I have discussed Matt Nagy's HB Read package on twitter quite a bit this off season. It was probably my favorite aspect of his offense, or any offense I studied.
I created a thread a few months ago. I made this post so you could easily find them in one place.
This call takes advantage of the defense trying to cover the option route 1on1 playing tight inside leverage. The defense is trying to force the out cut and limit the effectiveness of the option route. Against this type of coverage, the "Whirl" concept can create big plays. This was one of the Bears most efficient play calls in 2018, averaging 15 yards per play.
The "Bang" tag is a great way to slice the intermediate level of the defense if the option route gets the attention of inside linebackers. Additionally, if the defense is trying to play the corner route from #1 weak with the safety, the dig will be able to get inside leverage easily.
At any level of football, red zone efficiency is paramount. In the NFL these days, most teams don't have much trouble moving the ball between the 20's. The contending teams separate themselves with converting touchdowns in the red zone.
With a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, a well designed play in the red zone can be a money machine. Introduce new head coach Matt LaFleur's go-to red zone call. In the Titans Passing Index, I refer to this concept as "Double Post Whip". The play is diagrammed below:
The concept is designed to look like the slot receiver is "picking" the corner, in order to free up the outside receiver on a slant pattern. A "Fake Pick", if you will. With all of the man coverage played in the red zone, NFL defenses see plenty of pick plays in those situations. This play takes advantage of defenses expecting the pick action. The progression for the quarterback is as follows:
Inside Post
Outside Post
Whip
While with Tennessee, this play was by far Matt LaFleur's go to call in the deep red zone (10-20 yards to go). He also used this play in the shallow red zone (10 yards and in). Additionally, it was his most common third down passing concept. The usage and efficiency chart from my book, The 2018 Tennessee Titans Passing Index, is below:
While not efficient for the modest Titans passing attack, there are a few good examples of why this concept is well-designed.
VS True Man
The video below shows the only touchdown thrown to the outside post in 2018:
Philadelphia plays a "lock and level" man coverage. Pressing one receiver while playing off coverage on the other reduces the impact of picks and rubs. The #2 receiver uses a "throw-by" technique to gain inside leverage for his post route. With the slot fade as a common red zone route from a #2 receiver, defensive backs will typically play the wide release over the top to contest the route. If the slot fade is a staple in your offense, this play is a nice compliment to it.
One of the most important coaching points is how to gain inside leverage on the outside post route. The Titans struggled with this in 2018. The video below shows an example:
To find some good examples of the proper route technique, I looked at LaFleur's mentor, Kyle Shanahan, for some tape. Although Kyle does not run it as often, it is in his playbook. The videos below show great technique from the #2 receiver to gain inside leverage on a man defender.
Even with proper technique, the slot can still have a hard time winning inside. If all else fails, the whip route is a nice bail out for the quarterback. The video below shows a great example of this. The outside post is covered up nicely, and the whip route gains leverage. A better throw would have allowed the offense to pick up a first down.
VS Catch Man
Another response is for defenses to play catch-man. Against this technique, the defense can switch coverage on the releases of the #1 and #2 receiver. The video below shows how this concept looks against this technique.
The #2 receiver now has inside leverage for his post route immediately. The technique of maintaining inside leverage is vital against this look. Mariota does a nice job recognizing the coverage/blitz and gets a safe throw off to the first read in his progression for a touchdown.
The video below shows what this looks like in the middle of the field. As you can see, the passing off of routes gives the #2 receiver inside leverage.
With Aaron Rodgers behind center for the Packers, I expect to see this concept on highlights throughout the 2019 season.
If you want to learn about all of the concepts that Matt LaFleur is bringing to Green Bay, CLICK HERE to check out my latest book, The 2018 Tennessee Titans Passing Index. I diagram and chart efficiency for each pass concept he used in 2018.
Offensive coaches at all levels of football are constantly seeking out ways to create explosive plays. These are the "cheat codes" to flipping the script in a football game, especially early on. If a team finds themselves down a few scores early on, pressure sets in to abandon a well-conceived game plan in the attempt to hold serve and score points at an equal rate.
Matt Nagy's Offense is full of these "shot plays". It is his personality to attack down the field and stress defenses vertically. One of my favorite examples of this is his double move off of the scissors concept. Three of the variations that Nagy used in 2018 are drawn below.
This concept has a lot of flexibility. It can be a tag off of your base version of scissors, or you can max protect and insulate your quarterback better against a blitz. The neat part about the concept is that you do not necessarily have to major in the scissors concept for it to be effective. With the route stems looking nearly identical to the flood concept (one of the most commonly used concepts in America), you can treat that as the base look for the double move.
This double move can be quite potent against any coverage. Lets take a look at some video examples, in order of the diagrams above:
The pre-snap motion from Allen Robinson shows that the Packers will most likely be in an off-man coverage. After the ball is snapped we see that this is the case. Robinson, a tremendous route runner on a weekly basis, runs a smooth double move and keeps the defender in a trail position. With a little better protection and a little more pocket patience from the young Trubisky, the Bears were looking at 6 points.
The next video shows the play that corresponds to the second diagram from above.
This play is very similar tot he first example, but with a flat control route from the running back. Max protection will theoretically buy the quarterback the extra second he needs to get the ball off on the double move. Both Trubisky and the rolled-down safety slip on the notoriously slick Soldier Field turf. Great route from Burton to create separation and panic, leading tot he slip.
The last video shows the concept in the third diagram, out of a trips formation with an exchange of routes from the #2 and #3 receiver.
This play variation is another way to get to the same concept. Here, Nagy runs the double move with Cohen at the #3 spot in trips. The offensive staff for the Bears made a clear effort in 2018 to get Cohen favorable matchups in the pass game, and this is an example of creating an explosive attempt in that context.
Connecting on these explosive plays early on against Tampa Bay really took the visiting team out of the game mentally. Explosive plays can have this effect on teams. We are all humans with emotions (well, most of us).
The chart below shows the overall efficiency for the concept in 2018.
Nagy had a second double move off the scissors concept that also created open explosive play opportunities for the Bears in 2018. You can find this concept diagrammed and discussed in the 2018 Bears Offensive Manual, found on Amazon. The book details Nagy's entire offense in 280 pages. Click Here to get your copy today
One of the more thought provoking concepts I saw while studying Matt LaFleur's 2018 offense was a play that was only called once. The concept appeared to me as a neat way to run the weak side option route that I often discuss (click here for an article on it). The play is drawn below (diagrams via JustPlay Sports).
This diagram unfortunately did not make its way into the Passing Index. I have a general rule that concepts that are only used once are just charted in the back of the book. This one, however, needed some more attention.
As discussed in the linked article above, the weak side option route can be covered up in single high safety structures. This play from the Titans struck me as a good way to get the 1on1 matchup with the option route against single high looks.
If you draw this play with the comeback-seam combination on both sides, it appears to attack the same landmarks as the often discussed "Hoss Juke" concept. The return route on the backside creates the differentiation here.
Against a single high safety, the running back will be isolated against the strong side hook defender. If the quarterback feels the option route getting squeezed from a second defender, he will move to the route left open by that squeezer. This will be either be the return route from the weak hook defender or the seam route from the strong flat defender. The double move of the return route will stretch the weak flat defender, leaving a nice window if the weak hook defender vacates for the option route.
The 1on1 should still hold up against two high safeties. The RB will have a two way go on the Middle Linebacker. If the weak hook defender cheats to the RB, the return route will open up in that void.
Here is the clip of the Titans calling it in 2018.
With the hook defenders playing deep, Mariota hits the RB on time.
I also saw Kyle Shanahan run this concept later on in the season. The clip is below.
Based on how much time Mullens spends looking at the option route, I am going to assume he was expecting an inside break from the RB with the even leverage. The Giants do a nice job of covering up Kittle on the return route as well. A better throw probably gets a completion here, however.
Shanahan has run this throughout the years, with different back side combinations and formations. The diagram and video below shows the play out of a trips set. The drive route from #3 and the back side dig create a high low on the weak side. This has the same effect as the return route in the versions above.
All in all, I thought this was a neat way to fool-proof the weak side option route against all looks. This play matches a concept already in their playbook, just different guys running the routes vs different defenders.
With a lack of sustained playoff success and not too many prime time offerings, the Los Angeles Chargers are often forgotten about in the NFL X&O landscape. This off season, I decided to take a deep dive into their passing game and learn what put Phillip Rivers at the top of the league in 2018.
There were a few concepts that immediately jumped out to me. This article will focus on one particular concept. I refer to this concept as "Super Drive". This play is featured as the cover illustration for my book, The 2018 Los Angeles Chargers Pass Game Index. The concept looks nearly identical to the traditional 2x2 Drive concept. The traditional variation is diagrammed below (diagrams via JustPlay Sports Solutions).
"Super Drive" is very similar to the traditional 2x2 Drive concept, with one minor tweak. The running back will free release swing to the front side of the concept instead of check-releasing to the back side of the play. "Super Drive" is diagrammed below:
The quarterback reads this concept outside - in. After a quick glance at the post route (pun intended), the quarterback can work the wheel to the swing to the drive route.This minor adjustment has major implications for defenses. The video link below shows how effective this concept was for the Chargers in 2018.
By calling this concept on first downs, the Chargers saw a high percentage of single high safety looks with this concept. Against single high coverages, the strong hook defender is placed in a tough spot. With the free release of the back, he must commit to getting width and depth. This opens up a wide lane for the drive route. If the weak hook defender commits to the drive route, the inside release dig route will fill that void in the defense.
The slight inside release of the dig route plays an important role in freeing up the drive route against true man and man-match coverages. The inside release will help prevent any route exchanges between the two weak side defenders, and in some cases created communication lapses for the Chargers' opponents.
These minor tweaks are the avatar of Anthony Lynn and Ken Whisenhunt's offense. The Chargers used many unique variations of traditional NFL staples to maximize their efficiency in the passing game.
I decided to turn this off season study into a reference book that shows each concept the Chargers called, along with a breakdown of the concepts' efficiency based on down/distance/red zone etc. The 2018 Los Angeles Chargers Pass Game Index can be found on Amazon by Clicking Here.
Here is the most up-to date index of my books/articles/podcasts. I still need to add a few of the recent podcasts. I will try and update this as often as possible.
The
2018 Chicago Bears Complete Offensive Manual gives educated fans and coaches of all
levels tremendous insight into a complete offensive system at your fingertips. This
book provides detailed analysis, diagrams, efficiency charts, progression
reads, and protections for every concept the Bears used. The book doubles as a
film index as well. Each concept also has a table showing where you can find
the specific film clips for each play.
One of my favorite aspects about the Bears’ offense in 2018
was the use of “HB Read”, or weak side option route. This play was one of
the most frequently used concepts for the Bears, and the most common variation
is the cover image for the book.
The play features the running back as the primary read for
the quarterback. When the defense elects to play with two high safeties or
single high with a five-man pressure scheme, they would leave the running back
in a one on one matchup. With Tarik Cohen running the option route, this
concept puts the Bears best skill player on a two-way go.
If defenses get worried and bracket the option route with two defenders, the “Spot
– Dig” combination on the other side of the field gives the quarterback a three
on two with the flat and hook defender. The video below shows what this
combination looks like.
The Bears paired the option route with a few other
combinations as well. In each variation, the quarterback had an answer for any
coverage.
The Bears had plenty of ways to counter a defenses reaction
to this concept. On a few occasions when the single receiver was played one on
one, The Bears ran a corner – and – go down the sideline. This hit for a few
big plays throughout the season.
One way to neutralize the option route with single
coverage is to play tight man with inside leverage. The out cut is a much harder throw against tight coverage, and can potentially lead to an interception if not accurate. When the Bears saw this
response, Nagy and the coaching staff dialed up a curl-wheel combination. This
play averaged 15 yards per attempt during the 2018 season.
As you can see with the “HB Read” example, Matt Nagy built
his offense as a system rather than a collection of plays. The entire offense,
run game, RPO’s, drop back pass, play action pass, and screen game all fit
together.
The creativity in the run game is often a forgotten element
in NFL offenses. This was not the case for Nagy and the Bears. Using
misdirection, motion, unique formations (the T Formation!), and well-designed
RPO’s, Nagy separated himself from most NFL coaches. These elements often gave
the Bears better angles and timing for their run schemes.
This book is meant to serve as a resource for high school
coaches, college coaches, and anybody who wants to understand how Matt Nagy
orchestrated a successful turnaround season for the Chicago Bears.
