BRONCOS OFFENSE V. CHARGERS DEFENSE

• Rookie Ellison started at S for the Chargers
• ILB Burnett not very physical, A runner and pass defender more than a run defender
• Broncos do a lot in their pass game with 3×1 sets, which includes bunch formations; It’s difficult to play man-to-man to the 3 receiver side in 3×1 sets, so that helps define the coverage for Orton before the snap – Great coaching by McDaniels to help Orton
• Orton 4 seconds in the pocket on Gaffney 27 yds on second quarter FG drive; Chargers rushed 3 and dropped 8 in zone coverage, No pressure on Orton, Gaffney found the void in the middle of the coverage
• Scheffler gives the Broncos passing game a lot of flexibility, He aligned all over the formation and that dictates and defines coverage before the snap of the ball – Again that helps Orton be a more efficient QB
• In this game, when Scheffler was split wide, the Chargers aligned with SS Ellison over him – That matchup favored the Broncos, Quick hitches and stop routes against the bailed Ellison
• Merriman no longer has any explosiveness to his movement, He’s not sudden or powerful – A shell of his former self
• Chargers defense not fast as a unit, They looked slow versus the Broncos
• Orton good accuracy in the short to intermediate areas, That’s what kind of passer Orton is
• Scheffler 19 yd TD on 1^st + 10 came with Scheffler split wide right outside the numbers matched against S Weddle man-to-man; Chargers ”man free” coverage behind a 5 man rush
• Broncos had great success in the pass game out of 3×1 sets: Short, well defined throws for Orton that moved the chains and sustained offense
• Chargers no consistent pass rush, No individuals that won one-on-one matchups with OL
• CB Cromartie clearly better as a man-to-man corner; At least when he plays man he’s engaged in the process, He actually competes unlike he does when he plays off zone coverage when he gives little effort
• Scheffler 52 yds in fourth quarter came with him split wide right outside the numbers matched against S Weddle, It was a quick hitch with Weddle jumping the throw and missing, Scheffler run-after-catch
• McDaniels does not ask Orton to do very much in the pass game, Very few combination routes at the intermediate and deeper levels – McDaniels doing an outstanding job maximizing Orton’s short passing strengths and camouflaging his downfield limitations

JAGUARS OFFENSE V. RAMS DEFENSE

• Jaguars take their shots downfield in the passing game predominantly out of run personnel and run formations, off play action with “max pro”: Holt 41 yds on first series, Sims-Walker on third series
• Rams were aggressive with their blitz concepts, with mixed results: They were able to get people clean to Garrard, but they also had some coverage breakdowns – They have been increasing their blitz frequency almost on a weekly basis
• Rams clearly had some assignment issues on the back end in coverage, Too many breakdowns that created voids in their zone coverage concepts
• Jaguars too many protection breakdowns, Too many times rushers got in clean on Garrard
• Long continued to play both DE and DT
• Garrard had 2 interceptions dropped in the third quarter, The passes were right in the hands of Bartell and Dahl
• Rams defense looks fast on film, They are clearly more comfortable with Spagnuola’s concepts – Their schemes and play speed compensate for an overall lack of talent
• Rams attacked with more blitz on 1^st + 10 in the second half, They reacted to the Jaguars tendency to throw down the field off play action on first down
• Garrard’s third quarter interception was a tipped ball, Not Garrard’s fault
• Jaguars a run-based offense, both in terms of personnel and formations; The pass game works off the run game
• Beginning late in the third quarter, and through the fourth quarter, the Jaguars went with a lot of “22” personnel packages (2 backs and 2 TEs); They are a running team, and must stay on schedule to generate any offensive consistency
• Little 36 yd interception return TD was an unbelievable read by Little, He read the flare action by Jones and the throw by Garrard -  spectacular individual play
• Jones-Drew had 2 long runs in the second half out of the shotgun: 26 and 18 yds
• Sims-Walker excellent hands and a big body, Effective in the middle of the field between the numbers; Worked both on the outside and in the slot – A very effective receiver in the Jaguars pass game approach: He’s primarily a short and intermediate route runner and that’s the focus of the Jaguars pass game, They are not a vertical team and Walker is not a vertical receiver
• Rookie MLB Laurinaitis a work in progress when it comes to run/pass recognition, Can be attacked in the play action pass game
• Rams defense will get better as the season progresses, They will be a deceptive and disruptive defense that creates some big plays and turnovers