Box - The play was 1st and 10 from the Eagles 29 with 2:12 remaining on the clock in the 2nd quarter...
If you could re-watch that entire series focusing on Alexader, I'd appreciate it.
The NFLN feed from Philly comes back from commercial after the KO, 2:05 remaining in the second Qtr, Philly ball on their own 29.
1st and 10: Phi 4-wide, Feeley under Center.
-- NE 4-2 Nickel,
---- Guyton MLB sets up 3 yds off the LOS before the snap,
---- Alexander 2 yds off the LOS over the slot's inside shoulder (set to deny the receiver an inside release) on the short side of the field,
---- Richardson in as NB 4 yds deep over the slot's inside shoulder on the wide side,
---- Butler/Wheatley CB, Chung/Meriweather S,
---- all three CBs 4-6 yds off the LOS - for the record, Wheatly on Alexander's side of the field has the deepest set, for whatever that might tell anyone.
-- It's definitely Cover-2, and it looks like the outside CBs are in zone along the sideline.
-- If this was a Tampa-2, Guyton would be responsible to drop deeper into the middle to take away that soft spot in the zone coverage. Guyton appears to be working the underneath zone and not the middle because he checks his drop to cover the RB coming through the line.
-- Arguably, Wheatley is releasing the outside receiver for Guyton if it's a Tampa-2, or Chung if it's a regular Cover-2. (Within the limits of my understanding assignments in zone coverage and assuming I'm somewhat close in my coverage identification).
-- Both outside receivers are running Post or Slant routes into that soft middle of a Cover-2.
-- Both slot receivers run outs along the LOS.
-- Feeley never looks anywhere else, he's locked onto his outside receiver on that side, presumably because he knows:
---- #31 is a starting Safety,
---- #28 has been playing outside CB in Nickel packages all of the first half, so he's already past the jitters and into the game,
---- two 'starters' and a reserve NB on the left side vs
---- three reserves, including a LB, on the right side.
You believe Alexander is out of position on this play. Before making that judgement, I have to ask myself a couple questions:
-- Do I want my LBs dropping into coverage off the snap on 1st and 10? I'd say no, even with a better than two TD lead facing a likely hurry up offense a draw or screen can pick-up just as many yards under these circumstances as a pass.
-- Who would be responsible (or most responsible) to read the play developing and communicate to the DL? The DBs are already dropping into coverage off the snap, the guys who could first affect a developing draw or screen are the DL, but they are rushing and not always watching the backfield. I would argue the two LBs would be the guys with primary responsibility to read the play developing and communicate it to the DL - the Safeties would be responsible for the DBs.
Is Alexander out of position on this play?
-- He's a LB not a DB, he most likely should 'not' be dropping into coverage off the snap on 1st and 10.
-- Guyton's own actions suggest this is the case.
-- Since both LBs reacted the same way, I'm comfortable saying they were first assigned to play the run, while watching the backfield and communicating to the DL.
-- Would I have liked Alexander to be deeper in his zone when the ball was released? Yes.
-- Does his not being as deep indicate a failure on his part? I don't see how if I'm going to expect him to play run first and be an observer for the DL.
-- Should Alexander have been dropping straight back in an effort to clog the throwing lane for the outside receiver running behind him? How would he know where the receiver is?
---- Wheatley could have made a call to signal Alexander to drop straight back and take underneath coverage, but 'we' can't know if that occurred.
---- Alexander starts dropping towards the one receiver whom he should have known about without further communication from behind him.
---- It's more likely Butler and Richardson communicated a handoff on their side, but Alexander and Wheatley? I can't know if Wheatley was expected to work with a LB the same way he would work with a DB. I can't know if Wheatley made the call if he was responsible. I can only know that Wheatley and Chung where the two who had the play in front of them on that side of the field, it's awful hard for me to assign blame to the LB without a lot more information than is available to me.
-- Neither Alexander or Guyton start dropping into coverage until they see Feeley set up to pass on a three step drop.
-- Guyton does start dropping first, but he's got an unimpeded view of the QB from MLB while Alexander is looking over the top of OL/DL moving across his field of vision as they set up/rush - I'd say it's reasonable to expect him to be a fraction slower than Guyton, and he's barely that fraction behind Guyton's first step back into coverage.
I'll go through the rest of the series next, but for this first play you've identified I couldn't reasonably say Alexander was out of position, at best you could argue he should have been dropping straight back and leaving the slot receiver heading towards the sideline for Wheatley - that is what Richardson is doing on his side, but he's a CB and he's playing deeper, he and Butler would have communicated their intentions. Wheatley probably should have been playing it differently on his side with a LB over the slot than Butler would with a CB - just my guess. I'd also think Chung would cheat up just a bit with a LB on his side - not enough to let the receivers get behind him, but enough to react faster to the ball going where it did. As it was, Meriweather makes the tackle because Chung is so deep (over 20 yds when he comes into the picture).
More traditionally patsfans excoriate a DB when a completion occurs in a soft zone, hanging a LB out is a new twist.
