COACHING TAPE – WEEK 14

VIKINGS OFFENSE V. BENGALS DEFENSE

• With Harvin inactive, Lewis was the Vikings 3^rd WR
• MLB Jones stood out: Recognition and instincts in the run game, What he lacks is change of direction as a pass defender
• S Ndukwe very active in the run game as an add-in box defender in the first quarter
• Vikings often utilized Shiancoe in the slot in base personnel packages, Another way to use 3 WR formations
• Bengals a lot of man coverage concepts, especially in long yardage situations
• Favre ability to extend plays a big positive in the red zone, Often breaks down coverage discipline: Rice 9 yd TD
• Maualuga must do a more consistent job of contact, control and release; Tendency to run around blocks rather than take them on
• Bengals defense looked disciplined and fast, Not a lot of mental mistakes
• Bengals defense more aggressive with blitz in the red zone area, They even played some “cover zero”
• Vikings clearly more base personnel packages, with “12” and “21” personnel – Whether that was a result of Harvin being inactive or just a re-commitment to Peterson I can’t answer
• Corners Hall and Joseph played a lot of man coverage in this game, They often had help in “2 man” concepts but both played with awareness and instincts out of inside technique– What I really liked was that both challenged themselves, They were not willing to give up easy throws
• Vikings offense much more methodical and patient in this game, More of a commitment to run the ball, More base personnel packages – It was an efficient, sustaining approach against a very good Bengals defense
• Nelson replaced the injured Crocker at S for the Bengals, That was a pretty significant drop-off
• This was a matchup of 2 good units going head-to-head – Vikings some key conversions in long yardage situations that were critical in the outcome

GIANTS OFFENSE V. EAGLES DEFENSE

• MLB Trotter played in some of the Eagles nickel personnel packages
• DE Cole very good core strength, He’s much more than just a pass rusher
• Eagles very multiple with their underneath coverage concepts with their linebackers and DL
• Both Jordan and Trotter aligned at MLB in the Eagles base defense
• LB White great speed, He almost ran down Nicks on his 68 yd TD catch and run in the second quarter
• Eagles do a good job getting a safety involved as an add-in box defender in the run game
• Beatty replaced an injured McKenzie at RT for the Giants
• Eagles pass rush not a significant factor in this game, both from 4 man and blitz
• Manning very decisive versus the Eagles blitz in this game, as decisive as I can remember against the Eagles
• On the Giants fourth quarter TD drive, the nickel linebackers for the Eagles were Witherspoon and White
• Eagles more a confusion defense with a great understanding of their multi-dimensional system; It’s a deception and deception defense with an emphasis on multiple underneath coverage and matchup zone principles
• Eagles defense very much a risk/reward defense in approach
• Giants had no intermediate or vertical pass game, Their 2 long TD passes were short throws and long runs along with missed tackles
• This game evolved into a track meet kind of game, and the Giants run game became irrelevant as the game progressed
• Giants a very methodical offense, They are not a tempo offense that can play with more speed and efficiency when the game demands it – They play the same way every game
• Trotter played 40 out of 72 total snaps: 22 in the base 4-3 defense, 14 in the nickel package, and 4 in goal line defense – Overall, Trotter played an excellent game

EAGLES OFFENSE V. GIANTS DEFENSE

• Ross started at S for the Giants, He had been playing S in the nickel and dime package the last number of weeks
• Jackson 32 yds from Vick came out of “21” personnel with McCoy split wide right outside the numbers, Jackson slot left – Spread option pass off designed movement
• Celek 8 yd TD was a deception play in the red zone, Great play design
• Weaver looked quicker downhill and more explosive than Jacobs, and the Eagles OL fired off the ball in the run game with more authority than the Giants OL
• McNabb looked very comfortable throwing the ball, He was seeing things clearly and reacting decisively
• Kehl played LB with Boley in the Giants nickel package
• Eagles more deception in the red zone on a second quarter series with a toss to Vick and reverse boot action, Vick was late with his throw and it was incomplete but the design of the play worked
• Celek does everything well as a receiving TE except run; But a TE’s ability to be effective in a pass game is all a function of who will likely cover him, and in Celek’s case it’s usually a LB so his lack of speed is not a big factor
• Vick does not have the same juice as a runner that he used to have
• McNabb interception was a miscommunication with Celek, McNabb thought Celek was going to cut in front of LB Goff but Celek stopped
• McNabb overthrew a wide open Brown on a go route in the third quarter,; McNabb threw the ball to flat, It needed more trajectory
• Jackson 60 yd TD came out of “12” personnel, both TEs left and Jackson slot right; Formation and route combination got Jackson matched on S Ross
• Eagles very multiple with their formations, plus they align different receivers in different locations; They put a heavy burden on a defense before the ball is snapped
• Eagles doing more with the run game, especially out of 3 WR personnel; Weaver a more significant player in the offense – All run defense is based on force, fill and cutback, and the more you spread the defense out, the more you can define the responsibilities before the snap
• Eagles only ran 53 offensive plays, That limited the number of times Celek was targeted

CHARGERS OFFENSE V. COWBOYS DEFENSE

• FB Hester really stood out as a lead blocker out of the “I” formation in the run game, He drove LB Brooking out of the hole on a number of plays
• Cowboys no pressure on Rivers in the first half
• Chargers very balanced in terms of run/pass ratio in the first half
• You see a lot of shifting against the Cowboys defense because they match up to offensive strength: They always want Ware on the open side, plus Brooking always is the weak side ILB in the base 3-4
• Tomlinson ran hard, He just doesn’t create space in confined areas anymore
• Cowboys picked up their blitz frequency in the second half
• Cowboys played more man coverage concepts in the fourth quarter; Jenkins played over the slot a number of times
• Rookie Butler replaced Ware when Ware got hurt
• Jackson 39 yds on 3^rd + 12 on fourth quarter TD drive: Rivers big time throw under pressure, Jackson sideline go route against Newman – Rivers great command of the pocket
• Gates 14 yd TD came out of “12” personnel, He beat Sensabaugh on an out route from his LOS TE position; Sensabaugh allowed Gates to cross his face to the outside, which he could not do; He had to force Gates to the inside to his double team help – Big time throw by Rivers getting hit as he delivered
• Rivers and Warner may be the 2 toughest pocket QBs in the NFL
• Cowboys defense was reactive in the fourth quarter; They were chasing plays – What stood out was the Cowboys lack of refinement of execution
• Cowboys a lot of fundamental breakdowns; They play techniques improperly on a consistent basis, almost as if playing them correctly is optional
• Chargers offense had a definite identity, Every play seems to have a purpose – Turner a great feel for anticipating and breaking down coverages in the passing game

COWBOYS OFFENSE V. CHARGERS DEFENSE

• Chargers at times played their nickel package against the Cowboys base personnel (“12” and “21”)
• Spillman and Oliver were again the safeties in the Chargers nickel package, with Gregory moving from starting S to nickel corner
• Burnett and Cooper were the nickel LBs
• Romo a couple of bad reads and poor throws on the first series, Both could have been intercepted
• ILB Siler again stood out, Aggressive with excellent instincts
• RT Free a liability in pass protection, He continued to struggle with lateral movement and change of direction
• Cowboys major focus on the run game, particularly on second quarter drive that ended with a 4^th + 1 failure at the Chargers 1 yard line: 13 runs, 1 pass – They predominantly ran out of 2 back sets with Anderson at FB
• Cowboys really don’t really seem to have any offensive identity from week-to-week, No staple that they can rely on
• Cowboys had no intermediate or vertical passing game against the Chargers, They did not attack down the field
• Against the Cowboys “22” personnel, the Chargers matched up with 3 safeties: Gregory, Oliver and Ellison – Jammer was the only corner on the field
• Gregory a very versatile player for the Chargers defense; Aligned at safety and nickel corner, Showed the ability to both play in space and in the box
• Williams had a difficult time getting off the jam at the line of scrimmage, both against Jammer and Cromartie