Packers mesh concepts and man beaters on offense

 The Packers have one of the most potent offenses in the league and arguably the best wr in Devonte Adams. But, they also don't throw the ball vertically too much. Against the Panthers they threw one pass more than 10 yards down field. ONE and its below which means this. They will run a ton of man beaters that are short routes and mesh shallow concepts to beat you.

The Packers can beat you in many ways:

1. They can beat you running the ball

2. They can beat you with wide zone boot and play action

3. The Packers have a very good rpo game

4. The Packers can beat you by going empty and taking advantage of matchups with Adams and Lazaar in the slot.

5. The Packers can beat you in the drop back passing game which they do well and protect the passer.

6. They will take advantage of matchups with Adams And Lazar inside or put Adams against your worst cb if you don't travel.

Here he beats Ramsay 1x1 on 2nd and 14 and gets 12 for a manageable first down. The Rams are in combo. Man on Adams, cover 2 with everyone else. 

On Defense:

1. You need to play a handful of  man and use your 2 deep safeties aggressively in the pass game when you play them.  Drive 1 of them down vs condensed sets .

When Adams is to the single side, double him. with one safety and use the other to disrupt the mesh routes. Drive the safety to the 3x1 side to play the mesh or this will happen.  22 yard gains. It seems simple.

You can also do it vs 2x2. but here they dont do it and its a big gain of 22 yards.

Example 1 of a packer man beater, mesh concept.

Example 2, They run mesh and the Panthers drive  the safety down! You can do this vs 2x2 or 3x1 when Adams is to the single side. Need to help with him at all times. They drive the safety to the mesh 3x1 side down and double Adams, causing the incompletion.

Here the Panthers do it again and get the sack. Disrupt the mesh routes vs condensed formations. Safety coming down really disrupts Rodgers and they get the SACK!

2. When Adams is in 3x1 and in the trips, you must cover off, play 4x3 or give the impression he is covered or you will get those easy catch and runs (see rpo below)  Slant the other way with the dline so things spill out 

Adams is one of the best wr and great at getting separation vs man coverage. Here as you can see he does a great job getting separation early in the route which makes it difficult for teams to play him in man. It also amazes me that teams don't double him more and take him out of the game.

Green Bay vs Panthers.

Adams uses his hands to get seperation early in the route as the Panthers go man free. 

Wide open at the top of the route with no safety help. Easy 20 yard gain

Leverage rpo's

The other thing that is built into the system is the rpo options any time they get 3 over 2, or at times 3 over 3 with leverage. You have to paint a cloudy picture at times or Rodgers will take easy throws. Vs the panthers he gets 3 wr over 2 and he throws it out to Adams with 2 blockers for an easy 14 yard gain. If he doesn't like the numbers on the perimeter the Packers will often have run built in.

They will take this any time you give it to them which they do here vs the Panthers. 

Example #2 , they come out in 12 personnel and hae an rpo with a wr screen. 

MORE Green Bay Packers Mesh Concepts

This video shows how the Packers used bunch formation and simple shifts to dictate coverage and run mesh concepts vs Lions man free defense. They also take advantage of matchups as the Lions really couldn't handle Aaron Jones Athleticism. The clips show how nfl teams take advantage of matchups.

clip 1- align tight end out as #1 strong safety is on him, clear indication they are in man free. Then they motion and shift and run the play they want vs man free coverage. clip 2-Lions are in bear front, packers motion rb jones into the slot. Lions are forced to walk out the mlb. easy read on the mesh as it is a major match up with lions mlb against Jones. The packers know this is a mismatch and easy read for Rodgers vs man free. clip 3-same play as clip 1. Rodgers recognizes man free by alignment and checks to the mesh concept. Very difficult for defenders to get thru all the traffic with man free with no underneath help.

These 3 examples are great play design by the packers.

The packers also use the running back to create mismatches vs man.

In the next video you see how they use Aaron Jones against the Lions by essentially running 3 screens for him with the 1,2, and 3 wr. This is a great play design vs man free coverage and getting one of your best athletes the ball

Here are just some of the concepts you will see from the Packers. They are a great offense and very difficult to defend.

Green Bay Packers Run Game - Using Motions to Your Advantage

 By Jim Jackson

Matt LaFluer and the Green Bay offensive staff are very strong in their ability to use motions to their advantage in the run game. Like the 49ers offense they use shifts, motions, and arounds (post snap) to gain an advantage. There are three reasons why you would want to use motion in the run game:

1. Gain a numbers advantage at the point of attack.

2. Gain an angles advantage for your TE or OL blocking by reaction to the motion.

3. Make a support player (safety or corner) loosen his alignment and not trigger so quickly.

The Packers use all three of these in their run game to gain an advantage. 

The first play is an example of a fly sweep fake softening the down safety causing him to hesitate. This makes the block for the WR much easier. Condensed formations help with this block as well. This play was Week 12 vs CHI.

The second play is a Toss Windback play in Week 2 vs DET. The TE motions from the furthest alignment to a hip position. This align to execute mentality gives him and inside/out blocking angle on the OLB which is critical to the play.

The final play is a Duo play with Jab Footwork by the RB. This play was Week 9 vs SF. There are 2 motions on this play. The motions help the OL and the Slot WR with blocking angles. This is creative run game design!!!

Just like the 49ers and Rams, Green Bay is on the cutting edge of shifts and motions to gain run game advantages. More teams should implement these concepts to simply slow run defenses down. What is the next concept or step they will take? 

Jacksonville Jaguars - RB James Robinson

 By Jim Jackson

James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars is currently the third leading rusher in the NFL with 1,070 rushing yards through Week 15. He is having a great season for anyone, and has been productive his entire career at Illinois St (shoutout MVFC). He recently had a lower leg injury in the 4th Quarter vs. the Ravens so we hope his season is not done. 

James displays some of the most critical traits we look for in a Running Back. Vision is the most important trait that a RB can possess. This is very innate, and it is typically more difficult to coach for players in the box. He sees holes quickly and can accelerate through them. Second, he has great balance which is displayed by his ability to make people miss. In the 5 games we broke down, he repeatedly makes the first tackler miss. Finally, he is tough. His strength works well with the scheme in Jacksonville to make sure he gains positive yards. There were very few TFLs in the games we broke down. He loves to run in between the tackles (where the tough yards are).

Normally, we present pictures, but this article is best to attach more video clips. James is having a great season, and hopefully he can finish strong!

22 yard gain and stiff arm

14 yard gain and trucks DB

9 yard A-Gap run

9 yard gain and tough to tackle

15 yard gain on gun wide zone

13 yard gain on gun inside zone

11 yard gain and another missed tackle

16 yard TD and great finish

10 yard gain on Power

Thanks again for viewing our site and content!

New York Jets - Wide Zone OL Techniques

 By Jim Jackson

In Football, like in life, there is an age-old saying, "It's never as good as it seems, it's never as bad as it seems."

There were some experts and pundits who were shocked yesterday when the winless NY Jets beat the LA Rams in Week 15 of the NFL season. We have been watching and studying the Jets for the last month and noticed that they were really a much better team than their record indicated. The OL had been physical all season, and they play with great technique specifically in their wide zone play. This article will focus on some of the great individual efforts displaying talent/coaching/scheme. NYJ have some really good and young talented players on the OL. We look forward to watching them develop.

Play 1: Week 11 NYJ vs LA Chargers 8 yard gain on Wide Zone. They run behind Mekhi Becton and Connor McGovern. 

Play 2: Week 7 NYJ vs BUF Bills is a 7 yard gain on another wide zone. This is an elite play by the Center Connor McGovern. Great technique, great strength, and great finish. 

Play 3: Week 7 NYJ vs BUF and another 9 yard gain on wide zone. This is a great example of elite and physical play by #68 Josh Andrews who is in his 5th season.

Play 4: Week 13 NYJ vs LV Raiders. The result is a 25 yard gain on another wide zone play. The LT stretch block is detailed here.

Thanks again for joining us! The NYJ are not as far off as people think! This young OL is technically sound and plays hard, they just need to be a little more consistent!

Washington Football Team - Duo

 By Jim Jackson

The Washington Football Team late season push has been fueled by many factors. The first being the great defense the they have played in since Thanksgiving. On offense, controlled, quick passes has been another major factor. But this article will focus on the run game and specifically Duo. The WFT run it from a variety different formations, RB alignments, and motions. It is a downhill run that that allows the OL to come off the ball with double teams to create vertical movement. This is a statement play!

Duo is a gap scheme play that can be run from under center, pistol, or gun. It also can be run out of 11, 12, and 22 personnel. WFT runs this every week to compliment their wide zone game. Simply put, the OL is blocking on gap scheme angles in one direction and the RB is running the opposite direction. We will dissect the RB read in the diagrams.

The first play was vs DAL on Thanksgiving. 4th Quarter to ice the game. 23 yard statement play and run! Duo is a physical play! Vertical double teams right at the DL and LBs! 

You can see the concepts and schemes below

Read the LB 

LB Downhill while reading the LB

The second play is vs a 4 Down front in CIN. There is late pre-snap movement which takes OL off their double teams quicker than they wanted. Great play for the OC to call on 1st and 10 to get ball to 2nd and 4. In the third pic the TE blocking technique is detailed. L. Thomas is a willing combatant and is solid in blocking.

Nice design. Footwork loked at

The final play is a 4 minute situations vs PIT. Although the gain is only 2 yards, it accomplishes some critical points in a 4 minute system. The ball does NOT bounce so it keeps the clock moving. There are positive plays because it is a 1 cut play for the RB. The RB is this play does a great job of situational and game awareness.

The WFT is playing solid complimentary football at the best time. They are first place right now, and if they make the playoffs it will be because of defense, short passing, and running the ball downhill with Duo!

Other Resources of Duo:

https://insider.afca.com/xs-os-running-the-duo-at-san-diego/

Casey Scully

 https://weeklyspiral.com/2021/05/10/duo-concept/

Duo Vs Zone

 https://www.schwartznfl.com/how-to-identify-if-a-run-play-is-inside-zone-or-duo/