Belichick's latest monster?

[BrooklynBills]

The thing with an Air Raid offense is that IMO it is going to get points. Your O has to score and sustain drives.

[Pneumonic]

The problem with the way the Pats run their O is that they can do everything out of there 2 TE set and get Gronk matched up on mismatch. Also, with a QB as smart as Brady running it and with their WRs being all very smart players, they know exactly how to attack coverages. Everything is based upon how the defense lines up.

 

This ^^^^ and when you have a QB that rarely gets fooled by a defense

 

"Well, at this point in my career ... I would say, it's pretty rare," Brady said when asked if he's ever fooled by a defense. I've been around for a pretty long time. Not that they can't fool me. But I know where all my vulnerabilities are with my protections in the run game, I know who's unblocked. I don't really ever want to snap the ball into a bad play. I don't want to snap the ball if the coverage is really defensed well against the run that we have called. Maybe that happens 15 times in a game, where other teams may snap the ball into a bad defense. I don't ever have one of those plays."

 

You get unprecedented QB success.

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/the_blitz/2015/09/tom_brady_its_pretty_rare_when_i_get_fooled_by_a_defense

Edited September 22, 2015 by Pneumonic

[BackInDaDay]

 

Air Raid concepts are more than just play design. It also is predicated on giving the offense A TON of freedom to change plays/routes at a moments notice based on the the defense. Disguising your coverage intentions is a big factor in being successful against it; that is different than disguising pressure. In college, LSU ran/runs a Dime package with 4 DL, 2 LBs and 6 DBs where the DBs all roam around pre-snap to try disguise their coverage intentions. Communication in the secondary is essential also because there is a lot of switching off guys and playing a version of zone defense in which the zone defenders play man coverage within their zone on the field and then pass them off when they exit.

 

The problem with the way the Pats run their O is that they can do everything out of there 2 TE set and get Gronk matched up on mismatch. Also, with a QB as smart as Brady running it and with their WRs being all very smart players, they know exactly how to attack coverages. Everything is based upon how the defense lines up.

 

Excellent points all around, especially regarding communication. Regardless of what D you're running, there's always gonna be a lapse in focus, so you have to have guys talking/reminding each other where their responsibility is. It must be crucial in defending this system.

 

The AR you describe regarding receivers altering the routes/route depths sounds a lot like the Mouse Davis run&shoot that Rex's dad was so fond of. From that link 'Pete' sent early this morning, it looks like this system's got a big family.

[Fadingpain]

I find a lot of this general discussion very interesting.

 

As the game has gotten much more sophisticated/complicated since the days of Superbowl XXV, a huge emphasis on intelligence has entered the game at critical positions, especially QB.

 

A QB still has to be able to throw the ball and have the size/body to get the job done, but that is almost secondary now to having the right mental component.

 

This reminds me of the video that was recently posted with Tyrod and Michael Vick training/practicing together.

Vick said playing QB is 90% mental, or something like that.

 

He's right, and that's coming from one of the more athletically gifted QBs of all time.

 

This ^^^^ and when you have a QB that rarely gets fooled by a defense

 

"Well, at this point in my career ... I would say, it's pretty rare," Brady said when asked if he's ever fooled by a defense. I've been around for a pretty long time. Not that they can't fool me. But I know where all my vulnerabilities are with my protections in the run game, I know who's unblocked. I don't really ever want to snap the ball into a bad play. I don't want to snap the ball if the coverage is really defensed well against the run that we have called. Maybe that happens 15 times in a game, where other teams may snap the ball into a bad defense. I don't ever have one of those plays."

 

You get unprecedented QB success.

 

http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/patriots_nfl/the_blitz/2015/09/tom_brady_its_pretty_rare_when_i_get_fooled_by_a_defense

This is really interesting and insightful.

 

If you have the ability to decipher a defense before the snap, why would you ever run a play that favors the defense and not the offense?

 

If all the talk of Tyrod being a really bright guy is true, we may be in good hands once he gains more game experience.

[BackInDaDay]

I find a lot of this general discussion very interesting.

 

As the game has gotten much more sophisticated/complicated since the days of Superbowl XXV, a huge emphasis on intelligence has entered the game at critical positions, especially QB.

 

A QB still has to be able to throw the ball and have the size/body to get the job done, but that is almost secondary now to having the right mental component.

 

This reminds me of the video that was recently posted with Tyrod and Michael Vick training/practicing together.

Vick said playing QB is 90% mental, or something like that.

 

He's right, and that's coming from one of the more athletically gifted QBs of all time.

 

absolutely.. consider the plight of RG3.. Shanahan may have temporarily destroyed him physically, but at least he ran AR concepts he knew the kid understood from his time with Briles.. rookie QBs usally don't shine the way he did, unless they have a little head start on the job. honestly, i don't know what style offense Gruden's running, but it's obvious that it's not the same fit.

Edited September 22, 2015 by BackInDaDay

[RevWarRifleman]

BDD, thanks so much for doing the research & for posting! Felt like I was cramming for a college physics exam.

[RevWarRifleman]

Great post. The way to beat Brady has always been to utilize a heavy pass rush. I think Rex may now know that he has to bring the heat. Shoot, he has the players for it. Bellichek was probably surprised that we didn't blitz.

Agree. Bring the heat on Mr Brady, especially early in the game. He gets uncomfortable even when there's bodies closing in on him, let alone hitting his throwing arm or giving him a pasting before or right after he gets rid of it. He doesn't like physical play. Been that way 15+ years.

[BackInDaDay]

BDD, thanks so much for doing the research & for posting! Felt like I was cramming for a college physics exam.

you're very welcome Rev.. i enjoy getting enough pieces together, so the rest of the gang can add to the subject..

like many of us, i was bewildered by how Rex defended - or attempted to defend - the Pats attack.. at least now i know he wasn't knitting socks when he should have been looking at tape

Agree. Bring the heat on Mr Brady, especially early in the game. He gets uncomfortable even when there's bodies closing in on him, let alone hitting his throwing arm or giving him a pasting before or right after he gets rid of it. He doesn't like physical play. Been that way 15+ years.

i get a feeling that the Pats surprised us with staying in the up tempo so long.. not that that should dissuade the occasional pressure a blitzer could bring.. but at some point in their preparations, it must have been decided that taking a man or two out of coverage was too risky.. i'm sure there'll be a lot of re-thinking on that

[TSOL]

This is an interesting thread and an interesting concept. I've never heard of AR before but makes perfect sense. As Brady, many times in our game, and in the games I've watched them in before, gets the ball out so fast, before the receiver runs his route or even before Brady sees the coverage, seem like he is throwing to a spot, with confidence.

 

Seems like they really showcased this concept in our game this week, because every other play looked like Brady could have thrown the ball blindfolded and still completed the pass. Maybe Belichek knew, knowing Rex, knowing our personel and knowing Rex's defensive tendancies, maybe he knew we'd be the perfect opposition for it to work on.

 

It also seems like Pete Carroll and Russ Wilson employ some of these concepts in their offense in Seattle.

 

But thanks for the breakdown, OPer, this is a much more refreshing read than the infighting on the Tyrod Taylor thread!

[DC Tom]

What if you had a back pocket sort of play you only ran once and only in a desperate situation because it's so risky? Instead of covering receivers, you send all your defenders against the grain in waves. So the receivers look wide open but the coverage is crossing the passing lanes in two waves. Brady might see the first guy but not the second one stepping in front of his pass. Of course you have to get some pressure on him to hurry the throw a bit. But you do this after you give him a few plays to get his confidence up. Then you do this to hopefully get a pick 6. Mind you if Brady goes long over the middle you're screwed.

 

And against the Pats, you probably draw an illegal formation call. Or pass interference. Or an inadvertent whistle.

 

Never work.

[Prickly Pete]

Nice read.

 

I still don't understand why they wouldn't change up the coverages, after repeatedly being shredded. Even if it was just to see what adjustments the Patriots receivers would make to tight man to man. What the Bills were doing wasn't working at all, in fact it was spectacularly bad.

[BackInDaDay]

Nice read.

 

I still don't understand why they wouldn't change up the coverages, after repeatedly being shredded. Even if it was just to see what adjustments the Patriots receivers would make to tight man to man. What the Bills were doing wasn't working at all, in fact it was spectacularly bad.

 

it might be hard for us to believe that any alternative could be worse than what was happening, but Rex may have felt that if his players could execute the plan, it remained the best way to defend this attack.

Rex may be a lot of things, but he's a very good defensive coach.. i doubt that he refused to take a more aggressive tact out of stubbornness.. in fact, sitting back watching Brady rip off completion after completion must have been pretty painful. it's just an opinion, but i don't see many teams slowing this down. The Seahawks and Jets may have a shot by throwing more press man at it - but by nature the system's designed to help receivers scrape 'man' defenders off when that presents itself.. at least that's what advocates of AR claim. it'll be interesting to see if this monster was just the right fit last Sunday, or if the Pats view this as their base offense going forward.

[Prickly Pete]

Regardless of what Ryan might have felt, when they are racking up 500 yards of passing, it's time for a change.

 

One thing that stuck out, was the lack of big hits by the Bills defenders. I think it had at least a little to do with the type coverage scheme they used. I don't buy heavily into "bullying", but sometimes getting physical with receivers can be effective.

Edited September 22, 2015 by HoF Watkins

[RealityCheck]

I was hoping to see Rex line Mario Williams up directly across from Gronk whenever he was on the line and pass rush through his lane every time. Force him to at the very least to get around Mario, and at best force Gronk to fully engage or get pancaked. You have to run pressures right at some of these big TEs and allow the coverage to get a step or too into the passing lanes. With a perpetual 2 step drop, anyone tight to the line needs to deal with extra traffic. Belicheat incorporated a wide-9 with inside blitzes to delay TEs and RBs from getting to the next level on time. It's a game to grow on for sure.

[3rdand12]

 

After reading an article on the Air Raid offense and it's assimilation into NFL offenses, i believe Rex 's defense just fell prey to the longest duration of AR concepts ever implemented in the pros.

Belichick and Brady have been blending AR into their O since the days of Texas Tech (Air Raid system) receiver Wes Welker. When they let him go, they signed fellow Texas Tech receiver Danny Amendola. A couple years ago they draft Jimmy Garoppolo who ran an Air Raid offense at Eastern Illinois. I'm not going to research their entire roster, but i think this stockpiling of skill position players familiar with AR offenses is no coincidence.

While all the attention's been on ex-Oregon coach Chip Kelly's Eagles, Belichick and Brady have been refining a high tempo passing offense of their own - based on AR. If our game was any indication - this doesn't appear to be a sometime thing. This looks like a commitment's been made to run this out of spread formations the majority of their snaps. It'll be interesting to see if that's the case.

Read this article, if such things interest you. It's from 2013, but i think you'll recognize much of what it describes.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1850629-is-the-nfl-ready-for-the-air-raid-offense.

Personally, it's helped me better understand what Rex may have been trying to do defensively in his coverage schemes this Sunday. What i thought was a lot of man under zone, was more than likely mostly zone - implemented with everyone but his D line. We obviously executed like crap, but at least now i'm not as bewildered by his defensive approach to what he thought was coming.

 

sir, you have done nothing but keep me thinking.

The game is deeper than me, but you again have enlightened.

i can see what you see now.

Very interesting to consider, indeed!

[BADOLBILZ]

 

After reading an article on the Air Raid offense and it's assimilation into NFL offenses, i believe Rex 's defense just fell prey to the longest duration of AR concepts ever implemented in the pros.

Belichick and Brady have been blending AR into their O since the days of Texas Tech (Air Raid system) receiver Wes Welker. When they let him go, they signed fellow Texas Tech receiver Danny Amendola. A couple years ago they draft Jimmy Garoppolo who ran an Air Raid offense at Eastern Illinois. I'm not going to research their entire roster, but i think this stockpiling of skill position players familiar with AR offenses is no coincidence.

While all the attention's been on ex-Oregon coach Chip Kelly's Eagles, Belichick and Brady have been refining a high tempo passing offense of their own - based on AR. If our game was any indication - this doesn't appear to be a sometime thing. This looks like a commitment's been made to run this out of spread formations the majority of their snaps. It'll be interesting to see if that's the case.

Read this article, if such things interest you. It's from 2013, but i think you'll recognize much of what it describes.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1850629-is-the-nfl-ready-for-the-air-raid-offense.

Personally, it's helped me better understand what Rex may have been trying to do defensively in his coverage schemes this Sunday. What i thought was a lot of man under zone, was more than likely mostly zone - implemented with everyone but his D line. We obviously executed like crap, but at least now i'm not as bewildered by his defensive approach to what he thought was coming.

 

 

The underlying concept is that the defense can't cover those combinations and the Pats are the best around at doing this.

 

So it begs the question WHY do you attempt to cover all of these areas/routes?

 

This is asking your defense to do things they do not excel at.

 

They simply let the Patriots dictate the tempo of the game and maximize their matchups and maybe that looked good on paper but that was never going to work.

 

This is a straight ahead group of top level athletes and not a cerebral bunch of underachievers who are best suited to and need to use deception at the risk of hesitation.

[BackInDaDay]

 

The underlying concept is that the defense can't cover those combinations and the Pats are the best around at doing this.

 

So it begs the question WHY do you attempt to cover all of these areas/routes?

 

This is asking your defense to do things they do not excel at.

 

They simply let the Patriots dictate the tempo of the game and maximize their matchups and maybe that looked good on paper but that was never going to work.

 

This is a straight ahead group of top level athletes and not a cerebral bunch of underachievers who are best suited to and need to use deception at the risk of hesitation.

 

Ryan put his trust in his players' physical abilities and in their ability to remain disciplined enough to execute the coordinated defense he prepared for them..

He owned up to his failure to prepare them well enough to stop what came at them. How much of this failure was actually his, and how much was actually the failure of his players to implement what they were taught, is only relevant in terms of how he can defend this or a similar attack down the road.

 

Maybe his game plan isn't such a cluster f*ck in week 6, because by then his guys are getting used to talking to one another, and can match the offensive tempo by recognizing and communicating their assignments quickly. Or maybe he fails anyway, because he's not capable of preparing a disciplined game plan. Or maybe he fails anyway, because his players lack what it takes to execute such a game plan.

 

Personally, i think it would be the first scenario. I agree that the Pats are the best at this attack, and that our coach and players were out of their element last Sunday... and i don't think we'll be the last team to feel that way on Monday after facing this.. but i do think the coach and players will be in a much better position to push back the next time

Edited September 23, 2015 by BackInDaDay