Coach Tuesday Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 it was cover 4, but it wasn't well executed. we were in a 3-3-5, with Hughes playing out of a 3 point stance - so really, a 4-2-5. we blitzed Brown and Graham, while Dalton kept Bernard in for pass-protect. So, we were rushing 6 against 6. we had 5 men in coverage to their 4 in routes. the play was designed to force Bradham to trail AJ Green on a drag across the middle - from our left to right - but with both Brown and Graham blitzing the B gap on our right side, Dalton thought better than waiting for that to develop, and threw a strike to Jones running inside Gilmore with no immediate safety help. Yes, Duke got there eventually, but Jones had already split him and Gilmore. besides giving them that deep play, Bradham got away making their play design more effective when he chased the H-back through his clearing route from right to left (opposite Green's cross). doing that forced Darby to get a late start trailing Green. If Dalton knew that his RB was gonna take out both our blitzers, he might have waited for Green, who had 6 yards on Darby... but with his timer going off because of our blitz, and the sight of Jones running with good inside position on Gilmore - all he had to do was not underthrow it. Robey was the nickel next to Gilmore, but he was trailing the clearing route of the TE on our right- like the H-back, he was heading right to left. better communication may have let Robey help Gilmore cut off Jones, by passing his TE off to Duke... and if Bradham passed his H-back off to Darby, and chomped on Green's route.. and if either Brown or Graham stays on their feet... Dalton may have had to pull it down and take the sack. it starts with Gilmore's inconsistencies. he was 10 yards off Jones, and before he had a chance to run with him on his go route, he spun completely around to his right when Jones went inside to his left. for a split second he actually had his back to Jones. the more i see of this defense, the more i'm reminded of Ryan's comments in pre-season about having to get his coverage men talking to each other. this was not an exotic defense. we had Mario, Bryant, Kyle, and Hughes with their hands in the dirt, and tried to flood them with two more..no down linemen dropped into coverage.. we simply made mistakes, while the offense executed. btw - i tried to upload a screen shot to illustrate what i've described, but i can't get it done. And yet - despite those breakdowns, it took perfect execution by the Bengals' offense to complete that pass - Gilmore recovered and was in the right position to make a play on the ball, but Jones hung onto it (barely, and perhaps not at all upon further review). Perhaps that's the issue with this team - they're so talented on defense they allow themselves to get away from fundamentals and they don't always communicate properly. As I've said elsewhere, Rex's defense seems designed to mask the deficiencies of a less-talented squad. Having 11 solid starters requires an adjustment to the approach... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted October 23, 2015 Author Share Posted October 23, 2015 And yet - despite those breakdowns, it took perfect execution by the Bengals' offense to complete that pass - Gilmore recovered and was in the right position to make a play on the ball, but Jones hung onto it (barely, and perhaps not at all upon further review). Perhaps that's the issue with this team - they're so talented on defense they allow themselves to get away from fundamentals and they don't always communicate properly. As I've said elsewhere, Rex's defense seems designed to mask the deficiencies of a less-talented squad. Having 11 solid starters requires an adjustment to the approach... they are down to 9 solid starters now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 they are down to 9 solid starters now True. Duke Williams is a solid stool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BackInDaDay Posted October 23, 2015 Share Posted October 23, 2015 (edited) And yet - despite those breakdowns, it took perfect execution by the Bengals' offense to complete that pass - Gilmore recovered and was in the right position to make a play on the ball, but Jones hung onto it (barely, and perhaps not at all upon further review). Perhaps that's the issue with this team - they're so talented on defense they allow themselves to get away from fundamentals and they don't always communicate properly. As I've said elsewhere, Rex's defense seems designed to mask the deficiencies of a less-talented squad. Having 11 solid starters requires an adjustment to the approach... my point is, that Gilmore's technique did not compliment the blitz, and gave Dalton an immediate hot read. getting back to the original play design, Bradham's error in manning up to the H-back instead of passing him off to Darby while both Brown and FS Graham were blitzing, gave AJ Green an open middle and right side to run thru. Dalton released his throw to Jones as soon as he saw him inside Gilmore with Robey waiting on his TE. I agree that it took a nice throw to connect with Jones, but he could have easily thrown it 10 yards to Green and let him run for at least another 15-20. that's what Brady would have had the composure to do. we'll never be a championship defense with so many mental errors. with the popularity of spread attacks, these guys have been playing variations of cover 4 since HS. it's knowing your assignment, and taking responsibility.. it's doing your damn job. sorry, Coach - i must have been channeling Lou Saban again Edited October 23, 2015 by BackInDaDay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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