Below, the Panthers line up in a trips set with their best Wide Receiver, D.J. Moore, on the backside before they motion the back out to 4×1 against a 2-high safety look. QB Sam Darnold reads Linebacker Micah Parsons (#11); if Parsons stays in the box, he’ll throw the swing screen. If Parsons vacates the box, Darnold has a numbers advantage for the QB draw:

Swing screen/Q draw pic.twitter.com/L7TJAVe2SH

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) October 4, 2021

Later in the season, Joe Brady dialed up an old play from his LSU days. The Panthers line up in trips and motion out the running back out again. This time, the QB draw is paired with a glance route from D.J. Moore. When the weakside Linebacker and Safety fly up to the QB draw, Cam Newton throws it over their heads for a Touchdown:

Q draw/glance RPO w/fast motion to 4×1 pic.twitter.com/ZNrg59tZCq

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) November 22, 2021

Motioning to Quads from the backfield forces defenses to communicate quickly and can be difficult to sift through. Below, the Texans motion to Quads and 3 Panthers go with the motion man–leaving the original outside WR #3 Anthony Miller wide open for an easy Touchdown:

Motion to 4 strong creates a miscommunication in the secondary pic.twitter.com/X4n7XZyqL6

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 24, 2021

In another example, the Jets simply do not react to the motion and the Titans get an easy score:

D with no response to the motion to 4 strong pic.twitter.com/5heOmoZKWV

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) October 5, 2021

Offenses have also effectively used the 4 strong side as eye candy to target the single pass catcher side. Below, the Saints are in a Trips Nub formation and the RB goes in fast motion. Multiple Green Bay defenders over shift to the motion, and the Saints throw a delayed Tight End screen to take advantage:

Motion to 4 strong w/nub TE. TE delay on 4th and 7 pic.twitter.com/iWDBZfu3ve

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 16, 2021

The Packers then run the very same play the next week!

-Trips nub (Davante @ 3)
-Fast motion to 4 strong
-TE delay screen pic.twitter.com/REvmgrd1Cp

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 21, 2021

Sean McVay and the Rams have been quite creative in window dressing in their Quads sets to execute simple plays. Below, Cooper Kupp lines up in the backfield and fast motions out to the trips side in an attempt to draw defenders away from the backside Tight End tunnel screen:

Kupp fast motions to make it 4 strong, tunnel screen the other way. More WRs in the backfield! pic.twitter.com/nW1Kr2sS1T

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 26, 2021

Here, because defenses often lock up the backside of 4×1 sets in man to man, the Rams are able to exploit defensive rules with a mesh concept. The goal is to allow speedster DeSean Jackson (#1), who is the second inside most WR, to attack a vacated area and catch the ball with a ton of space in front of him:

Rams running mesh out of 4×1 pic.twitter.com/Y3F9IAnVCo

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) September 28, 2021

Quads also forces defenses into tough choices and punishes double teams. Below, the Bears decide to commit two defenders to #19 Deebo Samuel, who is on the backside of the 4×1 set. The Bears have a 5 man box and 4 DBs over 4 WRs. #11 Brandon Aiyuk is able to take advantage of the matchup for a TD:

49ers running a 4×1 cheetah variation. Bears have 2 shaded to Deebo Samuel and Aiyuk is 1 on 1 pic.twitter.com/YqFYIhNbVP

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) November 24, 2021

Teams can even play with personnel to get playmakers in space. Below, the Cowboys have multiple tight ends and an extra OL out wide to escort CeeDee Lamb:

Cowboys with 2 TEs and an extra OL on the 4×1 quick screen pic.twitter.com/eGsMS12gFh

— Shawn Syed (@SyedSchemes) November 24, 2021

NFL offenses have finally adopted 4×1 sets as a regular part of their offenses. Offensive coordinators are creatively using 4×1’s structural advantages to get their playmakers in space and exploit matchups. 

The post Connect 4: The NFL’s 4×1 Quads Renaissance appeared first on Syed Schemes.

In our first three games, we gave up four kickoff returns of over 75 yards. Our opponents average starting field position was inside our territory, while we had a starting field position inside our own 25 yard line. We started 0-3. Luckily we were headed into a bye week to lick our wounds. In that two week stretch, I took more time to learn and think about Special Teams than I had ever before.

This article gives coaches 5 concrete ways to immediately improve their Special Teams. It also gives fans insight into how seriously their favorite team takes Special Teams. Although I use NFL and Division I NCAA examples, the principles apply to all levels of football.

Know the Rules

This sounds simple enough, but Special Teams include some of the most complicated and intricate rules in the game of football. Special Teams rules also change drastically across levels of football, with different rules for high schools, colleges, and professionals. High school rules can change from state to state. Consider the following Special Teams scenarios:

• A punt returner signals for a fair catch but then thinks the ball may go in the end zone. May he legally hit a player trying to down the ball while the ball is in the air? How about after the ball hits the ground? NFL Answer at Rule 10, Section 2, Item 5.
• Team A kicks the ball off and the football gets close to going out of bounds. A player on Team B places one foot out of bounds then touches the ball at the 5 yard line. Where should the official spot the ball? NFL Answer.
• Can a player’s feet touch the goal line while downing a punt? Can the ball cross the goal line in the air before being downed? NFL & NCAA Answers.

Did you know the rules in each instance? More importantly, does your team know the rules? The rules can affect the clock, field position, penalties, and directly change the scoreboard. For example, in the NFL a team making a fair catch has an option for their next play–snap it regularly, or try a “fair catch kick” with the chance for 3 points, off a tee, without a defensive rush. This normally is a meaningless choice, but can be critical in end of half or end of game situations. In one of 2019’s Tampa Bay vs. Carolina games, the Bucs punted from inside their own 20 yard line to the Panthers, who fair caught the ball at the 50 with :01 left:

Another situation is where one team needs to run the clock out, but may not want to punt the ball back to the other team for a number of reasons. If you are leading by more than 2 in the NFL, you can have every player hold for as long as they can, and then have the ball carrier run out of the back of the end zone. Whether there are 0 or 100 flags on the field, there is no time reset, and the game is over:

There are countless rule and clock scenarios between kickoff, kickoff return, onside kick and hands team, punt, punt return, field goal, field goal block, and both extra point units. The more of them you know, the better position your team will be in to win.

Eliminate Easily Correctable Mistakes

Field position is precious. No coach would volunteer to lose 10+ yards on an offensive play. Yet every week during football season, teams do just that the play before their offense takes the field. Punt Returners at all levels of football fail to field the ball and allow the opponent to down the ball 10+ yards later:

At the high school (and even lower college) levels, sometimes it’s just best to use two returners. Coaches should emphasize and prioritize fielding the ball nearly 100% of the time. And if a returner is instructed not to field the ball inside a certain yard line, they should have a plan. They should either 1) run to a different spot and fake like they are making the catch to draw away attention or 2) be ready to hit and prevent a player from downing the ball.

Dig into the Details

Offensive coaches know the proper timing for their pass game, whether it’s catch and throw, 1-step, 3-step, or 5-step. Defensive coaches know the intricacies of the blitzes, stunts, and coverages they call. Special Teams requires the same level of detail. Below are examples of Special Teams details a coach should know about BOTH their team and their opponent during the practice week and on game day:

• How long does it take for the long snapper to get the ball to the Punter?
• Where is the Punter’s launch point?
• How long does it take for the Punter to catch, step, and punt the ball?
• What is the Punter’s average hang time?
• Are there any left footed kickers? It matters.
• How long does it take for the short snapper to get the ball to the holder?
• How far do a Kicker’s kickoffs go? With what hang time?
• How long does it take for the edge rusher to get to the Punter/Kicker’s launch point? Is either team susceptible to blocked kicks this week based on the above times?
• What do the most common formations for the Kickoff, Punt, Field Goal, Extra Point, and Return teams look like? You could be giving away an obvious fake or missing a clear sign of a fake/trick play from an opponent.
• What is your Kicker and Punter’s range in each direction?
• Does weather impact any of the questions listed above?

This is also a great opportunity to get younger coaches, grad assistants, interns, and volunteers involved. If you are tight on time, delegate these tasks, but make sure they are being accounted for. And if you haven’t thought of them before, don’t worry. These details are missed at even at the highest level of football. Below, even after multiple kicks into the wind come up extremely short, the Cowboys coaching staff doesn’t adjust their returner:

Be Aggressive, Creative, and Deceptive

Aggression is consistently rewarded on offense and defense. But coaches don’t show the same aggression on Special Teams even when presented with the opportunity. These opportunities are more often available in high school football, where younger and more inexperienced players are the primary Special Team players. For example, when you watch an opponent’s kick return tape, note their front line: Is their depth well beyond 10 yards? Do they bail out hard and fast as the Kicker runs up to the ball? Are they players that rarely handle the ball? If so, it could be a great opportunity to have something like the following onside kick in the game plan:

Another opportunity to be aggressive are kickoffs after a 15-yard penalty against your opponent. Don’t just boom it out of the back of the end zone. This is a great chance to either kick it high inside the 5 yard line and pin them inside the 15, or to try a surprise onside kick.

My personal aggressive philosophy on Special Teams is constantly going after kicks–trying to block as many punts, extra points, and field goals as you can. Essentially, Beamer Ball. I’m obviously far from the only person who loves this strategy, and there are countless resources to help your team improve in this facet of the game.

Like play action and window dressing on offense, or a well disguised zone blitz on defense, there is plenty of room for deception and creativity on Special Teams. First, the low hanging fruit. When punting on 4th and short from inside your own 10, consider a shift and/or aggressive hard count to draw your opponent offsides. The downside of a false start is outweighed by a potential tremendous reward. Do the same when punting on 4th and medium from around the 50 yard line.

In the latter example, another strategy is to keep your offense on the field for long as possible before quickly mass substituting the Punt team. This tests your opponent’s discipline and whether everybody on the other team is paying attention. And something just like it may win you the biggest game of the season:

Think about your players’ skillsets. Can your Quarterback pooch punt? If so, you can always line up to go for it, try and draw the defense offsides and if you don’t like the look, punt it. Your wideouts also get a clean release to down the ball, all while saving a timeout:

Are your punt gunners having trouble getting off jammers? Consider moving around your gunners and personal protectors to get a clean release and full head of steam:

The Patriots tried out a pretty funky punt formation vs. the Redskins, with Terrence Brooks lining up 10 yards behind the line. They essentially ditched the personal protector to add a third gunner. pic.twitter.com/vZ76eOIoLk

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) October 8, 2019

If your Punter can throw, have a fake punt in the playbook. But don’t expect a pass interference call. This can counter heavy rush looks. And if you’re a little hesitant to actually call it, show a basic version of it in the pre-season. This will make opponents prepare for it and make them less likely to go for all out blocks.

Finally, if your punt team has trouble blocking or direction punting, consider punting from a different formation. There are numerous ways to do so.

Prioritize Special Teams Culture

Like anything else in life, one must spend time on an activity to improve or be great at it. Special Teams is no different. In addition to the rules and X’s and O’s of Special Teams, you must practice drills and techniques that will put your team in the best possible position to win. Although technique details are beyond the scope of this article, there are countless resources for Special Teams specific drills that can help your team win.

Ask yourself: when you watch film in the off season, does your staff take time to discuss Special Teams ideas, X’s & O’s, and philosophy? Do your players know what good and bad Special Teams looks like? Below are some video compilations to start that process:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lAn-CpXmUA (Downed Punts Compilation)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThQ4x7rDBWM (2019 NFL Special Teams Plays)
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sq1z1P9AK78 (Fake Punts Compilation)

Players on your team can easily name offensive and defensive players across the NFL. But do they know who Matthew Slater, Justin Tucker, and Brett Kern are? They should.

Special Teams must become a priority and a part of the team culture. When your team practices Special Teams, is it at the end of practice for five minutes with the sophomores on the field and the starters off to the side goofing off? Don’t worry, we’ve all played on and coached plenty of teams like this. Now is the time to change.

Does your team incentivize being a Special Teams ace? Consider naming a Special Teams ace each week and allowing that player to walk out with the other captains. Better yet when a captain IS the ace of the week. Also consider whether the team leaders and assistant coaches are engaged when you watch Special Teams film with your team. Who leads the film session? Being great at Special Teams starts with the coaching staff’s attitude towards it.

And for those still wondering about how that season ended following the bye week? After the disastrous 0-3 start described in the introductory paragraph; our special teams didn’t give up another kickoff return over 30 yards, blocked 4 punts, fielded every punt the remainder of the season, and recovered two surprise onside kicks. We won 4 of our next 7 and finished 4-6.

The post 5 ways to immediately improve your Special Teams appeared first on Syed Schemes.

Seattle is in Cover 1, with a linebacker providing inside help with a jam on Lazar. This coverage is ideal for the Packers play call. NFL defenses have a plan to address pick/rub route combinations. Here, a man scheme like Seattle is in here has a call to automatically switch any pick/rub. They also can decide to fight over or under any pick, particularly when defensive backs have help inside or over the top:

But here, Seattle’s defensive backs aren’t on the same page on what to do in response. Nobody actually ends up running with Allison, who breaks free inside. Adams route ends up functioning as a sluggo route. Both defensive backs hesitate when they are fooled by the play design. The result is confusion, and multiple wide open WRs. The deep safety is unable to get to Adams, leading to a touchdown:

Although it may be the first time the Packers have used this play this season, it isn’t the first time Rodgers or LaFleur have had success with slant/flat variations over the past few years.

Texans v. Chiefs

A series of plays on Houston’s first drive against Kansas City also caught my attention. On the very first play of the game, Houston is in a bunch formation, with a tight end opposite the bunch. The Texans run a bubble or stay pass for a gain of a yard.

On a 3rd and 1 on the same drive, the Texans come out once again in the same formation, with a few subtle differences. First, the order of the receivers is different, as DeAndre Hopkins is the point of the bunch instead of Will Fuller. Next, the depth of the inside receiver isn’t as deep as the original bubble. The Chiefs are in Cover 0, with every other defender rushing the quarterback. The Texans fake the bubble, the Chiefs defensive backs bite up, leaving Kenny Stills wide open for a touchdown:

Although its a decent example of running an offense to look the same to a defense, bubble combined with bubble & go is a relatively common series in college and pro football. The interesting note will be what Tennessee can take from this tape to try and exploit the Chiefs’ defense, including double moves and play designs to challenge their assignment discipline.

The post 2019 Divisional Round X’s & O’s Review appeared first on Syed Schemes.

In week 8, the Chiefs faked an outside toss to Tyreek Hilll with a shovel pass to Hunt underneath. Kelce and Watkins arc blocked to sell the outside pitch, and the line blocked like power with a pulling guard:

The end zone angle shows one potential issue on defense. Because Broncos DB Bradley Roby (#29) is in man coverage on Hill, he lines up in the box, which is unusual for him. Roby goes out wide with the fake to Hill, giving Hunt just the crease he needs:

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In week 9 against the Browns, the Chiefs come out in the same formation and show the same pitch action to Hill. This time, Kelce and Watkins run routes. Meanwhile, both guards and the center pass set before releasing for a screen away from the pitch fake:

As seen from the end zone angle, the flow from the pitch fake moves both Browns linebackers enough to create great angles for the Chiefs to block downfield after Kareem Hunt catches the screen:

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The Chiefs have also shown other runs to Tyreek Hill with other reads from this set. Here, Sammy Watkins motions from outside to inside Kelce, and Kareem Hunt arc blocks:

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The end zone angle also shows the weakside guard pulling and Sammy Watkins taking a shovel path. Because the Chiefs leave the end man on the line of scrimmage unblocked, they almost certainly have a read element in this play as well:

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The play essentially ends up like the shovel power read the Chiefs have run over the last few years. Overall, this formation presents a variety of problems for defenses. From a personnel standpoint, the defense has to be ready to defend the run with two tight ends on the field. With respect to the formation, because the Chiefs line up both tight ends to the outsides, the defense will often give strong coverage indicators pre-snap. For example, a linebacker lined up across from a TE out wide is a strong man coverage indicator, as is a DB lined up in the box across from Tyreek Hill.

The Chiefs have several plays they haven’t shown yet from this formation. First, the outside pitch to Tyreek Hill. Next, a fake pitch outside to Hill with a route combination similar to that of the screen touchdown. Finally, it wouldn’t surprise me to see a tight end screen to Kelce as well.

The post Chiefs Film Review: 2 back formation with Tyreek Hill appeared first on Syed Schemes.

Eagles v. Falcons

The play call on Atlanta’s do or die 4th and Goal from Philly’s 2-yard line is understandably what everyone is talking about. After motioning Tight End (#80) Levine Toilolo across the formation, the Falcons ran sprint right with two short outs:

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It’s easy to second guess a play call after watching it on TV, but there’s a lot not to like about this call with the season on the line from the two yard line:

The first issue I have with the play call is personnel choice–Atlanta has Fullback (#40) Derrick Coleman lined up out wide at the bottom of the screen. A running back out wide by itself isn’t a bad choice (it can help a Quarterback assess coverages). However, Atlanta should have had its best playmakers on the field, which certainly includes Running Back (#24) Devonta Freeman.

The second issue I have is sprinting out on 4th and Goal; I don’t like cutting the field in half without one of the following: 1) some sort of rub/pick concept, 2) a flat route that can turn into a wheel if not open at first, or 3) some sort of throwback option, like below:

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Without any of these, the Eagles’ defense has defended almost 2/3 of the field without doing anything, and there is no recourse if Matt Ryan’s first read isn’t open.

This 4th and Goal also could have been a game winning Field Goal had it not been for an inexcusable end of first half mistake from Atlanta. With seven (:07) seconds left to play, the Eagles had the ball at the 50 yard line and no timeouts remaining. Understandably, Julio Jones is on the field in the deep middle in case Philly decides to take a shot at the end zone. Atlanta is also prepared with four defenders pre-snap for Philly to run a 3-man Flood concept to try and throw an out route and get out of bounds in time for a field goal attempt.:

Players #1 (Linebacker Deion Jones) and #3 (Cornerback Desmond Trufant) in the graphic allow for the intermediate out to be completed and out of bounds in six seconds. First, Jones hops inside and does not defend the sideline, even though any completion in the field of play would end the half. Then, Trufant sinks to the deep out, even though another defender is over the top and the clock would have run out if the ball was thrown to the deepest out.

[gfycat data_id="ShallowAdorableAnemone"  data_autoplay=false data_controls=true data_title=false data_expand=true]

The next play, the Eagles make a field goal as time expires. Understanding game situation and clock management cost Atlanta on two separate occasions in the divisional round.

Jaguars v. Steelers

Jacksonville offensive coordinator Nathanial Hackett called a near flawless game on Sunday, but my favorite play was their final Touchdown with 4:34 to play in the 4th:

Jacksonville is in I-formation tight, with an extra Tight End to the right side of the formation. Pittsburgh is still in a 2-high Safety look, although the strong side Safety is playing with a staggered stance somewhat closer to the line of scrimmage. The Jaguars are running iso play action Fullback seam, otherwise affectionately known as “pop pass:”

The outer most Tight End takes a wide release and runs a fade to hold the Cornerback, while the play action sucks up the only two players in position to stop the play, leading to an easy touchdown:

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Patriots vs. Titans

The divisional round didn’t make the Patriots sweat, but they have added a small X’s & O’s wrinkle I’ve noticed a few times this year. Similar to a jet sweep or toss crack, New England has scored multiple times this year with a Running Back or Wide Receiver (usually Brandin Cooks) coming in motion and Tom Brady ‘dropping’ the ball to them as they run around the corner. Below, James White (#28) comes in motion slowly at first, and Titans Linebacker (#59) Wesley Woodyard follows, confirming it’s man-to-man coverage and a good look for the dropoff sweep. It’s possible the Patriots have a check out of this play if it isn’t man to man or against certain fronts: 

As long as Left Guard Joe Thuney can reach his gap and make sure the Defensive Tackle (Pro-bowler Jurrell Casey) doesn’t penetrate, New England has great look: down blocks by Gronk and Wide Receiver Chris Hogan (#15) with Nate Solder (#77) pulling around to lead the way on the Cornerback originally lined up over Hogan:

Thuney does his assignment, there are great down block angles, and James White is able to catch the ball at almost full speed for a relatively easy touchdown:

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Vikings vs. Saints

The game winning touchdown in the Vikings vs. Saints game began as the same exact situation as the Falcons vs. Eagles end of half scenario; there were ten seconds left and the Vikings had no timeouts, so any completion in the field of play would end the game. However, the Vikings were at their own 39 yard line, so a Hail Mary to the end zone was out of the question. The Vikings run the same play as the Eagles, a 3-man Flood concept:

We all know what happened next:

[gfycat data_id="BareBlushingAsp" data_autoplay=false data_controls=true data_title=false data_expand=true]

It’s obvious Saints DB Marcus Williams misplays both Stephon Diggs and the ball. But the Saints coaching staff could have put the defense in a better position. First, given the game scenario, the absolute number one priority is “do not let the Vikings complete the ball and get out of bounds,” yet the Saints only have 3 defenders guarding the sideline. Instead, the Saints should have either rushed only 3 down lineman or pulled their Middle Linebacker much closer to the sideline and the bunched Vikings. The Saints already have 3 defenders to account for the backside Wide Receiver Adam Thielen and Running Back Jerrick McKinnon, and the Vikings can’t complete the ball in bounds, so the Middle Linebacker does nothing but cover grass.

Overall, there was a lot to learn on game management this weekend; football fans can only hope the championship round and the Super Bowl bring as much excitement as the divisional round.

The post 2017 Divisional Round Review appeared first on Syed Schemes.

When the Patriots have the ball

Expect the Patriots to spend their first couple drives combining fast paced tempo with information gathering. The Patriots use motion and non-traditional sets early to analyze the defense. For example, the Patriots line up fullback James Develin or a running back out wide to see who goes out to cover him. If a linebacker goes with the back, it’s man coverage. If a corner stays with the back, it’s zone coverage. From there, Brady picks the best matchup.

This will help diagnose the Falcons relatively simple defensive scheme. The Falcons primarily play Cover 1 or Cover 3, and don’t blitz often. Although the Falcons have blitzed more frequently during the playoffs, I don’t expect them to blitz Brady a ton in Super Bowl 51. Nor do I expect the Falcons to sit back in Cover 3 and let Brady pick apart zone coverage. Instead, the only consistent strategy for beating the Patriots in the playoffs has been pressure with 4, preferably up the middle.

The Houston Texans gave the most recent blueprint for how the Falcons can accomplish this. While only rushing 4 or 5, they lined up both Jadeveon Clowney (#90) and Whitney Mercilus (#59) over Patriots center David Andrews and rookie guard Joe Thuney throughout the game to cause pressure up the middle:

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The Falcons can do the same with Vic Beasley consistently and use Dwight Freeney in this manner on obvious passing downs. They could also accomplish the same goal by twisting Vic Beasley from the outside.

Against Cover 1 and 3, look for the Patriots to go to their Post-Wheel-Out combination:

Credit: Matt Bowen, http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18609488/illustrating-new-england-patriots-go-plays-josh-mcdaniels-super-bowl-li-2016-nfl-playoffs

Against Cover 3, the safety and cornerback will take the two deep routes. This presents a problem for the underneath coverage; they must react to the wheel initially, leaving an opening for the out route. The Patriots had great success with this play against the Steelers:

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The play is also a good scheme against Cover 1 because the deep safety will be occupied by one of the deep routes and Edelman will draw man coverage on an out route:

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Another key will be how the Falcons decide to play Empty formation. Against the Packers in the NFC championship game, they largely played Cover 2-man with some bracket Cover 1 as well. Look for the Patriots to run their Hoss Y-Juke concept from Empty. If the Falcons don’t line up anybody on #3 strong or don’t have a wall defender on Edelman’s in breaking route, he’ll have a huge day:

[gfycat data_id="QuerulousInformalErin" data_autoplay=false data_controls=true data_title=false data_expand=true]

Finally, with the Patriots being as multiple as they are, look for 6 lineman sets to run the ball. The Patriots have implemented this strategy against teams they deem to be undersized on defense, like the Colts. This could be especially useful if the the Falcons offense comes out hot and the Patriots want to slow the game down and get their defense time to rest and adjust.

When the Falcons have the ball

When the Falcons have the ball, it’s all about the running backs. Yes, Julio Jones is all-world, but the versatility of their running backs is what makes them a historically great offense. To win Super Bowl 51, the Patriots will have to do two things on defense: set the edge in the run game, and account for the Falcons dynamic running backs in the passing game.

The Falcons are primarily an outside zone team, and setting the edge could determine the outcome of the game. If the Patriots linebackers consistently over pursue or the Falcons are able to reach the edge defender, the Falcons will have success in the run game and be able to set up big plays down the field with play action. If the Patriots are able to maintain gap discipline, string out plays, and not over pursue, they can neutralize the run game along with play action.

Look for Patriots like Jabaal Sheard, Rob Ninkovich, Dont’a Hightower, and Chris Long to constantly attempt to collision tackles and tight ends to create a new line of scrimmage in the backfield. When Atlanta runs outside zone or their crack toss from under center or shotgun, watch the edge instead of the running back or the ball– it’ll tell you how the play will end up long before the running back gets there.

Credit: Matt Bowen, http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/18585391/illustrating-atlanta-falcons-go-plays-kyle-shanahan-super-bowl-li-2016-nfl-playoffs

The Falcons also use their running backs in the passing game better than any team in the NFL, with the highest target percentage of throws going to running backs in the NFL. Against Denver, one of the NFL’s best defenses, the Falcons repeatedly motioned to empty formation with Tevin Coleman (#26) and Devonta Freeman (#24) going from the backfield to the slot and creating mismatches:

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In the example below, the Falcons are able to identify the coverage by putting a tight end and the fullback out wide to the right. With a linebacker coming out on the fullback, Matt Ryan knows its man coverage underneath. A linebacker also comes out to cover Tevin Coleman, and the safety widens to the three receiver side. Ryan hits Tevin Coleman for a touchdown on a seam route:

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The Patriots have a few options on how to defend the shift to empty. They likely will have an automatic check to either Cover 2 or Cover 2-man. They could also drop defensive lineman in coverage to try and take away underneath routes. To counter, the Falcons could potentially use Coleman and Freeman together and shift them both from the backfield to out wide. This would give the Falcons a run threat to start with two running backs in the backfield, but then also force the Patriots to defend an empty set with both Falcons backs.

The Patriots will also have to deal with the Falcons running backs catching the ball from the backfield. If the Patriots are in man coverage, it may be best for the Patriots to keep a safety on Falcon running backs as opposed to linebackers. In the divisional round against Seattle, the Falcons ran a beautiful RB corner route against Seattle’s Cover 3:

With only 3 defenders on the left side of the picture, the Falcons attack the coverage with 4 routes. The corner carries the deep post, the flat defender takes the flat route, the strong safety comes up to Julio Jones dragging across the field, and this leaves Coleman wide open:

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The key here is that there is over 3 seconds from snap to throw. This type of scheme will almost certainly result in somebody being open because regardless of coverage, the Falcons just have too many weapons from a personnel perspective to cover. To combat this, the Patriots front 4 will have to create enough pressure to disrupt Matt Ryan’s throwing lanes and line of vision.

Finally, the Patriots will have to decide how to matchup with the Falcons wideouts when they play man coverage. Like last week, expect Patrick Chung (#23) to have tight end man coverage duties, whether that be on Austin Hooper (#81) or Levine Toilolo (#80). Expect Malcolm Butler (#21) to cover Taylor Gabriel (#18) when he is on the field. Eric Rowe (#25), Logan Ryan (#26), and Butler will all get their chance to cover Julio Jones in spurts with some sort of help from Devin McCourty (#32) or Duron Harmon (#30). How the Patriots use McCourty will be particularly interesting. With so many weapons, McCourty’s versatility and ability to play man to man as well as deep safety will be invaluable.

Super Bowl 51 should be fascinating from an X’s and O’s perspective. Prediction: Patriots 34, Falcons 27.

The post Super Bowl 51 Preview appeared first on Syed Schemes.

QB Counter Pitch

The QB counter pitch is a natural evolution of the QB counter trey read, depicted below:

Instead of riding the QB/RB mesh point and reading the end man on the line of scrimmage, Clemson creates fast flow and misdirection with the QB’s first step and a fake pitch. As for the blocking, there are two pullers like counter trey read, but the Center and H-back pull instead of the Guard and Tackle. This makes the blocking scheme more like Counter OF, and is a better fit for the backfield action. Below, Clemson gets the middle Linebacker and play side Defensive End blocked without ever touching them because of the pitch action:

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Smart football’s Chris Brown recently wrote an excellent piece on the evolution of the inverted veer, and included the toss read as a natural progression of the inverted veer’s power scheme and horizontal read. If a toss element could help the inverted veer evolve, it should also help QB counter trey read evolve as well. Although the QB counter pitch depicted above does not “read” any defender, I consider the play an evolution of the QB counter trey read because it accomplishes the same purpose; fast flow is created to influence linebackers one way, and the pitch action does the same thing as a read: it blocks defenders without ever touching them. Further, multiple pullers are pulling away from the flow. This is illustrated by Ohio State’s #5 and #59, seen below:

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Both the QB counter trey read and various versions of the concept have caused Alabama defenses trouble in the past:

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With that, Clemson will likely add some wrinkles for the National Championship game. The first adjustment the Alabama D can make to avoid Ohio State’s pitfalls is have Linebackers read their keys (pullers) instead of chasing backfield action (Ohio State LB #5). Next, Bama can have the Defensive End squeeze down, replace the H-back, and crash/bend hard to chase down the QB. The defense could protect the Defensive End’s hard bend and chase by inserting a strong safety to fill the gap (SS #7 in Ohio State play). If Alabama does this, Clemson could adjust by making the play a read with the same rules as QB Counter Trey Read; if the Defensive End crashes down and follows the pullers, pitch the ball. If the Defensive End feathers or expands with the pitch action, follow the pullers through the hole.

As a side note, both offenses have shown the toss read, and this chess match could occur with both offenses and defenses.

OFFSET RB JET RB PITCH

Clemson also burned Ohio State on a pitch play with an offset RB and jet sweep action the other way:

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This play works for several reasons. First, Ohio State is in man coverage, causing the Cornerback to chase the WR’s jet motion across the formation, leaving the defense badly out leveraged by an offset RB. Next, although Clemson doesn’t block the Defensive End, they know Ohio State will squeeze and replace when an offensive lineman blocks down.

The high angle shows the scheme has even more nuance; after Clemson shifts, it motions the remaining player across the field. But this means the Right Tackle is eligible to catch a pass, and the Left Tight End is covered, making him ineligible:

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Expect Clemson to have several plays off of this shift and motion. Nick Saban will make sure Alabama’s D recognizes the offset RB, the shift, and the motion. Alabama won’t chase the motion across the formation and leave the same leverage–they’ll check the coverage or trade off man responsibility. But Clemson could run several plays off of it. First, Clemson could replace the Right Tackle with another Tight End and try to catch Alabama off guard with a corner route.

Next, Clemson could simply hand the ball off on a jet sweep if Alabama overcompensates for the pitch going right. There are also a multitude of RPO (Run/Pass Options) coaches could draw up off of this action as well.

Look for these two concepts to appear at various points in the National Championship game, with each side making subtle adjustments in the chess match over the course of 4 quarters.

The post What to look for in Clemson v. Bama Part II appeared first on Syed Schemes.

• QB Buck Sweep (RPO)
• Counter OF
• QB G/T Counter Read or “Flash”
• Jet Sweep Split Zone
• Inverted/Power Veer
• Triple Option

QB Buck Sweep (RPO)

Carolina is not the only NFL team that runs Buck Sweep, but Cam Newton allows the Panthers to run QB Buck Sweep, opening up other possibilities for the offense. Like the traditional version, the Panthers Buck Sweep involves 2 pulling lineman leading the way for Cam to run around the edge:

Here, the left tackle, right tackle, and tight end (#88) Greg Olsen are all blocking down, while the center (#67) Ryan Kalil and right guard (#70) Trai Turner pull around to lead block for Cam. Meanwhile, (#35) Mike Tolbert motions behind Cam Newton and runs a swing screen to the left, drawing multiple Arizona defenders. Tolbert’s influence creates a huge numbers advantage for Carolina in the box, as none of Carolina’s blockers even have to account for the middle linebacker. The pulling lineman are untouched to the second level, leading to a touchdown:

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The box angle doesn’t show the brilliance of the scheme and how difficult it is to defend. The high angle shows that this QB Buck Sweep is likely also an RPO, or run/pass option:

As you can see, Cam and the Panthers also have the option to the throw the swing screen up top if they have a numbers advantage. Here, both Cardinal defenders immediately sprint out, making it an easy keep for Cam. This is an extremely difficult mixed flow read for linebackers; multiple lineman are pulling right, yet the running back is sprinting left, the QB can open and throw left, and there are three wide receivers able to block for the swing pass as well.

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Denver has a few options to combat this RPO: they can play 1 high safety and bring another linebacker into the box, or play press coverage to the trips side while having the linebackers key the pulling lineman to make Cam get rid of the ball to the screen.

Counter OF

Counter OF is a scheme involving one guard and either a fullback or H-back as pullers. The Steelers often run Counter OF from a single back set, but the Panthers execute the play from I-formation. Counter OF is also known as power counter because of the similarities to Power run scheme. However, traditional Power has the pulling guard go up to the second level. In Counter OF, the fullback goes up to the second level:

Here, (#73) left tackle Michael Oher and (#68) left guard Andrew Norwell have a double team up to the linebacker. The center has a down block on the tilted 1-technique defensive tackle, and the right tackle (#74) is on man to man. Right guard (#70) Trai Turner is pulling for the defensive end, while fullback (#35) Mike Tolbert is pulling up for the play side linebacker after taking his counter steps to influence the linebackers:

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This run exhibits great execution on three separate occasions: first, when the Seattle defensive end squeezes down to replace the left tackle, the pulling guard (#70) plays with great technique to hook, or “log” the defensive end. Next, fullback Mike Tolbert sifts through traffic to get up and deliver a block on the playside linebacker. Finally, running back (#28) Jonathan Stewart shows great patience to allow his blocks to develop. Many running backs would get tackled for a minimal gain here because of an unwillingness to let blocks develop.

QB G/T Counter Read “Flash”

Another mixed flow play in the Panthers running game is the QB counter read, also known as QB G/T counter, or QB counter flash. Here, both the right guard and right tackle are pulling up for linebackers, leaving the center to block back on a 3-technique. This is normally a tough assignment for a center. However, the read element greatly helps the line because the running back is going the other way. The running back will run parallel to the line of scrimmage while the QB rides laterally to create a moving mesh point. The defensive end on the side of the pullers is left unblocked:

This play will rarely be a give to the running back. Instead, the QB/RB mesh likely is meant to influence linebackers, effectively block the read man without touching him, and make the center’s block on the 3-technique easier. The only instance where the QB would hand the ball off is if the read defensive end crashed down hard with the pulling lineman. Once Cam rides the mesh, he pulls the ball and is running QB counter:

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Meanwhile, below is an example of how QB counter flash can get outside if the playside defensive end crashes down due to a stunt or because of the running back’s action:

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Jet Sweep Split Zone

The next play in the Panthers running game is the Jet sweep split zone. Split zone is a zone blocking scheme where an H-Back, fullback, or tight end will come across the formation for a kick out block, creating a natural crease for the running back. The Panthers create further confusion for the defense by also adding motion and a potential jet sweep element. Here, all the Panther lineman “zone their gap” and take a play side zone step, while Greg Olsen comes across the formation to kick out (#44) Markus Golden of Arizona. However, the jet sweep along with Cam Newton as a run threat renders Golden completely frozen, and Olsen decides to move up to the second level. The linebacker (#51) Kevin Minter is also influenced by the sweep action, allowing him to be walled off by Olsen:

Once again, the Panthers are able to eliminate defenders from the play without ever touching them– the threat of jet sweep or Cam’s running ability creates an extremely favorable numbers matchup and a huge crease for Jonathan Stewart:

Box Angle:

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High Angle:

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Inverted/Power Veer

Inverted/Power Veer is an excellent compliment to QB G/T counter “flash” because the former is a full flow lineman and running back action while the latter is a mixed flow scheme. Inverted/Power Veer is blocked up front with a pulling guard like power, but one man is left unblocked and is the “read” man. The running back will run parallel to the line of scrimmage while the QB rides laterally to create a moving mesh point. If the read man steps out and angles toward the running back, the QB should keep it and run QB power. If the read man attacks downhill toward the mesh point, the QB should hand it off to the RB running outside. Note that the Panthers also occasionally also run Power/Inverted Veer reading the linebacker while “logging” the play side defensive end with the pulling guard.

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Below, Seattle plays the Inverted/Power Veer about as well as a defense can against Carolina. Defensive End (#56) Cliff Avril gets his hands on tight end (#88) Greg Olsen, (#72) Michael Bennett quickly beats the lineman in front of him, and the backside stays home:

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Triple Option

The Panthers running game also uses triple option often and effectively. Carolina has the ability to mix in 2 running backs with Cam Newton or use 1 running back and a wide receiver for the pitch option. The Panthers make it difficult to defend their triple option by having an offset back opposite the tight end. This makes the defense declare and play one way or the other. If the defense plays heavier toward the tight end side, the Panthers run triple option to the offset back. If the defense is shifted towards the offset back, Cam Newton can audible into a run toward the tight end. Below, the Cardinals have 8 in the box and are shaded towards the tight end. There is a huge natural bubble between the defensive lineman and (#44) Markus Golden, making for a perfect triple option front.

In triple option, two defenders are left unblocked. The defensive end or outside linebacker (first level defender) is read like in read option. If he crashes down and the QB keeps it, the second level defender is read in pitch phase. Of course, triple option reads are subject to change as the defense scrape exchanges and adjusts.

Once again, the Panthers running game schemes out defenders without blocking them; (#22) Tony Jefferson sees the pitch man go out wide and immediately chases. (#44) Golden has the QB run responsibility. However, Carolina has excellent down block angles with Golden and Jefferson out of the picture. Jefferson vacates, left tackle Michael Oher seals off (#51) Kevin Minter, and running back (#28) Jonathan Stewart has an enormous lane to run through:

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If the defense decides to overplay the QB and running back, like below, Cam is more than capable of getting the play to the edge. Note that with all this focus on the run game, defenses are often left in 1 on 1 situations against the wide receivers:

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And finally, the Panthers running game keeps the defense from over pursuing with the threat of a reverse from speedster Ted Ginn:

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Overall, the Panthers running game is extremely difficult to prepare for. They have a variety of mixed flow reads that put linebackers and defensive linemen in a bind. Additionally, many of their run plays compliment each other, making it difficult to guess or overplay one particular scheme. Their option package is diverse, stretches a defense horizontally, and makes you account for every yard on the field. Carolina eliminates defenders without ever blocking them by creating hesitation, flow, over pursuit, and blocking angles. Aside from the excellent scheme, the Panthers are physical at the point of attack and have the best running Quarterback in the NFL in Cam Newton. Keep an eye out for some of these run schemes as well as variations while watching Super Bowl 50.

The post Analyzing the Unique Panthers Running Game appeared first on Syed Schemes.

2nd Quarter, 4:06, 2nd & Goal at the 6:

On all 3 Touchdowns in the four Tight End set, #88 Scott Chandler is paired with #87 Rob Gronkowski (the pass catchers), while #47 “Hooman” is paired with #85 Mike Williams. The first time the Steelers see the formation, their Front 7 is in Bear with 2 Safeties and 2 Cornerbacks in man to man coverage behind it. The Patriots check to a stretch play action  2 man route with Gronkowski running a seam route and Chandler expanding to the back pylon:

Gronk is able to beat his man, who is frozen by a stretch play action. Steelers Safety Mike Mitchell (#23) attempts to peel back to Gronkowski after his man stays in protection, but is too late. Below are the End Zone and Field angles of the Touchdown:

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3rd Quarter, 11:17, 2nd & Goal at the 1:

The second time New England comes out with four Tight Ends, the Steelers respond with their Goal Line personnel, with only 1 Defensive Back on the field. To start, #88 Scott Chandler is in the backfield as a Fullback. Prior to the snap, #47 Hooman shifts out wide to the right, taking the only Steeler Defensive Back with him. From there, Gronkowski and Chandler shift to the left:

With only 1 Defensive Back on the field, the Steelers shift out 2 linebackers to match up man to man with Gronkowski and Chandler. This is a mismatch Tom Brady will exploit 100% of the time. On the second TD from the four tight end set, the Patriots run a Slant-Flat combination:

Below is the Field All-22 angle for the 2nd Touchdown:

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4th Quarter, 9:28, 3rd & Goal at the 1:

On the final four tight end play of the night, the Patriots start with the same shift as the prior Touchdown. The Steelers respond with the same exact personnel grouping. From the 1 yard line, there isn’t much choice but to play this type of heavy personnel. However, going forward, it will be interesting to see how opposing defenses match up with the four Tight End look from the 5 or 10 yard line. This time, the Patriots run a fade to Gronkowski for his 3rd TD of the night (with Chandler once again running to the flat):

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Chess Match Going Forward

Future Patriots opponents have this tape to watch and may approach the four Tight End set differently. The first thing the defense could do is match linebackers to #47 Hooman and #85 Mike Williams side, while keeping better pass defenders (Safeties) on to Gronkowski’s side. Personnel choice will be key; is the best way to match up 3 Safeties to counter four Tight Ends? Teams will certainly live with either Hooman or Williams beating them in the pass game. Defenses can also counter by moving an extra defender out to make it 3 defenders over Chandler and Gronkowski. In Week 1, the Steelers covered all Tight Ends who shifted out with man to man coverage:

Bringing out an another defender toward Gronk/Chandler would help the pass defense, but would help the Patriots run game near the Goal Line immensely by lightening the box to 7 vs. 7. Defenses may choose this strategy inside the 10 yard line and dare the Patriots to run the ball in the red zone with a young offensive line.

The Patriots likely have only shown the tip of the iceberg with respect to the four Tight End, or “Aces” formation. Look for them to have several formational and motion variations as well as run a variety of plays from the personnel grouping. This formation may only have come about when Fullback James Develin was lost for the season, allowing for the coaching staff to come up with creative ways to use Tight Ends in the red zone.

If defenses do over commit to the pass against “Aces”, New England could split out Gronk and Scott Chandler to different sides of the formation as 6’6″+ fade targets. The Patriots could also put defenses in a bind by having Chandler, Hooman, and Williams to one side as a run heavy side with Gronk split out wide on the opposite side. This would force defenses to commit numbers to the run heavy side or leave Gronk 1 on 1. Either way, I look forward to the four Tight End look being used by New England in the red zone throughout the season.

WEEK 2 UPDATE

The Patriots cashed in again on the Goal Line with their 4 TE set week 2 against the Bills. Below, the Patriots show a similar shift causing confusion in the Bills secondary. This time, Gronkowski runs a short Dig route, with Chandler running a pivot. Gronkowski finds himself open in the back of the end zone:

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Later in the game, the Patriots go back to the 4 TE set on the Goal Line, this time separating Chandler and Gronkowski to opposite sides. Gronkowski is double teamed on the bottom, and the Patriots get the 1 on 1 matchup they want, but the Bills break up the play:

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Week 5 Update

The Patriots have traded away Tight End #47 Michael Hoomanawanui to the Saints. If the Patriots continue the 4 TE set, look for Tackle #77 Nate Solder to play as a TE on the goal line, as he played some TE in college and was used as an extra lineman/TE his rookie year.

The post Patriots Four Tight End Red Zone Attack appeared first on Syed Schemes.

The Patriots Super Bowl 49 game plan began as expected, with New England lining up Tight End Rob Gronkowski extremely far out wide in order to see how Seattle would respond. The Patriots then motioned Julian Edelman across to the slot. This first play would give New England a ton of coverage information for a Touchdown later in the game:

Seattle occasionally moved Richard Sherman into the slot when they felt the Offense’s biggest threat was there, or when either a Tight End or Running back was the furthest outside Receiver. By lining up Gronk out extra wide and motioning Edelman, the Patriots were able to gather information even before running a play. First, the Patriots knew the Seahawks were willing to play against Gronk and the wide side of the field with only one defender, as deep 1/3 defender Kam Chancellor (Safety #31) is essentially in the middle of the field. The Patriots also see the Seahawks Cover 3 “Buzz” or Cover 1 “Lurk” drop down zone defender (In this case, #29 Safety Earl Thomas) playing towards the original 3 Receiver side and where Running Back Shane Vereen is. This last part regarding Shane Vereen will come in key later in the 1st half.

Vereen tied the Super Bowl record with 11 catches and converted key 3rd downs throughout the game. His biggest impact, however, may have been as a decoy on Gronk’s Touchdown before the 1st half. The Seahawks alternated their drop down Lurk/Buzz defender throughout the half between Chancellor and Thomas as well as to and away from Vereen. But Vereen had just gashed the Seahawks for a big catch and run, Julian Edelman had burnt backup Seahawks Cornerback Tharold Simon (#27) on the previous drive, and Gronkowski was unable to beat Kam Chancellor deep earlier in the game. With that, the Patriots lined up in Dakota formation, and Shane Vereen away from the Trips. The Seahawks were clearly in Cover 1 now, as Linebacker K.J. Wright lined up over Gronk in man technique, and Richard Sherman followed Julian Edelman across the formation. From here, all QB Tom Brady needed to know was who was the Deep Centerfield Safety, and who was the drop down Lurk Safety. It’s fairly easy to tell right before the snap that Kam Chancellor will be the deep middle defender towards the Trips side:

Once the ball is snapped, Earl Thomas flies down and only has his eyes on Vereen. Thomas doesn’t hesitate at all or pay any attention to Gronk, who is now truly 1 on 1 with K.J. Wright:

Brady almost certainly decided to go deep to Gronk on a Stutter-Fade route as soon as Earl Thomas took a step up pre-snap:

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It also appears that Linebacker Bobby Wagner has his eyes on Vereen out of the backfield. Given that it was 2nd and 5 with 36 seconds left, Seattle could have been calling for bracket coverage to prevent Vereen from picking up the first down and setting a trap for Brady. It’s also possible that Earl Thomas had seen enough of Vereen underneath and decided to fly up to make a quick tackle or even interception. Either way, Vereen served as a perfect decoy to exploit the 1 on 1 matchup the Patriots wanted.

Play Action on Slant-Flat leads to LaFell TD

The Patriots love their Slant-Flat combo, and ran it numerous times in the 2012 matchup against the Seahawks. Super Bowl 49 was no different, as New England went to Slant-Flat at least 5 times. I thought New England would go to its usual Cover 3 beaters with Play Action to help freeze linebackers, and this is exactly what happened.

With Danny Amendola clearing out Byron Maxwell on the flat route, the Slant route is open for a Touchdown, with only Bobby Wagner or Earl Thomas (squared in red above) in position to break up or drive on the route. However, the Play Action fake keeps their eyes in the backfield and freezes both players for a fraction of a second. The Play Action by no means “fools” Wagner or Thomas, but even a tenth of a second is the difference here, as you can see just how close Wagner gets to tipping the throw, and how Thomas may be able to jar the ball loose with a big hit:

New England’s Pass Heavy Playsheet

The Patriots ended up throwing the ball 50 times, but I don’t think this was the plan prior to the game. New England ran the ball with LeGarrette Blount 8 times in the first 13 minutes of the game, but only 6 times total in the last 47 minutes. The heavy tilt towards passing likely had to do with the gruesome forearm injury to Seattle Nickel Cornerback Jeremy Lane. After Lane got hurt, Byron Maxwell was moved into the slot, and #27 Tharold Simon was forced into action. The Patriots started with a more simple game plan, but as they seemingly always do, changed the plan on the fly: Just as they did against the Ravens left side of the Secondary, the Patriots decided to attack Simon, attack him mercilessly and often. The results were undeniable:

With all that, the Patriots brought back Lombardy Trophy #4 to Foxboro.

The post Analyzing how the Patriots Offense Manipulated Matchups in SB49 appeared first on Syed Schemes.