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.
