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Film Room : An Intro to Coverage in the Colts vs. Titans Game

Funny story: we actually talked about one of the plays that proceeded this play way back in Week 8: Vic Ballard’s twisting flip into the end zone. Today we’ll get to see how that play was made possible.

So what went right here? Let’s recap:

1. Blocking the Twist

Using what we’ve learned about defensive alignments, we know that the Titans are lined up in a 4-3 defense. How do we know that? AT the snap of the ball the Titans have 4 defensive linemen aligned on the line of scrimmage, with 3 linebackers hovering a few yards behind. Those two interior linemen, the defensive tackles, are the two who are running the twist stunt: pushing to the outside corners and crossing instead of tackling straight ahead. Except they never get to the full crossing part because the Colts picked up on the twist and blocked it. Right guard Mike McGlynn is assigned to block the oncoming defensive lineman directly in front of him. When the DT starts to move inside to twist, McGlynn doesn’t try to throw him outside by himself. He makes the smart move of punching inside toward the Center, so that the center and the left guard can help to pick up both of the twisting defensive linemen.

2. Stepping Up in the Pocket

This is my favorite attribute of Andrew Luck’s. He is never rattled by pressure. His eyes are always downfield, waiting for the right window to open while he expertly avoids oncoming defenders. I love watching him play.

In this play, the defensive ends get outside and get to Luck in no time flat. But because he trusts his offensive line (even though he usually shouldn’t…they need some help on O-line in Indy) and never panics, he just steps right up into the pocket with his head up and arm ready to fire. See all that open field in front of him? Most QB’s would be tempted to just take off and run. But Luck knows that he’ll get more yardage out of a pass than a QB run, so he stays patient and waits for Reggie Wayne to get open. “Open” might be a generous classification for a receiver who is flanked by two defenders, but for Reggie Wayne, that’s open. He’s such a pro.

3. Adjusting to Coverage

“Traditional wisdom says wide receivers run away from man coverage and sit down in the hole versus zone.”

Let’s break that down a little further:

Man coverage is when each defensive player is assigned an offensive player to cover. In most situations, this means that cornerbacks will come up to the line of scrimmage to cover wide receivers and linebackers and safeties will cover running backs and tight ends. Man-to-man coverage requires strong match-ups that favor the defense; if the offensive players are winning the match-ups in man coverage, they’re going to win the game.

Zone coverage is when the linebackers and defensive backs are assigned to cover specific parts of the field, or “zones.” They aren’t covering individual players, they are protecting an area of the field and making it difficult for the offense to complete passing attempts.

Pretty easy, right? Man coverage = defending men; zone coverage = defending zones.

Next step:

“Wide receivers run away from man coverage” doesn’t mean that they run away and hide, it means that they run with the coverage and fake the defender out with cuts and breaks to gain an advantage and run “away” from the defender. When a receiver is running his route, he needs a burst of speed when he makes his final break so that he can get safely away from coverage. “Sitting down in the hole” would be an entertaining choice if taken literally, but what it actually means is that receivers read zone coverage, find the “holes” in the zones – where there are no defenders – and try to stay open (“sit down”) in the hole.

In this play, we see that Reggie Wayne both runs away from his man coverage and finds the hole in the zone. While most of the Titan defenders are playing man coverage, the inside robber (a free safety who is playing down low) is playing zone coverage (as is the deep safety, who is not pictured). Here’s what that looks like:

The robber thinks that the tight end is getting the ball and abandons his zone. Reggie Wayne knows that he’s getting man coverage and cuts inside to break away from his man. He also sees the hole in the zone after the inside robber goes after the tight end and stays patient in the hole to give Luck a chance to get him the ball. Which he does, brilliantly.

Two plays later, the Colts went on to score the winning touchdown in overtime. All of which was made possible by this fantastic play.

Film Room : Bucs vs. Saints

Before we begin, let’s talk.

You’re going to see something terrible on this week’s film.

And that something terrible is the Bucs infamous creamsicle throwback jerseys.

photo source

They’re something special – when special is used in the southern “bless your heart” kind of way. I really thought they were the worst jerseys in the NFL, but then this happened and I had to reevaluate. Current status: third worst. So watch with caution:

Ok, let’s review what happened:

1st Down (Get Off the Line)

Defensive tackle Cedric Ellis explodes off the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball is snapped. It’s this speed and power that enables him to avoid the left guard who is trying to get “across his face” – which sounds like football lingo but it means just what it sounds like it means – the guard is trying to get to the other side of Ellis’s face to pull him outside and open up a lane for the running back. Since Ellis beat the guard off the line, he was able to split the gap in the offensive line (run through it) and block the running back.

2nd Down (Staying Home on the Backside)

“Staying home on the backside” doesn’t sound like something many people would want to do. It doesn’t sound all that appealing. But it’s actually not that bad. It just means that the defender – in this case, safety Roman Harper – is going to stay where he assigned in the alignment (staying home), which on this play turns out to be the side the ball isn’t moving toward (the backside). So staying home on the backside means staying where you were originally designed to be even if the ball carrier goes in the opposite direction. You can see how this would wreak havoc on a player’s natural instinct to run toward the ball, thus making Harper’s disciplined, veteran move all the more praiseworthy. Because he doesn’t panic, he’s able to help his teammates close the inside gaps and prevent the running back from getting into the end zone.

And that’s not even his last highlight! Well done, Roman, well done.

3rd Down (Closing Down the Line)

It sounds like something you do at the end of a shift at a grocery store, right? But all this means is that safety Malcolm Jenkins doesn’t make a beeline to the backfield just because that’s where the ball is at the moment. The Saints are great at making good decisions based on fundamentals regardless of circumstances (and can’t we all use a little bit of that in real life, too?). Instead of rushing to the quarterback or running back, Jenkins stays close to the offensive line, running in line with the heels of the offensive lineman until he can read where the running back is headed and make the tackle inside. If he had gone straight to the running back immediately, he would have gotten there too late and missed the tackle. Good fundamentals led him to make the perfect stop for a loss.

4th Down (Staying in Coverage)

Once again we see Roman Harper doing his job like a boss. He doesn’t freak out and go straight to the backfield. He stays in the end zone, covering the tight end and taking him out of the play as a potential target, just as he was assigned. He trusts him teammates to get to Freeman and put pressure on him as well, which they do.

And thus: a perfect goal line stand. Four downs, zero points.

Film Room : Texans vs. Packers

Well, this week’s film is going to be fun.

One week after their unfortunate but understandable loss to the impassioned Colts, the Packers dismantled the formerly undefeated Texans in a 42-24 Sunday Night showdown.

It was a good night.

The touchdown that started it all was a 41 yard bomb to Jordy Nelson. Let’s take a closer look at that play:

It’s so beautiful, right?!

Ok, so scoring team aside, let’s break down the fundamentals of the play:

Let’s set the stage. It’s early in the 1st quarter. The down and distance is 1st and 10. Most teams that are going to take a shot into the end zone are going to do so on 2nd or 3rd down, not 1st down, but the Texans were not fooled. They must have seen something that made them believe that the Packers were going to pass because they’re showing blitz – they’re going to bring a whole lot of pressure on the quarterback as soon as the ball is snapped. We see this in their alignment – they have 5 men up front on the defensive line and 3 of them are coming from the right side.

That was a little unclear to me on the film at first, so I took a screen shot and mapped it out:

So there are five guys on the defensive line on this play, and three of them are lined up to the right of the center. That means those three rushers are “coming from the right.” The linebackers are hanging out a few yards back to prevent any significant gains should a run be attempted, and the cornerbacks and safety are guarding against the pass.

Got it?

Ok, let’s move on.

1. 1-on-1 Pass Protection

Since there’s going to be a lot of pressure coming from the right, the Packers put a running back and a tight end on the right side of the formation. That means that the left side will have to fend for themselves with no extra help. Left tackle Marshall Newhouse and left guard T.J. Lang each have to handle their own lineman in order to give Rodgers enough time for this play to be effective. And they do so beautifully. They each kick back and block toward the outside so that Rodgers has plenty of room to work with in the pocket.

Good job, guys.

2. Nelson’s Go Route

Let’s scroll up to that screen shot and take a look at the coverage. The cornerback is right on top of Nelson, which means he’s playing man-to-man coverage. The linebackers aren’t going to get involved in defending Nelson – they’re focused on securing the middle of the field, not the outside. And there’s just one safety playing the middle of the field. Man-to-man on the outside + a single free safety in the middle = Man Free Coverage.

Next: his route. A go route (or a fly/seam/streak route) is when a receiver runs straight upfield toward the end zone. Nelson runs his route expertly in this situation by lining up close to the numbers and allowing for only a little bit of width to the outside as he runs so that he has plenty of room to adjust to the flight of the ball and still stay in-bounds.

3. Leading the Receiver

Rodgers knows he’s got a good thing going on here. The left side of the offensive line is securing the pocket (so he has protection and time) and Nelson beat the cornerback up the field (so he has space to throw the ball safely). He makes a perfect throw – just outside enough so that it isn’t in danger of being reached by the cornerback but not too far outside that Nelson can’t reach it – and Nelson takes it to the house for a TD.

And then did that 5 more times over the course of the game. What a guy.

If you thought this week’s film break down was good, just wait until next week. We get to see the Bucs in their creamsicle uniforms.

It’s the best.

But until then, I’ll see you back here tomorrow for a little trip back in history!

Film Room : Patriots vs. Broncos

Seriously, people, this may become my all-time favorite blog feature. It’s just so helpful! For me and hopefully for you too! Thanks again to USA Football for doing such a great job of breaking down good plays in terms that real people (including normal girls!) can understand.

Here’s this week’s film, taken from Week 5’s Patriots vs. Broncos game:

So, what did we learn here? Let’s take a moment to review:

Danny Woodhead fought for the first down. But there were three essential blocks that helped him get there.

Block 1: Double Team Combo Block by Rob Gronkowski and Nate Solder

Gronk and Solder immediately double team the defensive end, Dumervil. Solder then delivers a burst of pressure to the outside so that Gronk can take over the block and he (Solder) can move onto the next level of defense and block the linebacker. (For more on where the defensive players line up, check out this post.)

Block 2: Zone Block by Logan Mankins

Before we begin, the only non-normal term in this video for me was “Okie Front.” To me, that just sounds like everything is okay up front, or that the players are residents of Oklahoma. Turns out, neither is true. An Okie Front is when, “both ends play a 5-technique head-up over the tackles while the nose tackle is head-up on the center.” (Thank you , cheesehead TV, for being the only reliable Google Search item with an actual definition.) Translation: those three defensive linemen up front are all lined up directly across from their respective offensive linemen, and each is responsible for blocking two gaps. Rewind and take another look and you’ll see it makes much more sense this time around.

Got it?

It’s such a great block by Mankins because he doesn’t freak out about who to cover. He plays his assignment – the zone block (a technique used to create lanes for running plays) – and stays patient, running with the center, to provide a solid line of offensive protection for Woodhead.

Block 3: Downfield Block by Wes Welker

Welker doesn’t slack just because the ball isn’t coming to him on this play. He jets down field and blocks the oncoming defender so that Woodhead can gain the extra yards they need for a first down.

And that’s that. A well-designed play well-executed by players. It’s a thing of beauty.

See you all next week for another rendition of my favorite feature! I can’t get enough!

In the Film Room : Falcons vs. Panthers

People, I’m obsessed.

Obsessed with that moment when something that was so confusing suddenly becomes so clear. And since visual explanations tend to speak to my brain much more fluently than verbal explanations, these film breakdowns have led to quite a few glory glory hallelujah moments. Suddenly the concepts that I read about and watch religiously come together and make SENSE.

It’s like magic. I can’t wait to share it with you.

So I found an amazing resource: the video section of USA Football’s website. There is a wealth of helpful information to be garnered there – the videos we’ll be breaking down here are just one wonderful component of the website.

Today, we’re going to start with the Falcons vs. Panthers game from Week 4. We get to learn about how several different great plays come together to make one great catch happen. After the video, we’ll review what we’ve learned.

Ready?!

(Just click “hide ad” in the upper right to watch.)

If you missed a few things the first time around, don’t panic! Here’s the step by step breakdown:

Key Play 1: Garrett Reynolds’ Pull and Pass Block

When the play begins, Garrett Reynolds is lined up as the right guard. In the next split second afterward, he pulls to the other side of the formation and blocks the oncoming defensive end.

Why is this important?

Left unblocked, the defensive end would have had a pretty clean line right to the quarterback, causing either a pass rush or a sack. If rushed, the receivers wouldn’t have had a chance to get down the field and the pass might have been dumped off to a tight end or someone closer. If sacked, the game probably would have been over, since that play set up the game-winning field goal.

Key Play 2: Julio Jones Beating the Jam

On this play, Julio Jones is lined up across from the nickel back. (We know from our many defensive lessons that the nickel back is the fifth defensive back on the field.) The nickel back’s job is to make sure that Julio Jones does not beat him off the line and run down the field. Unfortunately for him…that’s just what happens. Jones jams the nickel back at the line – he throws a little fake so that the DB is confused – and then races up the field.

Jones’ first job: done.

Next, he moves onto confusing the safety. He and the other wide receiver on the left side of the formation, Roddy White, run parallel routes fairly close to each other for about 15 yards so that the safety can’t decide who to defend. Once Jones commits to running the hashes (basically straight up the center of the field) the safety has to cover him or else risk Jones breaking free for a touchdown. He doesn’t want that to happen, so he moves to cover Jones instead of White.

Jones’ second job: done! What a good day for Julio!

Why are these important?

If Jones hadn’t beaten the nickel back on the line, Roddy White probably would have been double covered and probably wouldn’t have been able to make that catch. Ditto: if Jones had run a different route after breaking free. Great decision making.

Key Play 3: Matt Ryan’s Read

Matt Ryan is looking down the field to see what the deep safety is doing. And every time he sees the safety guarding the inside, the quarterback will (or should) attack the outside. Ryan made the right read on the situation and threw the ball in a great position for White to make a play.

Why is this important?

Reading the coverage incorrectly and throwing it anywhere else probably would have been a waste of a play. The whole team worked together to create just what we saw come to life. Executing a different ending wouldn’t have done the play – or the teamwork – justice.

This is why I love film. In the five seconds it takes to watch this play on TV, it just looks like Roddy White made a great catch. But when you look a little closer, you see that so many other players did their jobs so that he could go up and make that catch.

So many moving parts. It’s an amazing machine when it’s well-oiled.

Offseason Schedule 2013 : In the Film Room

This week, we’ll be previewing the offseason schedule. You can still expect posts every weekday, a mix of education, information and inspiration, nice people in the comments section, and a reason to hold onto hope: the 2013 season will be here before we know it. Here’s what we’ll be talking about until then:

There are two shows I watch religiously during the regular season: NFL Turning Point on NBC Sports and NFL Matchup on ESPN. As much as I love other shows, these two always find themselves on my must-watch list because of the quality of the film-breakdown. I ALWAYS learn something(s) new from watching the analysts breakdown film.

Now, I’m hardly an analyst, and I can’t even legally show you clips from games here on the blog. But what I can do is watch film (on NFL Rewind), learn from it, and then sare what I learn – much like the What Just Happened posts during the regular season. I really learn a lot from doing posts like this, and I hope you all do too!

See you next Wednesday for our first round!