Film Review: Key plays, Big plays, Interesting Concepts and Miscues (A CLOSER LOOK)

[PTORaven]

this seems like the place to post this question. i've been rewatching some games, and one thing i've started noticing is that the pass route combinations that GRo calls often leave two receivers so close to each other that it ends up steering more defense to the ball. one example is the long incompletion to Brown on the first drive last week. it really looks like Lamar makes a pretty good throw to Hollywood running the deep cross at the goal line, and Hollywood has a step on his defender. what went wrong on the play (the way i see it) is Snead ran a sideline route to the pylon and just stopped, and his defender was at the right depth to break off and close in on the pass. it doesn't look to me like LJ overthrew Hollywood so much as Hollywood saw the other defender coming in full-speed and had to adjust. i think if Snead's route stopped at the 10 yard line this could've been a touchdown. and it seems to happen more than i can remember from previous coordinators, this thing where we're actually bringing more defenders into the area of the ball, plays that end with two ravens WR next to each other, things like that. anyone else noticed this?

(ps sorry for the crappy GIF i made with screenshots)

[JimZipCode]

this seems like the place to post this question. i've been rewatching some games, and one thing i've started noticing is that the pass route combinations that GRo calls often leave two receivers so close to each other that it ends up steering more defense to the ball.
...
it seems to happen more than i can remember from previous coordinators, this thing where we're actually bringing more defenders into the area of the ball, plays that end with two ravens WR next to each other, things like that. anyone else noticed this?

I have.

I don't know enough about route combinations to feel confident making any proclamations about what I'm seeing. But very often I see receivers violating fundamental spacing concepts, that apply across multiple sports eg basketball. Isn't the goal to create space? Not jam multiple receivers (and their defenders!) into small spaces downfield.

But there's so much I don't know! We have a new playbook (as of last year) with new names for the route combos. Presumably we have option routes, since every team does. We have a lot of snaps going to 1st- and 2nd-yr receivers. Are young players making their reads wrong, and taking themselves into space occupied by another receiver?

I think some plays are designed as either screens, or "downfield screens", where one pass-catcher is primary and the others are supposed to block for him – OC highlighted a pass to Duvernay just before halftime vs the Chiefs. That's naturally going to congest the part of the field where the "blockers" are, but it's for a purpose.

So – I guess what I'm saying is, I see it, and I find it questionable, but I'm not sure whose "fault" it is.

[edromeo]

Failed play bailed out by Lamar doing something special that's not even celebrated anymore because it happens almost every game but these plays are rare

[JimZipCode]

https://j.gifs.com/E8529K.gif

Failed play bailed out by Lamar doing something special that's not even celebrated anymore because it happens almost every game but these plays are rare

Charles Davis called out the "basketball" feel of this play during the game; so did the Football Outsiders crew in Audibles. I love that. Dribble drive to draw the defense, shot fake, dish to the post player.

Positional awareness and "feel".

[PTORaven]

interesting analysis here in case you missed it.

TL;DR Version:
RUSHING: Roughly the same EPA (expected points added) splits for runs outside the tackle and runs inside the tackle as last year (outside runs much better), but a higher rate of inside runs this year.
PASSING: LJ most productive passer from empty sets in 2019, least productive in 2020. Taking empty sets out, his passing stats for 2019 and 2020 are roughly identical.

Yes, there is something wrong with the Ravens offense. But it can be fixed.

[Jam31]

Failed play bailed out by Lamar doing something special that's not even celebrated anymore because it happens almost every game but these plays are rare

Filthy!!! Keep up the gifs & the analysis, Ed. Love the effort & insights

Sent from my SM-A505U using Tapatalk

[organizedchaos21]

interesting analysis here in case you missed it.

TL;DR Version:
RUSHING: Roughly the same EPA (expected points added) splits for runs outside the tackle and runs inside the tackle as last year (outside runs much better), but a higher rate of inside runs this year.
PASSING: LJ most productive passer from empty sets in 2019, least productive in 2020. Taking empty sets out, his passing stats for 2019 and 2020 are roughly identical.

Yes, there is something wrong with the Ravens offense. But it can be fixed.

Working on charting 2020 offense now (had a personal issue crop up for WFT and CIN that put me behind), but 2019 data is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

Started a Twitter thread on it here: https://twitter.com/Yoshi2052/status...21726335823873. Will update with 2020 numbers when I finish charting (Sunday maybe?)

Quick roundup:

• Lamar's 2019 numbers were awesome: 76/113 (67.2%) for 942 (8.3 YPA), 12 TDs, 3 INTs, 117.2 rating
• Lamar was deadly with his legs from empty in 2019, accounting for blitzes on his own multiple times. 14 scrambles for 169 yards. My impression (not based on data) is that he hasn't been the same in 2020 overall, and thus also not the same in empty (and times might have stopped blitzing or changed where the blitzes were coming from)
• To that end, only sacked 6 times in 141 empty dropbacks in 2019 (I expect the sack% to be higher in 2020)
• They went to empty to help convert 3rd&longs (7 to 9) in 2019: 7/17 (41%). They've converted 6/27 (22%) of 3rd&longs in 2020 (overall, not specific to empty)
• Most of the targets are back: Andrews (38), Brown (20), Snead (15), Roberts (11), Hurst (9), Ingram (4), Boyle (4), Hill (3), Boykin (3), Moore (2)
• Same with snaps: 705 skill snaps, all returned except Roberts (83) and Hurst (67)

[PTORaven]

Working on charting 2020 offense now (had a personal issue crop up for WFT and CIN that put me behind), but 2019 data is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...it?usp=sharing

Started a Twitter thread on it here: https://twitter.com/Yoshi2052/status...21726335823873. Will update with 2020 numbers when I finish charting (Sunday maybe?)

Quick roundup:

• Lamar's 2019 numbers were awesome: 76/113 (67.2%) for 942 (8.3 YPA), 12 TDs, 3 INTs, 117.2 rating
• Lamar was deadly with his legs from empty in 2019, accounting for blitzes on his own multiple times. 14 scrambles for 169 yards. My impression (not based on data) is that he hasn't been the same in 2020 overall, and thus also not the same in empty (and times might have stopped blitzing or changed where the blitzes were coming from)
• To that end, only sacked 6 times in 141 empty dropbacks in 2019 (I expect the sack% to be higher in 2020)
• They went to empty to help convert 3rd&longs (7 to 9) in 2019: 7/17 (41%). They've converted 6/27 (22%) of 3rd&longs in 2020 (overall, not specific to empty)
• Most of the targets are back: Andrews (38), Brown (20), Snead (15), Roberts (11), Hurst (9), Ingram (4), Boyle (4), Hill (3), Boykin (3), Moore (2)
• Same with snaps: 705 skill snaps, all returned except Roberts (83) and Hurst (67)

thanks for the deep dive. also i dunno if it helps you in your quest but Football Outsiders (i'm almost certain it was FO) ran a piece last year specifically looking at LJ from empty sets. might give some additional insight into what isn't happening this year. if i had to guess the biggest difference between 2019 and 2020 for empty sets based really just on watching the games, first thing i'd look for is how much the dropoff from Yanda to Phillips is. doesn't matter who your QB is, if anyone on the iOL is a pushover then you've got serious problems from empty sets.

on a personal note, i hope everything is going better for you now.

[organizedchaos21]

thanks for the deep dive. also i dunno if it helps you in your quest but Football Outsiders (i'm almost certain it was FO) ran a piece last year specifically looking at LJ from empty sets. might give some additional insight into what isn't happening this year. if i had to guess the biggest difference between 2019 and 2020 for empty sets based really just on watching the games, first thing i'd look for is how much the dropoff from Yanda to Phillips is. doesn't matter who your QB is, if anyone on the iOL is a pushover then you've got serious problems from empty sets.

on a personal note, i hope everything is going better for you now.

Yep, that's one of my leading candidates. On the scrambles I mentioned, teams brought extra pressure off the edge. Lamar broke their contain and absolutely punished them. I'm betting teams are getting their ends up field to contain and bringing pressure up the middle. Keeps Lamar in the pocket and attacks the weak iOL.

I appreciate the well wishes.

[PTORaven]

as far as trying to figure out what's going on in the run game, i'm curious what people think of the usage of Ricard this year versus last year. seems to me like this year they're giving him more motioning into backside blocking responsibilities where last year they would be motioning a tight end to cover the backside and using him more as a traditional lead-blocking FB. (sorry, i hope this is a clear enough description. i never learned football in a formal setting so i don't always know what something's called, i just know how to describe what i see.)

i guess this is just one aspect that changed as we've gotten away from TE heavy sets in order to get more WR action. to me it's a waste. you don't need a whole lot from the motion man cause he hits the play with a head of steam against a defender accelerating from a frozen stance, so even a 210lb rb can slow up the backside pursuit well enough on most downs. it's a role that could be handled by someone without Ricard's traits. on top of that, Ricard was great as a FB because he had enough size to blow up one defender to help seal the hole and then get to the second level for a block. i honestly thought his abilities as a lead blocking FB were going to make the loss of Yanda not quite as bad. instead, when you motion him to the backside his momentum is moving away from the ball-carrier and you only get one useful block out of him.

anyway i don't think this is a major problem, it just seems like one of a couple that to me add up to the weaker rush attack this year. i don't think they need a major overhaul, i think they just need to get back to the numbers game and gaining every little advantage they can that way. Lamar rushing makes it 11-on-11 instead of 10-on-11. Ricard can make two useful blocks as a lead FB, but can only make one as a motioning backside crosser. i'm sure there are other numerical advantages they've ceded this year. go back and take a look. last year looked like 12-on-11. it looked like the defense had 10 men on the field. get back to that every way they can. and i hope the bye week is when they do it, cause it's probably their last chance to make any sort of major schematic adjustment.

[edromeo]

Filthy!!! Keep up the gifs & the analysis, Ed. Love the effort & insights

Thanks man appreciate it.

[edromeo]

interesting analysis here in case you missed it.

TL;DR Version:
RUSHING: Roughly the same EPA (expected points added) splits for runs outside the tackle and runs inside the tackle as last year (outside runs much better), but a higher rate of inside runs this year.
PASSING: LJ most productive passer from empty sets in 2019, least productive in 2020. Taking empty sets out, his passing stats for 2019 and 2020 are roughly identical.

Yes, there is something wrong with the Ravens offense. But it can be fixed.

Great article, Ty!
I think at least some portion of Lamar's decline in passing performance proctection.
Its hard to be strong in the pocket in empty when the RG is getting pushed into his lap.