Football Outsiders breaks down the Skins OL vs Dallas; Verdict: Positive
by smutsboy1 on Sep 16, 2010 1:32 PM EDT
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PrintVerdict: Trent Williams had a GREAT game.
Also good: Brown and Hicks.
There is some great stuff in the article. I encourage you to read the whole thing. (Skins are one of three teams the writer is watching all season.)
This passage may have done more to help me understand zone-blocking and the stretch play more than anything else I've read:
However, in this game the Redskins really struggled to run the stretch play and the reason was pretty simple. DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer did a phenomenal job setting the edge all night. What I mean by "setting the edge" is that when you are the last guy on the line of scrimmage, as Ware and Spencer usually are, it is your job to keep your outside arm free so you are able to keep contain. Not only that, but since birth, these guys have had it pounded in their heads that losing contain is the eighth deadly sin. I once had a coach who said, "You can either lose contain, or you can play defensive end. You can't do both." (In a 3-4 defense, especially in the Wade Phillips variant, the outside linebackers basically are the defensive ends.) Well, the zone stretch play was introduced to take advantage of that style of coaching. The offensive player, usually a tackle or tight end, attacks the defender's outside shoulder. The defender, fearing he is about to be reached, freaks out and starts working like crazy to get back outside. During this process, the defender will be so worried about getting outside that he won't notice that he has moved eight yards from his original alignment creating a huge seam.
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Really good read, thanks for the link
Was really refreshing to read a well-written, long piece only dealing with offensive lineman and their play.
I keep hoping that someday, somebody like Chris Samuels or Russ Grimm will get an announcer’s job so that those of us who don’t give a crap about the divas and the skill positions could watch a game and get some color on where the real action is.
Those of you who think you can just plug in any five guys on the offensive line and spend big bucks on the skill positions really need to read this article.
The world looks mighty different when you're peeking out your belly button
Excellent read - column is now bookmarked
Not having ever played any level of football, I really enjoy articles that explain the game / skills / strategy involved. Even better to see one dedicated to O-line as it’s so often overlooked other than when it’s terrible (so ’Skins fans of late unfortunately know way more than avg)….
You'll like this one too then
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/cover-3/2010/fo-basics-scouting
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by Kevin Ewoldt on Sep 16, 2010 4:34 PM EDT up reply actions
I buy their annual book every year.
I’m addicted.
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
This is why we love Hogs Haven
This is a site where, as Ken said in the Down Under Lines column, the Comments section is where the action is. I would expand that to saying that the FanPosts section is equally as important. So many other sports sites devolve into petty squabbling and losers lying about what they do for a job, thinking giving themselves fake status helps improve the legitimacy of the points they are making, but not HH.
The community here is full of people who provide links like this, awesome work Smutsboy1, really appreciate the link, great great work.
HTTR and Hail to the Hogs Haven Community as well.
Thanks so much this was an invaluable article.
Pommylee
not to diminish the great work you do Ken and Kevin
the Comments section is where the action is. I would expand that to saying that the FanPosts section is equally as important.
You both are amazing moderators, and also are becoming increasingly accomplished sportswriters in your own right, and how you manage to dedicate the time and effort to keep this site running whilst having full time jobs amazes me, your partners must be very understanding.
But I think you would agree that the community we have formed here is a major part of the sites success.
Pommylee
LaVar Arrington was discussing the match up between Jammal Brown and Williams. The Texans move Williams around on
the line and it would be likely to have play head to head with Brown. What Arrington didn’t discuss was the possibility of a Heyer and Williams situation. The Texans might do what the Skins did to the Cowboys when they sent Orakapo to the right offensive side against Barron (in this case against Heyer). This tactic may preclude the Skins from giving Brown a break during the game.
Mike Shanahan style offense - the Houston Texans
Reading the following article will remind you of some of the discussions that have occurred with Shanahan. The advantage the Texans have is they have been using these schemes longer than they have been employed with the current Redskins.
The following excerpt sounds like it came out of M. Shanahan’s mouth except the player is crediting Dennison: “I think we are doing more stuff, and that’s one of the things Rick Dennison brings,” Winston said. “Being able to run the same plays out of different formations makes it tough to get a read on zone if you run four or five different plays out of four or five different combinations. It forces [the defense] to play straight up, because you’re not giving away any tendencies. We’re getting good matchups, but it’s also hard to play us just one way because we’re doing so much of that.”
I asked Winston which play best typified the day enjoyed by the running game, and he pointed me in the direction of Foster’s 25-yard scoring run in the fourth quarter (Fig. 1). On that particular drive, the Texans went 92 yards on four plays — all on the ground, including a 42-yard gain, and ending in Foster’s third touchdown run.
Figure 1: Texans TD w/Zone Left
“It really showed everything we’re trying to do,” Winston said. “We had some good cuts on the back side, good extension on the front side, and Arian really took that one step, hit the hole, and made a guy miss. –
”http://www.footballoutsiders.com/cover-3/2010/cover-3-voices-carry" target="_blank">http://www.footballoutsiders.com/cover-3/2010/cover-3-voices-carry
So how are people feeling about Trent Williams vs. Russell Okung now?
I kid, but still, it looks like we made the right pick.
I'm back. YAY SUMMER!
It will take years to really determine who would have been the better pick
but I agree with you, right now it is hard to argue against Silverback
Yeah, considering Okung is injured
I thought we did the right thing when we picked Trent, but other people were crying foul…whatever, he’s playing great and that’s all that matters.
I'm back. YAY SUMMER!
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