Whoa, again - thanks. Some of that terminology went over my head, but conceptually I think I understand - or at least understand far more than I did.
1 - Is there a game where you felt the team did particularly well in stopping the Ravens?
2 - Do you see the Patriots adopting this approach with Cam at the helm? What will Cam be worse at than Jackson? What will he be better at?
I'll stop asking questions after this, and feel free to keep it short if you're getting bored lol.
I don't mind. I'll try to answer or just say I don't know, which is a lot more than I know.
Definitely the Chargers playoff game a few years ago. Even the one from a few weeks before that game, same season. Jackson's rookie year. They sold-out against the run both times but played 7 DB's the entire game a few weeks later in the playoffs. In part bc of an injury to J Brown, a LB. They wanted as much speed on the field as possible and they had a good secondary who could tackle. It worked the second time and held them to under 4.0 per rush I believe.
I thought the Steelers, Browns & 49ers did did a few nice things too. More of sequences, few series here and there but they all did some nice things.
49ers dedicated two LB's to scrape over the top of Jackson instead of the usual one teams will deploy.
It's all about picking your poison in most cases bc you'll leave yourself vulnerable to over playing Jackson and giving up huge chunks to their RB/OL. You'll leave yourself empty over the top or exposed outside in some cases. No pass rush bc you're trying to clog the middle.
W/e the "scheme" you'll need a dominate day from your DL. Baltys OL last year was a beast. Jackson was the star but they were so good its not funny. They lost Yanda, who looks like he lost 100lbs already but they still have a very good line. You need to reset the line, penetrate & mess with that hand off / mesh point between the QB/RB.
You'll need athletes, smart, calm athletes that can tackle behind them. Idk if the Chargers had the magical formula but you speed. LB/DB, you need speed for sure. They gain so many "extra" yards bc of initial confusion behind the line. And before you know someone's jogging out of bounds, gaining an extra 5 yards bc they have a angle that started behind the line. I saw it ton, LB'S & S will just flip their hips & feet one way before realizing Jackson is keeping it running to the sideline.
So far Jackson has been very unique. Fast as Vick with a little more elusiveness maybe? Maybe a little more slippery. He definitely doesn't have Cam's power but Cam doesn't have his speed, agility & I'd say Jackson is as good or better taking hits or knowing who's around him to avoid those hits.
A healthy Cam is still a nightmare though. He looks like he's in great shape and still running a 4.5 out there. You'll see more of a downhill, power running game with Cam even though Balty featured a lot of that. A lot of the stuff but scaled down in terms of volume. Jackson's speed really gives them the ability to stretch you out with some zone stuff.
As far as in the pocket I really don't think Cam has a huge advantage but definitely some for sure. Not necessarily in terms of play calling but confidence and more Cam is comfortable in areas where Jackson is still developing. More experience imo.
I'm really excited, I've always been a big fan. He's a freak when healthy and I'm not sure he's been giving a fair shake at times but we. He's capable of putting an offense on his back and being the system. I'm really excited to see what type of running game we'll come up with to complement him. I'm hoping the coaches are excited bc again he's a handful if right. 6'5/245 that can run a 4.5 and not afraid to let it loose when he needs to. This is what I'm ready for. Cam isn't afraid at all to sling it. Deep, contested catches/tight window, he's letting guys make a play.
As for the running game I'm expecting some bootlegs, naked and some variation, trick play off those at one point. We'll see some zone read. Some QB power/draw. QB counter. I think we'll have 4-5 staples and work off that whereas Balty is working off a lot more but who cares. We have to work with what we have. Our OL is going to have fun. They'll be involved early and the focus of every game. They love this type of football it really let's them shine and again they're the focus in a lot of ways. Guys like the responsibility, being depended on. I'm very excited and hoping Josh & co really put together some stuff. I wouldn't mind at all if we rode Cam a year or two building up a style, a new style. While we draft someone next year or the next. Maybe have them sit or we but if we get lucky Cam could be a hell of a bridge-QB.
