Week 6 | Coaches Film Observations

Had some time on my hands today and went over the Redskins game again. Since some of you liked the last one I thought why not do it again. What I noticed on offense was that Chan played it safe with the playcalling. Mostly just slants and comebacks, I don't think Fitz even attempted one deep pass which makes it easy for safeties to cheat and not have to worry about getting beat deep. Would love to see a trick play on offense this week if the Patriots don't respect our passing game. A flea flicker could pay off bigtime. Handing it off in a 2 TE formation to Ivory who pitches it back to Fitz and then go deep to Marshall. Something like that. And play actions. We need a lot more play actions, they are working pretty well for us. They'll open up the running game even more, they'll open up the passing game, the deep balls. More playactions, please!

Offense:

• QB Ryan Fitzpatrick had a much better performance this time around. Made better decisions and better throws. The interception to Marshall was a head scratcher, not only was Marshall nowhere close to being open, the throw itself was just off despite being able to stand in the pocket and get the ball out clean.
  
• RB Chris Ivory showed signs of becoming a complete back. His pass protection was on point, making a key block and pointing out the blitzing linebacker on Fitz' TD run. He also caught the ball well and had a nice screen pass for a big gain. In terms of rushing he was his old self. His lateral movement is off the charts, it seems like when the average guy loses speed after making a cut, Ivory sort of uses the momentum to reach top speed somehow which makes him such a weapon when he bounces outside. It was good to see him on the sideline smiling after 20 carries when Todd took him out to keep him healthy and fresh, even though we all would love for him to put up crazy rushing numbers. Winning is more important.
  
• FB Tommy Bohanon was again subpar in virtually every area. He's not a fullback. He shies away from contact, he doesn't have the vision. Those are the 2 main criterias you want in a fullback. He has to love contact and he has to be able to see the holes opening up. Bohanon doesn't do that. He's awful at it. And when he does zoom in on a linebacker often he's the one getting pancaked and knocked back. Perry Riley blew him up a couple of times. This really isn't acceptable and you have to wonder how much better Ivory would be with a capable guy blocking for him. Bohanon is a good special teamer, but that's about it.
  
• TE Kellen Davis' blocking continues to get better each week. Looked very consistent and solid overall in the running game and in pass protection. I think at this point he has established himself as the clear cut starter. Cumberland was on the field as well but pretty much invisible as always, neither ran more than a couple routes all game. Davis however is far superior as a blocker, Cumberland doesn't really want any part of it.
  
• RG Willie Colon looked a bit rusty. Missed some blocks, looked overmatched against a disruptive Chris Baker. He did have a nice block on the TD run by Ivory where he buried the lineman. Didn't make too many big mistakes, wasn't too flashy either. Pretty much what you'd expect from him at this point. Did some pulling which never really worked out since he's getting up in age and he's not exactly in great shape either. Carps and Winters are much better at it.
  
• RG Brian Winters took over for Colon in the 4th quarter, there wasn't much of a dropoff, if at all. Runblocking was decent, not as consistent. Had some clumsy plays late in the game where he fell down while trying to block, or was thrown to the ground. But he's still by far better than he was before he tore his ACL.
• WR Brandon Marshall showed great effort as a blocker once again. Something he needs to change though is leaving the ball out there after making a catch. Both he and Decker. The Redskins defenders were commenting on this habit after the game which led to a couple of fumbles and a couple of incompletions. Marshall also tried to do lateral yet again. Not sure when and where he picked this up, maybe in highschool or college, but he needs to cut it out. He's trying to do too much. Thankfully he pulled the ball back in when he saw the only 2 guys near him were Redskins defenders. He did have an amazing TD catch.
  
• General Observations: Passing game is getting a bit too predictable. Receivers are running short/intermediate routes 95% of the time, we have to take some shots downfield. With Enunwa out it would be huge to have Devin and Owusu out there to stretch the field against the Pats.
• Top Targets: WR Marshall 9, WR Decker 7, RB Ivory 3, WR Enunwa 3

 

Defense:

• DT Sheldon Richardson was mostly matched up with RG Scherff and often times double teamed (C/RG) allowing a lot of 1 on 1's for Snacks, Mo & Leonard. He started out strong with a handful of plays where he showed his explosiveness and ability to penetrate, especially when he beat Scherff for a sack. A couple of other times he was so fast in the backfield that the RB had to cut back and still get tackled for a loss (by Harris once). That said, in the 2nd half and especially in the 4th quarter he sort of disappeared. After the game he said his endurance has to improve, that he got tired which makes sense obviously. Overall it was a "solid" performance. Solid meaning he was almost as good as Wilkerson who is playing at an All Pro level. Sheldon is going to need a few more games until he really starts rolling but it was great to see him back again.
  
• DE Leger Douzable was a no show and failed to make any plays despite getting plenty of snaps. Lined up as an edge rusher exclusively and got handled by a nobody who at age 29 was starting his first game at LT, in his rookie year. He's a misfit outside in a 4 man front, seems too short and not explosive/athletic enough to make plays from that position. Would have liked to see Mauldin in his place instead, he's a more natural edge rusher and he did have a couple of nice rushes from the left side against a better tackle (RT Moses) even though he only played 5-10 snaps.
  
• NT Damon Harrison is getting too many snaps. I commented on this last week and it was the same picture again. He's a really good run stuffer but he doesn't add anything as a pass rusher, he shouldn't be on the field in nickel formations. Those snaps should go to Coples.
  
• OLB Quinton Coples was nowhere to be found. His first snap came on special teams after the defense got off the field, that pretty much tells you what his role is right now.
  
• ILB Demario Davis had a strong game against the run. Read blocks well, made some really nice plays and his tackling was spot on. In coverage however he struggled again. Blew some assignments that left his receivers wide open a couple of times. He doesn't seem to be that typical ILB anymore. He's being used outside to set the edge mostly, like Pace does on the other side. He basically took Coples' job.
• FS Marcus Gilchrist is the unsung hero of this defense. The guys up front get most of the credit, Revis gets a lot of credit, nobody really talks about Gilchrist. He's the brains in the backfield getting everybody lined up, making sure everybody is on the same page. He's the guy that allows Pryor to line up in the box, he's the centerfielder that allows the cornerbacks to play with more confidence knowing that they have a guy back there who will shut the deep balls down and he's done that against the Redskins. He's not on Earl Thomas' level yet but he's already one of the best centerfielders in the league.
• SS Calvin Pryor meanwhile is becoming a force in the running game. Again had a couple of tackles for a loss / no gain. Somehow finds a way to get to the ball carrier without letting linemen get their hands on him. Plays with a lot of confidence right now and it shows, he's trusting his instincts and just makes play after play.
• CB Darrelle Revis is playing a lot more zone coverage this year. Rex always used him to shadow #1 receivers, to play man coverage exclusively almost. He shut receivers down that way but he rarely got a chance to make plays in coverage. I wouldn't be shocked if he finished the year with close to 10 interceptions because now he's being allowed to drop back and read the QB while playing zone. But that also means he's gonna give up a few catches, short and medium here and there. People will probably say he's not that good anymore but all that is part of the gameplan. His interception off Cousins was a perfect example of how smart he is and how effective he's gonna be in zone coverage. He did get beat for an easy TD by Garcon by overcommitting to the outside slant, one of those rare moments.
• CB Dexter McDougle took over for Skrine as the nickel corner and got plenty of snaps. Had his ups and downs which is to be expected from such a young, raw DB. Had a nice tackle for no gain and a huge pass breakup on 4th down at the goal line. Against the Pats however I'm hoping Skrine will be back, or at the very least Marcus Williams. Dex got confused once where he let the slot receiver just cross the middle, and he dropped back to double cover the outside receiver with Revis, which didn't seem right. The slot guy caught the ball wide open, converting for an easy 1st down.
• Forced Incompletions: DT Richardson 3, DE Wilkerson 2, DT Williams 1.
• General Observations: Lots of zone coverage, primarily cover 1 and cover 3. In the nickel Skrine is always playing man coverage. Cro plays zone coverage mostly, Revis is usually in man coverage. Primary formation on 1st down was a 6 man front with Pace and Davis setting the edge outside, Wilkerson and Leonard Williams at DE, Snacks at NT and Sheldon at DT. Behind those guys Harris and Pryor were essentially playing ILB. Cromartie, Revis and Gilchrist in cover 3.
• QB Hits: DE Williams 3, DE Wilkerson 2, DT Richardson 1, DE Douzable 1.
• Tackle For Loss: ILB Harris 1, NT Harrison 1.

Special Teams:

• Best Gunner: ILB Jamari Lattimore (3 tackles).
  
• NT Damon Harrison & FB Tommy Bohanon almost blocked a punt each.
• Only 10 men on the field when our Punt was blocked (TD). These things simply can't happen.

Bowles unveiled a new formation / look on defense. Cousins had trouble all day trying to figure out what Todd was throwing at him, leading to a couple of delay of game penalties. This formation would throw any QB off. Both ILB (Harris & Davis) are playing DT, both DT's are lining up at ILB. Usual box safety Pryor plays centerfield, Gilchrist meanwhile takes over for Pryor in the box. Memo to any QB: Have fun identifying the "Mike" linebacker here.


Basically our 1st down defense. 6 man front with Davis and Pace outside setting the edge. Mo and Leonard playing DT, Snacks and Sheldon inside, Pryor and Harris at ILB. That's a wall you simply can't run against. I'd imagine the Patriots are going to audible quite a lot. They'll probably line up with 3-4 TE's again and then depending on the look split them wide and either throw the ball to them or have them block and run the ball.


Typical cover 1/3 formation.

 

The NFL is missing out. We need a channel or program that does this stuff daily on a professional level, there's such a high demand. Same goes for the stats. The NFL has to come up with something to allow fans to understand the game more instead of these outdated tackle/sack stats. PFF is making a lot of money with it and they're just a handful of guys from the UK that never played any football, most their stats are completely made up. NFL has to come up with something and give the fans free access to that data. They have all this technology, they can track each player, every inch they move, how fast they move, it's mind boggling why they're keeping all this info from us.

EDIT: Next Gen stats is something that fans would appreciate but they don't put much effort into this. There's a nice article right now on the Jets. http://www.nfl.com/stats/next-gen-stats

"Ivory followed up a career-high 166-yard rushing performance versus the Dolphins in Week 5 with a career-high 196 yards from scrimmage in Week 6. Long viewed as a poor man's Marshawn Lynch, Ivory is known for running through defenders as opposed to running around them. That wasn't the case against the Redskins, as Ivory posted two of the five fastest speeds (21.91 and 20.64 mph) as a ball carrier among running backs on gains of 32 and 54 yards. He also covered more ground than any other tailback, traveling 542 yards on the afternoon."

 

He can't be any worse than Bohanon. I noticed Coples was wearing that Watt elbow brace, maybe it'll elevate his game.

 

It was more of a 46 look, just a variation if you look at where Pryor and Gilchrist lined up. In the 4-3 that wouldn't really happen.

 

Cousins actually completed the ball for 5 yards I think but it was a perfect throw really. Skrine had good coverage too. The tricky thing is that you never really know who's rushing and who isn't. On that play all the guys went after Cousins. Other times Harris and Davis were dropping back while Sheldon and Mo were blitzing. Had we done that on the same play I think that would have been an interception because the middle where the slot receiver caught the ball was wide open since nobody dropped back.