Philadelphia Recap Wk 15

PHI Recap Wk 15

Offense makes up for Defense

Sunday night's game was a huge one for Dallas, pretty much a make or break for this season. If they win, they improve their chances of getting in to the big dance, and if they lose, they need a lot of other stuff to happen to have a chance at all.

Luckily, it turned out in Dallas's favor 38-27, but the score nowhere nearly represents how stressful the game was for the second and third quarters. Dallas started off by putting up 21 unanswered points against Philly. After that, Dallas clicked into December mode. The two defensive three-and-outs they had against Philly's O faded away as (and this seemed to be the case for practically the rest of the game) any first down the Eagles got ensured a scoring drive thereafter. Philly stampeded back 24-21, and both teams traded blows.

What changed the game late in the third quarter was Brent Celek's immaculate timing on a fumble that Jason Garrett had to throw the challenge flag on to get it looked at. Dallas took over in plus territory and found Dez Bryant where he was all night- the lower right section of the endzone.

Personally, I don't feel like Dallas will make it very far in the playoffs if they do make it- their defense is swiss cheese, both up front on the run and downfield on the pass. Mark Sanchez found receivers way too easily downfield, and even when they weren't passing, McCoy was well able to gash them up front. Playoff caliber teams are decent on BOTH sides of the ball, not just one, and we can't rely on Romo and the offense, especially this late in the season, to do it for us.

Chicago Recap, Philly Precap WK15

Boys/CHI Recap Week 14, PHI Pre-Cap Week 15

Dodged a Bullet

You can tell Dallas is going into January mode. They should have stomped all over Chicago from the start, but they kept it interesting at the end. Two recovered onsides kicks? 21 points in a quarter, even if it was only the 4th? It's sloppy, and not a good way to cap off a week while heading into your second meeting with Philly.

SLOW. THEM. DOWN.

One thing that Seattle did that may give the Cowboys an option is the whole "fake injury to stop the game" routine. Is it gamesmanship? Probably, yes. Is it not in the spirit of the game? Probably. But I'm pretty sure the game wasn't founded in the spirit of running a hurry-up offense all game either, so fight fire with fire. One thing this Philly O has got going for them is when they settle into that rhythm of getting 10-12 yard chunks play after play. Even if that is the case, if a Dallas player takes a dive in the middle of a drive, it screws up the rhythm, gives the D a chance to catch up, and ultimately allows Dallas to play more solid, concentrated D.

Yes, it is true that the league does fine teams for faking injuries, but something as serious as a cramp can keep a player down for up to 10 minutes if it's bad enough, and why wouldn't they be more prevalent against a team running the hurry-up?

Dallas has to stop worrying about what the media and public is going to think if they pull this routine though. They NEED this win, along with the Eagles losing one more game this season to make Dallas the de facto NFC East champion, and they don't have to worry about seeing Philly again in the playoffs if Seattle does well.

Football Basics: The Option Game

Quick Hitting and Quick Thinking

What It Is

The option game isn't a formation or a playbook; rather, it is a concept. Practically every offensive playbook from any offensive system has some sort of option. This doesn't make the team an "option team", however, a system whose run game specializes in and frequently runs option plays is normally referred to as an "option team.

As you may be able to tell from the name, the option game specializes in run plays that give the quarterback two (or even three) options regarding who can run the ball. All of these options are affected by how the quarterback reads his keys (generally referred to as the read key, the pitch key, or both in one play). If a Quarterback is good at reading his keys, the option game is generally very difficult to stop because the only way to stop it is by having a defense that is aware of and plays their responsibilities very well.

However, if a team is very well coached playing against the option, the defense can then force the QB to take options he may not necessarily want, such as keeping the ball when he wants to pitch it, or handing it off to the dive man when he really wants to keep it. More below.

What it Does

As said above, option plays are plays in which 2 or more people could potentially end up running the ball. The point of this philosophy is to have multiple angles at which the offense can attack, and it is up to the QB to decide which one of these angles is the one that will result in the most yards. In addition, it can also take advantage of defenders who are too eager to go to where the play appears to be being run. 

Plays That are Run

• Read option
• This is the bread-and butter of any option playbook. It generally occurs out of a Shotgun set (with the running back offset to the side the play is going) or Pistol set (with the runningback directly behind the QB). The linemen block in the direction the play is called, and the running back goes on a dive path (getting ready to run a dive with the QB putting the ball in his stomach). The linemen do not block the last man on the line of scrimmage; this is usually a defensive end or a walked up OLB, and he is considered the READ KEY. If the read key crashes down on the line of scrimmage and pursues the RB, the QB quickly pulls the ball out and attacks the space where the read key just came from. If the read key sits still and plays disciplined, the QB gives the ball the RB.
• Zone option
• This is essentially the same thing as the read option, but now the offensive linemen are taking zone steps (lateral, playside steps, picking up whichever man surfaces first in that area). The running back goes to the direction of the play ACROSS the QB's face (as opposed to straight down into the LOS in the read option) on an outside zone path (attacking the flank and reading how the blocks play out in front of him, waiting for a gap to surface). Meanwhile, the QB reads the defensive end/OLB/read key to the backside of the play, instead of the frontside, like he did in the read option. If the read key to the backside chases after the RB, the QB keeps it and attacks the space where the read key came from. If the read key sits and plays disciplined, the QB hands it off.
• Midline Read Option
• Same as the read option, but now the read key is an interior DL instead of one on the edge.
• Triple Option
• With all of the option types covered so far, we have only had a READ key, giving us two options- either hand the ball or keep it off. For us to have another option, we have to have another key. In the triple option, we have TWO keys- a READ key, and a Pitch key. Typically, in the triple option the pitch key is the next second-level man outside the read key. This can be a rolling down safety, an OLB, or even a corner. The play works the same way as the read option, except when the QB decides to keep it and attack the LOS, he is waiting to see if the first defender to come up covers the QB or the Pitch man. If the defender goes for the Pitch man, the QB keeps it. If the defender goes for the QB, the QB pitches it.
• Wildcat Option
• You do not see the wildcat that frequently anymore, but it was semi-popular in the 2008 season . In the Wildcat, a RB or WR takes the place of the QB, the QB splits out as a WR, and a WR or second RB motions across the formation to make the play look like sweep. The ball is snapped to the RB playing like a QB, and he reads just like a QB would on Zone,

Who Runs it

• Smaller, faster, smarter teams (Regular Option)
• The option game is designed to be quick-hitting and confusing to a defense. Although easy to game-plan for in terms of responsibilities, nothing can truly ensure that the defense will have players in the right spots when they need to be. Also, since good teams do not run an option play EVERY single play, the option is a good follow-up to plays where you have been consistently handing the ball off and attacking the flank or interior of the line.
• An offense has to be intelligent to run the option and have good football IQ. A lot changes in the course of a play, and the OL and blocking backs have to be able to read on the run. 
• Some HS, Some College, Some Pro, occasionally. (Wildcat)
• You don't see it that much anymore because most coaches do not like the ideas of lining a QB out wide as a blocker, having a non-QB take and handle a shotgun snap, or wasting practice time to go over something they either will not use or will use very little. The Miami Dolphins did a great job of making the Wildcat a mainstay of their offensive package in 2008, until the Patriots wised up to it in their second meeting and forced them to pass with a sub-par QB.

Hope you learned a little!

Cheers

JG

'Boys/NYG/PHI Recap

Cowboys/NYG/PHI Recap

Undewhelming Against Both

Haven't been on here in a while, what with the new developments in my life- getting a full-time job at MTHS, finishing up the coaching season, helping coordinate our HS football team's lifting opportunities after school... 

But, I'm back. And after a bye week, a shitty performance against the Giants, and a shittier performance against the Eagles, my confidence as a fan is waning. Once again, the Eagles are in a position to take the East, the Cowboys are trying to claw their way back up, and the other two teams suck. The only thing I'm praying for is that Dallas can just get above .500 for the first time in, what, 4 years? And even that isn't necessarily a lock. Bears, Eagles again, Colts, and Skins? Well, the Bears definitely aren't the worst team we're going to play this year. That was probably the Giants, and look how close that game turned out! The Colts' passing game is going to be too volatile for the Dallas D to contain, and the Birds and Skins are both one game up on Dallas. Out of this upcoming four weeks, I would like to think that the Bears and Washington are manageable, but recent events have convinced me otherwise.