AllWorldTE
Well-known member
The run game was impressive against the Titans so I took a look at what they were doing.
From 2007 to last year, the Patriots have featured three core run plays consisting of Inside Zone, Outside Zone and One Back-Powers. They choose these three concepts because each can be run with a single back from any formation. Each is also adaptable to two back looks.
The Pats have also carried various scheme plays they use by game plan (Whams, Iso, Traps, G Powers etc.) Draw is a complement of their pass game. Last year, Bill O'Brien installed and made heavy use of a Toss play that had been a common call years before. He used it so much it was his fourth most called run concept last year.
Looking at the Titans game shows that Josh and BOB are of singular mind, at least to this point. Josh made use of four different run concepts in this game. The Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Single Back-Power & the Toss. No other concepts were used in this game other than Brady's sneak and kneel down.
The least successful concept was the Inside Zone. Last year the OL had difficulty gaining vertical push on their combos which is a critical aspect of the concept. They had the same problem Sunday. Josh called the Inside Zone five times. Ridley gained +1, +2, +1 and +2. Woodhead gained +1 on his only IZ. These plays were not well executed. I took some screen shots of the plays which I'll post. I'll talk about the concept a bit so that anyone with access to the game films will be able to recognize the concept in future games.
The IZ is a play were the interior OL uses vertical combination blocks to drive down defensive linemen off the ball with the idea of one of the OL taking over the DL which enables the other OL to come off to the linebacker which makes it a combo rather than a simple double team. Vertical push and timing are critical. The OLinemen working the combo want to drive the DL to the level of the assigned backer before coming off as this sets up the second level block. If the combo gets no vertical push, the play is in trouble. Other blockers find themselves in single man to man blocking situations where they are trying to keep cut-back and front-side running lanes open.
The RB takes a side step an gets downhill (or winds back) at the front-side guard (the landmarks vary). He reads the front-side combo which tells him to hit the LOS outside the combo or cut back.
The first IZ the Pats ran was their second play from scrimmage on a 2nd & 1 at 8:02 of the 1st quarter at the -34 YDL. Ridley gained one yard.
If you look at the first pic, the yellow lines set the combo blocks from the DL to the LB. It's clear in the second pic that Gronk and Wendell are already in trouble. Gronk has to prevent his man from getting inside him. He's beat on the snap. Wendell has to come off to the backer who is mirroring Ridley. With so little movement on the combo, Wendell is screwed before Ridley even has the ball, as is Ridley. The third pic shows Gronk's man in the front-side hole forcing Ridley to cut back. It also shows Wendell's LB scraping over the top to fill the hole from the back-side. Gronk tries to drive his man past the hole which doesn't help because Wendell's man has filled it. Lack of movement on the back-side Wendell/Connolly dooms this cut back as Ridley is so constricted it allows Gronk's man to make the tackle after Ridley cuts back.
From 2007 to last year, the Patriots have featured three core run plays consisting of Inside Zone, Outside Zone and One Back-Powers. They choose these three concepts because each can be run with a single back from any formation. Each is also adaptable to two back looks.
The Pats have also carried various scheme plays they use by game plan (Whams, Iso, Traps, G Powers etc.) Draw is a complement of their pass game. Last year, Bill O'Brien installed and made heavy use of a Toss play that had been a common call years before. He used it so much it was his fourth most called run concept last year.
Looking at the Titans game shows that Josh and BOB are of singular mind, at least to this point. Josh made use of four different run concepts in this game. The Inside Zone, Outside Zone, Single Back-Power & the Toss. No other concepts were used in this game other than Brady's sneak and kneel down.
The least successful concept was the Inside Zone. Last year the OL had difficulty gaining vertical push on their combos which is a critical aspect of the concept. They had the same problem Sunday. Josh called the Inside Zone five times. Ridley gained +1, +2, +1 and +2. Woodhead gained +1 on his only IZ. These plays were not well executed. I took some screen shots of the plays which I'll post. I'll talk about the concept a bit so that anyone with access to the game films will be able to recognize the concept in future games.
The IZ is a play were the interior OL uses vertical combination blocks to drive down defensive linemen off the ball with the idea of one of the OL taking over the DL which enables the other OL to come off to the linebacker which makes it a combo rather than a simple double team. Vertical push and timing are critical. The OLinemen working the combo want to drive the DL to the level of the assigned backer before coming off as this sets up the second level block. If the combo gets no vertical push, the play is in trouble. Other blockers find themselves in single man to man blocking situations where they are trying to keep cut-back and front-side running lanes open.
The RB takes a side step an gets downhill (or winds back) at the front-side guard (the landmarks vary). He reads the front-side combo which tells him to hit the LOS outside the combo or cut back.
The first IZ the Pats ran was their second play from scrimmage on a 2nd & 1 at 8:02 of the 1st quarter at the -34 YDL. Ridley gained one yard.
If you look at the first pic, the yellow lines set the combo blocks from the DL to the LB. It's clear in the second pic that Gronk and Wendell are already in trouble. Gronk has to prevent his man from getting inside him. He's beat on the snap. Wendell has to come off to the backer who is mirroring Ridley. With so little movement on the combo, Wendell is screwed before Ridley even has the ball, as is Ridley. The third pic shows Gronk's man in the front-side hole forcing Ridley to cut back. It also shows Wendell's LB scraping over the top to fill the hole from the back-side. Gronk tries to drive his man past the hole which doesn't help because Wendell's man has filled it. Lack of movement on the back-side Wendell/Connolly dooms this cut back as Ridley is so constricted it allows Gronk's man to make the tackle after Ridley cuts back.
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