0000

Before discussing the zone blitz it is necessary to briefly discuss the idea of blitzing. I consider a blitz to be any defensive play when the defense sends five or more defenders against the quarterback. Just like any type of football defense a blitz can either be classified as a man or zone blitz. In man coverage the defenders are responsible for covering a particular receiver in zone coverage the defenders are responsible for a certain area of the field.

The offense can have a maximum of five eligible receivers and will also have one quarterback and five offensive linemen. A man defense needs to be able to account for each one of these receivers by assigning at least one defender to each receiver. If a receiver stays in to block the defender responsible for him can either drop into coverage or blitz the quarterback. Therefore the in a man blitz the defense can always blitz one more defender than the offense can account for. This is because the offense cannot have the quarterback both block and throw. Below is an image from Madden 10 showing this concept:

via www.mymaddenpad.com

Notice that six defenders are assigned to blitz and the other five in man. No matter how many men the offense keeps in to block the defense will be able to send one more after the quarterback. For example if the offense blocks the fullback (Y) the defense will just blitz the free safety (who is matched up with him in man).

There is a major problem with this defense even it does send a free defender, as the great Dick LeBeau (defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers) said, "if one [defender] slips or if [the offense] springs a guy somewhere, there’s no one left as a second line of defense to keep a 15-yard gain from becoming a 60-yard gain."

Here is a video of Colt McCoy throwing a touchdown against a man blitz being run by Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl: (Chris Brown of Smart Football diagrams the offensive play here http://smartfootball.com/passing/colt-mccoys-texas-passing-game)

Now even with the major risk associated with a man defense blitz defenses still want to be able to blitz the quarterback. The solution is the zone blitz. Dom Capers (defensive coordinator of the Green Bay Packers) said the zone blitz is "a way to put pressure on the quarterback and yet not have as much risk involved as if you’re locked up with a man. It’s not as defined for the quarterback to read because you’re passing receivers [from defender to defender], as opposed to being clearly locked up on a receiver. We think it gives us some ability to create confusion and indecision on the part of a quarterback."

For zone defenses to be able to adequately defend the field they must have at least six defenders in zone coverage, but for a defense to be counted as a blitz five or more defenders must rush the quarterback. This makes the numbers pretty simple for the defense. Five defenders will rush the quarterback and six will drop back into zone. The complicated part is where the defenders blitz, where the defenders drop into zones, and which defenders do which.

To understand the zone coverages behind a zone blitz it is first necessary to understand zone coverages. For the purpose of this article I will only explain two zone coverages (I will write a piece in the future that goes far more in depth with the different kinds of zone defenses) the two-deep and three-deep zone shells.

In the two-deep zone defense there are two defenders who defend the deep portion of the field; typically this is done by the two safeties. These defenders split the deep portion of the field into halves; each player is then responsible for one half of the field. The other four or five defenders in zone coverage (in this case it will be four defenders) split the shallow areas into fourths or fifths; each defender is then responsible for a fourth or a fifth of the shallow part of the field. Below is a diagram of a two-deep zone defense with seven defenders in coverage:

via espn.go.com

In the three-deep zone defense there are three defenders who defend the deep portion of the field; typically this is done by the free safety and the two cornerbacks. These defenders split the deep portion of the field into thirds; each player is then responsible for one third of the field. The other three or four defenders in zone coverage (in this case it will be four defenders) split the shallow areas into thirds or fourths; each defender is then responsible for a third or fourth of the shallow part of the field. Below is a diagram of a two-deep zone defense with seven defenders in coverage:

via espn.go.com

With all the presnap motion common to most zone defenses and the fact that the cornerbacks need to quickly drop into shallow zones it is hard for the defense to properly bump the receivers. This means that a two-deep zone shell would leave to many voids downfield for the receivers to run into. Most zone blitzes end up coming out of a three-deep zone shell. This is because as Dick LeBeau said "The zone blitz is a conservative way to blitz, really. Percentage-wise, it’s the safer way to blitz. That’s what we were looking for all along when we started out." More specifically in a three-deep zone blitz three defenders will split the field into thirds and three defenders will split the shallow part of the fields into thirds as well. These type of zone blitzes are known as fire zone blitzes and are they type of zone blitzes run by the vast majority of teams.

via www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com

These zone blitzes do not usually look like zone defenses while being run by the defense. The defenders who are covering the shallow thirds of the field do not just guard an area of the field. Instead they read the patterns being run by the receivers, this is called "pattern reading" and is something that Nick Saban, head coach at the University of Alabama, is famous for. This makes it appear as if the defenders are playing the receivers in man coverage. Further, if the corners are dropping back into deep coverage (at least one cornerback is always dropping into deep coverage because these are three-deep zones) they are taught "press-bail" technique. This means the cornerbacks line up over the receivers as if they were going to play bump-and-run coverage and then drop into deep coverage.

However, simply assigning five defenders to rush the quarterback and assigning another six defenders to drop back into zone does not ensure a successful zone blitz. There are two more aspects present in most successful zone blitz schemes.

First, a defender must drop into zone where another defender is blitzing from. In the diagram below the free safety "drops down" this means he is initially given a deep alignment, but immediately before or after the snap he "drops down" into the front seven to cover a shallow zone. In this case the free safety is covering the shallow zone right behind the blitzing weakside and middle linebackers. If this were not done (dropping a defender into coverage behind the defenders) the quarterback would know there would always be a hole in the coverage right behind the blitzers (a defender cannot both blitz and drop into zone).

via espn.go.com

Secondly, a defender (usually a defensive lineman) will pretend to blitz and then drop back into coverage. This is done for two reasons to occupy an offensive lineman or other player assigned to pass protection for the offense and to confuse the quarterback. The defender will often take one step towards the quarterback and then drop back into coverage.

This first step by the defender forces an offensive lineman (or any other blocker) to commit to blocking this defender. However, when the defender drops back into coverage the offensive lineman is left "blocking air" and is wasted for the play. This is essential for obtaining the numbers advantage that is essential in football. Remember the defense is only blitzing five defenders, so if there was no confusion among the offense they could easily block the blitz with their five offensive linemen while still sending out five receivers. If a defender can force an offensive lineman to "block air" than the defense is rushing five defenders against only four blockers (assuming that the offense is not blocking any backs or tightends) and has a numbers advantage. In the imagine below notice number 72, Stapleton an offensive lineman for the Steelers is blocking nobody while Ray Lewis closes in on Ben Roethlisburger for the sack.

via assets.sbnation.com

The defender who is pretending to blitz not only confuses the blockers, but also the quarterback. As I mentioned above most quarterbacks are taught that if they read a zone defense pre-snap the area where the blitzers are coming from will be open. This is because a defender cannot both blitz and drop into coverage. The quarterback will then see a blitzing end or linebacker and assume that area of the field will be open only to throw the ball right into the defenders hands when they drop into coverage. This explains how you can see things like this:

via cache2.asset-cache.net

Now that I have explained the basics behind a zone blitz I will walk you through a few of them.

The first is the middle and weakside linebacker cross blitz that is diagrammed above. Here is the play diagram again:

via espn.go.com

This blitz shows all of the main parts of the zone blitz we have discussed above. First, this blitz is a fire zone blitz as there is three-deep zone shell with three defenders in shallow zones. Second, we can see the free safety "dropping down" behind the blitzing linebackers. Third, we see the weakside defensive end fake blitzing and dropping into coverage, which forces the left tackle to "block air".

We also see something common to most zone blitzes which is the crossing of the linebackers blitzing angles and the stunting of the defensive linemen. This is meant to further break down the same pass protection just like the fake blitzing of the weakside defensive end. The defensive linemen are blitzing the outside shoulders of the offensive linemen they are aligned over; this should force the linemen to turn at angle to block the defensive linemen. Making the offensive linemen turn creates bigger gaps for the linebackers to rush through. The crossing of the linebackers accomplishes the same thing right guard will turn to block one linebacker creating a very clear lane for the other linebacker straight towards the quarterback. Below is video of the Green Bay Packers running this play against Minnesota Vikings: (the play is actually flipped in the video, so it is middle and strongside linebacker blitz)

The next blitz is middle linebacker nickleback blitz. This blitz is done out of a nickel package (meaning there are five defensive backs, three corner and two safeties). Below is the same blitz diagrammed with the strongside linebacker blitzing instead of the nickleback.

via www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com

This blitz shows a perfect example of a safety "dropping down" notice how at about -2:20 the nickleback slides in towards the offensive line and the safety drops down over the slot receiver. This does three things, it allows the safety to more easily cover his shallow zone, the nickleback has shorter to run while blitzing the quarterback, and the defense appears as if it could still be a man coverage base defense. Notice the weakside defensive end dropping into coverage and the defensive lineman stunting towards the weakside. Here is the video:

fire zone @ Yahoo! Video

That’s about it for zone blitzes hope you learned something.

Understanding the Wildcat:

calvinandhobbes — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:44:30 -0000

"Over the years, young coaches who want to get their teams to throw the football have written to me to ask about the best way to get started. My professional advice never includes my personal secret - knowing the single wing."

-Lavell Edwards BYU Head Coach 1972-2000

via static.nfl.com

Last season the Miami Dolphins began to run a formation called the Wildcat. While many announcers and seeming many NFL coaches were very confused the Wildcat is based off the single wing offense, an offense almost as old as the game of American Football itself.

The Wildcat offense as run by the Miami Dolphins (other teams use direct snaps to a tailback, but very few use the Wildcat in the same way that the Miami Dolphins do and now even the Miami Dolphins are beginning to tweak the Wildcat) has four essential characteristics.

1.) 1.) The use of an unbalanced offensive line. As you can notice in the videos below the offensive line has two tackles on the right hand side of the offensive line, this is an unbalanced offensive line. A balanced offensive line is what we are used to seeing, a center flanked by a guard on both sides who are flanked by tackles on both sides. However, the Miami Dolphins use a "tackle over" (other teams also use unbalanced lines, most notable the Baltimore Ravens, but not all unbalanced lines have two tackles on ones side) unbalanced line meaning that the both tackles and a guard are on one side of the offensive line (typically with a fullback) while a guard and tightend are on the other. Lining up the offensive line in this way puts a lot of power in a very concentrated place (the right C and D gap).

via phinphanatic.com

1.) 2.) The use of the jet sweep. The jet sweep (see below for a video) is used to pull the linebackers away from the tailback running the power play. The jet sweep also lets the tailback get to the outside as fast, if not faster, than a toss play. The tailback running the jet sweep, will run right under the tailback receiving the snap and will take the ball at full speed right behind the fullback and a occasionally a pulling guard. The tailback who handed off the ball will then fake running to the other side to pull the linebackers away from the tailback running the jet sweep. Ricky Williams average about five yards a carry running the jet sweep.

3.) An athletic player at the quarterback position. This means that it is not the wildcat if Peyton Manning or Drew Brees is taking the snap. Instead the ball will be snapped to a tailback like Ronnie Brown, a wide receiver like Joshua Cribbs, or any other skill player who can carry the ball. This player doesn’t need to be able to throw a perfect deep out route, but the player does need to have the ability to complete simple crossing routes and other relatively easy throws. This is not the single defining characteristic of the Wildcat, as many announcers seem to believe.

Putting an athletic player at the quarterback position is done to give a numbers advantage to the offense. Typically the offense will be wasting one player on a rushing play, the quarterback. Rarely does the quarterback do much of anything on a running play all he does is hand off the ball, sometimes perform a fake, and even more rarely does he does he attempt to block. However, by making the quarterback the runner the offense can have one more blocker during a run play (or at least make the fake more effective).

via d.yimg.com

1.) 4.) The quarterback is split wide. This means that the quarterback lines up at the wide receiver position. This is obviously not done because of the quarterback’s blocking abilities instead it is done to fake out the defense. If the quarterback were not in the huddle the defense would know the wildcat was coming and would send in the correct personnel accordingly, but by keeping the quarterback on the field the offense is forcing the defense to stay in their normal personnel groupings. The obvious continuation of this idea is the Wild Horses formation run by the Denver Broncos where the quarterback starts split out wide and then motions under center (For a quick breakdown of the Wild Horses formation read the article written over at thespreadoffense.com http://www.thespreadoffense.com/2009/10/wild-horse-formation-denver-broncos.html Notice the same reliance on the Power play, the inside zone (a common play out of most formations) and counter plays which were also run multiple times from this set.)

via media.nj.com

Like most NFL offenses the Wildcat is relatively simple in its design. There are only three run plays and while there have been multiple passing plays out of the Wildcat they all come from two basic plays (at least that I can get film for).

1.) 1.)Jet Sweep. (Steeler is the name this play is given by the Miami Doplhins)

The Jet Sweep is described above, so a lengthy explanation is not necessary. Remember that the Jet Sweep is the base that the Wildcat formation is based on. A player will come in motion from the left of the formation, receive the handoff and try to break the run to the outside. This play is the base of the Wildcat formation because it gets the defense flowing towards the sideline, which opens up the other running plays in the formation. (The Jet Sweep will be faked every play out of the formation so that the defense has to always take it into account.) Here is video, again, of the Miami Dolphins running the Jet Sweep play against the New England Patriots:

Here is a diagram of the Jet Sweep:

via smartfootball.com (I apologize for the size of the image.)

2.) Power

The Power play is why the Jet Sweep is called. The Jet Sweep play sets up the Power in a similar way to how the outside zone run sets up the cutback in a zone blocking scheme. The Power play is run the same way that it would be out of most formations:

"The blocking of this play is pretty simple. The "playside" offensive linemen will block "down" meaning they will block the defender to their inside. This means the "playside" guard and center will block the outside shoulder of the defenders over them and the "playside" tackle will block the defender to his inside. Often the "playside" tackle while blocking the inside defender will used the technique of aiming for the back foot that was described above for zone blocking runs, this will allow the tackle to head up field and block a linebacker after double teaming the defender over the guard. However, keep in mind that by blocking down the "playside" tackle is letting his man, the outside defender, run free.

Just like the advantage gained by offensive linemen who take a sidestep in zone running plays blocking "down" allows offensive linemen to get great leverage on their assigned defender. The advantage the offensive linemen have in leverage should allow them to literally block their defenders out of the play. The "down" blocking done by the offensive linemen also allows double teams right at the point of attack (where the tailback is running). The "down" blocking effectively seals off the backside of the Power run.

The only reason that the tackle can allow his defender to go free is that he has help, often from a fullback or an h-back. This fullback or h-back uses a "kick out block" meaning that he blocks the defender while facing towards the sideline. This "kick out block" just creates yet another seal, the fullback or h-back is blocking the defender so that the fullback or h-backs body is between the defender and the tailback. The tailback is therefore presented with a very clear running lane. When done properly it should appear as a tunnel or railroad tracks with blockers lining either side.

The last part of the blocking involved in the Power run is done by the pulling guard (or a very athletic pulling tackle). This player will lead the tailback through the gap and block the first defender he sees; often this defender is a linebacker. The tailback following the guard ensures that there is no way (short of whiffing his block) that the guard can make the wrong block. The tailback will adjust his running angle in such a way that the guard will be blocking the defender away from him."

Here is a diagram of this play:

via graphics8.nytimes.com

The Wildcat formation is set up perfectly for the Power play. The fullback is closer to the line of scrimmage and also closer to the outside of the offensive line, both of these differences make it even easier for him to block the unblocked outside defender. Placing both tackles on the same side means that an offensive lineman is not wasted blocking a player who will not affect the play. Lastly, placing the runner at the quarterback position gives the offense a numbers advantage while running the play (as discussed above).

Here is video of this being run for a touchdown by the Miami Dolphins against the New England Patriots.

3.) Counter (70 Weak)

The counter or 70 Weak as it is called by the Miami Dolphins is also run in a similar way to how it ran out of typical formations:

"In a Counter play the tailback will take a quick step to the opposite side of the field from where he plans to run. This will hopefully cause the linebackers to flow to the wrong side of the field making the blocking even simpler for the offensive linemen. The linemen will block "down" gaining the same advantages as mentioned above. The offensive linemen will have good leverage against the defenders allowing the offensive linemen to seal the defenders out of the play and the "playside" tackle will be able to initially double a defender and then go up field and block a linebacker because he is letting the "playside" outside defender run free. However, in most traditional two back sets the benefit of the pulling guard is amplified even further in the counter play. The fullback will block the outside defender on the side that the tailback makes his initial (and misleading) step towards. This allows not only the guard, but also the tackle to pull "playside" (the defender the tackle was responsible for is being blocked by the full-back). Below is a diagram from an old Nebraska playbook of the Counter play out of a two back set."

However, there are also some important differences. Due to having two tackles on the right side of the offensive line one tackle will pull (along with a guard) while one tackle will stay. Typically the outside tackle will take one step inside to block a defender while the inside tackle and the right guard will immediately pull towards the side the tailback is running. Both the fullback and the outside tackle (the one who does not pull) will block the outside defenders (usually with a cut block). The last major difference is that the tightend will let the defender directly over him go free. This defender will be picked up by the center (the left guard blocks "down" to take the defender over the center) and the tightend will head up field to block a linebacker. Here is video of this play being ran:

To clarify this play I will again go over the roles of the offensive players during this play. One player will go in motion to receive the fake for the Jet Sweep . The "quarterback" (the player receiving he snap) will take a step towards the right as if he was about to run the Power play, but will then run towards the left. The fullback will cut block the outside defender. The outermost tackle will block "down" while the inner tackle and right guard pull to the left. The center will block the defender directly over the tight end. The left guard will block "down" to block the defender directly over the center. Lastly, the tightend will let the defender directly over him go free and will head up field to block a linebacker.

These three plays the Jet Sweep, Power, and Counter play constitute all of the running plays run out of the Wildcat formation. However, occasionally (two or three times a game) the Miami Dolphins will pass out of the Wildcat.

1.) 1.) PA Jet Sweep

In this play the "quarterback" (the player receiving the snap) will fake the Jet Sweep handoff and will run towards the opposite sideline. The offensive line will block as if the Jet Sweep were being ran. These two aspects of this play will pull the defense in the opposite direction of the "quarterback" as he rolls out.

The receivers will then run the same routes they would on a typical bootleg play action. The fullback will run a shoot route and also might block for the "quarterback" if needed. The tighend will run a corner route at about twelve yards deep. The receiver (lined up between the fullback and the "true quarterback")will run a crossing route hitting the sideline about ten yards deep. The quarterback will begin a go route, but will often stop because the play is moving in the opposite direction.

The crossing route, shoot, and corner route create a flood against zone and the players running the crossing route and the corner route will often be matched up against linebackers if the defense is in man coverage.

Below is video of the Miami Dolphins running this pass play:

2.) Quarterback Reverse

This play allows the "true quarterback" to throw the ball. The ball will be handed off to the player running the Jet Sweep and the offensive line will block for the Jet Sweep run. However, the player running the Jet Sweep will hand the ball off to the quarterback who fakes a block and then sprints behind the offensive line. The receiver (lined up between the fullback and the "true quarterback") will stand still as if about to throw a block and then will run straight down field. The "quarterback" who handed off the ball will run a wheel route (where he runs towards the sideline and then heads up field). The hope is that against both man and zone defenses the fake on the Jet Sweep will pull the safeties down to allow the deep pass. Here is video of this play being run by the Miami Dolphins against the Carolina Panthers:

(for a better breakdown than mine check out this video http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-playbook/09000d5d80ba9f37/WK-6-Anatomy-Wildcat-reverse-pass of this same play being run against the Houston Texans)

Now while most have dismissed the Wildcat as a quickly passing fad I believe it is here to stay. While most teams fail to run it correctly, instead thinking of it only as a gadget, the Miami Dolphins understand that the Wildcat is really just Power football (pun intended) dressed up in a new formation.

Understanding the NFL Running Game

calvinandhobbes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:35:32 -0000

Running Concepts

Just like with the passing concepts in the NFL the running concepts themselves are fairly limited in number. That is not to say that all the running plays in the NFL are the same, instead just a few concepts are hidden throughout a wide amount of formations and personnel groupings.

To understand my descriptions of the running concepts it is first necessary to understanding the gap lettering along the offensive line. The gaps are lettered as follows: the gaps between the center and the guards are the A gaps, the gaps between the guards and the tackles are the B gaps, and the gaps between the tackles and the tight ends are the C gaps. Below is a diagram:

via 2.bp.blogspot.com

I will begin with the basic Inside and Outside Zone runs, and then cover the Power run play, the counter run play, and the draw. In a separate and shorter post I will cover the Wildcat (this post should come sometime before Friday afternoon.

Inside and Outside Zone Runs:

Perhaps the two most common running plays in the NFL right now are the Inside and Outside Zone runs. To understand how these plays work it is necessary to first understand how zone blocking works. The fundamentals of zone blocking are not very complex, however since these two plays (inside and outside zone runs) are used so commonly there are literally books dedicated to how to properly zone block. I will give a simple explanation of zone blocking and leave any further research up to you.

Zone blocking can most simply be described by saying that an offensive line is responsible for a specific zone instead of a specific man (as he would be in a man blocking scheme). The offensive lineman is told that he must read covered or uncovered. This means is there a defender directly over him (covered) or is there no one directly in front of him(uncovered).

If the offensive lineman is covered than there is no zone blocking. Instead the offensive lineman simply blocks the man directly over him with one simple difference; the covered offensive lineman takes a short and quick step sideways. This quick sidestep allows the offensive lineman to block the defender from any angle and puts the defender in a position where he can be blocked out of the play due to the advantage in leverage the offensive lineman has.

When the offensive lineman reads uncovered then zone blocking is implemented. The uncovered offensive lineman will first block "playside" and help the covered offensive lineman withn his blocking assignment. The uncovered offensive lineman will drive toward the defender’s inside leg initially is(this is the defender who is covering the "playside" offensive lineman). Once the offensive lineman has reached where the defender’s inside leg initially was he will then either continue his double team of the defender or, in most cases, head up field to block a linebacker. This should take only two steps, one to reach the back leg and one to continue the double team or head up field. The offensive lineman will help with the double team as long as possible before attempting to head up field to block a linebacker. Below is a video of this being run to perfection by the Detroit Lions.

While the majority of the time in a zone blocking scheme the tailback will follow the design of the play occasionally the tailback will perform a cutback and change the direction of his run. The cutback made by the tailback exaggerates the advantages of the zone blocking scheme. The tailback makes a cutback when he changes direction and runs away from where the linebackers are flowing (the tailback can only do this once and must not hesitate). The defenders are forced to change the direction of their pursuit which allows the offensive lineman to block them out of the play. The offensive linemen will not be standing between the defenders and the tailback; this creates a seal or a hole for the tailback to run through. Further, once the cutback is made inside the tackle opposite of the cutback knows that he can leave his defender and head up field and instead block an outside linebacker. The tackle can safely leave the defensive lineman because the defensive lineman whom he was blocking previously is now facing the opposite direction of the play and therefore would have to turn completely around and chase down a much faster tailback to make a play on the run.

The cutback run is particularly effective once the linebackers begin to over pursue the outside run. Once the linebackers begin to spring towards the sideline they are running away from the direction of the play. This makes them particularly easy for the offensive linemen to block. However, essential to making the cutback work is that the tailback aims for where the hole will be and does not hesitate. The cutback hole does not exist as soon at the tailback makes his cut because the offensive linemen still nee to head up field to block and turn the linebackers. This is particularly hard for tailbacks new to a zone blocking scheme because they must see the hole before it exists in have complete trust in their offensive linemen.

Here are some clips of USC running the outside zone run with a great example of a cutback at 1:10.

Now that we have described zone blocking for runs we can cover the two basic zone runs, the inside and outside zone runs. As mentioned above most teams will seek to first establish the outside zone, so that the cutback is more readily available. Therefore I will first explain the outside zone run (watch the video of USC above to see some outside zone runs in action).

The outside zone run, as its name suggests, is a run play where the tailback aims at just outside the tightend or the D gap. The offensive linemen will attempt to get themselves positioned between the defenders and the sideline, by doing this they are hoping to seal off a lane to the outside for the tailback. The offensive linemen attempting to get themselves outside of the defenders will in some cases allow the offensive linemen to actually do the opposite of what they intended, which is to block the defenders to the sideline opening up a cutback lane for the tailback. Below is what the outside zone run looks like drawn up on the chalkboard.

via smartfootball.com

After the defense begins to over pursue the outside zone the coach will typically call the inside zone run. The tailback will often aim straight for the B gap between the guard and the tackle. The same covered and uncovered rules apply, with the same fundamental idea of the uncovered offensive lineman aiming for the defender’s back foot and then heading upfield. The offensive linemen really don’t block any differently. The offensive linemen will all take their initial sidestep to get a better angle on the defender and then they will all block "playside". The blocking "playside" is even more important during an inside zone run than outside zone run. On an inside zone run the uncovered offensive linemen blocking the linebackers will have a large effect on the play even when there is not a cutback by the tailback. Here is how the inside zone run looks diagramed on the chalkboard.

via smartfootball.com

Here is the Inside Zone run shown again and again in a high school film room:

inside zone @ Yahoo! Video

The tailback also still has the option for the cutback during an inside zone run. If the linebackers all crash down towards the center and the guard then the tailback can decide to cut outside. In this case the tightend will block the outside linebacker inside and the tackle will block the defensive lineman inside (this is assuming a typical 4-3 alignment from the defense). The video below shows USC running the inside zone and there is a good cutback at 1:40.

Power and Counter Runs:

This is my favorite running concept, admittedly mainly for its name. The power run play is not very complicated, but is probably the most used running play in the NFL right now. Here is a diagram of the play as the San Diego Chargers occasionally run it.

via smartfootball.com

The blocking of this play is pretty simple. The "playside" offensive linemen will block "down" meaning they will block the defender to their inside. This means the "playside" guard and center will block the outside shoulder of the defenders over them and the "playside" tackle will block the defender to his inside. Often the "playside" tackle while blocking the inside defender will used the technique of aiming for the back foot that was described above for zone blocking runs, this will allow the tackle to head up field and block a linebacker after double teaming the defender over the guard. However, keep in mind that by blocking down the "playside" tackle is letting his man, the outside defender, run free.

The perfect complement to the Power run is the Counter run. Just like the Power run the Counter run has a pretty self explanatory name. In a Counter play the tailback will take a quick step to the opposite side of the field from where he plans to run. This will hopefully cause the linebackers to flow to the wrong side of the field making the blocking even simpler for the offensive linemen. Below is a diagram out of the old Nebraska playbook of the Counter play being run in a singleback set.

via i109.photobucket.com

As I implied above, the blocking of a Counter play is fundamentally the same as a Power play. The linemen will block "down" gaining the same advantages as mentioned above. The offensive linemen will have good leverage against the defenders allowing the offensive linemen to seal the defenders out of the play and the "playside" tackle will be able to initially double a defender and then go up field and block a linebacker because he is letting the "playside" outside defender run free. However, in most traditional two back sets the benefit of the pulling guard is amplified even further in the counter play. The fullback will block the outside defender on the side that the tailback makes his initial (and misleading) step towards. This allows not only the guard, but also the tackle to pull "playside" (the defender the tackle was responsible for is being blocked by the full-back). Below is a diagram from an old Nebraska playbook of the Counter play out of a two back set.

via i109.photobucket.com

Lastly, here is some low quality video (my apologies) of the Counter play being run out of many different formations.

The Draw:

The draw is to running what the play action pass is to passing. The offense will fake the pass to let the linebackers and safeties drop up field and then will hand off the ball to the tailback. Here is the play diagramed below:

via 3.bp.blogspot.com

This play is very simple in how it must be executed. Every player has a very simple job, but if they do not do their job the play will be stopped for a loss.

The quarterback must complete a five step drop just as he would for a typical pass play before he hands the ball off to the tailback. The receivers also must react as if they were running routes for a passing play. This is essential as it pulls the defenders further away from the play giving the tailback more space to run. If the quarterback and the receivers properly deceiver the defense most defenders will be ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage when the ball is given to the tailback. The offensive lineman (and sometimes the tightend and fullback) must also first take a step back as if they were pass blocking. As soon as the defenders begin to rush the quarterback the offensive linemen then begin their run blocking. The tackles attempt to turn the outside defenders even further to the outside. By doing this the tackles cause the defenders to run right past the tailback right as the tailback receives the handoff. The interior offensive linemen (the guards and center) will block just as they would in a zone play. They read covered or uncovered. Typically one of the guards and the center will be covered, the other guard will aim for the back leg of the defender over the center and then head up field to block a linebacker. If the draw is run out a two back set the fullback can also head up field to block a linebacker. The tailback will then either run into the hole left by the defender who rushed off the outside (who was turned outside by the offensive tackle) or will follow the fullback. If the tailback runs into the hole left by the outside rusher there should be no defenders except for a single outside linebacker between the tailback and the defensive backfield. This linebacker can be blocked by the fullback or if there is a tightend the tightend can take the outside rusher further outside while the tackle blocks the linebacker. If the tailback follows the fullback he can ensure that the fullbacks block is correct, this is the same theory as with the pulling guard in the power play. The tailback takes an angle with his run that ensures the fullback is between him and the defender.

Here is some video of Michigan running the draw.

Thanks again for reading. A post on the Wilcat is coming shortly.

Understand the Passing Game in the NFL

calvinandhobbes — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:19:30 -0000

An Introduction to the NFL Passing Game:

Every Sunday we see quarterbacks throw passes for hundreds of yards. However, for the typical fan the passing game is magical event. The quarterback drops back to pass and the ball magically appears in the receivers hands. In these articles I hope to be able to better explain how the passing game works.

I will start off by explaining passing concepts. Passing concepts are how the routes that the wide receivers run are classified. While NFL coaches are known for having playbooks that are thousands of pages long all of the vast majority passing plays can really be broken down into less than twenty passing concepts. Now before dismissing this claim keep in mind that each passing play can contain multiple passing plays and that the way these plays are run in the game is meant to confuse even NFL defensive coordinators. Below is a description of these passing concepts as I can best tell. Now keep in mind that I am not a coach or player at any level, just a college student who loves the game of football.

Four Verticals:

Four Verticals is a very common passing concept, it was memorably used by the Bengals in the last minute of the Ravens first victory. However, it is also common concept in the New Orleans Saints passing offense.

Four Verticals is a particularly simple concept. The idea is that by sending four receivers deep down the field the four receivers will create a situation where the safeties and cornerbacks are forced to cover two receivers at once. The receivers are often given the options of cutting off their routes to undercut the defensive backs if the defensive backs are playing deep coverage.

In a Four Wide formation the two outside receivers head directly up field running go-routes, with the option to cut off their routes at about 14 yards deep if the defensive backs play deep coverage, one slot receiver runs straight up the hash marks. The option to cut off their routes against deep coverage makes this play not always one that leads to deep bombs being thrown down the field. Instead, the play is usually converted with these deep curl routes, or with the divide route described below.

The opposite slot receiver typically runs a divide route (where he reads M.O.F.O. or M.O.F.C.), but sometimes the receiver will be presented with more options. This slot receiver is the key to this play. His divide or "beater" route allows him to get open versus most any coverage.

Here is how this would look on the chalkboard.

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

The Quarterback will watch the safety to determine where to go with the ball. If the safety retreats deep to cover the go-routes the slot receiver will come open running the divide or "beater" route. If the safety slides over to cover the divide or "beater" route the opposite slot receiver will be open or single coverage. In a situation where both four defensive backs drop back into deep zones, or a Cover 4 defense , the receivers will cut off their routes and should be open for a modest 14 yard gain.

Here is video of this play being run by the Bengals in their last minute victory over the Steelers.

This play can also be run out of a trips formation. This is something that is often done to force defenses into playing a Cover 1 or single safety high defense. When an offense comes out in a trips formation defense will practically be forced into not calling the common Cover 2 defense, because it would mean one safety covering three wide receivers. In this formation the receiver closest to the offensive line will run what looks like a deep crossing route, but in fact is just a vertical route run to the opposite hashmark.

Here is this passing concept on the chalkboard out of a trips set.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

The reads will be the same as for when the play is run out of a four wide set, here is video of this concept being run against the Eagles by the Saints.

Three Verticals:

This is another common passing concept among N.F.L. offenses. This concept is obviously very similar to the Four Verticals concept described above.

The outside receivers will run post-corner routes, while a slot receiver runs a divide or "beater" route. The other receivers will run flat or shoot routes. The flat or shoot routes should hold the underneath coverage downfield of the deep routes, while the receivers running the deep routes should adjust their routes to beat the deep coverage.

Here is a diagram of the play out of a four-wide set and out of the I-Formation as a play-action:

via photos1.blogger.com

All three receivers running deep routes have routes that need to be adjusted on the fly. The outside receivers running post-corner routes need to read the cornerback who is directly over them. If the corner back drops straight back the receiver needs to turn his route into more of a deep-out route. However, if the defensive back heads more inside than directly back the receiver need to run a corner route. The slot receiver running deep is again running a divide or "beater" route so he will read M.O.F.O. or M.O.F.C. and adjust his route accordingly.

Here is a video of the New England Patriots running this play out of a Four Wide set, where the receivers line up tight.

The Quaterback’s reads on this play are simple. The Quarterback will watch the strong safety. If the strong safety goes deep into a Cover 2 shell or if the safety rotates down to the weak side of the field the Quarterback’s will read from the strong side outside receiver (B) to the slot receiver (Z) to the tailback. However, if the strong safety drops straight back or rotates down to the strong side of the field the Quarterback will read the field the opposite way, from the weak side outside receiver (X) to the slot receiver (B) to the tailback.

Here is video of this play being run in Madden 10 practice mode:

The NCAA Pass or the Post-Dig:

This passing concept is called the NCAA Pass because every NCAA football team runs it. It is also quite common on the professional level. It was made most famous by Steve Spurrier during his time with the Florida Gators. It is a downfield passing concept that is both very easy to understand and execute, but at the same time is very hard to stop. McDaniels uses this concept often while calling max-protect play action passes (often he will only send out the two outside receivers).

This passing concept is only dependent on two receivers, the two outside receivers. The weak side receiver either runs a 15 yard in-route, while the strong side outside receiver runs a deep crossing-route or a post. One underneath receiver will run a shallower crossing route while a back or another receiver will try to create a rub by running a drag under the shallow crossing route.

The two outside receivers running the deep-in and the deep-post create a situation where the safety defending the middle of the field is forced to cover one receiver or the other leaving some open. This concept is particularly effective off of the play action where the linebackers are sucked down towards the line of scrimmage. The other receivers with the mesh routes will often create a rub against man coverage and will just sit in the empty hole against zone coverage.

Here is an example on the chalk board:

via 1.bp.blogspot.com

As you can see in the drawing the reads go from deep to shallow or hi-lo. The Quarterback will first check the X receiver running the deep-post hoping for the deep play. However, if he is not open the X receiver running the deep-in should be open underneath the safety. Lastly, the receiver will check the mesh with the Y receiver and the tailback.

Here is some video of Miami running this concept as a play action pass:

Levels:

This is a staple concept in Tom Moore’s Indianapolis offense which has been successfully run by Peyton Manning for years. This passing concept is also now a common site in both the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots passing games.

In a four wide spread set typically the strong side outside receiver runs a shallow five-yard in route and the strong side slot receiver runs a deeper ten-yard in route. The weak side outside receiver can run most any route (typically a go-route or deep comeback route) while the weak side slot receiver will run a divide route down the seam.

The weak side slot receiver will read M.O.F.O. (middle of the field open) or M.O.F.C. (middle of the field closed) by reading the deep middle of the field while run a divide route. If the weak side slot receiver reads M.O.F.O. he will cut inside on a post route into the open area in the deep middle of the field, but if the weak side receiver reads M.O.F.C. he will continue straight up field running into the seam between the deep middle and deep outside zones.

Below is an example of what this will look like.

via 2.bp.blogspot.com

After the ball is hiked the Quarterback will look at the receiver running the divide route. If that receiver is covered the Quarterback will then read short-to-deep. The Quarterback will look to throw the ball to the Z-Receiver running the quick-in so that the receiver gets the ball in space. After the short throw has been completed multiple times the linebacker might jump the short route, this will allow the Quarterback to throw the deep-in.

This passing concept is designed to attack the common Cover 2 defense. This passing concept puts the ROLB (N) in a bind as he is being asked to cover both the deep and quick in-routes.

If these routes are covered the Quarterback can just dump off the ball to the tailback. (The only way they can both be covered is if the MLB covers the deep in-route while the ROLB covers the quick in-route, or vise versa. However, in both cases the tailback is being neglected and will be open for an easy completion.) Against a man defense the receiver running the quick in-route will just run under the nickel-back covering the deep in-route. This will create a rub and both receivers running in-routes will be open.

Here is a video of this play in action in the 2007 Superbowl between the Giants and Patriots.

This passing concept is also commonly run out of a trips formation. If this is the case the deep-in and shallow-in are still run, but there is often another in-route run by the middle receiver on the trips side. The core concept remains the same, but the follow concept is also added (which will be explained below). On the weakside of the formation a very simple passing concept is usually run, such as the curl-flat concept (using the tailback for the flat), or as in the example below a streak-out concept.

Below is how this play can look on the chalkboard out of an empty trips formation.

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

Now here is video of this play being run by the Green Bay Packers.

Here is video of this play being running Madden 10 practice mode:

Smash:

The smash concept creates a vertical stretch on the sideline in the same way that Four Verticals creates a horizontal stretch deep downfield. The smash concept is run by most every team because of well it does against the common Cover 2 defenses.

The smash concept is only a two receiver concept. The outside receive runs a quick six yard hitch route while the slot receiver or tight end runs a twelve yard corner route.

The corner either drops into deep coverage to take away the corner route (this would make the hitch open because the linebacker could not get over to the flat fast enough to cover it) or stays in the flat to prevent the hitch (the corner would be open against the safety as the corner route would have inside position).

While neither receiver has any reads to make while running his routes the outside receiver running the hitch does have a bit more to do than run a simple hitch. Once the outside receiver has run his six yard hitch he must get open. This does not mean he should run all over the field, instead he should mimic the cornerback’s motions, but in the other direction. Basically if the receiver sees zone coverage he will drift inside to a hole in the zone and if the receiver sees man coverage he will shoot towards the sideline to gain separation.

Here is a diagram of the play, as the Steelers ran it for the game winning touchdown against the Cardinals in the 2008 Superbowl (you can see how the outside receiver adjusted his route to get open).

via graphics8.nytimes.com

The Quarterback has a simple read. The quarterback simply watches or "keys" the cornerback on the side of the smash route. If the cornerback drops back to defend the corner route the quarterback throw the quick hitch and if the cornerback stays to defend the hitch the quarterback throw the corner route.

Here is video of the game winning play. Rothelisburger must have seen the defense jump on the hitch route which allowed Holmes to get behind the defense for the game winning score.

Fade/Deep-In with an Out-Route:

This is a passing concept that is very similar to the smash concept or snag concept that was described above. The routes are just inverted. The deep route is on the outside and the shallow route is on the inside. Brady has perfected this route combination with Randy Moss and Wes Welker in the New England Patriots offense.

The outside receiver will run a deep route along the sideline typically a go-route (fade route) or a deep-in route. This route will pull the defensive backs far away from an out-route the inside receiver is running. The inside receiver will then running an out-route or some other route that breaks to the sideline. Welker typically runs a pivot route, a route that cuts inside then cuts quickly back out towards the sideline.

Here is a diagram of one of the variants of this concept that the New England Patriots use:

via graphics8.nytimes.com

Against defenses playing man coverage Welker is usually left in single coverage against an inferior athlete like a nickel back or an outside linebacker. The defender simply cannot stay with Welker as he makes the cut in his route. Against zone Welker again will be matched against inferior athletes. However, instead of outrunning them he simply will sit in the holes in zone coverage.

Here is some video of Welker running this concept against the Giants in the 2007 Superbowl:

Shallow Cross:

This passing concept was invented by our very own Mike Shannahan while he was the offensive coordinator in San Francisco. The play is designed to get the ball to a playmaker in space and allow him to turn upfield. Again this play is common across the N.F.L., but is expertly run by the New England Patriots.

This passing combination can be run in many different forms. Typically one receiver will run a drag route, or a shallow crossing route. This route is usually run in conjunction with a deep-in route. However, the deep-in route can either be across the field from the shallow cross, run behind the shallow cross, or any other series of combinations.

The concept is typically run as shown below: with the drag route being ran underneath the deep-in route with the outside receivers running directly upfield (often the receivers will run some type of choice routes like the divide route described above). The quarterback will first check the receiver running the shallow cross the look to the receiver running the deep-in and finally to the receivers running go routes down the sideline.

via 2.bp.blogspot.com

This is a great way to run the concept, it put the inside linebackers in zone coverage in a real bind. They must either drop back to cover the deep-in, giving up the shallow cross, or they must stay shallow to cover the shallow cross, giving up the deep in. The receiver running the deep-in also has the option to sit in holes that he sees in the zone coverage. Against man a nickleback or outside lineback is expected keep up with a slot receiver running at full speed across the formation, this is next to impossible for most defenders.

Here is video of this concept being run:

This concept can also be run in a slightly different way, known as the drive concept. This concept is set up to get the Z receiver running full speed across the formation while opening up a big hole for a deep completion to the tight end. This differences in how this play is diagramed can be seen below when compared with the previous diagram.

via graphics8.nytimes.com

This time the drag is being run on the same side of the field as the deep-in route. The outside receivers routes are also more important. The receiver running the drag is often in motion (not shown in the above diagram) which allows him to be at full speed when he begins his route, again he will blow by the defender in man coverage. Against zone their will be a large window to pass to the tight end because of the bind the linebackers are put in.

Here is some video of this play being run by the New England Patriots against the Giants in the 2007 Superbowl:

Notice again how the quarterback reads the drag, the deep-in, and then the deep routes.

Mesh:

This concept is not that popular at the N.F.L. level, but extremely popular at the college level. Again the concept is extremely simple, two receivers run routes right by each other, and this creates a rub against man coverage and allows the receivers to simply sit in the holes against zone coverage.

The first difference in this concept from others is how closely the receivers will line up to each other. Since the receivers are hoping to cross each other it makes since that they would line up closer together. Both inside receivers will run drag routes, very similar to the ones run in the Shallow Cross concept described above. There are only two minor differences, first the receivers running drag routes head slightly upfield once they pass each other, second the receivers running the drag routes have the option to stop in the holes of zones that they will run through. While the outside receiver will either run a post or a corner route (this play is often run out of the three receiver sets, however in four receiver set the outside receiver not running a post or corner will just run a go or fade route). Both tailbacks will run swing routes where they head to the flats and then head directly upfield.

Here is a diagram of the play as Mike Leach runs it at Texas Tech:

via www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com

I have already described how the mesh routes effect the defense. Against man coverage they create rubs that allow the receivers to get open and against zone the receivers running the crossing drags sit in the holes in the zone coverage.

The receiver running the post or corner route forces the safeties to stay honest and not come closer to the line of scrimmage to stop the mesh routes. The tailbacks do something similar to the outside linebackers, they force them to leave the center of the field and cover the flats. So, all the receivers besides the receivers running the mesh pull the defenders away from the mesh.

Here is video of New Mexico and Texas Tech running this concept:

The quarterbacks reads are very simple on this play. He will first check the post or corner route to make sure the safeties are staying deep, he will then check the tailbacks to make sure the flats are being covered and then he will wait for a receiver to break out of the mesh.

For even more clarity here is video of it being run in NCAA 09:

All Curls:

This passing concept is a concept that horizontally stretches the field. Against defenses with a single high safety (teams running Cover 3 and Cover 1) this is an extremely effective concept. Just like the Four Verticals matches four vertical routes up against three or less defensive backs this concept matches five underneath routes against four or less underneath defenders.

Both outside receivers will run simple 12 yard curl routes. A slot receiver and a tailback (or both runninbacks) will run shoot or flat routes. Then the tight end or other slot receiver) will run a sit route at about six-eight yards deep (this is a route where the reciver runs about six yards to the center of the field then turns and faces the quarterback). Below are some diagrams of this concept in different formations:

via sky.prohosting.com

The quarterback will read the safety if he rotates away from the sit route (he rotates weak side) the quarterbacks reads will go sit route, curl route, and then the flat route. These three routes create a horizontal stretch to one side of the field. The flat defender must cover both the flat/shoot and the curl while the other linebacker in zone on that side must cover the sit route and the curl route.

If the safety drops to the strong side the quarterback will read the curl/flat combination on the weak side. This concept forces the flat defender to stay near the line of scrimmage to cover the flat/shoot route and allow the corner route, or to drop back to cover the corner route and allow the flat/shoot route.

If the safeties begin to sit on the curls the tight end or slot receiver can run a post or corner route to keep the safeties honest.

Here is a video of the Saints running this play:

And here is video of this play being run in Madden 10 practice mode:

The Slant Concept/Double Slants:

This concept is prevalent throughout the any level of football. This concept was one of the staples of Bill Walsh’s famed west coast offense. Like the shallow cross and mesh concepts this concept is meant to get the ball to your playmaker with space for him to run.

Two receivers on the same side of the ball will both run slant patterns, one at aimed slight further up field. Another receiver on the other side of the field will also run a slant pattern. Lastly, a slot receiver will run a shoot route either underneath the two slants (in a trips formation) or underneath the lone slant (if the tailback does not stay back to block he will run a flat route to the opposite side of the shoot route). Here is a diagram of Iowa running this play against Michigan State:

via smartfootball.com

The two slant routes force zone receivers to choose whether to drop deep and cove the deep slant or to stay shallow and cover the shallow slant, either way a receiver will be open against zone coverage. The shoot and flat routes also cause a problem for zone defenses. The cornerback covering the slant route must either allow the receiver running the slant route a free release and not follow the receiver inside for a few yards (allowing an easy completion to the slant route) or bump the slant receiver and follow him inside a few yards (allowing an easy completion to the flat/shoot route).

Against man coverage the receiver running the slant opposite of the double slants should be in single coverage, which should allow an easy completion with room to run. Below is a video of the play diagramed above being run for a touchdown:

The quarterback will usually using pre-snap motion to identify whether the defense is in man or zone (in the video above the tight end is motioned). Once the quarterback has identified man or zone he knows which half of the field to read. Against man he should look for the single coverage against the lone slant route and against zone there is a flood with the double slants and the shoot route.

Y-Sail/Flood:

This concept is used primarily to defeat zone. The concept involves three receivers who all run routes at different depths on the same side of the field. Just like Four Verticals and All Curls this passing concept is a play that stretches the defense; however this is a vertical stretch instead of a horizontal stretch.

An outside receiver will run go or fade route up the sidelines, a tailback or slot receiver will run a flat or shoot route, and a tight end or slot receiver will run a corner/deep-out route. All three of these routes are attacking the same sideline. The outside receiver on the weak side of the field will run a deep post while the other tailback stays in to block or runs a curl route. Below is a diagram of the play as Norm Chow ran it at U.S.C.:

via 3.bp.blogspot.com

The receiver running the go or fade route pulls the defensive back on the sideline away from the line of scrimmage and the other two routes. The shoot or flat route keeps any flat defender near the line of scrimmage so that he does not drop back. The slot receiver or tight end running the corner/deep-out then attacks the hole in the zone on the side line. The hole has been expanded by the flat/shoot and go or fade route allowing an easy throw. The other receiver running the post route keeps the safety from cheating down to cover the corner/deep-out. The tailback often stays in to block, but can run a curl to the middle of the field just to occupy another defender.

Here is a video of BYU running this concept with a slight tweak (the tailback runs an angle or texas route):

The quarterback has some simple reads. He will first check the post route and go route just to make sure the defense is not cheating down against the corner/deep-out. Then he will go to the corner/deep-out and if that is covered the tailback is his outlet receiver.

Spacing:

This is a simple concept I will not devote much time to as it is very similar to the All Curls concept.

The outside receiver will run a mini curl (he heads directly up field for four yards, then inside for three yards, and then turns towards the quarterback). The inside slot receiver runs a sit route (see the All Curls concept for description) at a depth of above five yards. The tailback or slot receiver then runs an arrow route (runs in a straight line) aiming at the sideline about four or five yards up field. The outside receiver opposite these routes will often run a post or something similar to keep the safeties honest. This concept is often run out of a bunch as shown below:

via sky.prohosting.com

The three receivers are creating a horizontal stretch on one side of the field. The flat defender and nearest linebacker are forced to cover three receivers. Against man the defenders will often pick each other will trying to cover the receivers in the bunch formation.

The quarterback will first look at the post to keep the defense honest. Then will stare down the arrow route to pull the flat defender from the mini-curl. The quarterback will then hit the mini-curl for a small gain.

Here is an instructional video of the passing concept:

Y-Stick:

This concept is another short yardage passing concept. It is a quick three step pass and does well against both zone and man coverages. Lastly, due to how quickly the ball comes out it is a good play to use in blitz situations.

The y-stick passing concept, like All Curls and Four Verticals is a horizontal stretch play. The strong side outside receiver runs a go route straight up field. This receiver must be able to get open deep against man coverage with no safety help. The strong side fullback runs a flat route. The slot receiver or tight end runs the stick route, which is a six yard hitch. On the weak side of the formation the wide receiver runs a choice route where he either runs a slant route or an extended stick route. The wide receiver runs past the inside linebacker and if he sees man coverage he continues his route, but if he sees zone he sits in a hole in coverage and turns and faces the quarterback. Lastly, the tailback runs a swing route. Here is a diagram of the play.

via t3.gstatic.com

The Z receiver’s go route pulls the defense deep and away from the stick route. The fullback’s flat route is supposed to the pull flat defender toward the line of scrimmage. The tight end receiver running the stick route is supposed to fill in the hole in the zone. This creates a vertical stretch on the strong side of the formation. The weak side receiver’s stick route over the middle of the field creates a horizontal stretch of the defense that compliments the vertical stretch on the sideline. The tailback’s route compliments the weak side receiver’s route to create the same passing concept seen on the weak side of the Double Slants concepts. While the zone stretches this play creates are readily apparent the way this play attacks man is even simpler. In a Cover 1 or Cover 0 man defense the receiver running the z-route is open for the deep option. Against a 2 Man Under defense the receiver running the choice route is suppose to out run the receiver. The receiver running the stick route is suppose to drift just like the receiver running the hitch route does in the Smash concept. Below is a video of the play being run by Houston.

The Quarterback reads are: receiver on the go route, fullback in the flat, receiver running the stick route, then the combination on the other side (outside receiver then tailback).

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Part 2 will cover pass protection

Part 3 will cover running plays and play action passing

Hope you learned something.

If anyone knows how to center the pictures or fix other formating I could use some help.

Thanks for reading.

A Statistical Analysis of the 2008-2009 Denver Broncos Running Game

calvinandhobbes — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:13:14 -0000

When people think of the Denver Broncos they often think of an Offensive Line where, "that would let my grandmother run for 1,000 yards." This year the Denver Broncos have proven that your grandmother most definitely could not run for 1,000 yards.

In this article I will attempt to show three things:

1.) The state of the Denver Broncos’ running game in comparison with the rest of the league.

2.) The state of the Denver Broncos’ running backs in comparison with the rest of the league.

3.) The effect of the Denver Broncos’ running game on their overall performance.

This article is hopefully the first in a series of articles examining the Denver Broncos Offensive and Defensive Lines.

via cache.daylife.com

1.) The state of the Denver Broncos’ running game in comparison with the rest of the league.

via cache.gettyimages.com

According to Football Outsiders Offensive Line Rankings (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol) the Denver Broncos are ranked number one in run blocking. The Denver Broncos have an Adjusted Line Yards per carry of 5.01. This is .81 higher than the league average of 4.20. 5.01 Adjusted Lines Yards per carry is also .37 or 8% higher than the fifth ranked San Francisco 49ers. Further, 5.01 is .99 Adjusted Line yards higher than the twenty-second ranked Kansas City Chiefs (or %23.13 percent higher), who rank second highest in the A.F.C. West.

This remarkably high Adjusted Line Yards per carry of 5.01 would suggest that the Denver Broncos are dominating the league with their running game. However, this is not the case. Instead, the Denver Broncos are ranked fourth in rush offense by Football outsiders, their rushing DVOA of %11.0 is less than half of the %23.8 Rushing DVOA of the number one ranked New York Giants.

These statistics may make one ask how the disparity between Rushing DVOA and Adjusted Line Yards per carry can occur. Football Outsiders attempts to describe this possible separation:

"Why are these rankings different from the team offense DVOA ratings for rushing? Among other reasons, they don't include quarterbacks or fumbles, long runs are truncated, and a different set of adjustments is used, attempting to isolate line playrather than total team offense.

A team with a high ranking in Adjusted Line Yards but a low ranking in 10+ Yards is heavily dependent on its offensive line to make the running game work. A team with a low ranking in Adjusted Line Yards but a high ranking in 10+ Yards is heavily dependent on its running back breaking long runs to make the running game work.

However, it is important to understand that these ratings only somewhatseparate the offensive line from the running backs. A team with a very good running back will appear higher no matter how bad their line, and a team with a great line with appear lower if the running back is terrible."

Football Outsiders’ suggestion for the difference leads us to the second part of this article.

2.) The state of the Denver Broncos’ running backs in comparison with the rest of the league.

via media.scout.com

The Denver Broncos rank twenty-sixth in runs over ten yards, with only %13 of their runs going over ten yards. The thirty-second ranked Indianapolis Colts have %9 of their runs go over ten yards. So, only four percent more of the Denver Broncos’ runs are in excess of ten yard, than the worst team in the Nation Football League at runs over ten yards. If Football Outsiders is correct in their assertion that a team with a low percentage of ten plus yards and high Adjusted Line Yards per carry means that the team has a better Offensive Line than Running Back, the Denver Broncos therefore probably have mediocre Running Backs and an excellent Offensive Line.

Football Outsiders’ third assertion that, "a team with a great line with appear lower if the running back is terrible" seems to suggest that the Denver Broncos must not have terrible running backs. I will set out to prove that the Denver Broncos in fact do have mediocre running backs, but an absolutely amazing Offensive Line.

The first thing I noticed when researching the Denver Broncos running backs this year was the amazing amount of injuries the backfield has suffered. No Denver Bronco has more than ninety-five carries, while EVERY other team in the National Football League has at least one Running Back with at least ninety-five carries. Eight teams even have two Running Backs with ninety-five carries.

The highest ranked Running Back according to Football Outsiders DYAR (as shown here http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/rb) is Michael Pittman at fifteenth (due to his low amount of carries I had to add him to Football Outsiders list by myself, which is rather telling). However, due to Michael Pittman’s age and injury he has very limited carries. The second ranked Denver Bronco is Selvin Young, who is ranked thirtieth in DYAR, however he has not played in awhile. The Denver Broncos’ current starting Running Back Peyton Hillis is ranked fortieth.

Unfortunately, I do not have the time to calculate the success rates of these Running Backs, as defined by Football Outsiders.

These statistics seem to suggest that the current Running Backs of the Denver Broncos are not mediocre, instead they are awful. This means that the Denver Broncos’ Offensive Line is in fact absolutely amazing; they are managing to rank first Adjusted Line Yards per carry by a sizeable margin, despite their poor running backs.

3.) The effect of the Denver Broncos’ running game on their overall performance.

To find the effect of the Denver Broncos’ running game on their overall performance I compared Football Outsiders’ Offensive Lines and their Rushing DVOA to Football Outsiders’ Drive Charts. The rushing rank of a team’s Offensive Line seems to have no correlation to a team’s yards per drive. However, a team’s percentage of stuffed runs does seem to strongly correlate to their touchdowns per drive. This bodes well for the Denver Broncos’ as they rank seventh in stuffed runs.

I would imagine however that as the season comes to close and the weather worsens the running game will become more important.

In closing, imagine a Denver Bronco Running game where the running back is as good as the Offensive Line and what this could allow the Denver Broncos’ Offense to do.

Terrell Davis Tribute (via broncofan547)

An In-depth Look at the Denver Broncos 2007 Season

calvinandhobbes — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:22:39 -0000

Hello all, this is my first “entry” at The Mile High Report and I hope to bring a different perspective to this wonderful community of fans. As a Broncos fan I was not very happy with the way the season went last year. Like most of you reading this I watched every Broncos game and consider myself a pretty knowledgeable person about football, so I ended the season with some pretty firm ideas on why the Broncos failed last season. I placed the blame mainly on our offensive and defensively lines, specifically in the red zone for the offensive line and in run defense for our defensive line.

Since then I have stumbled upon an excellent football statistics website which I urge you all to explore, www.footballoutsiders.com. Using the statistics provided by this website I have began to reexamine the Broncos last season and this is what I found.

My first question was what did Football Outsiders say were the Broncos problems last season. To determine this I would find the N.F.L. ranking of our offense, defense, and special teams. I would break these areas down further and see which specific parts of the offense and defense were ranked twelfth or better (I used twelfth because I would consider most seasons a success if the team makes the playoffs because once you are in the playoffs anything can happen).

RANK

Total

DVOA

Last Year

NON-ADJ

TOT VOA

W-L

OFF.

DVOA

OFF.

RANK

DEF.

DVOA

DEF.

RANK

S.T.

DVOA

S.T.

Rank

3.2%

18 0.4%

0.4%

7-9

7.8%

6.3%

-4.8%

(I apologize for the tables, they got messed up in the transfer from word.)

For those of you who have not visited Football Outsiders the most important term in that chart is probably a complete mystery, DVOA. (thirty-two is the worst one is the best in these rankings.)

“THE SHORT VERSION: DVOA is a method of evaluating teams, units, or players. It takes every single play during the NFL season and compares each one to a league-average baseline based on situation. DVOA measures not just yardage, but yardage towards a first down: five yards on 3rd-and-4 are worth more than five yards on 1st-and-10 and much more than five yards on 3rd-and-12. Red zone plays are worth more than other plays. Performance is also adjusted for the quality of the opponent. DVOA is a percentage, so a team with a DVOA of 10.0% is 10 percent better than the average team, and a quarterback with a DVOA of -20.0% is 20 percent worse than the average quarterback. Because DVOA measures scoring, defenses are better when they are negative.”

For more information here is an article on their website: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/methods.php

The first thing that jumped out at me was how much higher the Broncos’ offensive rank was than either their defensive or special teams rank. I was skeptical about the offense being ranked ninth after having watched their red zone struggles all of last season. So, I delved into the statistical breakdown of our offense last season.

Here are the Football Outsider statistics about the Denver Bronco’s offense last season:

These are the weighted offensive statistics from last season. With all Football Outsiders statistics 0% is the league average. On offense a team wants to have a high number and on defense a low number.

Weighted

OFF. DVOA

Rank

Pass

OFF.

Pass

Rank

Rush

OFF.

Rush

Rank

8.0%

16.0%

-1.5%

These are the unweighted offensive statistics from last season.

OFF. DVOA

Rank

Pass

OFF.

Pass

Rank

Rush

OFF.

Rush

Rank

7.8%

12.9%

-.5%

And here are three other statistics you all might be interested that involve our offensive rank.

Variance	Rank	OFF. Rank 2006	OFF. Rank 2005
10.1%	4	23	4

The first thing that jumped out at me is that both the passing and rushing sections of our offense were ranked lower than our total offense. This however can be explained by the Simpson’s Paradox (for those of you who are interested here is a quick explanation http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simpson's_paradox ).

The most discouraging part of these rankings to me was our rushing offense, not so much because it is two places higher than out passing offense, but because a team like Denver who relies on the run should have a rushing offense in the top five, not the top fifteen. In 2005 when Denver went to the AFC Championship game their rush offense had an adjusted ranking of first on the Football Outsider website. So, seeing these rushing rankings I decided to further research our running backs and offensive line. (Due to time constraints I will only cover our rushing offense in this first post.)

I decided to look up the Broncos offensive line first because the Bronco’s running backs continually rotated due to injury our play quality all season long. I looked up the running backs to answer specific questions, but I really believe that the offensive line holds the answer to the majority of the questions about our offensive line.

Here are the run block statistics for the entire offensive line:

Rank

ALY

RB Yards

Power Success

Power

Rank

10+

Yards

10+

Rank

Stuffed

Rank

4.25

4.63

49%

23%

25%

N.F.L.

4.17

63%

18%

24%

Here are the run block statistics broken down for specific sections of the offensive line:

Rank	ALY	Rank	ALY		Rank		ALY	Rank		ALY	Rank		ALY	Rank
	Left End			Left Tackle		Mid/Guard			Right Tackle			Right End
13	4.88	5	4.78		8		3.86	25		3.81	26		4.72	6
N.F.L.	4.06		4.35				4.15			4.23			4.05

And here is how often Denver runs in certain directions compared to the rest of the N.F.L.

Rank	RB Carries	Left End	Left Tackle	MID/Guard	Right Tackle	Right End
22	375	15%	16%	41%	14%	14%
N.F.L.	389	11%	15%	50%	14%	10%

And here are some definitions:

ALY= “Adjusted Line Yards. Based on regression analysis, the Adjusted Line Yards formula takes all running back carries and assigns responsibility to the offensive line based on the following percentages:

Losses: 120% value
0-4 Yards: 100% value
5-10 Yards: 50% value
11+ Yards: 0% value

These numbers are then adjusted based on down, distance, situation, and opponent, and normalized so that the league average for Adjusted Line Yards per carry is the same as the league average for RB yards per carry (current baseline: 4.08).” (More can be found here: http://www.footballoutsiders.com/methods.php#lineyards ).

Power Success= Percentage of runs on third or fourth down, two yards or less to go, that achieved a first down or touchdown. Also includes runs on first-and-goal or second-and-goal from the two-yard line or closer. This is the only statistic on this page that includes quarterbacks.

Stuffed= Percentage of runs that result in (on first down) zero or negative gain or (on second through fourth down) less than one-fourth the yards needed for another first down. Since being stuffed is bad, teams are ranked from stuffed least often (#1) to most often (#32).

N.F.L.= Average N.F.L. percentages and statistics.

Ok, now that is a lot to digest. The most apparent thing is how amazing horrendous our “power running is”, thirty second in the N.F.L. entirely unacceptable. Power runs are the runs that truly count, while it is nice to be ranked sixth in runs that are ten yards or longer is almost useless and irrelevant. As Football Outsiders explains:

“If their overall yards per carry are equal, a running back who consistently gains yardage on every play is more valuable than a boom-and-bust running back who is frequently stuffed at the line but occasionally breaks a long highlight-worthy run.

You may start a drive 80 yards away from scoring, but as long as you can earn 10 yards in four chances, you get another four chances. Long gains have plenty of value, but if those long gains are mixed with a lot of short gains, you are going to put the quarterback in a lot of difficult third-and-long situations. That means more punts and more giving the ball back to the other team rather than moving the chains and giving the offense four more plays to work with.

The running back who gains consistent yardage is also going to do a lot more for you late in the game, when the goal of running the ball is not just to gain yardage but to eat clock time. If you are a Carolina Panthers fan watching your team with a late lead, you don't want to see three straight DeShaun Foster stuffs at the line followed by a punt. You want to see a game-icing first down.”

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/pregame.php

I decided to look up Denver’s power rank of the last few last years, in 2006 they ranked sixteenth with a 63% success rate and in 2005 they ranked ninth with a success rate of 68%. This shows the obvious correlation between success in power running and overall success as a team. To test this hypothesis I looked up a few other run focused teams. I used Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Kansas City I then charted their points a drive for that year and power success and power rate.

Team	Year	Power Success	Power Rank	Pts. a Drive Rank
Denver	2005	68%	9	8
Pittsburgh	2005	68%	12	6
Seattle	2005	81%	1	2
Kansas City	2005	68%	10	5

In 2006, none of my four sample teams did too well, but 14-2 San Diego had a Power Rank of 4.

Team	Year	Power Success	Power Rank	Pts. a Drive Rank
Denver	2006	63%	16	16
Pittsburgh	2006	63%	20	11
Seattle	2006	70%	10	20
Kansas City	2006	74%	2	13

Team	Year	Power Success	Power Rank	Pts. a Drive Rank
Denver	2007	49%	32	17
Pittsburgh	2007	60%	21	6
Seattle	2007	52%	20	14
Kansas City	2007	61%	20	31

The data does not show as strong of a correlation as I would of liked, but it is strong enough (variables should be factored in that I have ignored like QB play) to prove my point that the horrible power running of this team will be their undoing. Only six teams were within ten percent of Denver’s 49% success rate and of those six teams four of them lost the starting running back for the majority if not all of the season. Fortunately, this is one of a few ratings that can significantly change from season to season.

Some would look at the stuffed percentage of the Broncos and assume since they are only one percent higher than the average it is not too big of a deal, however when all the teams are examined it becomes apparent most teams are within a percent of the N.F.L. average for stuffs (fifteen teams in fact). This means the Broncos could easily have been ranked significantly higher or lower. Looking at their power success rank I think it is safe to assume that it is more likely they would be ranked lower than higher.

I also examined specific parts of the offensive line. When comparing our adjusted lines yards on certain sections of the OL to the percent of runs that were directed to that area the Mid/Guard area raises some real concerns. It seems as if Shannahan was running into a wall (pun intended) as he continued to pound the ball into Denver’s weakest area.

However, upon closer examination only two teams ran the ball fewer times straight up the gut. So, Shannahan really did try to cut down on runs to the Mid/Guard area. This is directly connected to our power running failures and high stuff rate. In power running scenarios a run straight up the gut is often the best scenario, further dives and slams are stuffed far less often than tosses and sweeps. The two teams who ran up to the Mid/Guard area had power success rates of 29 and 7 ( the second teams is the New York Giants I am truly baffled they didn’t run to the Mid/Guard area more with a big back like Jacobs) and a stuff rate of 25 and 5 (again the second team is the New York Giants and it is hard to stuff a back like Jacobs).

So, while the focus on Denver’s offensive line right now seems to be the tackles maybe it should move towards the guard and center? Actually, with the return of Nalen and hopefully Hamilton (I still have my doubts about him really coming) Denver can begin to raise its power success rate and lower its stuff rate.

The ranking of fifth and sixth for the left and right ends respectively would suggest Denver’s tackles were great last year is actually pretty misleading. This is for three main reasons. First, when Denver ran to an end Daniel Graham was often on that side as an extra blocker. Second, since Denver runs a lot of plays where the guards pull the offensive tackles get even another extra blocker. Third, outside runs often allow the runner to “get in space” so more of the runs success is determined on the runners ability to avoid defenders than on interior runs. Lastly, Lepsis pubically admitted is failure at the left tackle spot last year and Denver’s right tackle from last season sounds like he has already been replaced by Kuper.

I also looked up Denver’s running backs. Young was ranked 20th in DPAR (“or Defense-adjusted Points Above Replacement. This number represents the total number of points scored due to plays where this RB carried/caught the ball, compared to a replacement-level RB in the same game situations”) 17th in DVOA (“or Defense-adjusted Value Over Average. This number represents value, per play, over an average RB in the same game situations. The more positive the DVOA rating, the better the player's performance.”) and 40th in Success Rank (“his number represents the player's consistency, measured by successful running plays (the definition of success being different based on down and distance) divided by total running plays.”). While both Youngs DVOA and DPAR are mediocre his Success Rank is poor, this is worrisome because as Football Outsiders points out, “A player with higher DVOA and a low success rate mixes long runs with downs getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage. A player with lower DVOA and a high success rate generally gets the yards needed, but doesn't often get more.” This unfortunately, sounds like our running game last year in general, gets the easy yards, stuffed on the hard yards. So, Selvin Young better work on his vision and put on some weight before he gets those 2,000 yards.

Travis Henry while ranking 39th in DPAR and 40th in DVOA ranks 27th in Success Rate. This seems to imply if he weren’t injured all season or if Denver’s offensive line were better Travis Henry could have placed higher. Still, even if Henry had placed higher it most likely would still have been in the mid 20’s, just mediocre.

These statistics clearly explain Shannahan’s comments about Young not being an every down back and probably explains the drafting of Torain.

I will try to right up an article on our passing offense tomorrow and finish up my entire section on the offense.

Please comment, and if you got this far thanks for reading.

What the Broncos Will do this Offseason and Why:

calvinandhobbes — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 22:56:04 -0000

What the Broncos will do this offseason and why:

Now we as Broncos fans all have our own opinions on what the Broncos should do, but often what they actually do is something completely different. So, I will take a moment to take off my orange shaded glasses and put on someone else's, the Shannahan Brain Trust.

I intend to use two main sources Ted Sundquist's Draft Blog (http://blog.denverbroncos.com/tedsundquist/2007/11/20/i-feel-a-draft-in-here/)and Shannahan's postseason press conference (Andrew Mason's transcript, on his blog http://blog.denverbroncos.com/mason/2008/01/10/live-from-shanahans-season-wrap/#more-682). I will also be using scouting reports of various college players and will site my information accordingly. Lastly, I will have to guess a little, but I will try to keep this to a minimum.

First, I will start with what kind of players I think the Broncos will go after, and then give the specific players I believe fit these profiles. I will only look at positions that I feel the Broncos organization believes are needs in the second section.

Offense:

While I believe the Broncos have some serious needs on offense (just see my previous two diaries) I don't believe the Broncos believe the same.

Shannahan in his postseason press conference said:

"I saw us getting better. Even though we didn't play as well as we'd like to play consistently, I think there's a big future there."

"You always have the personnel to win 10-plus games. We've got to get a little healthier. We've never lost 62 (games) for guys on offense."

To me this says that Shannahan thinks the Broncos have all the necessary pieces. Shannahan seems to believe that the Bronco's offense just needs some more experience, and fewer injuries.

QB:

I believe almost all Bronco fans believe Cutler is the real deal, and so does Shannahan, here are his thoughts:

"Strong arm, a guy that'll compete ... Now he's got to go out there and do it, just like John (Elway) did ... John had to prove himself in a playoff situation and finally got to that Super Bowl ... His first four years all you heard was that he never played in a bowl game and that he never won a playoff game ... But he believed in himself and kept on working his rear end off and finally got to the promised land ... I was in the same situation with Steve Young, following Joe Montana."

However, like most all our other offensive positions he believes we need more experience:
"There's a million things (Cutler) can work on -- ball position, consistency with his short throws, blitzes and how to react to them, footwork, pressure, stepping up, scrambling. Different things that all quarterbacks go through."

RB:

On Travis Henry, I believe Shannahan will keep him with a restructured contract. This is mainly based off two quotes, first "Any time there's a setback with a guy you have to look back at what he did in the first four or five games...You kind of get out of football shape ... He tried, but he could never get back in shape." This quote seems to imply Henry got unlucky and that without injuries Shannahan felt he could have been a strong back. In Henry's first five games he average 6.0, 4.9, 3.2, 5.0, and 4.1 yards a carry with 139, 128, 35, 131, and 61 yards a game. I believe it is safe to assume if he had stayed uninjured he would have had quite the season, or at least that is what the first five games show, and Shannahan therefore says he will look at.

The second quote is Henry's, "I want to make it right to the Broncos, the fans and myself," Henry said. "I want to be a Bronco and make it all right. I don't want to be anywhere else. I owe those people something for all that happened last year. I want to clear my name there. I'm so hungry to do right there." This says that Henry really realizes how much he owes to Shannahan, Henry is most likely going to redo his contract. These quotes would seem to suggest we will not go after a high profile RB (through the draft or FA).

Something to consider though is the average life span of the Broncos running backs in Shannahan's span as head coach. This year was suppose to be Henry, last year was suppose to be Tatum Bell, the year before Mike Anderson, and so on. This suggests we will get a low profile RB like we do every year, however I believe we will keep all of our current RBs as well, regardless to how illogical this may seem.

However, when talking about Young, Shannahan seems to feel the way most Bronco fans do, he can't handle ""20-25 carries" 16 games in a row, but that for 15-20 carries he can get five yards a carry , Shannahan expressed a similar sentiment with Andre Hall. Both dealt with injuries this year." This quote says that Shannahan would like to keep Hall and Young to back up another back (most likely Henry as suggested above).

TE/FB:

These two are related to me for this team, because I believe as we see more two TE sets, as we did at the end of the season we will see less of the FB. Graham was one of, if not the best, blockers on our team towards the end of the season. Graham also is, I believe, the highest paid TE in the league, therefore he will get playing time. As for Sheffler, Cutler is taking him and Marshall to go train before the season suggesting their already good chemistry will only get better. Our star QB would also not take a TE on a training trip if he didn't think he would get his touches. Therefore, I believe we will run multiple two TE sets as we did towards the end of the year and neither position is much of a need.

When one looks at the catches our TEs pulled in during the season there is no discernable pattern with Graham. The most catches he ever had this season in a single game was four and he only average 1.71 catches and 17.6 yards a game. However, Sheffler's receptions went up steadily over the course of the season. In his 12 games he averaged 4.1 catches a game (this includes both weeks 13 and 16 when he only had 3 total catches) , more than double Graham, and he averaged 45.8 yards a game. These statistics support the idea our FB will get less and less playing time between the 20s.

WR:

The first question anyone has about the Broncos WR situation is Javon Walker. I think the Broncos will do everything in their power to keep him, and if not they will trade him. In his postseason press conference Shannahan had nothing but good things to say about Walker, he said "Guys like him, I will talk to before March 1." Ted Sundquist said that in reference to Lelie that "Lelie's absence takes nothing away from our current WR unit with the likes of Javon Walker, Brandon Marshall and Brandon Stokley." In reference to whether we would cut or trade him, Mr. Sundquist when referring to former Bronco George Foster and his situation said, "The emergence of Erik Pears as a step-in for the injured Matt Lepsis in `06 gave us an option to deal George for another player of need (DC Dre' Bly). With the money invested in Lepsis and the quality of play we received from Pears (along with his emerging upside), it became apparent that we wouldn't resign Foster for what it would require in `08. Why not get something of value rather than eventually let him go through free agency?". This seems to suggest they really don't want to cut Walker, but with the emergence of young players like Marshall and Sheffler they might trade him.

Marshall really emerged as a top WR in the N.F.L. last season, and his production didn't seem to suffer at all when Walker was on the field. Some people are suggesting that we need another dominant WR to keep top CBs off Marshall, but I disagree and I believe Shannahan does as well. The Broncos in no point in Shannahan's career have had two "dominant" WRs. Marshall did well against #1 CBs almost all season. Instead if the Broncos pursue a WR he will be more in the mold of Lelie or Nash ( I know neither really worked out, but you get the idea).

OL:

While I think this is a pressing need I feel the front office disagrees. Right after his retirement Matt Lepsis said, ""I was really impressed by Ryan Harris and the veterans are coming back, and Chris Myers and Chris Kuper did a good job. They'll be fine." I believe Shannhan places the poor play of the OL this past season almost solely on the decline in play of Lepsis and the injuries of Nalen and Hamilton. This is 3/5 of our OL so this is a reasonable assumption.

I will add defense and my predictions later this week. Feel free to make any comments or suggestions.

In defense of my previous diary.

calvinandhobbes — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 01:03:25 -0000

First my thoughts to HoosierTeacher's in defense of post on offense being a bigger need than defense .

"DT - Rookie Thomas looked good when he finaly got a shot. But he isn't domineering, and he needs help either way. I think he is a future great at the position, but we need two DTs now. Why? Because we need at least three to four for rotation (include Thomas and McKinley). We can debate on if Thomas is ready to start or not. We need a bare minimum of 1, but really 2 DTs. McKinley (like Thomas) is, in my opinion, solid as a rotational DT, but not a strong starter."

I agree we need one more good DT, but I don't think he needs to be great. What I think we disagree on his how high of a draft pick, or how high of a salary this player will warrant. I don't think anyone would disagree we need one even two DTs. I just disagree on where we get them. I think we simply need a big DT next to Thomas, what Sam Adams should have been when in shape. I think Frank Okam from Texas in the second would work well. However, if Patt Simms drops I would draft him over Okam, or if we trade back (as I want to) I would like to take him late in the first.

"OLB - Wherever you think Williams should play (OLB or MLB), we need two more guys. Winborn got signed to an extension, so he might be considered a project (perhaps for special teams). But Gold and Webster did not perform well this year (and I say this as a big Gold fan). Like DT, we need a bare minimum of one, but really need two."

I think Williams should stay in the middle. Honestly, I would like Wilson on the strong-side, but I doubt that will happen. I really think we only need one starting caliber OLB (Boss Bailey, or a 4th round pick). I think it the poor performance of our OLBs can be improved through coaching and a better DL. They were struggling with gap control and tackling, both coachable mistakes, the question is do we have the staff to fix that. However, above all they were having to shed blocks to get to the ball carrier most every down, something that really shouldn't happen to all the LBs every play. The OL is not supposed to easily get to the secondary. So, I really think our LBs poor play had more to do with coachable mistakes and a poor DL, therefore they are not as big of a need as most say.

"SAF - Lynch may return, but his two neck injuries and the fact that he is slowing with age at the very least makes his value debatable. He is good in zone near the line of scrimmage, but he can't cover a fast TE as well as he should, and his speed won't improve if he is needed in deep zone. Hamza looks like a good fit for SAF. Whether Lynch leaves, or stays to play a short yardage role, we really need a coverage safety."

I couldn't agree more. However, from what I understand we will be running more of a 4-4 4-6 defense next year, similar to what we ran the second half of the year. This would mean, assuming we don't bring in a safety, that Hamza Abdullah is deep, and Lynch is in the box. This would allow him to do what he does best, tackle and read plays, and his speed would be less of a factor. We cold simply run a 4-6 defense with nickel personnel, on passing downs, allowing us to put Foxworth at WLB, manning him up with the TE. I don't believe Safety is as big a need as OT, WR (if Javon leaves), DT, just to name a few.

"So our biggest disagreement is on the OL. First let me say that I agree with Styg's comment above that Pears is the real deal. I think you sold Pears a little short, but I won't eleborate beyond Styg's comment.
Harris has been getting positive press from the coaching staff. The word is that he has learned the scheme quicker than normal, and the staff is eager to get him on the field (this was well before Lepsis announced retirement).
I thought Nalen would retire, but it looks like he wants to stay another year. He was on IR this year, and is an injury risk in my opinion. But he still plays very well. For Hamilton, read my comments about Nalen. I advocate two OL pick-ups for depth in case of injury or to develop for '09 and beyond. I think Hamilton is a serious injury risk; Nalen very much less so."

This is where the disagreement really comes form, I pretty much agree with HoosierTeacher on numbers of players needed for each side of the ball, it is simply priority that we disagree on. I think in similar way to how we leapt at the opportunity to draft a franchise QB in Cutler, we should jump at the opportunity to get a franchise Tackle.

"5. I also agree with some of the commentors above, that we are already getting gashed by the run. Our offense can't win games if opposing teams can control the clock. We must fix our run defense."

I believe our abysmal run defense is a product of a few major components not related to personnel.
First, it is chicken vs. egg whether the offense not being on the field causes the run defense to suffer, or whether the run defense keeps the offense of the field. I really think both deserve some attention. The idea that the offense getting off the field to quickly hurts the run defense does not apply to the Broncos of last season due to the large amounts of yards the offense compiled. As far as staying on the field our offense was good if not great (just look at Cutler's third down percentage). However, our offense could not score. This meant the opposing offense would run the ball a lot, therefore leading to more broken tackles and longer runs as the game went on. Opposing offense could run a lot because they almost never were playing from behind, and they need to rest their defense. Now for the run defense keeping the offense off the field. The Broncos were actually in the very strange position where teams could run so easily that they really weren't burning to much clock. Teams would just quickly march down the field when they could run.

"6. Also don't forget that the depth we build on defense has a direct correllation to our special teams personnel. That's an area we need help in too."

I agree, however players that are taken to start on the defense often don't start on defense. Therefore I don't see that as an argument for defense being a bigger need.
As for the great teams being great on both sides of the ball, well I disagree. I believe they are great on one side of the ball and that makes the other side look much better than it really is. They do have talent on defense don't get me wrong, they just have far more on offense. I agree Sanders is a great player, just Manning is better. I believe we have almost have the personnel to have a good defense, we just need the offense to step up.

I intend to write another diary that is more my own thoughts later tonight.

Why offense is a bigger need than defense.

calvinandhobbes — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 01:36:31 -0000

Why offense is a bigger priority than defense
I firmly believe that offense is a far bigger need for this team than defense. This is for a few major reasons, the N.F.L. is an offense oriented league; the Broncos have a better core of players on defense than offense, and this team's strength lies in offense (I am not contradicting myself, I mean in coaching and talent evaluation, which are more long lasting than personnel).

It is pretty the well known that the N.F.L. is an offense oriented league. Just look at how ridiculous the pass interference penalties and roughing the QB penalties are. To truly show that these penalties have such a large effect on the makeup of teams simply watch the playoffs. The four teams left the Giants, Patriots, Packers, and Chargers are all known (at this point in time) as offensive teams. Those teams with good defenses that even made it to the playoffs lost early. The Jaguars, Titans, and Steelers, all lost because of the inability of their offenses to put up enough points, and the fact that their defenses could not make the critical stop. Every time the Patriots have looked like they are going to lose it is their offense that pulled them through, with a game winning drive. It is quite obvious the dominant teams in the league are those with great offenses and decent defenses.

Those teams with great offense also make their defenses look better than they are. A perfect example would be the Patriots, every team feels like they have to pass the ball to beat the Patriots, and this puts the Patriots defense in a perfect position, they don't have to worry about fast HBs and TEs exposing their defense's slow LBs and safeties. They know what teams are going to do and can dictate the game with complicated blitzes. Further, teams like the Colts who have a reliably good offense have an easier time at putting together a good defense. The Colts put together one of the NFLs best defenses with only two star players (I don't consider Mathis a star). This is because they knew they only had to look for role players. Whereas defenses like the Ravens and Panthers that have no offense to lean on have to really on many multi-talented defenders.

As for having a better core of players on defense, I always read/hear people say that the Broncos have a great young "nucleus" of players on offense with Sheffler, Marshall, and Cutler. I would have to disagree, I don't think those players are bad by any means, but they all play skill positions. The nucleus of any offense or defense is made up in the trenches not by skill players. Manning's receivers may have been injured, but it was the injury of Tony Ugough that truly hurt that team.

Even if the skill players are considered to make a nucleus, I would rather have Williams, Lynch, Bly, and Bailey than Marshall, Sheffler, Graham, and Cutler. Bailey is on average (he had an off year due to a change in scheme), the best CB in the league, Bly is a top 15 corner, Lynch is a top 10 safety, and Williams was second in the AFC in tackles. Marshall is a top 10 Wide Receiver, Sheffler is a top 15 TE, Graham is a great blocking TE, but until the Broncos improve our OL he is nothing more than an OT, and Cutler is a top 15 QB. The Broncos simply have more talent on defense.

I believe our OL is far worse than our DL. I believe our DL simply needs one more DT, and some time.

At DL the Broncos currently have three-four good and improving defensive ends. It often takes two-three years for defensive ends to develop, so there is no need to get more defensive ends as the Broncos have two rookie defensive ends, and a great second year pass rusher specialist.

As for the tackle position, I believe given the time Thomas could develop into a good DT, however he most definitely needs time. At the second DT spot the Broncos need another DT, it is quite possible after cuts the Broncos won't have more than two DTs on the roster (McKinely, Thomas, Mallard is a DE technically right?). Hothe Broncosver, I don't think the Broncos need a great DT to line up opposite of Thomas. Instead the Broncos just need a serviceable DT. If one looks around the league they realize that very few teams have more than one good DT, in fact only Jacksonville and Minnesota come to mind. Further, those teams with the "big, space eating, run-stopping" DT that everyone wants can be found on the following teams; Detroit, Carolina, Baltimore, and Tennessee (I excluded Jacksonville and Minnesota because I already addressed them). Something should jump out at you, none of these teams made the playoffs except Tennessee, and Tennessee did not look like a playoff team. I believe the Broncos would be fine with a second maybe third round Defensive Tackle, and some depth. This can be achieved through FA and a draft pick or two.
Now the Broncos look at our OL, I firmly believe that our OL is in far more trouble than our DL. Unlike the DL there is no position that I can say the Broncos don't need help with, maybe the Broncos have right guard settled, maybe. Also, unlike the DL those teams that are truly dominant have good OLs, Brady and Peyton would never have the years they have without their OL. Now, let's look at the OL player by player.

Nalen is our next to ancient center. He says he will be coming back after his messy bicep injury (his muscle was literally disconnected from the bone). Hothe Broncosver, the Broncos have to wonder how much he has left. I mean his play has been declining as it is, I think he will have a year like Lepsis had this year. His only value will be as a veteran presence. In fact I am extremely surprised he is returning.

Hamilton is a big question mark for me. Truly I thought he was done with football period. He will probably be the best player on our OL, or he could be inactive and call it quits. However, Shanahan loves him and if Hamilton can play he will start. If he does come back and plays for the Broncos he will fix the center spot. Yet, he is simply too big of a question mark to count on.

Myers played decently at center, however, if one looks at styg50's post "NPLB End of Season Report: Holding the Lines" it is quite clear the Broncos need some work on the interior of the OL. As most all 3rd and 4th short runs are from between the Tackles, a place the Broncos particularly struggled. This really can be placed on Myers shoulders in my mind.

I think the Broncos will be fine at center next year, not great, but fine. The Broncos should draft a late round center and work on developing him over the next two-three years. Even if Hamilton comes back to play center he is pretty old, and as I said before that injury really worries me.

Kuper and Holland, played decently, but the Broncos really struggled in the interior running game. These two players seem pretty similar to me, they are both bigger than the typical Denver OL and a little slower. I think Kuper has more potential than Holland, and Holland is just a temporary replacement. I think that with time Kuper will develop into a good guard, and that Holland will be fine. In a ZBS scheme the guards really need to play together a lot, something our OL has missed for years, I think other than depth guard is fine.

I really hope the Broncos draft maybe a guard, or sign a decent guard from FA. As long as the Broncos don't sign Faneca I will be fine.

Tackle is where I am really worried. We did well running off tackle this year, but in my opinion that was due more to the Bronco's guards and Graham than the Bronco's Tackles.

I am not to sure about Ryan Harris, but since the team invested a third round draft pick in him I believe he deserves a chance to start. I think Pears is nothing more than a backup. My preferred solution for Tackle would be to draft a LT in the first (Oher would be my favorite, his potential is amazing, and he could spend almost his entire career with Cutler) and put Harris at RT. The only problem with this is that Shananhan never starts first year players and I think his ego is too big to draft a OL in the first (especially with the Foster incident). So, I think it is more likely we putt Harris at LT, draft a Guard and maybe a Center, and pick up Gordan Gross in the FA market.

Now after, coming close to the end of this I have had a few realizations. We really need OL help, probably need another WR, and need a HB. However, I believe Shanahan will draft a DT in the first and address our other needs with later round draft picks.

I don't believe we will draft a RB because of Shanahan's comments about "thinking of a players first few games" when evaluating a player with an injury. This is clearly talking about Henry, and to me is a sign we look to keep Henry. I think a healthy Henry, Selvin Young, and Andre Hall is fine. I just don't think it will happen.

As for WR, I really hope we keep Javon, but if we don't we need to draft a WR who can spread the defense, and has good hands. I am all in favor of the WR from Vanderbilt.

Well, that is it for now.

This is my first "diary", so let me know what you think.