Analyzing the Big Runs as requested by redman... also Giants game highlights

[sableholic]

Ok first off, filling Redman's request... Here's a video of all the big runs on our D with the Holmes pass too. Well thats not entirely true, I didn't get Frank Gore's Run.

Anyways... what I noticed from watching the runs over again is that they were either because A) missed tackles or overpursues/out of place players. All of the plays look like if the Redskins defenders had made the tackle they would have been stopped for very little. I don't know if it's concentration or what, but they need to wrap up opponents better. If for example Daniels wraps up the RB on the one play it would be stopped for a loss. The good news is, we are in position for every play.

Anyways here you go

Mirror 1

http://rapidshare.de/files/7025656/BigRuns.wmv.html

Mirror 2

http://s63.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=0EDMKXC6RK8OQ35ZXSWCS7B9DY

And now for the "many" highlights from yesterdays game.... Ok not really, but still.

One thing I noticed from watching the game over (painful) is that the Giants really didn't look all that good. I think it was more we looked bad. And not even that bad on defense. We made too many mistakes and missed to many tackles. Turnovers killed us, and on all of Tiki's big runs its clear we could have stopped it. Even the one where supposedly they knew what to run because of information from AP. If you look if Harris had just made the cut more inside...

Mirror 1

http://s63.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=1JPTBYY9N60240HH0Z0SJ0I459

Mirror 2

http://rapidshare.de/files/7027067/SkinsGiantsLights.wmv.html

[sableholic]

added mirror 2, I doubt anybody wants to see, but the Big Runs Video was a request.

[sableholic]

one last bump

[blackice7x]

How can we call those highlights. They were definitaly the time when I felt stone cold during the Redskins game. I hope however next week will be a different story and we will come out of the game with many defensive and offensive highlights.

[sableholic]

well to be fair, I did name them lowlights in the original topic, however I changed that name. Also I'm still amazed at that Taylor high jump. I really do think that was honestly a interception.

[Neerajk4]

well jeez you finally figured out our defense overpursues

[iheartskins]

sableholic, thanks for posting those vids.

I see it as just as important for us as fans to understand what went wrong when we lose as what goes right when we win. It's a learning experience either way and you can get a real sense of who missed what block and or who blew the coverage or tackle. This makes the debates far more informed and interesting.

Now, granted, it's a lot more fun to watch Moss run 75 yards for a TD, but it's also good to see what's wrong with the team to get the full picture.

In any case, thanks again for your work.

[sableholic]

well jeez you finally figured out our defense overpursues

I didn't just figure it out. It was requested that a collection of clips of long runs be made so people can view them and try and determine why its happening. I just gave my input. I am a Skins fan, its not like I like viewing these clips. I just was trying to be helpful for the other people on this board.

[Neerajk4]

I didn't just figure it out. It was requested that a collection of clips of long runs be made so people can view them and try and determine why its happening. I just gave my input. I am a Skins fan, its not like I like viewing these clips. I just was trying to be helpful for the other people on this board.[/quote

i was just kidding, because its pretty obvious when they're diving to the ground that they were too agressive with the tackle. oh well i think they'll improve, cause last year the d was amazing.

[Smoooooot]

Good video. I don't mean to complain, but these two missed calls really stood out to me. Watch the video in slow motion on windows media player.

On the second run by Bell, it definitely looked like Marcus got blocked in the back by the TE.

On the Priest Holmes screen pass, it looked like Holdman got held pretty badly by the offensive lineman. Not sure if he makes the play, but he may have at least been able to slow him up a bit.

It really looks like people are missing their assignments on the runs, because the backs are basically going untouched (other than Priest's play and Bell's move on Daniels). Taylor messed up big time on Tiki's first run. It looks like not only did he take a bad angle on the play but he also took out Marshall from behind.

[MrSilverMaC]

N/m.............

[sableholic]

Good video. I don't mean to complain, but these two missed calls really stood out to me. Watch the video in slow motion on windows media player.

On the second run by Bell, it definitely looked like Marcus got blocked in the back by the TE.

On the Priest Holmes screen pass, it looked like Holdman got held pretty badly by the offensive lineman. Not sure if he makes the play, but he may have at least been able to slow him up a bit.

It really looks like people are missing their assignments on the runs, because the backs are basically going untouched (other than Priest's play and Bell's move on Daniels). Taylor messed up big time on Tiki's first run. It looks like not only did he take a bad angle on the play but he also took out Marshall from behind.

Yeah Taylor really did take a bad angle on that one, but there were still people in position to make the tackle it looks like. One thing I disliked was seeing a lot of our defensive players with shoulder pads hanging out... hmmm holding maybe. Nah of course not. If you need a example watch one of those Tiki runs. Guys shoulder pad is completely out..

[sableholic]

one last time for those who missed it.

[redman]

Kudos to sableholic for compiling and posting these videos. Not fun to watch but they sure are educational.

[redman]

Here are my breakdowns of those 6 plays:

Play #1 vs. Seattle.

1-10 at the Seattle 37. Result, 25-30 yard run for Sean Alexander to the left.

Offensive formation: I-formation with both WR’s split out to the strong side, and the TE on the weak side of the formation (inherent contradiction, I know, but shaddap!)

Defensive formation: tough to see because can’t see the entire secondary, but it looks like 4 down linemen, only 2 LB’s (Washington and Holdman, both opposite the strong side of the formation, with Washington over the RG and Holdman outside the RT) and – presumably – 5 DB’s.

The handoff is immediately made to Alexander, who follows his lead blocker to the left, off tackle. Alexander probably has the option to cut it outside but he doesn’t need it here, and he simply follows his lead blocker upfield for about a 25-30 yard gain.

Here’s what happened along the line. The TE, Jerramy Stevens, blocked DE Phillip Daniels 1:1; Daniels pushed Stevens upfield a yard or two, but went several yards to Daniels’ right enabling contain but taking Daniels out of the play once Alexander followed his FB.

The LT Williams quickly chipped on Daniels, and then went to the second level and blocked Washington approximately 3 yards deep and in front of where the center was located. Holdman, on the opposite side of the formation, simply was not in a position to make a play. This left Carlos Rogers all alone on the defensive right side to both take on the FB and tackle Alexander. All he could do was get low for the FB’s block to negate the FB, but this of course did nothing to tackle Alexander.

At this point, however, the safety (Clark?) appears to have a shot at making the play and stopping it for a 3-4 yard gain, however by this time the pulling RG is out in front of Alexander, and takes out the safety. From there it’s off to the races.

Conclusion: the bottom line is that it was the right offensive play call (run play to the weak side) against the wrong defensive play call (nickel defense weighted to the strong side). I don’t like, however, that Phillip Daniels couldn’t penetrate and make a play one-on-one against a TE who’s more known for his receiving abilities. The WR’s set out on the strong side pulled potential tacklers (2 CB’s and possibly a safety) to that side.

[redman]

Play #2 at Denver.

4th & Inches at the Washington 34 yard line. Tatum Bell 34-yard TD run to the left.

Offensive Formation: I formation with 2 TE’s, both on the strong side of the formation and one WR split out far to the weak side. Bell begins this play 6 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

Defensive Formation: A 5-4-2 goalline formation, with 1 LB joining the 5 down lineman on the line of scrimmage (Washington over the RG), and the other 3 LB’s in relatively standard LB positions (for a 4-3 defense) behind the line of scrimmage; one safety deep in the middle and 1:1 coverage by a CB on the lone WR. Of note, RDE Daniels is split out wide of the LT on the weak side of the formation.

At the snap, the FB immediately runs full speed to the strong side as if lead blocking there. Plummer turns to his right as if to hand the ball off for a run to that side, but Bell, after hesitating a moment starts to his left and Plummer pitches the ball to him. Meanwhile, the entire o-line is blocking down to its right, towards the strong side.

At this point, Daniels is unblocked and is 3-4 yards deep in the backfield all alone on Bell. Bell simply sidesteps Daniels, causing Daniels to whiff on the tackle. The LT, who originally blocked down on the RDT, now releases and goes to the second level and blocks Holdman who otherwise would have had a clear shot at the play too. Of note, Holdman did not buy the strong side look and stayed at home on the weak side, but he was simply well-blocked by the LT. The MLB Clemons, however, immediately pinched down towards the line of scrimmage towards the strong side of the formation at the hand off and was in no position to make the play.

Finally, Sean Taylor. No one blocked him and he should have been able to make a tackle based upon where he lined up after only a 5-yard gain; trouble is, like Clemons, he immediately starts upfield towards the strong side when the FB broke to that side only to bump into one of the Bronco TE’s who fired outward, and he was in no position to make the play after attempting to recover and run back downfield.

Conclusion: Nice offensive play design. Even more than the Seattle play before, this offensive look was a running play to the strong side, but the play used Bell’s speed and shiftiness to go essentially by himself to the weak side. Daniels missed a tackle in the backfield for the loss of yardage and loss of possession on downs (Bill Maas is dead wrong on the replay – Daniels didn’t lose his footing on a slick field), Clemons bit on the action to the strong side, and Sean Taylor “got nosey” again and didn’t fulfill his fundamental job as a safety to stop the big play.

[redman]

Play #3 at Denver.

3rd & 5 at the Denver 45-yard line. Tatum Bell 55-yard TD run to the right.

Offensive Formation: One back, 2 TE, 2 WR set, with both TE’s and a WR bunched just off the strong side of the line, and the RB 7 yards deep; the other WR is split far off to the weak side.

Defensive Formation: 3-2-6 formation with 8 in the box (all within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage), with 3 down linemen, 3 LB’s, and SS Bowen over the weak side TE. Marshall and Washington are the two LB’s directly over top of the “bunched” TE’s and WR on the strong side. Prioleau is just behind the line over the C, and Clark is to the outside of Bowen on the weak side in a blitz position. Griffin was the RDE.

This is a straight run play to the strong side; there’s no action or fakes here. And it’s classic Denver zone blocking, with the right side of the line generally moving to the right to find people to block. The bunched TE’s and WR on the strong side fire outward and are soon into Washington and Marshall, as do the C, RG, and RT. The RG, in particular has no one to block until 7 yards downfield when he puts Sean Taylor on the ground. Of interest, Griffin and Chris Clemons (who lined up at LDE) got a lot of penetration, but Griffin was on the back side of the play and went down in the backfield while Clemons was still engaged by the RT and couldn’t disengage to make a play.

Marshall, who positioned himself on the outside of the offensive “bunch” formation, seemed to react somewhat slowly to the play, and spent so much time reading the play that he let the blockers come to him, and he was simply blocked out of the play towards the sideline by the time he seemed ready to make a play.

Washington, positioned just to Marshall’s right directly facing the “bunch”, seemed to read the play faster, but did a poor job fighting through the blockers to make a play. The TE who was blocking him merely got in his way rather than really engaging him, and finally blocked Washington into the sideline.

Prioleau was positioned near the line of scrimmage and was initially engaged by the C and LG before running into the backfield behind the play. Matt Bowen, who was lined up clear across the formation on the weak side TE, made a nice hustle play all the way across the field through traffic to dive at Bell for a tackle for what would have been about a 10 yard gain, but couldn’t come up with the tackle because of Bell’s speed.

Conclusion: Good play call by the Broncos. They were in a passing situation, and were in a formation that could be either a pass or run formation, and were against a lightweight dime defense. That said, they ran the play towards the two LB’s on the field at the time. I would however expect either Washington or Marshall (or both) to beat blocking by 2 WR’s and a TE on the play side of a formation at least 9 out of every 10 times. Both of them failed to make a tackle on a play coming right at them, and Marshall in particular seemed slow to react.

[redman]

Play #4 at KC.

1st & 10 at the KC 39-yard line. Priest Holmes 61-yard TD reception to the left.

Offensive Formation: One back 7 yards deep, 1 TE, 3 WR set, with the TE to the strong side and all three WR’s on the weak side. Before the snap, one of the WR’s goes in motion across to the strong side.

Defensive Formation: (Note: I can see only 5 players in the frame at the snap) Standard 4-3-4 defense, with Washington lined up at the line of scrimmage on the strong side in a blitz posture.

At the snap, the slot WR on the strong side breaks back into the backfield as if to take the hand-off on a reverse. Holmes runs left towards the line of scrimmage as Green turns in that direction to fake the hand-off before dropping back to pass over the top of the linemen to Holmes who by now is just to the left of the formation.

LT Roaf engaged RDE Daniels and accompanied him into the backfield as Holmes slipped by to the inside to get in position to receive the pass. Griffin appears to have tried to run a stunt by circling behind Salave’a who was engaged with the Center; unfortunately this means that Griffin was stunting away from the play. This enabled the LG, who had no assignment, to get out ahead of Holmes and block (no holding penalty?!?!? WTF?) Holdman at the point of attack, enabling Holmes to get to the second level of the defense. The RG, too, chips his man and then makes his way over to the play side of the formation to screen the receiver.

As Holmes accompanies his blockers up the field, you can see Marshall for the first time trying to come back to the middle of the field to get Holmes who has cut back: in other words Marshall overran the play. Bowen too overran the play and had to double back, but couldn’t because Holmes by now was running all the way across the field to the opposite side. As he cut back, Washington was in his face literally a couple of feet away after having run the play down from all the way across the field from the strong side, but Holmes’ cut back is quick enough where Washington literally doesn’t even grab at him before Holmes is behind him and headed across the field. Frankly, Washington looked gassed on that play. The other players are blocked out of the play.

Oddly, about 15 yards downfield, as the LG continued to run down near the left sideline you see a blur which I believe is Sean Taylor dive in front of him to take him out. This is odd because I see no reason in the play for Taylor to have negated the LG rather than go after Holmes himself, not to mention the fact that Holmes was already cutting back by then and was headed to the opposite side of the field on his way to a TD. From here the ‘Skins seem like they’re tripping over themselves trying to catch him.

Conclusion: This was a nicely designed play that confuses and freezes the defense because of the fake reverse and then allows the two OG’s to lead Priest Holmes on a screen. While the non-call of holding on Holdman (it’s obvious, really) certainly hurt, the fact is that both the MLB Marshall and the SS Bowen overran the play so that they couldn’t react to Holmes’ cut-back. Griffin’s stunt was an unfortunate feature of the play because at the very least it enabled the LG to freely go and engage Holdman; at best Griffin might have broken up the play in the backfield by knocking Holmes down before he got open to receive the pass.

[redman]

Play #5 at NYG.

1st & 10 at the NYG 27-yard line, left hash mark. Tiki Barber 58-yard run to the left.

Offensive Formation: Standard I-formation with TE on the strong side and the WR’s split to either side.

Defensive Formation: Standard 4-3-4 set, with Holdman in at WLB, and Washington lined up on the line of scrimmage over TE Shockey; Holdman and Marshall are right next to each other with Marshall facing the C and Holdman facing the LG-LT gap several yards behind the line.

At the snap, the FB immediately bursts toward the line to a point just outside where the LT lined up while the QB turns to the right (away from the play) all the way around to pitch the ball to Barber who is following the FB.

Meanwhile, the LT has taken RDE Daniels and moved him toward the sideline several yards, but still on the line of scrimmage. The play seems designed to have Barber follow the FB upfield into that space between the LG and the LT. The C engages RDT Salave’a and keeps him away from the gap, while the LG chips on Salave’a and then tries to engage the MLB.

The FB sees Holdman approaching the line in this gap and gets a great hit on Holdman, negating him. Because Holdman is there, and because Marshall is right behind him going into that hole, Barber bounces the play to the outside by going behind and around the LT (who is still blocking Daniels) and upfield to the inside of WR Burress who is successfully blocking CB Walt Harris towards the sideline.

Sean Taylor makes a quick break for the ball, but almost at the time that he’s ready to enter the gap between the LT and LG and unload on Barber, Barber bounces to the outside and Taylor in trying to adjust knocks into the LT and takes him to the ground.

Marshall spots the move by Barber and adjusts his angle towards the sideline to make the play, however he gets slowed the LG’s push and Taylor’s collision with the LT and Daniels, and he can’t get there.

Of note, Griffin was in on this play lined up to Salave’a’s left in the DT position, and appears to diagnose it well and quickly break off his rush upfield and break diagonally towards the sidelines. I don’t know if he could have caught Barber if he was healthy, but he’s clearly not moving at full speed. He only played one more play.

Conclusion: There’s not a lot of creativity or mystery here. Both teams were in a base set, and the ‘Skins plain flat got beat at the point of attack and Barber’s speed did the rest once he got past the line of scrimmage. While I respect him flying (almost literally) to the ball I would fault Taylor’s out of control play. He needs to hold back enough to be able to account for cut backs and plays bouncing to the outside. His speed, ironically, may actually be a negative for him given how fast it carries him out of position and commits him to a certain angle of attack.

One more thing: we all read references to statements by Barber about how this play was run to the opposite side of the field to fool the ‘Skins because of a tip from Pierce about their preparation tendencies. I see no evidence of that given that the ‘Skins were lined up in a base set and were not loaded to the opposite side, away from where the play went, nor were they blitzing. I also saw no evidence of slow much less wrong reaction to the play.

[redman]

Play #6 at NYG.

2nd & 8 at the NYG 40-yard line, left hash mark. Tiki Barber 58-yard run to the left.

Offensive Formation: I-formation with TE on the strong side and both of the WR’s on the weak side, with WR Toomer in tight on the LT.

Defensive Formation: (Note: I can see only 7 players in the frame at the snap) Standard 4-3-4 set, with Washington playing on the line of scrimmage right on the TE.

At the snap the FB breaks towards the gap between the C and RG, and then at the last minute seems to shift to his left, towards the weak side to find someone to block. The TE blocks SLB Washington to the outside, as does the RT with LDE Wynn. The RG gets into MLB Marshall and stops him.

Warrick Holdman, who lined up behind RDE Evans and facing the LT, starts to drift towards the center of the field, reading the lead blocker and the hand-off to the strong side. CB Walt Harris at the snap, who is on WR Burress who is split wide to the weak side, comes on a blitz – it appears this was a pass blitz because it was a passing situation and he was headed full speed directly for the QB before reading the handoff and attempting to correct himself by making a futile dive at Barber.

Barber takes the hand off and initially follows the FB upfield towards the C - RG gap before realizing that there’s too much traffic there and also realizing that Harris is too far upfield to tackle him, and so he cuts back to the weak side and gets upfield just outside of the LT. By this point, Holdman has moved over to his left to get just on the other side of Salave’a before seeing the cut back. He can’t recover in time and Barber is past him.

In the secondary, you can’t see much on the screen but Burress gets a block downfield on Taylor that causes him to fall down. Ryan Clark, when you can finally see him, appears to have been heading upfield to make the play on the strong side, and can’t cross the field in time to tackle Barber.

Conclusion: Great read and run by Barber, and poor discipline by the defense. I don’t blame Harris for failing to contain Barber because I suspect that he was on a pass blitz on that play; I could be wrong on what his assignment was, and so if it was a run blitz or he had read-and-react responsibilities, he obviously failed to make the play. Holdman, however, is another story. He got caught out of position. Knowing that the CB on his side wouldn’t be there to help him contain a cut back because of Harris’ blitz, he still allowed himself to drift inside enabling Barber to break contain. To finish matters off, Burress’ block on Taylor ensured that this would be a big play.

[sableholic]

Wow Redman, very very deep. I love the diagnosis. One thing that I noticed on some of them is the holding as you pointed out. I mean come on if the guys shoulder pads are completly out...

[redman]

Overall, there are some conclusions to draw from these plays taken as a whole.

1) None of the plays were runs to the inside, between the tackles. Only one, the last big run by Barber, was even designed to go there, but of course he cut back to the outside.

2) We're hurt by the overall lack of athleticism by our D-line and LB's. Even when our guys have been in position to make a play, they often do not. I see in these plays (admittedly, a small sample size) little ability to fend off blockers to make plays. Of note, none of these plays had Lavar on the field, and he of course is far more athletic than Holdman is. Frankly, Holdman looks like he's in slow motion in most of these plays. Marshall is not all that impressive moving laterally.

3) Sean Taylor is still a young man trying to master his immense athletic talent. His desire for the big hit and big play get the best of him too much. He needs to remember that as the safety he's the last line of defense. A tackle for a 2 yard gain that is made in such a way as to prevent a cut-back for a 60-yard run is better for us than a dramatic hit in the backfield.

4) Related to #2 above, Warrick Holdman is out of position way too much which allows guys to break contain. For a guy who supposedly is relying upon his experience in this system as a way to compensate for his relative lack of athleticism, we can't afford as a team to have this happen.

5) Run fakes and pitches can be effective against us given our weakness on the outside. Two of the five runs in this video are on toss sweeps, one of which was a bootleg by the RB (Bell) and the other of which was simply a regular sweep.

Post more thoughts if you have them.

[redman]

Wow Redman, very very deep. I love the diagnosis. One thing that I noticed on some of them is the holding as you pointed out. I mean come on if the guys shoulder pads are completly out...

In all honesty, that holding non-call on Holdman during Holmes' TD reception was the only clear penalty I saw.

The only other one even close was another holding non-call on that same play by LT Willie Roaf against Daniels. Almost comically, you can see Roaf raise both arms in the air in the classic, "I'm not holding!" pose as the camera begins to pan away. But I've seen worse.

As for Clark's shoulder pads on Barber's first run, I have no clue how they came out. He could have fallen and had the turf pull the jersey off of them for all I know.

[skins4eva]

1) None of the plays were runs to the inside, between the tackles. Only one, the last big run by Barber, was even designed to go there, but of course he cut back to the outside.

2) We're hurt by the overall lack of athleticism by our D-line and LB's. Even when our guys have been in position to make a play, they often do not. I see in these plays (admittedly, a small sample size) little ability to fend off blockers to make plays. Of note, none of these plays had Lavar on the field, and he of course is far more athletic than Holdman is. Frankly, Holdman looks like he's in slow motion in most of these plays. Marshall is not all that impressive moving laterally.

4) Related to #2 above, Warrick Holdman is out of position way too much which allows guys to break contain. For a guy who supposedly is relying upon his experience in this system as a way to compensate for his relative lack of athleticism, we can't afford as a team to have this happen.

Post more thoughts if you have them.

Very good analysis of the situation. I also believe that the talent along the D-line and the Linebacking core is a major issues. I mean, seriously, how many of our Defensive starters would even be starters on another team? I like our secondary even though Harris should be a nickel back--but our linebacking situation is in dire straights. We, for all intents and purposes, have no middle linebacker, and for whatever reason, the coaching staff prefers to play Holdman over Lavar. When Lavar does get in, they typically have him pass rush, where he is relatively ineffective--I'd love to see Lavar drop back into coverage and pick off some passes.

And obviously, our d-line is a major concern, and has been a major concern for years. We are completely incapable of putting pressure on the QB with a four man front. As a consequence, it puts much more pressure on our secondary. And, we need to blitz in order to create pressure, which in turn can lead to big plays. Anyone notice how our blitzes have been much less effective this year? With a year of tape on Williams' tendencies as a coordinator, teams have adjusted accordingly. Remember what happened toward the end of Buddy Ryan's career as a coach? Opposing teams knew his scheme almost as well as he did. I happen to think that Williams is an outstanding coordinator, but truth be told, he has very little talent at very key positions on that defense. Can you imagine how incredible our secondary would be if we could create pressure? We need a pure pass rusher, and we need one badly. We should have considered taking Merriman or the kid who went to Dallas. But, that's water under the bridge at this point.

What we can do know is replace Holdman with Arringotn, and get Clemons on the field as a pash rusher, since he's probably the best on the team.

[sableholic]

Hold on 90 something

Push in the back and hold on 32 Jimoh?

Hold different angle.

The hold you mentioned

Wasn't Me:

Hold on holdman

Wasn't Me angle 2

Before:

After: Hard to tell from image but that white thing is the linemans hand