Analysis Why Taysom Hill is the Most Important Player on Offense (A story in 3 plays) (2 Viewers)

TCUDan

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This three-play sequence is perhaps the best encapsulation of why Taysom Hill is, decisively, the most important player on this offense.

Play 1: It's just an end around pass, but I had to include it (the end zone angle) for one reason, and it isn't the playcall. Look at what Hill does just before throwing. He tucks the ball as if he's a runner, then switches back to a throwing posture and delivers a dime. This is almost as good as play action or a flea-flicker, the way he sells the run all on his own. Even if it doesn't completely fool every player on the defense, that small attention to detail is why his value goes far beyond his physical skills.

Play 2: Pay attention to the personnel here. The Saints are in 12 (or 21, depending on how you want to define Taysom, as a RB or a TE). They line him up in the F position and run an outside zone bootleg with Hill leaking into the flats opposite of the run action. This is a high red zone snap, and the Browns are playing single high, what appears to be a pattern match cover 3 out of their base 4-3 personnel. Carr hits Taysom in the flats for a short gain.

Play 3: Very next play. Exact same personnel, high red zone, 2nd and 7. Naturally, the Browns stay in their same personnel and same coverage structure--only now Hill is at QB, in shotgun, and Carr is lined up at WR. The Browns are forced to play base defense against this look--a look they can't predict before the huddle breaks b/c Hill has been in for the whole drive and no substitutions were made. Because Hill can throw as well as any QB (and the Browns were reminded of that on the end-around pass just a couple plays ago), they don't have a quick check to go to for this situation and--either due to lack of reaction time or just caution--opt to stay in their same base look and coverage.

The play is a simple zone read. The Browns DE is playing spill/chase and takes Kamara on the give. Normally, you would have a LB gap exchanging with the DE to take the QB, but watch this play from the tight angle. The TE (Moreau) arc releases to block the overhang player--who, instead of maintaining his outside leverage to play the keep by Taysom, chooses to square up on Moreau's release to play any potential route (because Taysom, in this situation, is still a respected as a QB). This means that the only free-hitter on the defense who can account for the keep by Taysom has to come down from the high safety position (it looks like he just abandons his pass responsibility when he recognizes the keep) and make a 1-on-1 tackle on a 240 lb. "running back" (because, oh yea, Taysom could start at that position too).

This is what having Taysom Hill on the field does to a defense (and for an offense). It's one thing if you're playing down-to-down against a dual-threat QB. It's another if you're basing up against your opponent's offense, and then all of the sudden that player who you're accounting for as a TE or FB or RB or WR is now under center. And he weighs 240 lbs and runs a 4.4 and can deliver passes on a dime.

Beautiful sequence of plays.
 
Amazing that it took us to get to coach #3 before we realized that this guy is a potential centerpiece player that should be featured, often.

Even in the Brees years, we should have been getting the ball in this man's hands just as we did with guys like Kamara and MT.
 
Amazing that it took us to get to coach #3 before we realized that this guy is a potential centerpiece player that should be featured, often.

Even in the Brees years, we should have been getting the ball in this man's hands just as we did with guys like Kamara and MT.
Getting the ball in his hands, for sure, but also incorporating him into the base identity of the offense. It's no longer a situation where he's playing a handful of snaps and defenses have IDs and checks for whenever he's coming in and a package of plays to alert for.

He's playing down-to-down. He's there in most of the base looks. His presence not only lulls the defense to sleep, but it depletes their options of how to counter some of the more exotic wrinkles he brings.

He's always been a nightmare for defenses. But now that nightmare is chronic.
 
Amazing that it took us to get to coach #3 before we realized that this guy is a potential centerpiece player that should be featured, often.

Even in the Brees years, we should have been getting the ball in this man's hands just as we did with guys like Kamara and MT.

I agree he's a centerpiece player but he will be 35 next year, I think the smart move going forward is to use him as much as a decoy as a primary ballhandler.....I love the guy but he's injury prone and will only become more so as he ages, I think it would be foolish to be overly dependent on him going forward......Damn I wish he was 28 or even 30......
 
Amazing that it took us to get to coach #3 before we realized that this guy is a potential centerpiece player that should be featured, often.

Even in the Brees years, we should have been getting the ball in this man's hands just as we did with guys like Kamara and MT.
I don't think it's about the HC #3 it's all Kubiak. He saw how valuable TH could be that's why he flew to Utah to meet with TH before the season
 
I said a while back that aplay with TH faking like he was running and pulling up to throw would be a great wrinkle to use. It has multiple benefits. It takes advantage of indecision on part of the D and it should be done once a game or at least every other game
 
I don't think it's about the HC #3 it's all Kubiak. He saw how valuable TH could be that's why he flew to Utah to meet with TH before the season

Anything to not give Rizzi credit, right? 🙄

It’s clear that this was a new initiative, including suddenly using him at KR for the first time in forever.
 
Anything to not give Rizzi credit, right? 🙄

It’s clear that this was a new initiative, including suddenly using him at KR for the first time in forever.
It's not about Rizzi, it's about the creativity that TH is being used and that's on KK. Did you not read what Dan said? Holding the ball like he's going to run then switching it to the throwing position.
 
It's not about Rizzi, it's about the creativity that TH is being used and that's on KK. Did you not read what Dan said? Holding the ball like he's going to run then switching it to the throwing position.

So you are of the belief that Taysom being featured was a sudden KK epiphany and has nothing to do with the HC change which coincides with said HC going on multiple times about the need to feature Taysom by force-feeding him touches? KK had him on kick return duty too? There’s no way Rizzi, who again is the one saying Taysom needs the ball more and (presumably) put him on return duty simply told KK to feature Taysom more because he thinks “Sprinkling him in everywhere” is a key to winning?

This is just the latest evidence that you have something against Rizzi. What did this man do to you?
 
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