Playbook - week 1
Saturday is a good day to watch old game film because it sheds light on how Sunday's opponent will attack you. I wanted to get a look at how Tennessee reacted to play action with Ridley. I also wanted to take a look at the personnel packages on Defense.
OFFENSE
The first play is actually a failed connection. It's that deep pass to Brandon Lloyd that we all gasped to see on the first drive of the game. First of all, this was the play sequence:
1st and 10 - Brady to Hernandez for 8 yards
2nd and 2 - Ridley plunges forward for 1 yard.
3rd and 1 - Ridley breaks loose for 17 yards
1st and 10 - Play Action to Ridley, second fake to Welker on the end-around. Brady fires to Lloyd, incomplete. This is the play in question:
The TEs #87 Gronkowski and #81 Hernandez really sell the play action by staying in to block. Also, both TEs execute their blocks very well. Gronkowski holds the edge like a starting Tackle, and Hernandez baits his man to the inside to seal him off. This gives Brady time to execute 2 play action fakes, and get off a full strength pass to #85 Brandon Lloyd on the post.
The Safety on the right side gets caught looking in the backfield, and provides no help. The Linebackers get caught uselessly in the middle. The corner on Lloyd bites on the end-around and lets him go. This leaves Lloyd 1-on-1 against a Safety that is a step late. Of course, the timing from Brady-Lloyd needs a little work, but this play was well executed otherwise.
DEFENSE. I have two different looks to show you:
This first look shows the Patriots in Dime Defense. All 3 Safeties #28 Steve Gregory, #25 Patrick Chung, and #27 Tavon Wilson are on the field. Likewise, all the 3 top Cornerbacks #32 Devin McCourty, #24 Kyle Arrington, #21 Ras-I Dowling are out there. This look is in response to the 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB set of the Titans.
We also want to take note of the personnel up front. #50 Rob Ninkovich is playing as a down lineman on the strong side of the formation. #75 Vince Wilfork is on the nose, shading the right-side A-gap. Just before the snap, Wilfork slides to the left-side A-gap to take the double team. #54 Dont'a Hightower comes on a blitz through the vacated A-gap. #95 Chandler Jones takes the Tackle outside with a speed rush.
Hightower sends the Offensive Guard into Jake Locker's lap as he drops back to pass. Locker does a good job sliding away from the rush, but tight coverage forces him to dump it off to Chris Johnson, who was quickly tackled short of the sticks by #51 Jerod Mayo.
Impressive coverage from Tavon Wilson on the vertical route of TE Jared Cook allows Steve Gregory to secure coverage over the top of Dowling's man. McCourty gives some space on a comeback route, but overall coverage was solid all around.
The other look shows The Patriots in Base Defense:
Here, we see a zone concept that leaves one of the outside receivers in man-to-man. #24 Kyle Arrington knows that he is on an island because #27 Wilson is going to be keeping an eye on the TE Cook. Wilson ends up going to help on the deep zone when Cook breaks off his route to the inside. He is then taken by the LBs #54 Hightower and #55 Spikes.
On the other side, #32 McCourty is looking in on the play action to his side. He follows his man to the edges of his zone, and then hands him off to Gregory so that he can help on the FB out of the backfield. Once again, Jerod Mayo is asked to play a middle zone while spying RB Chris Johnson.
This play actually results in a Tavon Wilson INT due to solid 1-on-1 play by Kyle Arrington. Jake Locker left it up there, and Arrington established his position to make a play. Still, credit goes to Wilson for recognizing that he could leave Cook to help on the deep zone. Likewise, that was no easy catch.
CONCLUSIONS
I think that Bill Belichick drafted Tavon Wilson to play against TEs not just in sub packages. As we saw in this film study, Wilson will sometimes play ahead of Patrick Chung. Likewise, he made Bill look like a genius by snagging an INT while Chung rides the pine pony.
Also, the speed and versatility of Ninkovich and Hightower in the pass game is impressive. Ninkovich can stand up and play a shallow zone, or he can rush the edge. Likewise, Hightower's strength and speed make him a dual threat. He can bull rush an Offensive Guard and put him into the backfield or he can chase down a TE in the open field.
Also, The Patriots can be such a deceptive team because of the talent at TE (yeah, we've said it a million times, but its true). For a Defense, it can be tempting to only look at what the TEs are doing. Are they blocking or running a route? Run or pass? This job is especially difficult for opposing Safeties that are counted on to stop the run and stop the vertical routes of TEs and WRs. I am definitely going to keep tally of how many play action passes The Pats use on Sunday. I think it will be 15 or more times. They'll also run the ball about 15-20 times with Ridley. That kind of balance will keep the AZ Defense honest, and by honest I mean they'll have no chance.
*All pictures are property of The NFL. I do not claim ownership, but hope to use them educationally.
OFFENSE
The first play is actually a failed connection. It's that deep pass to Brandon Lloyd that we all gasped to see on the first drive of the game. First of all, this was the play sequence:
1st and 10 - Brady to Hernandez for 8 yards
2nd and 2 - Ridley plunges forward for 1 yard.
3rd and 1 - Ridley breaks loose for 17 yards
1st and 10 - Play Action to Ridley, second fake to Welker on the end-around. Brady fires to Lloyd, incomplete. This is the play in question:
The TEs #87 Gronkowski and #81 Hernandez really sell the play action by staying in to block. Also, both TEs execute their blocks very well. Gronkowski holds the edge like a starting Tackle, and Hernandez baits his man to the inside to seal him off. This gives Brady time to execute 2 play action fakes, and get off a full strength pass to #85 Brandon Lloyd on the post.
The Safety on the right side gets caught looking in the backfield, and provides no help. The Linebackers get caught uselessly in the middle. The corner on Lloyd bites on the end-around and lets him go. This leaves Lloyd 1-on-1 against a Safety that is a step late. Of course, the timing from Brady-Lloyd needs a little work, but this play was well executed otherwise.
DEFENSE. I have two different looks to show you:
This first look shows the Patriots in Dime Defense. All 3 Safeties #28 Steve Gregory, #25 Patrick Chung, and #27 Tavon Wilson are on the field. Likewise, all the 3 top Cornerbacks #32 Devin McCourty, #24 Kyle Arrington, #21 Ras-I Dowling are out there. This look is in response to the 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB set of the Titans.
We also want to take note of the personnel up front. #50 Rob Ninkovich is playing as a down lineman on the strong side of the formation. #75 Vince Wilfork is on the nose, shading the right-side A-gap. Just before the snap, Wilfork slides to the left-side A-gap to take the double team. #54 Dont'a Hightower comes on a blitz through the vacated A-gap. #95 Chandler Jones takes the Tackle outside with a speed rush.
Hightower sends the Offensive Guard into Jake Locker's lap as he drops back to pass. Locker does a good job sliding away from the rush, but tight coverage forces him to dump it off to Chris Johnson, who was quickly tackled short of the sticks by #51 Jerod Mayo.
Impressive coverage from Tavon Wilson on the vertical route of TE Jared Cook allows Steve Gregory to secure coverage over the top of Dowling's man. McCourty gives some space on a comeback route, but overall coverage was solid all around.
The other look shows The Patriots in Base Defense:
Here, we see a zone concept that leaves one of the outside receivers in man-to-man. #24 Kyle Arrington knows that he is on an island because #27 Wilson is going to be keeping an eye on the TE Cook. Wilson ends up going to help on the deep zone when Cook breaks off his route to the inside. He is then taken by the LBs #54 Hightower and #55 Spikes.
On the other side, #32 McCourty is looking in on the play action to his side. He follows his man to the edges of his zone, and then hands him off to Gregory so that he can help on the FB out of the backfield. Once again, Jerod Mayo is asked to play a middle zone while spying RB Chris Johnson.
This play actually results in a Tavon Wilson INT due to solid 1-on-1 play by Kyle Arrington. Jake Locker left it up there, and Arrington established his position to make a play. Still, credit goes to Wilson for recognizing that he could leave Cook to help on the deep zone. Likewise, that was no easy catch.
CONCLUSIONS
I think that Bill Belichick drafted Tavon Wilson to play against TEs not just in sub packages. As we saw in this film study, Wilson will sometimes play ahead of Patrick Chung. Likewise, he made Bill look like a genius by snagging an INT while Chung rides the pine pony.
Also, the speed and versatility of Ninkovich and Hightower in the pass game is impressive. Ninkovich can stand up and play a shallow zone, or he can rush the edge. Likewise, Hightower's strength and speed make him a dual threat. He can bull rush an Offensive Guard and put him into the backfield or he can chase down a TE in the open field.
Also, The Patriots can be such a deceptive team because of the talent at TE (yeah, we've said it a million times, but its true). For a Defense, it can be tempting to only look at what the TEs are doing. Are they blocking or running a route? Run or pass? This job is especially difficult for opposing Safeties that are counted on to stop the run and stop the vertical routes of TEs and WRs. I am definitely going to keep tally of how many play action passes The Pats use on Sunday. I think it will be 15 or more times. They'll also run the ball about 15-20 times with Ridley. That kind of balance will keep the AZ Defense honest, and by honest I mean they'll have no chance.
*All pictures are property of The NFL. I do not claim ownership, but hope to use them educationally.
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