Darren Waller is a name every draftnik knows well. Probably entered the game too early in the sense that the league wasn't ready for him in the sense of creativity and usage. He definitely wasn't ready for the league. Big time battle with substance abuse early on. Sounds and looks like different dude. Seems happy, humble, focused.
He broke last year, I still remember David Carr talking him up before last season. Obviously there was a connection there.
Waller is a feature force for Oakland. Gruden loves moving him around & Carr absolutely depends on him. There's a real trust there. Especially on 3rd down. Waller or Renfrow have Carr's trust. He's going his way or looking his way no matter what.
He's used everywhere. Inline, tight-reduced/slot, outside, motion. Eats up a cushion. Big time catch radius - definitely need length & quicks to defend. Esp in MOF on crossers & those option/leverage routes. Play him like the power forward he is. Try to get underneath, tight to the hip on crossers. It's about your position more than his. He'll kick in inside/outside depending on how the defender is playing him. Or Just keep going. He's so big, quick, fast, long he just creates natural separation with a step or hesitation by the defender. He can block too. At times he'll lock you out with those long arms. Inline, stalk block in the slot/tight formation.
He really moves. Explosive steps out, eats up chunks of yards, can stop/start. Long strides. Really fun to watch.
Lots of timing of timing, reading a defender & precision between WR/QB so disrupting him off the los is key. You have to move him, put him on the ground. Let Wino, Simon or someone really lay into him once or twice. I wouldn't be surprised if Bill told his guys "Hey if you can hit him, anyone, within 5 yards, do it" or something to that effect. Stopping him isn't a one man job. I'd love to see our LB's lay some fear in him if they nothing else on the shallow crossers.
Definitely expect Gilly on him on 3rd down. 3rd downs have been enormous on both sides. Carr is 15/18, 2 TDs on 3rd down and just as good from 3rd & 5+ yards. So they're converting both run/pass.
They're running game has been so good on 1st/2nd down and putting them in good position. Jacobs is what we hoped Sony would be if we're being honest. Just a really good, instinctive inside runner. Tough, takes on & gives contact but also really good at getting skinny. Reducing his target. Great runner.
Carr still waits for guys to get open but seems to trust this group more. Seems to have a new attitude. Awareness, spacing will be key for our shallow/hook-MOF defenders. Carr has struggled with 2hi/C2 looks in the past but with Waller & now Ruggs it's tough to pull that off but I still expect to see some type run. Some variation that protects that player. We've run a similar "zone/man match" pattern as Oakland's DC Guenther before. I could see us in some split coverage/different coverage on each side depending on their formation, where Waller is. Something like C6 (combo coverage) Again Carr has had trouble with these looks in the past so expect the usual pressure up front married to the coverage to disrupt their timing and best players.
Still very suspect under pressure. Especially when it comes in waves imo. Which I expect on Sun. He can slide, step up, see some stuff coming but just shuts down at a certain point. He needs to see it coming and feel good about the pass.
Carr still gets flustered at times. He's not someone who can make it happen like Russ. Again he step up as rushers are pushed up field but the closer it gets the quicker he breaks down.
Their OL is very good-great but Bill will absolutely scheme up something like he always does. Disguise, overload he's getting to Carr. NO got to him early but just couldn't capitalize as a team.
Simpson looked a little shakey when he had to come in. Missed like 3 combo blocks that left Miller and others in a bad position. You can get after him. Hudson next to him as well. Really good in the run game but suspect in pass pro.
Miller looks good. Powerful, quick mover. Definitely who they envisioned when picking him that early. Great pass protector.
Got some luck, Ruggs is out! That's big news even though he's a rookie. He can play. Hopefully we get luckier and Waller is out or banged up for real. Carr and Ruggs are still figuring things out though. No camp, no time so it's understandable they're (Carr/Ruggs) aren't on the same page yet. I noticed a few times how open Ruggs was. The ran him on those deep overs at Bama and like Hill in KC he'll continue to take the top off.
Moreau isn't a bad #2 TE at all. Only like 20 rec his rookie year but 5 TD and Carr only passed for like 22. He's more than capable
I really expect a big bounce back from the defense. C2 variations to take away Carr's favorite spots & targets. I wouldn't be surprised to see a zombie front in obvious pass down to confuse Carr and take away his throwing lanes.
We've seen their stretch zone before. Their OL is a great group as a whole but we've been here before. At least mentally, we know what we're up against. Rams, SF ... Our staff is watching everyone. We have know-how. The question is if we have the personnel to match and execute for 4 quarters against a team committed to running the ball. Even on 3rd & 5 or we. They're confident and have the group to pull it off. They know their identity. Hopefully this defense responds in a big way and creates one of their own.
