If you are like me, everything after the 4th of July seems to happen in fast forward. Suddenly, it’s August and the preseason is about to begin. In a flash, fall will be here, and we’ll be watching games that count on Sunday afternoons. But as much as I’m ready for the regular season to begin, there is still plenty to watch during the preseason and lots to learn about this 2023 Ravens team. Below a few areas of interest for Preseason Week 1. 

The Streak 

As you’re most likely aware, the Ravens have won an astounding 23 straight preseason games dating back to 2016. That’s an NFL record (go figure), and it highlights the organization’s consistency and scouting and coaching acumen. Will the Ravens keep their preseason winning streak alive with some new coordinators and a new batch of young players? We’ll see, but the odds are in their favor—Baltimore opened as a 4.5-point favorite over Philadelphia. Amazingly, the Ravens are 20-3 against the spread during their winning streak, so it seems that Vegas has yet to catch up with Baltimore’s preseason prowess. If you are of an inclination to wager on sporting events, you may want to throw a few dollars at Baltimore in this one.  

The Secondary 

You won’t see Marlon Humphrey, Marcus Williams, or Kyle Hamilton take the field on Saturday. But there are several potential impact players trying to secure their spots on the depth chart who may get playing time. #25 Kevon Seymour, a 6th round pick out of USC in 2016, has been in the Ravens organization since 2021, mostly on the practice squad. However, he’s had a fantastic training camp and may be in line for rotational work at corner/nickelback. Other players to watch for include #5 Jalyn Armour-Davis, a fourth-round pick by the Ravens in 2022, and #34 Arthur Maulet, a six-year veteran who last played for the Steelers and has also made a good impression during training camp. 

The Rookies 

#4 Zay Flowers  

Will Baltimore play rookie WR/training camp star Zay Flowers on Saturday? For the sake of pure entertainment, I sure hope so. Praise for Flowers has poured in from every direction, including beat writers, team staff, and even Peter King. If Flowers dominates in his preseason appearances, the hype train—which long ago left the station—might just self-implode. With Rashod Bateman and Odell Beckham, Jr. sure to rest for the first preseason game and the rookie Flowers needing as many reps as he can get, we may not have to wait long to see him play. 

#34 Keaton Mitchell 

Keaton Mitchell went undrafted in 2023, though not for lack of success in college (Mitchell rushed for over 3,000 yards at East Carolina, averaging a whopping 6.5 yards per carry). He was then signed by Baltimore, where his father, safety Anthony Mitchell, played for three years, including on the 2001 Super Bowl team. All reports out of training camp say that #34 looks explosive and shifty, with good hands, as well. He still faces an uphill battle to make the 53-man roster with JK Dobbins, Gus Edwards, Melvin Gordon, and Justice Hill also in the mix—but Mitchell will have an opportunity to prove himself during the preseason. 

#71 Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu 

Is Aumavae-Laula, a sixth-round pick out of Oregon, the biggest surprise of training camp so far? He’s certainly in the conversation. Aumavae-Laula has gotten all of the first-team reps at left guard and is likely to start on opening day—but he, like Flowers, will need as many reps as he can get before then. Look for the impressive rookie to build on his early success, possibly starting this weekend. 

#47 Travis Vokolek 

One final name to watch for is Tight End Travis Vokolek, an undrafted free agent from Nebraska. He is listed at 6’6” and 259 pounds and, according to reports out of camp, he has good hands and finds ways to get open despite his lack of blazing speed. The Ravens have a familiar trio of tight ends in Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar, but Vokolek will get plenty of opportunities during the preseason to stand out. If he keeps making plays like he has in training camp, the coaching staff will have a tough decision when it comes time to cut down to 53 players.  

The post What To Watch In Preseason Week 1: Eagles at Ravens appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Redraft Leagues 

What better place to start than with the most important Ravens player for both fantasy and real life? Yup, Lamar Jackson. Right now, Jackson is ranked 51st overall in half-PPR leagues according to FantasyPros. He is the QB4 overall behind Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts. Since his QB1 finish in 2019, Jackson has finished 9th, 14th, and 13th, so it seems the market has already priced in the team’s exciting offseason moves (new contract, new coordinator, new toys at WR). The expert consensus rankings (ECR) on FantasyPros also think that Baltimore’s signal caller may be slightly overhyped—his current average draft position (38th) is 13 spots ahead of his ECR.  

Now, I believe Jackson has a legitimate shot at another QB1 overall season in 2023 and an even better chance to return on his QB4 draft position. But hoping that a player will live up to their offseason hype is rarely a winning strategy in fantasy, and there are a number of other exciting quarterbacks with enormous upside–especially Justin Fields, Justin Herbert, and Trevor Lawrence, but also players like Deshaun Watson, Tua Tagovailoa, and Daniel Jones–who are being drafted much later than Jackson. Here are those players’ ADPs and ECRs for comparison: 

In summary, I love Jackson’s potential for a top-5 QB finish in 2023…but it seems that everyone else does, too. For redraft, I would look elsewhere at quarterback. Instead, how about a deep sleeper pick? Mine is Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers. According to the FF Newsletter (theffnewsletter@substack.com), Purdy led all fantasy QBs in points per dropback last season and ranked 8th in fantasy points per start. He also has an embarrassment of riches around him at WR, TE, and RB. With a full offseason to recover from his elbow injury (and continue to master Kyle Shanahan’s offense), I think Purdy will be an enormous value this season. His ADP is currently 182 overall (QB28), so you’re not risking much by taking him late in your draft. 

Dynasty Leagues 

Interestingly, dynasty is a bit of a different story. In standard (non-super flex) leagues, Jackson is ranked 57th overall and is the QB7 behind Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert, and Trevor Lawrence. Now, dynasty players should have a different perspective when building their rosters for the long-term, and injury/longevity concerns are undoubtedly weighing on Jackson’s ranking.  

But at a mere 26 years old and with easily the best combination of offensive skill players and offensive coordinator that he’s had in his career, Jackson is a steal in start-up drafts right now. Despite his injuries, Jackson has finished as a top-10 QB in fantasy points per game four years in a row (including a 6th overall finish in 2022, when he recorded his lowest completion percentage, lowest total passing yards, lowest average yards/attempt, and fewest total rushing yards since his rookie season). Jackson is primed for a massive bounce back year, and if you are just getting started in a dynasty league, he is a player that can win you the inaugural season (and hopefully a few more after that), especially given his current ADP. 

But what if your league is already established? Is it worth trading for Jackson right now? That depends. If the Jackson owner is a Ravens fan…good luck. They probably know just how exciting the 2023 Ravens offense looks and will require a massive haul to part with the captain of their fantasy squad and their home team. Even if the owner isn’t a Baltimore fan, it may be tough to get good value in a trade for Jackson. Keeptradecut.com, a crowd-sourced trade calculator, shows Lamar being worth more than Trevor Lawrence, a player he is ranked behind on FantasyPros, and virtually equivalent to Justin Herbert, another player ahead of him in the FantasyPros rankings. That means the dynasty community is higher on Jackson than the “consensus rankings,” and it means you’ll have to pay up to acquire him. 

The post Ravens Fantasy Outlook 2023 (Part 1, Quarterbacks) appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Part three of the All-22 Playbook focuses on a small niche in the passing game: screens and play action. Both are important tools in the Kubiak offense, so I thought that the following staples were all worth a closer look. Enjoy!

You can discuss the All-22 Playbook here.

Bubble Screen

The bubble screen is a quick-hitting pass play. The goal is to put the ball into the hands of an agile receiver with blockers in front of him so he can take advantage of some open field.

The slot receiver (in this case, Torrey Smith) is going to “bubble” toward the outside after the snap, while the outside receiver is going to block his man. Flacco will take a quick drop (in this case, it was just one step) and get the ball out as fast as possible. The rest is up to the receiver.

Slip Screen

The slip screen is designed to punish the secondary for giving wide receivers a big pre-snap cushion. It’s similar to any other screen in that the objective is to get the ball out as fast as possible and give an agile WR some open space to work with.

But the mechanics are slightly different from other screens. Unlike a bubble screen, which can be effective even if a corner is in press coverage (like in the image above), the slip screen is best against soft coverage schemes like Cover 4 (such as in the graphic below).

This particular play is a weakside slip screen. The playside tackle is going to get to the second level and try to block the strong safety, while the playside guard is going to try to reach the second level as well. The WR2 is going to block the corner out of the play, and then the WR1 is going to go for broke.

TE Throwback Screen

The TE Throwback Screen is a play that Gary Kubiak is sure to use in the Ravens offense this year. Since it uses zone blocking, it looks like almost any other running play in the Kubiak system. The defense flows toward what appears to be the playside, and then the QB throws a screen to the backside TE. The playside guard and tackle create a “sidewalk” between the hashes and the numbers for the TE to run on.

I could try to draw up an image that breaks down this play in greater detail, but Chip Kelly does it better than I ever could in the following video. Check it out here. The first minute or so is Kelly describing the TE throwback screen.

Tunnel Screen

The Tunnel Screen is basically what it sounds like – a screen pass where the WR is given a “tunnel” to run through. In the play below, the Texans are running a double tunnel screen against SD. The blue and yellow lines show the blocking scheme, while the red arrows show both outside receivers turning back toward the QB for a screen pass.

Initially, the blocking may look confusing, but it’s pretty simple. At the top of the screen, both blue arrows are creating the tunnel. The outermost blocking WR is going to kick the corner out toward the sideline, and the innermost blocking WR is going to kick the linebacker in toward the middle of the field. The RT (yellow line) is going to be the lead blocker through the tunnel, clearing any blockers he may see.

Basically the same thing is happening at the bottom of the screen. The LG, LT, and slot receiver are going to block, with the tackle and slot receiver creating the tunnel and the guard leading the way through the hole. All Schaub has to do is read the safeties and make a quick throw to one of his two targets.

Play-Action Boot/Naked Boot/Swap Boot

The Play Action Boot is a very popular play in the Kubiak offense. The line zone blocks like any other running play, but – being a play action pass – the QB is going to hold onto the ball. He’ll then roll out of the pocket and hit a receiver while he’s on the move.

Like the Play Action Boot, the Naked Boot simply has the quarterback roll away from his blockers rather than to the same side the line is blocking toward.

Finally, the Swap Boot is run out of a power formation with both a full back and a running back. Pre-snap, the FB will be on the fake play side, i.e. the same side the line is blocking toward. After the snap, however, he will run behind the quarterback to the unblocked side of the field.

A common Kubiak route combo in the Boot Action is called “Flood”. Below, the Ravens are running Swap Boot with a three-level Flood concept. The result is a long first down reception. This should be a staple of the 2014 Ravens offense.

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The post All-22 Playbook, Part Three appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Since the Ravens have been re-signing their own in free agency (aside from Steve Smith, whom my fellow BSL Ravens Analyst colleague Dan Bryden already discussed), I decided to go ahead with the next part of this series rather than wait for a FA to analyze. Part two of the All-22 Playbook is all about defensive coverage shells, so I’m going to break down the typical schemes you see in the defensive backfield.

Cover 0

Cover 0 is an aggressive coverage scheme designed to get pressure on the QB. The zero equates to the number of safeties over the top, so the pass rush really needs to be successful or else the offense has a huge advantage. Below is a great example of Cover 0 from the NE @ MIA game from 2013. Miami ran Cover 0 in the redzone over and over again versus the Patriots and had a lot of success. The idea is that Brady can dissect almost any defense but can’t handle pressure as well.

Cover 1

There are two common versions of Cover 1, but both keep a single high safety in the deep middle. This defense requires a very good free safety, like Jairus Byrd (or Ed Reed in his prime). The two most common variations are Cover 1 Man Free and Cover 1 Robber/Rover.

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Cover 2

Cover 2 is named for the two safeties who split the deep portion of the field in half. There are two main variants of this defense: Cover 2 Man, which asks the rest of the defenders to play man coverage underneath of the deep safeties, and Tampa 2 – named for Tony Dungy’s Tampa teams, which developed an all-zone version of the Cover 2 defense. The whole field is split up into smaller zones and, most notably, the middle linebacker drops into a deep zone between the two safeties. This defense requires a very athletic linebacker who can drop 15-20 yards deep and cover well. Brian Urlacher was probably the most successful Tampa 2 ILB of all time.

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Cover 3

Cover 3 is a very popular defense in the NFL right now because it’s well-balanced against both the pass and run. Many of the league’s best defenses – such as the Steelers and Seahawks – like to run this scheme. In Cover 3, the free safety and the two outside cornerbacks split the deep part of the field into thirds. The strong safety and the linebackers then split the underneath portion of the field into four zones – two flat/curl zones and two underneath middle zones.

Cover 4

Cover 4, also known as Quarters, splits the deep part of the field into four parts. The two safeties and the two outside corners each take a quarter of the deep zone, while the linebackers split the shorter part of the field into three zones. This defense is particularly adept at preventing the deep pass, but it also allows the safeties to play downhill against the run. Below, you see San Francisco in Cover 4 against the Falcons’ empty backfield set.

Cover 6

Cover 6 is a lesser-understood coverage shell, but it’s used often in the NFL these days. It’s considered a “hybrid” coverage that combines rules from both Cover 2 Man and Cover 4, and it blends the best aspects of both defenses.

In the diagram below, you see the free safety (F) in a deep half responsibility. The WILL linebacker (W) and the cornerback (C) on his side of the field are in man coverage, just like they would be in Cover 2. On the other side of the field, the strong safety ($) and the cornerback (C) are in Cover 4 zones, so they’re each covering 1/4 of the deep zone. Beneath them, the MIKE linebacker (M) and the nickel corner (N) are in zone coverage (like they would be in Cover 4). The nickel has the curl/flat zone and the MIKE linebacker has the middle zone.

Cover 7

NOTE: Cover 7 rules are not standard across systems, as it’s a very malleable coverage scheme. I’ve included it here because it’s an important tool for many great defenses. But please do not think this description is general. Rather, this is how Nick Saban runs his Cover 7 scheme. I’ve chosen his because it’s a fairly simple way of understanding the scheme.

Ok. So, with that out of the way… Cover 7 is a little more complex than the schemes above because it’s designed to react to the offensive formation.

At its most basic, Cover 7 looks a lot like Cover 4 – but with built-in man coverage and route-matching rules. The roles of each player in the defense will change depending on the look the offense gives and by the routes that the offense ends up running. Below is an image from Nick Saban’s Alabama defense:

On the left side, the cornerback (C) has two primary possibilities. He can play man coverage on the X receiver by himself, or he can bracket the receiver with the free safety (F). The WILL linebacker (W) also has two responsibilities: man coverage versus the running back (A) or the 1st crossing route to come underneath his zone. The MIKE linebacker (M) is responsible for the #3 receiver (F). The strong safety ($) is responsible for the tight end (Y) on a vertical stem. The SAM linebacker (S) is responsible for the flat on the right side of the defense, and the cornerback (C) on the right side is responsible for for playing man coverage against the Z receiver.

As you can see, some of the defenders are in strict man coverage while others have both zone and man responsibilities, depending on what the offense does. For the latter defenders, if a man runs out of their zone, they revert to Cover 4 zone rules.

Confused? I understand. Luckily, people much smarter than me have discussed Cover 7 in much greater detail here and here. I highly recommend reading these two excellent articles for a better understanding of this complex defense.

The post All-22 Playbook, Part Two appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

So Dan Bryden and I decided to take the opportunity to put together an “All-22 Playbook.”  (You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.) We realize that we throw a lot of terms around in our pieces during the regular season, so we thought that it would be useful to have a glossary of sorts.

With that in mind, we’re going to present this in several segments. The first is right here, and it encompasses power rushing concepts. Eventually, we’ll cover both sides of the football, including power and zone rushing, defensive fronts and coverage shells, pass protection, and more. In the end, we’d like to combine these into one post that acts as a reference for readers.

We will try to use as much Ravens film as possible for the All-22 screen caps, but it may vary depending on what we’ve written in the past. Anyway, without further ado, here is part 1 of the All-22 Playbook.

Power Rushing

There’s been so much talk about the zone blocking scheme lately that power rushing almost seems passé. However, that’s far from the truth, and the Ravens are still going to rely on many of these concepts even as they transition to a more zone-based scheme under Gary Kubiak. Below are five staple plays from the power rushing scheme that are sure to appear week after week around the NFL.

Counter

The counter is a staple run across all levels of football. The running back fakes one way after the snap then takes the ball the opposite way following a pulling guard. The idea is that defenders often key on a player’s first step, so the false move away from the play causes hesitation or misdirection in the defense. Below, RG Marshall Yanda is pulling and Ray Rice will follow him.

Lead

Lead, or lead draw, is one of the most easily recognizable running plays. There are many variations… HB Lead, FB Lead, Lead Strong, Lead Weak (or Open), etc. The particular example below is FB Lead Strong. FB Vonta Leach is going to be the lead blocker (hence the name) through the 2-hole. Leach, along with C Gradkowski and LT Monroe, will take on the linebackers, while all other linemen will block out. RB Pierce will look for a quick opening and take the ball right up the middle.

Power O

Power O is possibly the most ubiquitous running play in football history. It’s popular at every level of football – mostly because it works. Each lineman down blocks while the backside guard (below, RG Marshall Yanda) pulls to the play side and attacks the strong-side linebacker (the left-most blue and orange arrow). It’s a demanding assignment for the guard, who needs to be quick-footed and athletic to get around to the playside and then attack the linebacker in space.

When it works, it gives the back a ton of space to run and allows him to very quickly get into the defensive secondary.

Trap

Typically an inside run, trap plays ask one guard (below, LG AQ Shipley) to leave his man intentionally unblocked and move immediately to the second level. The other guard (below, RG Marshall Yanda) “trap” blocks, or comes around behind the center and takes on the defender vacated by the first guard. The rest of the line tries to block out – away from the middle – to give the running back as much space as possible. This is a quick-hitting running play.

Wham

Wham is similar to Trap in that a lineman is going to intentionally leave a man unblocked. However, instead of a pulling guard “trap” blocking the leftover defender, an outside defender (below, FB Vonta Leach) is going to come inside and “wham block” or cut off the defender.

Below, C Birk and RG Yanda are going to move immediately to the second level to take on the linebackers. That leaves Steelers NT Hampton unblocked, and he’s going to try to move upfield to stuff the run. However, Leach – who is lined up as a blocking back – is going to crush Hampton. Rice patiently waits for the Wham block then has a huge alley to run through.

The post All-22 Playbook, Part One appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The question is…just how much can he do? Could he potentially replace Ray Rice as the starting running back in the team’s new offense? Can he turn the glimpses we saw during the Super Bowl run into a full, successful season? Let’s take a look…

You can discuss this article on the message board. Also, thanks to Dan for the images.

Rushing 

First things first. Dan and I both agreed that at this point, we’d rather see Pierce as RB1 over Rice. He is younger with upsides whereas Rice is on the decline. Additionally, many of Pierce’s weaknesses can be overcome with coaching and practice.

That being said, he’s not a great running back. He’s above average and deserves a chance to start in this league. But his ceiling appears modest. He may have averaged five yards per carry in 2012, but as far as what he’s capable of producing over a full season, I think that it’s a pretty unrealistic expectation.

Unfortunately, that’s because Pierce lacks both burst and top-end speed. It’s pretty disappointing. He just doesn’t have elite quickness when he hits the hole and in the open field he’s somewhat easily caught.

Luckily, Pierce is pretty big (listed at 6′ tall and 220lbs), and he’s a fairly powerful runner. He almost always falls forward, and he can break tackles. On power plays, he needs to learn to hit the hole harder and use his size to his advantage. Right now he’s too hesitant, especially when he sees the hole closing or a tackler flying in.

But the biggest knock on Pierce at this point is his vision. He needs a lot of work following his blocks in the ZBS and almost all second-level blocks in any scheme. I’m hopeful that this is something coaching and repetition will correct. Let’s take a look at this particular weakness:

Zone Lead Weak
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Nobody said the ZBS is easy, so I suppose Pierce gets some slack for being young. But to be an effective back – especially now that Kubiak is the OC – Pierce will need to learn to read these fluid blocks as they develop. It’s easy to pin the woes of the running game on the linemen, but the running backs are not without blame.

In fact, the next play shows even more clearly that Pierce has a lot to learn about the zone running game. It also highlights the fact that Pierce is nowhere near an elite cut-back running back. He’ll need to learn to read his blocking better, as he’s not fast or agile enough to get to the backside of the defense and turn the corner.

Outside Zone
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Now, the above is a particularly bad play. But I don’t want to make this entire review seem too negative. Pierce definitely has some glaring holes in his game, but obviously he has talent too, as we’ve all seen on game day. The next play highlights a few of his strengths, particularly his lateral agility.

Inside Zone Weak
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Right now, Pierce is at his best when he can follow the run’s original path (not having to cut back or improvise). He moves pretty well between bodies and has a shifty sort of lateral agility that, combined with his power, make him a potentially dangerous running back.

Receiving and Blocking

But we all know that, to replace Ray Rice, Pierce would have to be the complete package. Can be catch the ball out of the backfield and provide pass protection to keep Joe on his feet?

Pierce caught just 20 passes in 2013, but that doesn’t mean he’s necessarily bad at it. He catches the ball with his body more than I’d like to see, but that was also early in the season. As the games progressed, I saw him catch more with his hands, which leads me to believe the coaches were trying to correct that particular problem. And Pierce actually posted a lower drop rate than Rice, dropping just one out of 21 catchable passes.

Finally, Pierce is an average to above average pass blocker. His blitz recognition is actually pretty impressive, as I saw him correctly diagnose several challenging stunts and twists. His actual blocking ability, though, is occasionally suspect. He whiffed on a few chip blocks that ultimately got Flacco crushed.

In Summation

Bernard Pierce is an intriguing talent, and most teams would be pumped to have such a good RB2 on their roster. He is a powerful runner with subtle yet shifty lateral agility who can catch the ball out of the backfield. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have elite burst or speed, which probably means he has a modest ceiling. However, with practice and good coaching, I think that Pierce can be an effective RB1, a complete package who can stay on the field to run, catch, or block – as long as he improves his vision and patience, particularly in the zone running game.

The post Can Bernard Pierce Carry the Load? appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Mike also wrote a great piece on the Erhardt-Perkins system, so look for an all-22 supplement to that in the near future, as well.

You can discuss Don Coryell, Norv Turner, and the Air Coryell system on the message board.

The Route Tree

Air Coryell is based on a numbered route tree. You’ve definitely encountered this numbering system in the past, if only when you’ve heard someone refer to a “9 route” in passing.  And if you played high school football, you’ve almost certainly seen this numbering system. It varies slightly from team to team, but in general, odd numbered routes break outside and even numbered routes break inside.

Every play in the original Coryell system was named according to the routes the receivers ran. As Mike alluded to in his piece, this is part of the reason play names became so long. But it also has its benefits. The system has stuck around because it’s highly “visual,” meaning a basic play call like 989 is easy to visualize… a go route from each outside receiver and a post from the slot receiver or tight end.

Here are a few of the concepts that have been successful for all Air Coryell teams over the years.

Y 20

The Y 20 is more recognizable today as a West Coast offense play called a drag or drive route. But it originated with the Air Coryell system. Don Coryell explained the Y 20 this way: “release inside and sprint across field aiming for 7 YD depth on the other side of the formation.”

Seems pretty simple, but it became the backbone of a number of plays that are still used today.

Here you see Ed Dickson running what is essentially the Y 20. In this image, it’s drawn slightly more square than a true drag route, but the idea is the same. It’s a quick-hitting underneath route run across the formation by a tight end or slot receiver.

Teams built on the Y 20 and created concepts like the one above, hi lo crossers. It creates natural rubs and picks in the middle of the field, disrupting man coverage and hopefully creating an easy completion for 5-10 yards.

Bang 8

This is the play that made Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin famous in Dallas. Teams are still using it today, because it’s highly effective against soft zone coverages.

Below, you see a play from the Ravens’ preseason game against Carolina (c/o Dan Bryden). Marlon Brown is running the 8 route from the slot while the X receiver at the top of the image is running a 9 route. 

In this particular play, the defense is in Cover 2-man, but the concept is still effective. Both routes are attacking the same deep-half safety, which forces him to choose a receiver. The assignment is extremely tough if both receivers have a step on their man, or if the defense is in a traditional Cover 2.

525 Post Swing

525 Post Swing is one of the most recognizable Air Coryell plays out there. Both outside receivers run 15-yard comeback routes while the tight ends run the Y 20. Traditionally, the post route is run by a back (in which case it would be called 525 F Post or F Post Swing). In the image below, the post is being run by the slot receiver. Finally, the back runs a swing route (drawn like a flat route in this image).

The comeback routes carry the corners deep while the Y 20 carries the linebackers in the shallow middle of the field. The post is essentially an option route where the F receiver (or, in this image, the slot receiver) finds a hole in the coverage.

525 F Post Swing was so successful that it became the most-called play in Air Coryell history.

The post An All-22 Look at Air Coryell appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Most notably, LeGarrette Blount had 16 carries for 76 yards, a 4.8 YPC average. Blount has become a staple in the Patriots offense over the last month and is paying huge dividends. Though his career appeared to flatline last season, he’s showing new signs of life under Bill Belichick. The bruising back (Blount is listed at 6′ tall and 240lbs) showed good vision and agility against the Ravens, and once he was in the secondary, Ravens defenders had a hard time bringing him down.

New England used their outside zone against the Ravens Cover-2 a few times, and Blount really made the Ravens defense pay with his cutback ability. I took a look at two plays where good blocking by the O-line and good vision from Blount resulted in big gains.

You can add to the discussion on our Message Board.

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Once the offense has the defenders flowing toward the play side, cutbacks become very difficult to defend. The Ravens were clearly overpursuing the Patriots’ stretch zone plays, and Blount made them pay every time. Though the Ravens defense did an admirable job of keeping the game within reach (for three quarters, at least), the success of the Patriots’ ground game was disconcerting.

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The post The Patriots Find Success With Outside Zone appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Meanwhile, the absence of Rob Gronkowski has left the Pats searching for a new offensive philosophy as pretty much everything changes without their all-world tight end in the lineup. So how will the Patriots try to attack a few of the Ravens more common defensive looks? I went to the film to find out.

You can discuss this article on the Message Board.

Cover 1

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Cover 2

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Cover 3

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Cover 4

The Ravens don’t play as much Cover-4 as they did last year, mostly because their personnel lends itself to different schemes like Cover 2 and 3. But you can be sure the Pats will be ready to attack the Ravens quarters if they need to.

This is a curl/flat combo with Danny Amendola in the near slot running the curl route. The receiver at the bottom of the screen is running a fade route while Edelman, in the slot at the top of the screen, is running a shallow cross.

With both cornerbacks and safeties bailing into deep zones, the three linebackers are left to cover the underneath zones. Josh Boyce’s flat rout is going to clear one linebacker, and Amendola is a mismatch against ILB Dannell Ellerbe, who has no chance of covering the well-executed curl route. Brady has a clear lane to throw, and the result is an easy first down.

0-Man

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The post Assessing the Patriots’ Passing Attack appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

You can discuss this article on the message board.

Interception #1

The Ravens are in a tight trips formation with Flacco in the pistol in front of HB Bernard Pierce. Torrey Smith is split wide left. The play call is hi-lo crossers with a hitch/flat combo on the right and Pierce running a wheel route up the left side. Pierce’s route is in red here because he was eventually the target of the pass, but he was most definitely not the primary read.

Trouble started early on this play. The “hi” route in the hi-lo crossers gets chipped by a linebacker and goes flying on the slick turf. You can see Torrey Smith adjusting his route in this image. He ends up running around his fallen teammate, giving the coverage plenty of time to account for him.

Then, the flat receiver also goes tumbling to the ground.

Joe ends up making an awful decision to throw it up to Bernard Pierce along the left sideline. It’s a terrible, indecisive throw – Joe basically flicks his wrist and lets the ball hang in the air. He puts nothing behind it and the ball never makes it to Pierce – who should not be on the receiving end of desperation jump balls to begin with.

And if that’s not enough, just look at the visibility in the image below. Can you even tell which team is which?

This was one the worst throws Joe made in the entire game, if not in the last month.

Interception #2

Joe’s second interception of the game came near the end of the third quarter, with the Ravens clinging to a fragile 7-6 lead.

The Ravens come out with an empty backfield. You may recall the “Sail” concept I . This “Tare” concept is a similar look. The receiver at the bottom of the image is going to run a clear route while the other four receivers flood the right side of the field (with two quick outs and two posts). Dickson will be the eventual target of Flacco’s pass.

Unfortunately, the blocking breaks down quickly. Michael Oher gives up inside leverage to DE Brian Robison, which allows DT Shariff Floyd to loop around into the open field.

Oher can’t recover quickly enough, and Floyd is suddenly in Flacco’s face. Flacco throws an awful, off-balance pass to Dickson. As you can see in the image, Flacco side-arms the ball with all of his weight falling away from the throw. This pass was begging to be intercepted, and, not surprisingly, Dickson’s man undercut the route and intercepted this one.

Interception #3

Joe’s final interception came midway through the fourth quarter with Baltimore trailing 12-7. The Ravens are in their 11 personnel but TE Dennis Pitta is lined up as an extra sidecar beside Flacco in the shotgun.

The play is a half-field read (to the right), and the receivers are attacking at all three levels. Pitta releases into the flat, Marlon Brown runs a deep out, and Jacoby Jones runs a fade route. Flacco will look to the right-side safety and CB to see where to throw.

After the snap, DT Kyle Williams gets pressure on Flacco almost immediately. However, this is a rhythm pass, where Flacco throws as soon as his back foot hits at the end of his drop. The quick release negates the good interior pressure from Williams.

Unfortunately, the ball is underthrown to Jacoby Jones. The conditions may be partially to blame in this instance, but underthrown balls on 9 routes have been a problem all year. The receivers have been forced to peel back and try to make plays on throws that are way behind them. In this instance, Jacoby does a good job of moving his body, and he has good position against CB Marcus Sherels.

But the ball bounces out of Jacoby’s hand and into Sherels’s, who bobbles it a few times before securing the interception. This one is still on Flacco for an underthrown ball, but Jacoby had a chance to haul it in and didn’t.

Touchdown #1

Joe’s first touchdown throw came on the heels of a Matt Elam fumble recovery and then a long run by the quarterback himself. The situation is 3rd and goal on the 1-yard line.

The Ravens line up in a jumbo set with, for all intents and purposes, four tackles on the field, plus tight end Ed Dickson and FB Vonta Leach. The Minnesota defense is clearly thinking run, as all 11 defenders are either on or crowding the line.

The Ravens are going to give ’em what they want, running play action to Bernard Pierce. The call is PA Iso Strong Lead. Leach is going to fake like he’s leading through the right A gap then break off into the flat. Pierce is going to fake like he’s following then hold up and block for Flacco. Finally, Dickson is going to run a corner route.

The defense is buying everything the Ravens are selling here. Almost every defender has his eyes on Pierce, while Dickson slips unnoticed into the endzone. The line is also providing solid blocking. Look at Gradkowski’s crucial block just to the left of where Flacco and Pierce are faking the hand-off. If this block gets blown up, the result is a sack.

Finally, Dickson is wide open, and the result is an easy pitch-and-catch for the game’s first score. Nothing spectacular here from Flacco. Caldwell deserves most of the credit, dialing up the perfect play to fool the defense and get the Ravens seven points.

Touchdown #2

On fourth and 1 from the one-yard line, with just 2:07 left to play, the Ravens scored the go-ahead touchdown.

The Ravens are lined up in their empty-backfield set. Just as they did on Flacco’s second int, the Ravens are going to use the “Tare” concept to get this touchdown. The quick-hitting route is tough to defend, especially with Pitta and Brown, two big bodies, running the quick outs.

Flacco looks to Pitta the whole way. A little juke move is all Pitta needs to get a step on the defender, and from there it’s all but over.

Flacco sticks the throw to take a 13-12 lead. However, it isn’t the final go-ahead touchdown that Joe would throw in this game.

Touchdown #3 

Obviously, we all remember Joe’s final touchdown: a beautiful pass to Marlon Brown in the back of the endzone with just 10 seconds left on the clock, Ravens down by four. How were the Ravens able to punch it in and secure an unlikely victory against Minnesota? Let’s take a look.

Minnesota is in Tampa-2, and as you can see, their MLB, rookie Audie Cole, is tasked with dropping into a deep zone in the middle of the endzone.

TE Dennis Pitta chips one of the rushers before releasing into the flat. Jacoby Jones runs a post route, Torrey runs a corner route and Marlon Brown is going to run a seam route right past the safety and into Cole’s zone.

Safety Andrew Sendejo tries to undercut the seam route while Audie Cole positions himself in front of Brown. There’s not much room left, but Joe throws Marlon open just behind and to the right of Cole.

Only a perfect pass results in a completion here, and even then it’s a tough catch. In the image below, you can see that Marlon did have some separation, but the ball just barely makes it above Cole’s outstretched hand. Marlon shows very good body control and gets both feet in for the game-winning touchdown.

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