BradyManny
Pro Bowl Player
- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 11,103
- Reaction score
- 1,520
This is a pass-first league and a pass-first offense. We do without the fullback and the blocking tight end because they are liabilities in the passing game and can be superseded by Faulk and Watson.
We want to run a zone-blocking scheme because it promises guaranteed yards but we don't have the blocking tight ends to collapse the corner or the fullback to lead on inside zone and erase the penetration on an outside stretch. So the running back has to step around a lunging body in the backfield or else backside pursuit runs faster than the offensive line can push through the box.
Our offensive line is actually pretty good all things considered so half the time we get holes created where a defensive lineman gets ridden out of the play. The other half of the time the running back looks like he's trying to run around a moving wall. So we get a running game that swings between 10 yard gains and 1 yard gains almost at random.
That's my general take on it.
Interesting take, as usual.
Seems to me both Baker & Watson should be good enough blockers, and maybe the Matthews guy from NYG is as well.
As for the spread - it's hard to argue w the success of the 2007 offense, I'm just not sure its the best offense to beat a Rex Ryan type defense. In theory, sure, spread the field and you can create 1 on 1 matchups. But if the team has good corners, like the Jets, and those corners are allowed to get away w/ a lot (thanks, refs) then you're in trouble.
I'd be interested to see how a 2-wide 2 TE 1 RB no huddle would fare. It might force the opposing D to keep its base D on there, but you can split out 5 pass-catching targets [not using the word "wide" here to avoid confusion] if you wanted and get some really favorable matchups, b/c our TEs and RBs all can catch the ball. Or you can just run w the two TEs on the line. Or, leave 1 TE (Baker) on the line and split Watson out and have the threat to do both. It'd also set up play action, which Brady seems to be lethal in, and we used to do a lot more of it seems.
Once upon a time we took TEs in the 1st round b/c it can be one of the most valuable and versatile positions on the field. I think both Watson and Baker are multi-purpose TEs.
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