Coaches' Film - 3 TE set

The Patriots come out of the huddle in the 3 TE, 1 WR, 1 RB set. Brandon Bolden in the backfield, and all 3 TEs to the strong side, left.  Gronkowski comes in motion to the right to balance the formation.  Brady snaps the ball as Gronk sets into a 3 point stance, and drops back with a play action look on the right side to Brandon Bolden. Gronkowski engages a man to sell the fake, Hernandez takes a quick first step, and beats the jam from the LB. Likewise, #47 Hoomanawanui, releases into a pattern.

 Brady sells the fake to Bolden and goes through his read progressions.  Brandon Lloyd beats his man outside the numbers to the right (on a 5-7 yard out), but Brady has a decent pocket, and lets the play develop.  Gronkowski and Hernandez both take vertical routes to attack the single high Safety.  Gronkowski runs a corner route to draw the Safety from the middle, leaving Hernandez with 1-on-1 coverage.  Likewise, Hoomanawanui and Hernandez run a good combo route, with Hoomanawanui clearing space for Hernandez' vertical with a crisp out pattern.

Brady feels the pocket breaking down from his left side, does well to slide to his right, and then climb the pocket to find a clear throwing lane.  Excellent pocket presence by Brady here.  You can see here that Hernandez gets behind his man, and is left wide open by the special attention on Gronkowski.

Overall, this is a perfectly executed play.  The initial overload to the left forced the Defense to account for the possibility of running behind those 3 TEs. The quick motion of Gronk forces the Defense to account for him in coverage, and his blocking skill forces them to look for the run as well. When the fake comes to Gronk's side, the DEs get caught outside looking in as Brady climbs the pocket. Likewise, the combination of routes forces the Safety to make an impossible choice, Gronkowski or Hernandez.  Given a perfect pass from Brady, this would be a TD either way.

Look for more of this 3 TE set on Sunday vs. the Cardinals. This formation gives The Patriots a bit more liberty to separate Gronk and 'Nando on either side of the field.  Likewise, the Offense can run right (behind Gronk) or left (behind 2 TE). If McDaniels and Brady can consistently force a Safety into coverage between Gronk and Hernandez, there will be a new TD record this year.

*All pictures are property of The NFL. I do not claim ownership, but hope to use them educationally.