- Admin
- #1
- Joined
- Apr 13, 2003
- Messages
- 8,336
- Reaction score
- 16,908
- Age
- 40
Offline
Credit: Getty Images
By Dan Levy - Staff Writer - Saintsreport.com
A coaching mentor of mine once told me, "Listen, Dan. Football isn't chess. It isn't checkers. It's math."
It's true. So much of film study and gameplanning and all those late hours spent in the office with your eyelids sagging and your brain threatening to shut the rest of your body down is really just trying to figure out how and where you can gain a numbers advantage on your opponent. In reviewing the film from the Saints/Eagles game, it's clear that Philly won in this battle, particularly on offense.
Let's take a look.
The Eagles come out in 11 personnel (1 TE, 1 RB) with a 3x1 set (3 eligible receivers to one side) to the field (wide side). The Saints are in a 4-2 nickel look showing cover 6 (quarter/quarter/half) to match up with the trips. The Eagles' slot WR motions across the formation and Alontae Taylor (nickell) travels with him. During the motion you can see that Demario Davis (MLB) wants to bump his alignment, but because Taylor is traveling with the motion, Davis knows he is now the flat defender versus the pass.
The Eagles snap the ball and run G/H counter back to the boundary (short side of the field), pulling their LG and their TE to lead. Pete Werner (WLB) instantly diagnoses the play and aggressively triggers against the run, making a terrific fit and absolutely flattening the TE. But because the Eagles have used motion to put Davis in conflict, he hesitates, rather than triggering on the pulling LG and TE, scraping to his fit and making the tackle for no gain.
By understanding the Saints' coverage rules here, the Eagles use motion to gain +1 advantage in the run game, and the result is 11 yards and a first down.
Here the Eagles are facing 3rd and 4. They come out in the same formation, this time to the boundary (the short side of the field). The Saints are again in nickel, but with more of an OKIE front (a 0-tech, two 4i's, and 2 9-techs). They are showing cover 1. Will Harris (FS) is matched up on the Eagles TE. Chase Young (DE) is the 9-tech to the boundary.
The Eagles snap the ball and run G/T counter, with both the LG and LT pulling. The TE releases as if he is part of an RPO to the boundary. Will Harris is assignment sound and plays his man first before reacting to the run. What gives the Eagles another +1 advantage in the run is that Chase Young does the same.
Perhaps because the Eagles had previously run G/H counter from the exact same formation, Young is keying the TE, rather than the LT. Had he been keying the LT he would have instantly recognized the counter play and could have made a proper fit. The result is a 7-yard gain and a first down.
Facing 4th and a long 1, the Eagles come out in 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs)—a short yardage look. The Saints are in a 4-3 over front with Willie Gay, Jr. (SLB) showing edge pressure. They are in a cover 1 structure.
The Eagles TE goes in return motion. The call is an inside zone RPO with the TE (returning) to the flat. Will Harris joins Willie Gay on the edge pressure, presenting a double edge look, likely triggered by the motion. What leads me to believe this is 1) the cover 1 structure with Tyrann Matheiu aligned deep (this could be a disguise, but holding his alignment at 10 yards, on 4th and 1, when he has man responsibility, doesn't make much sense); 2) the zone read is already accounted for with Carl Granderson (DE) and Demario Davis gap exchanging on the RB, and Willie Gay, Jr. playing the QB. So Harris blitzing off the edge becomes unnecessary.
Harris's blitz leaves the TE wide open on the return. The QB hits him in the flat, and due to Mathieu's alignment he can't get over in time to prevent the first down. The result is a crucial 4th-down conversion.
Saints' Offense
Though the Saints' struggled throughout the game with 3 quarters of pitiful output and an inability to capitalize on good field position, defensive turnovers, or a blocked punt, they did finally manage to gain some headway late in the game.
But before we get to what worked for the offense, let's start with what didn't.
The Saints come out in 21 personnel on on the first play of their second drive. The Eagles are in an okie front with a cover 4 structure—their base vs. the Saints 21 and 12 personnel looks, especially early in the game. The call is an outside zone play action with a yankee concept—Rashid Shaheed on a 20 yard dig and Chris Olave running the post. This is the exact same play the Saints ran the first play of their second drive vs. the Cowboys, when Carr hit Shaheed for a 70-yard TD, but now with Olave on the post and Shaheed on he dig.
Regardless, the Eagles were ready. Both routes are double covered down the field and the Eagles execute an inside twist on the defensive line, with the 4i slanting into A-gap and the nose wrapping around him. The nose backdoors the blocking scheme and penetrates clean into the backfield, sacking Carr.
Facing 3rd and 9, the Saints come out in 11 personnel. The Eagles are in an outlaw front (2 3-techs) and are showing a cover 2 structure. At the snap the Eagles rotate into cover 3, spinning the safety down to Shaheed's side. Shaheed is running a go route. He freezes the bailing CB with a quick stutter and nod to the out, and easily gets behind him.
Up front the Eagles execute a TEX stunt (tackle/end exchange—pretty common from an outlaw front). The DT rips though Fuago and Udoh and brings pressure straight into Carr's face. Carr is unable to step into his throw, and despite Shaheed being open, the pass is underthrown and ultimately broken up in the end zone.
A little positivity
While there are plenty of mistakes to focus on and corrections to be made, it's important to still take a look and what worked (and what lessons can be learned from it).
By the time the game entered the second half I was eager for the Saints to lighten their personnel and spread things out on offense. What I found frustrating was that even when the Saints did come out in 11 personnel, they stayed in pretty compressed sets. While it isn't the core of this offense there is virtue in spreading the field, widening your WR's splits, and loosening up the defense's alignment to run the ball—especially when you have a RB like Alvin Kamara, who thrives in space.
The Saints did eventually go this route—but only after Saquon Barkley busted his 65 yard touchdown. Here are two examples of how that looked on the very next drive.
While I wish the Saints would have gone to this earlier, I am not saying they should change their identity. But sometimes, when you come into a game and a team has prepared for one thing, a change of tempo and alignment can open things up, swing momentum, and give your guys a spark.
Now, on that note, let's take a look at my favorite play of the game.
In my system we call this "Trips Right 74 K." It is a quintessential red zone concept known as "slant/corner."
Nothing fancy. Nothing new here. Just effective red zone football.
The Eagles are in cover 0, and the Saints come out in 11 personnel with all 3 WRs to the left. Chris Olave is in the slot at #3. He is set on the line—which, if I'm a coach, I'm screaming "SLANT CORNER" (having your inside WR on the line allows him to get to eat up the DB's cushion and get to his landmark depth more quickly). Apparently CJ Gardner-Johnson didn't get the memo, because as Olave releases and stems to the inside, Johnson doesn't just weave with him—he actually opens his hips and overplays the inside, allowing Olave to flat-out smoke him.
The play is beautiful thanks to its simplicity. The route is beautiful because Chris Olave is, in my opinion, the best pure route-runner in the league.
