Superbowl Preview:
The No. 1 thing you have to defend against the Seattle Seahawks is the read option. There’s a very strong tendency within that play that we have seen in our film study, and I guarantee you New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick knows it as well.
On 42 percent of Seattle's plays they use a 3-by-1 set (three eligible receivers to one side, and one to the other) counting tight ends. If Marshawn Lynch is offset to the side of the tight end, the single-receiver side, he will cut back and not follow the zone blocking 80 percent of the time. He will cut it inside before he crosses the center. That's a strong tendency to do it on four of five carries, and we'll look at how New England will have to defend it – something you can watch for in the Super Bowl.
First, let’s take a quick look at an example of this tendency. Early in the third quarter back in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, the defensive end tried to play Lynch and the option. He couldn’t make a tackle on Lynch. The stacked linebacker, Rolando McClain, ran around a block, and Lynch was running clean into the secondary for a 32-yard gain. Notice how Lynch cuts back well before he crosses the center.
So we know the Seahawks will use a lot of read option, and that when Lynch gets the ball he’ll often look to cut it back right away. How do the Patriots combat this? You can’t have the stacked linebacker on Lynch’s side flow across the formation, because Lynch is going to stay on his side. The stacked linebacker has to sit there, and then you have a defender there when he cuts it up. That's tough to do, because it's natural for a linebacker to go with the flow of the play.
We’ve discussed the Carolina Panthers and how they play Seattle’s read option. And the Panthers have played it well. They define the read by having the unblocked defender stay wide so quarterback Russell Wilson has to hand it off. And then, because their linebackers are so quick, fast-reacting and smart, they are in position to prevent the cutback. Then if Lynch has to go toward the zone blocking, your defensive line has to win or at least stalemate. But you can define the read with Wilson and force him to hand it off. That simplifies things for the defense. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots do something similar.
Another read option wrinkle is Seattle can get some big pass plays off of it. An 80-yard touchdown to Luke Willson in Week 16 is a great example. Instead of Wilson running the read option, he rolled out. There’s so much going on in the backfield that it’s easy to lose discipline and get your eyes caught up in the backfield. That’s what happened here, especially with Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu.
That’s the issue the Seahawks cause. I can hear Belichick saying “Do your job,” his famous motto. If you’re defending this guy, don’t worry about Wilson. But will they revert to human nature – “That’s Russell Wilson, I have to go get him”? The Seahawks are very good at creating confusion within the defense by having a lot of action in the backfield.
Seattle is good with formations too. The Seahawks had a great one in Week 14 against Philadelphia. They had double stacks, two receivers on each side, well outside of the numbers. What that does is puts an unbelievable burden on the unblocked defender. That time it was Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole. Cole made a mistake – he was supposed to play it from the outside in, and he played it inside. Regardless, he was in a bind. Cole is not stopping Wilson on that play, with that much space to defend. It speaks to the importance of formations, and how formations and personnel can affect the number of defenders in the box and matchups.
The read option for the Seahawks has many elements, and not just in the run game. They don’t do it every play, but when they do they put stress on the defense with Lynch being able to run, with Wilson being able to run, and with Wilson being able to pass off a read option element. The Patriots have quite a challenge.
Watch this quick video for the Preview:
On 42 percent of Seattle's plays they use a 3-by-1 set (three eligible receivers to one side, and one to the other) counting tight ends. If Marshawn Lynch is offset to the side of the tight end, the single-receiver side, he will cut back and not follow the zone blocking 80 percent of the time. He will cut it inside before he crosses the center. That's a strong tendency to do it on four of five carries, and we'll look at how New England will have to defend it – something you can watch for in the Super Bowl.
First, let’s take a quick look at an example of this tendency. Early in the third quarter back in Week 6 against the Dallas Cowboys, the defensive end tried to play Lynch and the option. He couldn’t make a tackle on Lynch. The stacked linebacker, Rolando McClain, ran around a block, and Lynch was running clean into the secondary for a 32-yard gain. Notice how Lynch cuts back well before he crosses the center.
So we know the Seahawks will use a lot of read option, and that when Lynch gets the ball he’ll often look to cut it back right away. How do the Patriots combat this? You can’t have the stacked linebacker on Lynch’s side flow across the formation, because Lynch is going to stay on his side. The stacked linebacker has to sit there, and then you have a defender there when he cuts it up. That's tough to do, because it's natural for a linebacker to go with the flow of the play.
We’ve discussed the Carolina Panthers and how they play Seattle’s read option. And the Panthers have played it well. They define the read by having the unblocked defender stay wide so quarterback Russell Wilson has to hand it off. And then, because their linebackers are so quick, fast-reacting and smart, they are in position to prevent the cutback. Then if Lynch has to go toward the zone blocking, your defensive line has to win or at least stalemate. But you can define the read with Wilson and force him to hand it off. That simplifies things for the defense. It will be interesting to see if the Patriots do something similar.
Another read option wrinkle is Seattle can get some big pass plays off of it. An 80-yard touchdown to Luke Willson in Week 16 is a great example. Instead of Wilson running the read option, he rolled out. There’s so much going on in the backfield that it’s easy to lose discipline and get your eyes caught up in the backfield. That’s what happened here, especially with Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu.
That’s the issue the Seahawks cause. I can hear Belichick saying “Do your job,” his famous motto. If you’re defending this guy, don’t worry about Wilson. But will they revert to human nature – “That’s Russell Wilson, I have to go get him”? The Seahawks are very good at creating confusion within the defense by having a lot of action in the backfield.
Seattle is good with formations too. The Seahawks had a great one in Week 14 against Philadelphia. They had double stacks, two receivers on each side, well outside of the numbers. What that does is puts an unbelievable burden on the unblocked defender. That time it was Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole. Cole made a mistake – he was supposed to play it from the outside in, and he played it inside. Regardless, he was in a bind. Cole is not stopping Wilson on that play, with that much space to defend. It speaks to the importance of formations, and how formations and personnel can affect the number of defenders in the box and matchups.
The read option for the Seahawks has many elements, and not just in the run game. They don’t do it every play, but when they do they put stress on the defense with Lynch being able to run, with Wilson being able to run, and with Wilson being able to pass off a read option element. The Patriots have quite a challenge.
Watch this quick video for the Preview:
Conference Championship Previews:
Colts-Patriots NFL Playoff Preview:
For the third time in Tom Brady's career, the Colts are the final obstacle standing between his team and a Super Bowl berth.
Back in January 2004, Brady threw for 237 yards as the Patriots earned a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII by beating the Colts 24-14 in the AFC Championship Game.
Three years later, the Colts would get revenge on Brady with a 38-34 AFC title-game victory that vaulted Indianapolis into Super Bowl XLI.
This time around though, Brady won't have to beat a Colts team quarterbacked by Peyton Manning, he'll have to beat a Colts team quarterbacked by Manning's replacement: Andrew Luck.
Fittingly, Luck and the Colts had to beat Manning to earn a spot in Sunday's AFC title game. Luck thoroughly outplayed Manning in the Colts' 24-13 divisional round win and he'll likely have to do the same against Brady if the Colts are going to beat the Patriots.
Beating Brady and Manning in the same postseason might sound tough, but it's not impossible. The 2012 Baltimore Ravens were the last team to knock off both Brady and Manning in the same postseason and Baltimore went on to win the Super Bowl.
Can Indianapolis do the same? Let's take a first look at the AFC Championship Game.
Here are four things to know for Sunday's game (6:40 p.m. ET, CBS).
Colts-Patriots NFL Playoff Preview:
For the third time in Tom Brady's career, the Colts are the final obstacle standing between his team and a Super Bowl berth.
Back in January 2004, Brady threw for 237 yards as the Patriots earned a trip to Super Bowl XXXVIII by beating the Colts 24-14 in the AFC Championship Game.
Three years later, the Colts would get revenge on Brady with a 38-34 AFC title-game victory that vaulted Indianapolis into Super Bowl XLI.
This time around though, Brady won't have to beat a Colts team quarterbacked by Peyton Manning, he'll have to beat a Colts team quarterbacked by Manning's replacement: Andrew Luck.
Fittingly, Luck and the Colts had to beat Manning to earn a spot in Sunday's AFC title game. Luck thoroughly outplayed Manning in the Colts' 24-13 divisional round win and he'll likely have to do the same against Brady if the Colts are going to beat the Patriots.
Beating Brady and Manning in the same postseason might sound tough, but it's not impossible. The 2012 Baltimore Ravens were the last team to knock off both Brady and Manning in the same postseason and Baltimore went on to win the Super Bowl.
Can Indianapolis do the same? Let's take a first look at the AFC Championship Game.
Here are four things to know for Sunday's game (6:40 p.m. ET, CBS).
Seahawks-Packers NFL Playoff Preview:
All the way back in Week 1, the Seahawks beat the Packers 36-16 in Seattle in the NFL's season opener. Seattle's offense outgained Green Bay by nearly 150 yards, controlling both the ball and the clock, while the defense held Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense in check. There's a rematch Sunday with the NFC championship on the line, only these Seahawks aren't exactly those Seahawks, and these Packers aren't exactly those Packers.
Seattle had Percy Harvin back then, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell used him to great effect. Harvin had 11 touches for 100 yards in that game, as the Seahawks got him the ball on screens, slants and jet sweeps all night. They also used various fakes to Harvin to generate plays elsewhere. Harvin, of course, is now on the Jets.
The Seahawks have used a balanced offensive approach to make up for the loss of Harvin's services -- though it should be said that Harvin didn't have all that great a year while he was in Seattle -- with Russell Wilson spreading it around to Doug Baldwin,Jermaine Kearse, Luke Willson, Cooper Helfet and more while also featuring a heavy dose of both Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin in the running game. The defense, of course, despite a midseason downturn to mere "good" play, is back at the height of its powers.
The Packers in that Week 1 game sacrificed No. 3 receiver Jarrett Boykin at the altar ofRichard Sherman, keeping him on Sherman's side of the field while trying to work Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb elsewhere. Boykin has since lost his job to rookie Davante Adams, one of the stars of Green Bay's divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas used Brandon Carr to shadow Nelson and Orlando Scandrick on Cobb, so Adams went to work on No. 3 corner Sterling Moore and came away with seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Elsewhere on Green Bay's offense in Week 1, rookie center Corey Linsley was making his first career start. He actually acquitted himself fairly well that night, but he has become one of the best centers in the NFL in the 18 weeks since, turning himself from a question mark into a genuine asset along the way. Green Bay allowed three sacks in that first game, but the offensive line has improved a whole lot since then while Seattle has lost a few valuable contributors on its defensive front.
Will the changes made by Green Bay outweigh that 20-point differential from Week 1? Or can the Seahawks withstand whatever comes their way by leaning on the stalwarts who are still in town?
All the way back in Week 1, the Seahawks beat the Packers 36-16 in Seattle in the NFL's season opener. Seattle's offense outgained Green Bay by nearly 150 yards, controlling both the ball and the clock, while the defense held Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense in check. There's a rematch Sunday with the NFC championship on the line, only these Seahawks aren't exactly those Seahawks, and these Packers aren't exactly those Packers.
Seattle had Percy Harvin back then, and offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell used him to great effect. Harvin had 11 touches for 100 yards in that game, as the Seahawks got him the ball on screens, slants and jet sweeps all night. They also used various fakes to Harvin to generate plays elsewhere. Harvin, of course, is now on the Jets.
The Seahawks have used a balanced offensive approach to make up for the loss of Harvin's services -- though it should be said that Harvin didn't have all that great a year while he was in Seattle -- with Russell Wilson spreading it around to Doug Baldwin,Jermaine Kearse, Luke Willson, Cooper Helfet and more while also featuring a heavy dose of both Marshawn Lynch and Robert Turbin in the running game. The defense, of course, despite a midseason downturn to mere "good" play, is back at the height of its powers.
The Packers in that Week 1 game sacrificed No. 3 receiver Jarrett Boykin at the altar ofRichard Sherman, keeping him on Sherman's side of the field while trying to work Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb elsewhere. Boykin has since lost his job to rookie Davante Adams, one of the stars of Green Bay's divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas used Brandon Carr to shadow Nelson and Orlando Scandrick on Cobb, so Adams went to work on No. 3 corner Sterling Moore and came away with seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
Elsewhere on Green Bay's offense in Week 1, rookie center Corey Linsley was making his first career start. He actually acquitted himself fairly well that night, but he has become one of the best centers in the NFL in the 18 weeks since, turning himself from a question mark into a genuine asset along the way. Green Bay allowed three sacks in that first game, but the offensive line has improved a whole lot since then while Seattle has lost a few valuable contributors on its defensive front.
Will the changes made by Green Bay outweigh that 20-point differential from Week 1? Or can the Seahawks withstand whatever comes their way by leaning on the stalwarts who are still in town?