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FF410: 2012 Spring Game Breakdown - RB Pass Plays - Day 4

Recap

In the past I broke down 13 of DG’s pass plays (Day 1, Day 2, Day 3).  This included my reaction about how DG and the offense performed, the idea or theory behind the offensive play, and how the defense performed. This helped me get a much better feel for how DG is actually improving and allowed me to evaluate his performance considering the performance of those around him.

Today, we will take a look at how Russell Bellomy performed.  Note that it is sometimes difficult to determine the routes and defense being run due to tight camera angles, but I will do my best to grasp what I think is happening.  I will once again be taking a look at all of the pass plays, and separate them into 2 separate days.  Today, we will take a gander at the first 5 pass plays.

Video:

 

Play 14 – 0:00

The defense appears to be running a cover 0 look out of a their normal over 4-3 look and a safety coming down to help against the run. 

Bellomy makes the right read (a fairly easy one), as he sees the DBs drop back into their soft coverage. His footwork looks good and he looks comfortable, and I think the short throw is really a matter of arm strength more so than any fundamental problem (he could get a little more push off his back foot, but that’s about it).

The design of the play and the theory behind it are going to look very familiar to readers of the previous days.  The slot is running a corner route and the outside receiver a dig with the idea or running a high low on the corner.  As the corner drops, Bellomy knows his play is to the dig route.

On the backside you see a post run.  This is designed to do a double move on the boundary corner and get behind the man and into the deep middle of the field. This is to take advantage of teams cheating on the corner route with their safety by hitting the area of the field they vacate.  You will seldom see the QB have the time/patience to go through his progression and hit this receiver, but that is the idea behind that route.  The route is run well.  Note that the boundary corner doesn’t bite hard on the initial slant as he sees the play running away from him (a QB won’t roll opposite a slant route).  When the WR sees that the corner didn’t bite and still is step for step with him, he breaks his post a bit more shallow to take advantage of the intermediate zone being open.

The SAM is a little late diagnosing the play.  His initial responsibility is leverage and FB coverage, but he could turn and get to the boundary quicker than he does.  The outcome of the play isn’t affected because of a poor pass, and the play would have picked up yards regardless due to the design of the defense, but you would like to see the SAM closer to the man as he catches the ball, and preferably that corner as well, though being out on an island the primary responsibility is not to get beat deep.

[More after the jump]

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Previous Days

FF 101 - The Fundamentals: Syllabus & Day 1 (Overall), Day 2 (Offense), Day 3 (Defense), Day 4 (Offensive Line), Day 5 (Wide Receivers)... more to come someday

FF 201 - 3-3-5 Defense: Day 1 (Advantage/Disadvantage), Day 2 (Against tight formations)

FF 210 - Screen Package

 

FF400 - Drag and Follow

So this is what I had intended to do with the series when I started it: breaking down plays/concepts that Michigan runs and why they work, how to defend/attack them, etc.  Today I’m going to break down a pass play that Michigan ran twice for first downs in the first half.  This is a great play that isn’t necessarily innovative anymore, but it is still very prevalent both the college and pro game.  It’s called the drag (jerk) and follow pattern.

What I will be doing today is going over this play and how and why it was successful twice against Illinois.  I will also discuss how defenses scheme against it in order to stop it, plays to counter those defensive adjustments, and why Michigan went away from it when it was successful early.

More info on plays and plays like it can be found here, here, here, and here.

 

The Play – Drag and Follow

This is a great play because it does two things.  It gives both the QB and WR easy reads and it always makes the defense wrong, essentially putting them out of position.*

Note, I have done a fairly simple defensive alignment that isn't really that technically sound to face the run.  It is an even front with the SS back.  This isn't bad against the pass but against the run it would probably suffer.  There are many different variations of D, and I some what change the D alignment to help prove my point.  It is important to realize that the keys are still there though, I'm just attempting to teach as simply as possible, so the defense isn't always the same.

Notice the label for each receiver and the Zip presnap motion (into the formation) by the Z receiver.  On defense, N is the Nickelback (don't hate me, hate the Lions) subbed in for the SAM.

 

The Read – Backside LB

The QB will read the backside LB (WLB). 

If the he follows the drag route, it will leave the delayed follow route open in the space that that LB previous occupied.  You see this the first time Michigan ran this play against Illinois. 

The LB attacks downhill at the drag pattern leaving an opening where he previously was. 

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