The Football Brainiacs

Ok here we go!  ON the very first play, we have a great formation and solid play call.  Perine is leading up on the outside backer, and Flowers(short red line) is leading up on AJ Johnson.    This was a freshman vs. Senior matchup that Johnson got the better of.  Dmitri gets his head on the wrong side of Johnson…

 

The result is that A.J. is able to come off of Dmitri’s block and barely trip up Ford.  If Dmitri is technically sound on the block, then A.J. isn’t able to make the play.  Ford is then off to the races and would have been one on one with the safety.  Break one tackle and it’s a big gainer.

 

Cutting the box in half, we have them outnumbered 5-4 on the right.  This was a great play call, since we didn’t have the advantage on the left.  They outnumbered us 3-2 over there.

 

One of the Tennessee players came off of his block late, and barely tripped Keith up again.  Keith runs with such a forward lean that arm tackles at this point are able to bring him down.  He has to learn how to stay on his feet and run through the arm tackles.  Look at the lane there if he gets by this guy.

 

Here’s the end result and the lane is now wider.  The safety(blue) is the only one who can make the play if he stays on his feet and is likely a big gainer.

 

This is a play where we should have scored.  7 on 7 up front in the box, Tennessee isn’t lined up yet, and a clear numbers advantage to the left.

 

 

First, from left to right, (Blue Circle) Tyler Evans does a great job on the backer.  A.J. Johnson(UT red arrow is going outside to the fit lane.  Adam Shead is turned and is chasing him.  Adam as a senior has to be more disciplined and can’t “chase linebackers.”  This is a zone play.  So if Adam takes the small blue path to cut off the backside backer, and Ross takes the blue arrow lane instead of the red arrow lane he took, then he scores.  Instead, he stays in the lane outside and gets met in the hole and lit up.  Ross has to see that cutback lane, and Shead has to get on that backside backer.

 

On the next play, this a clear numbers advantage for us again, but again it’s poor execution.

 

On the open set to the right, there is an A gap player and a 5 technique.  Both Trevor and Daryl have to be more studious here.  Daryl has to understand that in this zone read/veer game, that his gap is the b gap.  He needs to come straight off of the ball.  If that 5 technique jumps down into that b gap he has to take him.  If A.J. Johnson, the linebacker jumps down into the b gap, he has to take him instead.   It’s a bang-bang play, that a seasoned tackle has to make.  There’s a combo on the a gap, and Ross should have walked into the endzone.  Daryl is reading an area to figure out who he needs to block, and it should have been much more simple than this.

On the snap, Daryl does not come straight off the ball.  Had he done that, he would have felt that end trying to come over the top of him.  In the previous picture no one was lined up in the b gap.  On the snap he has to understand that one of the two players, the end or the backer is going to come hard into that gap.  He has to be ready for it.  Since he didn’t come straight off the ball, it opened the gate for that end to come over the top.  Trevor has to see that as well, since he’s reading an area too.  End is crashing hard, so pull the ball.

We’re still at the mesh point where Trevor could pull the ball.  We can see Daryl realize that he messed up, but we can also see the linebacker turning to cover A.J. Young, because he’s reading pass.  Trevor has to see that, and I think this was a called give.  If it wasn’t a called give, it was a major mistake on the read by Trevor.  If he pulls this ball, they ain’t nobody home and it’s points for us.

So really… 1. If it’s a called give, it’s a bad call.  2.  Daryl has to be more technically sound.  3. Trevor has to pull the ball if it’s not a called give.

 

On the very next play, Trevor just gets happy feet.   From left to right…Sterling’s open in the endzone.   K.J. has his guy beat, and Keith clears over the middle.  Any of those three options most likely gets us a score.   For whatever reason, Trevor tries to escape non-existent pressure.  If he sets up where the blue x is, where is the pressure coming from?

 

 

 

At the end of the 1st quarter, we should have been up 14-0 before this play.  After this play, if we audible and come back right where our numbers advantage is, then Keith walks in the endzone and puts us up 21-0.  We get a hat on a hat left, but there are two unblocked players due to being outnumbered.  I get so frustrated  when we don’t check to the side of the advantage, or check to a play that would put a pull player or a fullback on the player to the right(blue arrow).  Look at the crease behind Daryl if we block that guy with a pulling guard or fullback.  There’s just too many players to block on the left, and we still can’t see it from a offensive staff standpoint.  Very frustrating because we could be merciless with how we orchestrate the run game.  The nuts and bolts of the ability to check plays is already there.  Count the dang players and get in a better play.

 

This is a defensive formation we have to be able to run against.  6 defenders in the box and we got blockers for all of em.  If you count the running back, we actually are at a plus one against this look.

 

 

Keith just missed the hole.  See how he has his head down?   I love the physicality, but he has to keep his head up and get into that hole shown by the blue arrow.  The O-Line blew that open, and he just missed it.  Keep your head up and see it.

 

 

These were just the missed opportunities I saw in the 1st quarter.  We should have had them down 21-0 after this play.  There are a few more plays like this in the 2nd quarter that would have had us up most likely in the 30’s or 40’s by halftime.  I’ll illustrate those in the next installment.