The Swerve - You Guys Should Probably Look Into This

WhiteShoeWillis · Oct 17, 2010

The Jets are literally getting their Swerve on. In Sunday’s Daily News, we examined the Swerve -- the latest wrinkle in the Jets’ top-ranked rushing attack (165.2 ypg). Fully story below.

It’s a misdirection run that has paid immediate dividends. Click here for the schematic breakdown of a pair of touchdown runs by LaDainian Tomlinson and Shonn Greene that were Swerve calls.

A few quotes that were left on the cutting room floor:

Mike Pettine on trying to defend the Swerve: “It’s a bitch.”

Tomlinson: “The defense thinks it’s one play and then you wind back and it’s hard for them to adjust. A regular inside zone, everybody runs that. They know how to fit to it. But when you make it look like an inside zone, they fit to inside zone and then you wind it back. It puts a lot of stress on the linebacker.”

Greene: “It gives the defense something different. It gets them flowing one way and you can cut back the other way, which is a lot easier than just running straight on against a defense.

FB John Conner (who ran a lot of misdirection plays at Kentucky) says the fullback can only take one quick step before reversing course. “One step because you got to get around there fast, because the running back is right on your butt.”

FB Tony Richardson: “Really, the linebacker can’t be right. If he sees the zone playing coming and he reacts and then we come back, he’s screwed. If he hangs back and we run the zone play, he’s screwed.”

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan: “It’s a bit of a Catch-22.”

LG Matt Slauson: “So once you go up against an aggressive defense with a lot of speed, just let them overrun it… and then everybody just turns them and it cuts back. Once they start playing the cut back, then go back to zone.”

RT Damien Woody: “You basically use their momentum against them.”

Here's the story:

BY MANISH MEHTA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
They'll embarrass you in broad daylight until you realize the cold, harsh truth: You've been Swerved.

The latest wrinkle of the Jets rushing attack has fooled the overaggressive, baited the undisciplined and created craters in defenses. Dubbed the "Swerve" for its winding design, the misdirection run is the ideal complement to the Jets' zone run-based playbook.

The science of the scheme is simple in theory and complicated in execution. Part finesse, part power, the play calls for blockers to use precise angles against aggressive, fast-flowing defenses to maximize leverage. The offensive linemen funnel blocks in one direction as the fullback and tailback use counter actions, faking one way before bending back against off-balance and out-of-position defenders.

It's a natural progression for the Jets' evolving ground attack. Offensive line coach Bill Callahan incorporated more outside-zone runs, or stretch plays, last season. The Swerve counter run has simply expanded his repertoire.

"You have a lot of things going on at one time," Callahan said. "You're trying to build up an inventory of movements and schemes that complement your core plays. And that's all we've done."

The Jets' top-ranked rushing offense (165.2 yards per game) gashed the Bills with the Swerve two weeks ago (they ran it about 10 times) before using it judiciously in Monday night's win over the Vikings. In both games, the Jets scored touchdowns on Swerve runs of more than 20 yards.

"It just comes at you looking weird," fullback Tony Richardson said of the unconventional design. "One of my friends told me, 'Oh, I like when you run that trick 'em play.' … Trick 'em play?! That's a legitimate play. That's real football."
* * *

Mike Pettine was scratching his bald head, wondering how to stop the Saints' funky running play. New Orleans carved up the Jets for 153 rushing yards in Week 4 last season. Pettine simply had no answer for the Swerve. Jets coaches, of course, called the NFC West the "Swerve Division" due to the Saints', Falcons' and Panthers' penchant for running the misdirection play.

"I remember thinking, 'Let's do it to them before they do it to us again,' " Pettine said. "We got gashed by it a bunch of times last year."

So, Pettine created a Swerve highlight reel from around the league and submitted it to Callahan and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer with a simple message: "You guys should probably look into this."

Callahan tinkered with the Swerve last season, but did the bulk of his research this summer. LaDainian Tomlinson's instinctive running style was better suited for the Swerve than Thomas Jones' straight-line preference.

There are myriad reasons why the Swerve has worked so effectively this season.

"It messes with your principles and your eyes," linebacker Bart Scott said.

First, the design fools linebackers trained to read the guards. On typical run plays, linebackers will follow their triangle key --- guard-to-guard-to-fullback. For example, if the left guard pulls, linebackers are tipped off that the run will be to the right. However, the Swerve doesn't call for any pulling action by linemen.

"It's misdirection runs that hit big in the NFL," Pettine said. "If the first three steps of the play, there's no pull and everything is looking downhill at linebackers … it's a bitch."

Offensive linemen use a defenders' aggressive pursuit and momentum against them. Linemen flow defenders to one direction -- allowing the opposition to "beat" them across the formation -- before reversing their blocks and sealing them off.

"There's a little acting involved," right guard Brandon Moore said with a smile. "But we don't want to divulge all our secrets."

The Jets' zone-based run schemes make it even more difficult for defenses, because the Swerve's initial post-snap action mimics a typical zone run.

"Really, the linebacker can't be right," Richardson said. "If he sees the zone play coming and he reacts and then we come back with the Swerve, he's screwed. If he hangs back waiting for the Swerve and we run the zone play, he's screwed."
* * *

The Swerve's beauty lies in its flexibility. While the basic principles remain the same, the offensive line flows in the opposite direction as the fullback and tailback ball carriers have plenty of freedom. Tomlinson's 26-yard touchdown late in the third quarter against the Bills and Greene's 23-yard score late in the game against the Vikings illustrate the point.

"The hole can open up from inside to out," Tomlinson said. "It's not going to be just one spot. My run in Buffalo was inside, while Shonn's was outside. But it was the same play."

Tomlinson's eyes were locked on the defensive end and weakside linebacker pre-snap. The offensive line flowed left as Richardson and Tomlinson took a quick step left before cutting right. Richardson blocked wide, right guard Damien Woody sealed the defensive end and left guard Matt Slauson walled off the middle linebacker as Tomlinson shot through the inside hole. He improvised in the open field with a lateral jump cut to the left that caused the safety to whiff en route to the end zone.

On Greene's touchdown, the offensive line also flowed left as he cut back to the right side behind fullback John Conner. Since no inside hole materialized, Greene ran sideline to sideline and waited patiently as Conner walled off the outside linebacker. Greene slipped between Conner and Woody, who sealed off the defensive end, and raced to the end zone.

For a zone-blocking team that averages 33 rushes a game, the Swerve is the ideal changeup. The Jets disguise the play with ever-changing formations. After the snap, they create the illusion of a standard outside zone run to lull defenders into a false sense of reality.

It's a bait-and-switch of the cruelest kind.

"You have to continue to run your regular stuff: zone, zone, zone," Richardson said. "Then hit them with a Swerve … and then you got them."
Click to expand...

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2010/10/swerve-your-enthusiasm-inside.html

CatoTheElder · Oct 17, 2010

Great read. Thanks for the post, WSW.

AJayJay · Oct 17, 2010

Great article, love our coaching staff. They all seem to gel together and really get it. The NFL really is a copy cat league.

Miamipuck · Oct 17, 2010

That was a great read.....I am going to credit 624 for this since he just craves credit for everything.......

bloke911 · Oct 17, 2010

I hope we swerve the shit out of Denver today!

BadgerOnLSD · Oct 17, 2010

Great article except for one thing.

Jets coaches, of course, called the NFC West the "Swerve Division" due to the Saints', Falcons' and Panthers' penchant for running the misdirection play.
Click to expand...

C'mon, Manish.

NDmick · Oct 17, 2010

Cimini said they stole it on the TBJ Twitter feed.

Cimini is transparent.

Miamipuck · Oct 17, 2010

NDmick said: ↑

Cimini said they stole it on the TBJ Twitter feed.

Cimini is transparent.
Click to expand...

Yeah he has a constant agenda.

Pluvrr · Oct 17, 2010

That was a kick ass article by Manish.

jetsmets93 · Oct 17, 2010

cimini did actually write it first but his article sucks compared to manish's

Red Menace · Oct 17, 2010

I love our offensive line coach, he was a great pick up by the Jets organization.

vinnumber13 · Oct 17, 2010

FreeMcneil said: ↑

I love our offensive line coach, he was a great pick up by the Jets organization.
Click to expand...

probably will be our offensive coordinator soon

Red Menace · Oct 17, 2010

vinnumber13 said: ↑

probably will be our offensive coordinator soon
Click to expand...

What makes you think that?

MarionBarber31 · Oct 17, 2010

Great article, great play, great coaching staff, great team!

Let's KICK SOME FUCKING ASS TODAY!!!

firemanedjr · Oct 17, 2010

vinnumber13 said: ↑

probably will be our offensive coordinator soon
Click to expand...

We can only pray. Here's to hoping the Bills hire Schotty as their head coach! :rofl:

gustoonarmy · Oct 17, 2010

Very effective play , :jets:

pats-hater · Oct 17, 2010

firemanedjr said: ↑

We can only pray. Here's to hoping the Bills hire Schotty as their head coach! :rofl:
Click to expand...

Yeah let's hope. WTF? He's doing a fine job now, couple hiccups here and there but come on..

pats-hater · Oct 17, 2010

Oh no, we gave away our secrets in the article. We're doomed now.

gustoonarmy · Oct 17, 2010

Ahhh so!! DW nails it ...

RT Damien Woody: “You basically use their momentum against them.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/jets/2010/10/swerve-your-enthusiasm-inside.html#ixzz12ci9dAHc
Click to expand...

So basically they are using Akido.

Trifco · Oct 17, 2010

I think Schotty will continue improving as the weeks pass.
I mean, he'd be a better OC next season than this one. Sometimes he makes awful calls but he's learning, I don't mind having him around as OC as long as possible...
...in other words: we already suffered his years of training, why don't enjoy his years of "finally getting it".

Hopefully Callahan is ready when he'll be asked to step up as OC once Schotty leaves.

The Swerve - You Guys Should Probably Look Into This

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