Jeff Howe: Is Bill Belichick revolutionizing the way teams view offensive line rotations?

[Oswlek]

NE has been doing this early in the season for years now. They usually settle into a consistent 5.

I think Howe's conclusion: Excessive O Line Substitution = Revolutionary Advancement

I think you might be conflating things a bit. No one is saying that rotation of any kind is revolutionary, nor are they saying that swapping OLs is the primary reason for NE's success. As far as I can tell, all anyone is saying is that most teams think rotation along the OL is harmful, and NE going against such a widespread trend is potentially revolutionary if it spurs a change in this practice.

 

[n6249c]

When I first thought about this, I was picturing it as a more intensive version of the coaching QBs get between series. Taking a deeper look, that comparison starts to break down. Sure, a small number of stills can show formations, stunts and blitzes similar to how QBs are shown coverages, but what about technique and opponent tendencies, which is likely the lion's share of the coaching. Without access to video, this type of coaching would require much more effort than what the QB receives in-game, and has to be coached to 3 plus players.

The amount of preparation, organization and effort to coach 3+ players in this way is no easy task, and likely something that most teams would struggle to pull off. They likely use a boatload of stills and have coaches focusing on each linemen with binoculars up in the booth. I'd be curious whether the coaches with binoculars are the ones coaching up the individual linemen in their off-series, or if they are breaking down the information to Googs, or some other means.

This is fascinating stuff, I hope the media asks a ton of good questions about it. Likely they'll ask dumb questions instead and roast BB for not giving good answers. It really is too bad. I have learned more about football watching BB pressers than any other individual source. It sucks that he is so rarely asked good questions.

I expect there is access to video. I'd be very surprised if there is not. There is no technical barrier to having it. The Microsoft sponsorship has put Surface Pros on the sidelines for every team, easily capable of providing full video streaming and playback. Broadcast television has long since demonstrated the ability to select and analyze plays in realtime, and to broadcast the results to viewers at home. All the team would need is access to the video feeds in realtime (I'd expect that's possible, if not they can run their own video cameras as long as they're placed within the rules), the same kind of video processing equipment the networks use for their instant replays, and people to run them. None of that is impossible, indeed it all seems more likely than not.

 

[Galeb]

I expect there is access to video. I'd be very surprised if there is not. There is no technical barrier to having it. The Microsoft sponsorship has put Surface Pros on the sidelines for every team, easily capable of providing full video streaming and playback. Broadcast television has long since demonstrated the ability to select and analyze plays in realtime, and to broadcast the results to viewers at home. All the team would need is access to the video feeds in realtime (I'd expect that's possible, if not they can run their own video cameras as long as they're placed within the rules), the same kind of video processing equipment the networks use for their instant replays, and people to run them. None of that is impossible, indeed it all seems more likely than not.

It is my understanding that they only have access to stills in game. It is not a technical issue, rather a standing rule. Remember spygate? I believe they experimented with video on the Surface tablets this preseason. If I recall correctly, the Pats kept working with stills.. Developing this new approach may be the reason the Pats didn't use the video.

 

[n6249c]

Updated my post with a ton of info, and I'm fairly certain you're joking, but Jax didn't make any OL combo punt, lol

Thanks for that update, very useful analysis. Good example of why I love this site, when folks are talking football not trash at least.

and yep, I was joking about the really poor punting yardage against Jax. I think it's hilarious that poor Ray Allen doesn't qualify for the punters leader board because of lack of attempts. Hope his contract doesn't have a performance bonus based on being among the league leaders.

 

[n6249c]

It is my understanding that they only have access to stills in game. It is not a technical issue, rather a standing rule. Remember spygate? I believe they experimented with video on the Surfaces tablets this preseason. If I recall correctly, the Pats kept working with stills.. Developing this new approach may be the reason the Pats didn't use the video.

Interesting. Given that my new cell phone camera has a burst mode (useful for HDR) the line between stills and video is somewhat blurred. I can see it now, VIDEOGATE. The defense being "we weren't shooting video, just bursts of stills". More fun and games...

 

[brap999]

Interesting. Given that my new cell phone camera has a burst mode (useful for HDR) the line between stills and video is somewhat blurred. I can see it now, VIDEOGATE. The defense being "we weren't shooting video, just bursts of stills". More fun and games...

Technically all video is just a rapid succession of still images. TV is around 24 or 25 fps, basically each second you see 24-25 still images

I can see where this can get tricky to define viewing a series of still images vs 'video footage'. I don't know if the NFL even defines what the fps has to be to be considered 'video'. What if a team decided to look at a series of still images at 10 each second? are they viewing video or rapidly viewing stills?

Anyway, i got off topic. sorry!

To get back on topic, i do believe this is revolutionary in the sense that most teams view swapping out OL as a negative, and BB is viewing it as an advantage.

 

[Deus Irae]

Googe and the rest of the staff have gotten past the continuity barrier, probably by working on swapping players ever since the start of camp. They were doing the same thing last year, but they did not have the depth of talent to make it work without loss of effectiveness. This season they've restocked the talent pool, with almost enough talent to field two starting offensive lines. That's what's really revolutionary about this.

Please ...by all means.....present the substitution statistics of the other 31 teams. Howe certainly didn't. He interviewed a college coach and together they pronounced....Revolutionary.....ta da.
Frankly, I see more O line substitution in high school games but no one is crowning those coaches as trail blazers.
I give Howe credit, he certainly knows how to suck in the faithful..... "BB the Genius Does It Again!!! "

Brady is releasing the ball at a faster average time than any QB in NFL history. If you want to look to why the OL subbing is 'working', and the IOL hasn't been a problem, you need look no further than the release time of the QB.

That's not to say that some level of substitution isn't a good thing. IFor example, I love that they give their fragile tackles some plays off, because it may help to avoid fatigue-related injuries. It's just to note that anything being declared 'revolutionary' is based upon one hell of an outlier.

 

[1960Pats]

There was a pretty funny bit on the Grantland NFL podcast on Monday that mentioned this. Robert Mays was talking about how splitting time between tackles is a sign that you don't have any tackles worth starting, and Barnwell pointed out that the Patriots have done exactly that to great effect. Mays just shrugged and said rules of thumb like that just don't apply to the Pats.

In a lot of ways, they really are operating on a different level.

The Pats don't go by the rule of thumb.

They go by the rule of finger...

 

[aluminum seats]

Please ...by all means.....present the substitution statistics of the other 31 teams. Howe certainly didn't. He interviewed a college coach and together they pronounced....Revolutionary.....ta da.
Frankly, I see more O line substitution in high school games but no one is crowning those coaches as trail blazers.
I give Howe credit, he certainly knows how to suck in the faithful..... "BB the Genius Does It Again!!! "

No, as I said, I'm sure neither of us have the time to do that. Again as I said, it would be good if a sports journalist did, but they're mostly too busy with deflated footballs.

You said you "loved" Howe's article, it doesn't seem that way now if your impression of it is that he's just trying to "suck in the faithful."

I don't think the high school comparison would really be relevant. The extent of substitutions on the OL feels like a big change to me, but maybe it isn't.

 

[Gronkowski123]

john harbaugh doesn't like this method.
expect him to complain to the league...

 

[JJC]

I wonder if there is not a simpler objective in mind. We all know that conventional wisdom states that an offensive line must work effectively together and communicate. They need to operate as a hive collective to protect the quarterback or pave the road.

What better way to get each player to understand the role of the guys in his collective than to ask him to play downs in each role? Move him around and see the plays from different perspectives. Develop a global view of the line play, rather than a parochial view. Do this for some period of time and everyone appreciates and understands what each of their teammates is doing on a deeper level. In a way, this is applying Piaget's developmental learning theory to line play. Reinforce the symbolic (written playbook) with visual (film work) and sensori-motor (playing experience) reps to establish DEEP understanding of how to work together best.

Genius? Revolutionary? Maybe. I've always believed the genius is realized when people synthesize knowledge or understanding from disparate domains to create a discontinuity of understanding or operational knowledge. Classic example is Einstein's E=mc^2. Light. Particle? Wave? Both!

 

[NormZauchin]

Technically all video is just a rapid succession of still images. TV is around 24 or 25 fps, basically each second you see 24-25 still images

I can see where this can get tricky to define viewing a series of still images vs 'video footage'. I don't know if the NFL even defines what the fps has to be to be considered 'video'. What if a team decided to look at a series of still images at 10 each second? are they viewing video or rapidly viewing stills?

Anyway, i got off topic. sorry!

To get back on topic, i do believe this is revolutionary in the sense that most teams view swapping out OL as a negative, and BB is viewing it as an advantage.

Given that the NFL had no knowledge of the ideal gas law and no data on how football pressure is affected by the cold and rain, I could easily see them pouncing on the Patriots for "taking too many stills" in an arbitrarily defined time frame.

 

[patriot lifer]

I'm mostly amazed with the contrast to last season. They were miserable on the O-line early in the season, and this year we are without Dan Connolly.

Currently, we're down to our 3rd-string Center (an undrafted rookie FA) and 2 rookies mixed in with Kline. As fans and onlookers we have the benefit of hindsight, but who could reasonably have guessed their performance thus far?

But enough gushing about the team (which there's much of these days on the Board). If Andrews goes down anytime soon, we're screwed!

 

[n6249c]

Brady is releasing the ball at a faster average time than any QB in NFL history. If you want to look to why the OL subbing is 'working', and the IOL hasn't been a problem, you need look no further than the release time of the QB.

That's not to say that some level of substitution isn't a good thing. IFor example, I love that they give their fragile tackles some plays off, because it may help to avoid fatigue-related injuries. It's just to note that anything being declared 'revolutionary' is based upon one hell of an outlier.

But isn't anything revolutionary by definition also one hell of an outlier? I don't think it can truly be revolutionary without being an outlier. If it's not an outlier its mainstream. How can anything mainstream also be revolutionary?

 

[Deus Irae]

But isn't anything revolutionary by definition also one hell of an outlier?

No

 

[The Gr8est]

Now that the Pats have added Hicks, maybe they want to do a similar rotation with the D line.

 

[Tony2046]

One coach says yes....

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/.../2015/09/patriots_line_combos_make_foes_dizzy

This is a great article. Thanks for sharing this.

 

[Reckedtrek]

john harbaugh doesn't like this method.
expect him to complain to the league...

....only to see him try employing it himself in the second game of the 2016 season.

 

[PP2]

Interesting passage from Take your eye off the ball by Pat Kirwan (published 2010, pg. 82):

I can envision the day when a new role is created for linemen: the situational tackle. The offensive line is the only position (aside from quarterback) that doesn't use situational substitutions. Why not take a veteran with the skills and savvy to still play the position- but perhaps not the stamina to handle 65 snaps anymore- and allow him to be your pass-blocking specialist? Think of what that might mean to a guy such as Walter Jones, Seattle's 9 time Pro-Bowl tackle. By the end of the 2009 season, the Seahawks realized the inevitable was approaching- Jones was coming off an injury and his great career was nearing it's end. But what if they could have made Jones a designated pass-blocker? He would play 0nly in passing situations, maybe 30 plays per game or so, and Sean Locklear would play the run downs. Team sub in pass rushers all the time, so why not sub in a guy to block him?

 

[n6249c]

Interesting passage from Take your eye off the ball by Pat Kirwan (published 2010, pg. 82):

I can envision the day when a new role is created for linemen: the situational tackle. The offensive line is the only position (aside from quarterback) that doesn't use situational substitutions. Why not take a veteran with the skills and savvy to still play the position- but perhaps not the stamina to handle 65 snaps anymore- and allow him to be your pass-blocking specialist? Think of what that might mean to a guy such as Walter Jones, Seattle's 9 time Pro-Bowl tackle. By the end of the 2009 season, the Seahawks realized the inevitable was approaching- Jones was coming off an injury and his great career was nearing it's end. But what if they could have made Jones a designated pass-blocker? He would play 0nly in passing situations, maybe 30 plays per game or so, and Sean Locklear would play the run downs. Team sub in pass rushers all the time, so why not sub in a guy to block him?

Talk about tipping your hand on what to expect as far as the play call. As described this would seem ripe to show tendencies that would help the defense diagnose plays pre-snap.