giogalindo

i'm a 49ers fan and i just don't understand why every single team falls for that play where brady play fakes at the goal line and hits vrabel wide open. you would think someone would figure out a solution but no.

DisgruntledTunaFan

*shrugs* I guess it's execution. I remember Parcells and Romo tried doing it against AZ last year, but TR was lucky it didn't get picked off-otherwise, that was 6 the other way.

Skree

Because the Pats bunch up and the defenders have to play run, Vrabel is a big man who gets past the defenders and can make a quick grab. He is behind them before they have adjusted to it being a pass play and can't react because Brady throws it so quickly.

solman

If they cover Vrabel, he throws it somewhere else.

Was it against Miami that they doubled Vrabel, so Brady hit Brady in the end zone?

Nordy

That was the Cowboys that doubled Vrabel and left Brady open.

Brady to Brown

Brady explained this play today.

Said Vrabel was put in a s a blocker and actually put his hands on one of the D-Linemen as if he were going to block. He then released and ran past the D-Lineman and at that point it was to late to do anything about it. He gave Josh and Vrabel big congrats on that play.

PATSNUTme

Vrabes is unstoppable as a reciever. If the Patriots wanted to they would start him instead of Moss but then we would really be running up the score. So they keep him on D where he can only stp sack the Qb and let the lesser recievers play offense.

Hope that the Niners keep our draft choice high. Top 15 would be fine but top 10 would be better.

stevepratt

The linebackers and safeties still have their keys to follow for the running game even though the majority of our touchdowns from inside the five have come through the air. At first it use to be that Vrabel was just lucky not to be covered but like someone previously stated he is working for these touchdowns now. He faked like he was going to block and then slipped to the back of the endzone. I think being a linebacker and obviously playing a lot on the goaline he knows what it looks like from a defense players point of view and how to fake them out. He knows what they are thinking and uses it against them

xmarkd400x

Imagine this:

You are the Linebacker responsible for covering Vrable on a goal-line play. You are also responsible for outside contain on that run play. On the goal line you play the run first, no matter what. Vrabel comes up, and gets into you a little bit so you push back. As a defender, the play feels like a run.

As Brady has said before, the O-Line has as much to do with this as Vrabel. Anyone who has played football can probably tell you if its run or pass in the first 2 seconds of any play depending on what the lineman do.

So, as the linebacker, the lineman are run blocking. Vrabel is coming up to block you. You take on Vrabel as a blocker. Except a split second later Vrabel gives you the swim move and he is past you. He is past you because your momentum is towards the offensive backfield and he is going the other way. You cannot change directions fast enough. He is behind you, and in the NFL all it takes is .5 seconds of being open to make the difference between a TD and an INT or incomplete.

In short, the entire offense fakes the run. The O-Line, the QB, the RBs, and Vrabel. The linebacker bites on the run and Vrabel is wide open.

As to why the defenses don't key in on it? Do you really think this offense only does one thing with a specific personnel package? No. They run (probably more often, I don't have stats or game film) with Vrabel in there also. That is why that fake works.