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how Fewell and the defense attacked the Texans run game

mort christenson : 10/13/2010 9:31 pm
Good read
Link - ( New Window )
.  
Bill2 : 10/13/2010 9:37 pm : link
Thanks mort
this was one game we can unequivocally say  
Nitro : 10/13/2010 9:38 pm : link
we outcoached the other team in all facets of the game.
That's some awesome shit right there.  
Beez : 10/13/2010 9:43 pm : link
Thanks.
Sinton  
archer77 : 10/13/2010 9:50 pm : link
Watch the first Texans running play and watch Sintin take on V. Leach
archer  
chris r : 10/13/2010 9:53 pm : link
What am I watching for?
A must see  
giantsfour : 10/13/2010 9:57 pm : link
for all.
Good stuff.  
jintsfan : 10/13/2010 10:01 pm : link
I watched the NFLN when Mayock was breaking down the passing game, it is amazing what is happening during a play. There are so many things happening we can't see it on tv. Houston had an opportunity to break some big passes, the DL put so much proessure on Schaub he didn't have a chance to see the opne man deep. They also showed how Steve Smith caused different coverages which made Eli go to Nicks. Once they rolled coverage to Nicks Eli found Smith with some great throws.
That was great!  
HomerJones45 : 10/13/2010 10:25 pm : link
thanks Mort, nice find
Excellent Insight, Coaching matters  
PatersonPlank : 10/13/2010 10:27 pm : link
Yet another instance of why the move from Sheridan to Fewell was a huge improvement.
Matt Schaub  
gidiefor : Mod : 10/13/2010 10:30 pm : link
is no Peyton Manning!
are the videos  
whobetta : 10/13/2010 10:30 pm : link
working for everyone?

they weren't working for me....
Good stuff!  
ChicagoMarty : 10/13/2010 10:31 pm : link
This is an example of how the Internet has really been a vehicle of enlightenment.

That article with the video highlights is like crack cocaine to a football junkie.

I want more, more...
That was great stuff.  
yatqb : 10/13/2010 10:36 pm : link
Thanks, mort.
Excellent ....  
Manny in CA : 10/13/2010 10:39 pm : link
Fewell is amazing.

What really interesting is how Fewell morphs the 4-3 into Old School 5-2, when he has to (to insure back-side protection).

Remember Superbowl XXXII; The Packers were the better team, but it didn't matter because the Broncos were able to pull the attention of the Packers defense to the sideline, that eventually their influence blocking and cut-backs won the game.

I'll never forget the sight of 400 pound DT Gilbert Brown running to the sidelines, to help out, till he couldn't do it anymore.
Sintim on the first play completely stood up the fullback  
Giants_FTW : 10/13/2010 10:55 pm : link
And spun around but was a half second too late from making a tackle for loss.
This is gold.  
Ten Ton Hammer : 10/13/2010 11:02 pm : link
"Now, on this particular play, Dreesen doesn't block the LB, but instead he has the back-side block across the formation and FB Leach has the block on the LB, but the LB comes across the line of scrimmage and meets him head on, which shuts down the outside and turns the play back inside to where the Giants have schemed to close down the cutback lanes."


This is what we say when we scream about tackles and stats not being the only way to judge player performance.

The LB who was blocked by Leach held containment to the scheme, forcing the action back to the Defensive Line to close down the play.
That LB was Clint 'Bust' Sintim doing his job  
Ten Ton Hammer : 10/13/2010 11:06 pm : link
by the way.
Amazing to see it broken down and in slow mo...  
ImaGiant86 : 10/13/2010 11:09 pm : link
love how our defense is playing.
Thanks for sharing that.  
Wuphat : 10/13/2010 11:09 pm : link
That was really informative.
They attacked it like this...  
Peter in Atlanta : 10/13/2010 11:12 pm : link
'Bout time  
tito wooten : 10/13/2010 11:14 pm : link
they had one of these.
I bet Fewell is ...  
Manny in CA : 10/13/2010 11:22 pm : link
"Tickled silly" to have the talent that he has to work with, here.

Scary thing for our future opponents, he's just getting started !

I remember hearing him on Serius Radio (when he was the interim @ at he Bills). I said to myself - "well, I guess those poor "bastids" are gonna be more than fine!"

Then he was gone, then Tom snatch him up. Thank you, Tom.

I wish we could interview a Buffalo fan  
Ten Ton Hammer : 10/13/2010 11:28 pm : link
To see if he ever experimented with defenses like this there.


There's so much versatile talent here you can really see the massive difference between Fewell and Sheridan in how they use personnel.

LB is a weaker defensive unit here. So let's make Deon Grant a run-stopping LB? And this **** is working! Putting 4-3 DE's into stand-up LB spots and blitzing with effectiveness right out of the gate is bold.

And it's not a pile-on Sheridan. He just didn't have the know how yet to implement ideas like this and make them work.
Sheridan had his problems  
Peter in Atlanta : 10/13/2010 11:30 pm : link
but the DL is healthy. It makes all the difference in the world.
I could read stuff like this all day  
GSS Inc. : 10/13/2010 11:58 pm : link
Thanks very much for posting!
Credit the players too !  
Manny in CA : 10/14/2010 12:14 am : link
Not only for their physical ability and play, but for their mental toughness ...

Surviving FOUR DCs in as many years ..

Tim Lewis fired after '06
Spags left after '08
Sheridan fired after '09
Fewell just started, here in '10

And, look at their record after all that; amazing. Kudos to them !
The Texans  
CWebb23 : 10/14/2010 3:01 am : link
website isn't working for me.. ugh
That was phenomenal.  
x meadowlander : 10/14/2010 6:43 am : link
Would love to see that sort of content here... (hint, hint)
It would be nice if this could be comprehended once and for all  
Big Blue '56 : 10/14/2010 8:09 am : link
Sheridan had his problems
Peter in Atlanta : 10/13/2010 11:30 pm
but the DL is healthy. It makes all the difference in the world.



Great find, Mort
Pretty good job  
dorgan : 10/14/2010 8:13 am : link
by the guy doing the break down.

One nit to pick but it's minor:

On the example he uses of the safety (Rolle) sealing backside edge, he claims that if it had been play action pass, we'd have been screwed and hints that Rolle was too aggressive.

I don't agree at all. Rolle was reading his key and it's obvious that it's a run play from the tackle's first step.

Like I said, a minor nit, but if you watch the OT on that side, his first step is the directional steps to run a zone run block. When it's play action off of zone, that first step if flatter and more along than the line than forward.

It's a subtle distinction that distinction is what gave Rolle the confidence to attack so aggressively.

Part two of this, is that Rolle takes the perfect angle to defend the TE in case he was wrong and it turned out to be Pass.
The TE disappears inside to seal block and the only two routes he can effectively run to Rolle's side from that position is an "in and arrow" or an "in and sail".
Rolle maintained his outside leverage so that if he spotted the TE sliding off that block, he could still adjust and jump the route.

Can't bring up the link  
Davisian : 10/14/2010 8:45 am : link
I'll assume it's just like Thomas said it would be.
I couldn't bring it up  
kmed : 10/14/2010 9:08 am : link
at first, but I just kept trying and it worked. Good stuff, thanks.
Davisian,  
Curtis in MD : 10/14/2010 9:10 am : link
hahahaha.
love the breakdown  
fkap : 10/14/2010 9:12 am : link
however, to bring a little cloud to this lovefest, the whole coaching vs players is brought to a highlight. IF, as BB sez, the DL was injured last year and couldn't carry out the assigned tasks, that speaks ill of the DC who continues to ask them to carry it out. The whole coach vs players boils down to, IMO, does a coach ask players to do things they can execute? The whole series of plays highlighted in the link points to plays which suceeded because individual players were up to the task. They were risky defensive schemes. Any given one of them could have been torn apart IF any given individual didn't do their job. IF the LB in the first case didn't turn the play back inside, the outside was wide open. IF Rolle didn't stay in his role and stop Foster, it would've been a big gain. Two plays, two different ways things could've gone.
Should balance out the D plays that suceeded with a play that didn't suceed. Overall, after a while you get to find out when the DC put the players in position to suceed, and when the DC asked too much of players. Worked with some games. blew chunks big time for others (Indy game comes to mind)

Don't know much about chess, but, IMO, football games are decided by who guesses right (coupled with physical execution) more than the other. IF a coach asks too much of a player, who is at fault? IF the players execute, is it the player or the coach who gets the credit?

Kiwanuka has been out the past two weeks  
Ben in Adirondacks : 10/14/2010 9:24 am : link
Osi was not going to play against Chicago until Kiwanuka was scratched. Tuck has had a shoulder that has limited him in practice.

So the DL is not all that healthy.
excellent stuff  
Kevin in Annapolis : 10/14/2010 9:32 am : link
thanks for the link mort.
Good coordinators work with injuries all the time  
PatersonPlank : 10/14/2010 9:43 am : link
No one can say that Spags didn't have injuries during our SB run, our DBs were practice squad players. However he changed things around and found a scheme to hide them, or make it work with them.

Sheridan being a good coordinator that was just hit by injuries is an opinion, not a fact. Mu opinion is that Sheridan was in way over his head, didn't adjust to the game, players, or injuries, couldn't relate or motivate his players, and was a disaster. Knowing the X's and O's does not necessarily make a good coach. I think the defense under Fewell is proof of my "opinion". How many times have we seen Head Coaches come in and turn teams around? Good coaching matters, thats why they get paid and thats why certain guys always win (like Parcells).
Well done  
JonC : 10/14/2010 10:09 am : link
NYG did a good job outscheming Houston and disguising what they were doing pre-snap.
Fun read, thanks.  
Jim in Forest Hills : 10/14/2010 10:11 am : link
Football is so wondrously complicated. Fewell has been excellent so far.
This just shows that the things we yell about on BBI, such as LBs  
PatersonPlank : 10/14/2010 10:16 am : link
not getting off blocks, sometimes are not true. In this case the LB was supposed to get blocked in a certain spot, thus funneling the play inside to help.
And Sintim did a nice job on that monster Leach,  
Jim in Forest Hills : 10/14/2010 10:18 am : link
stood him up and held his ground, looking good there.
Outstanding coaching and  
section125 : 10/14/2010 10:29 am : link
reads by the players. For the unschooled this was enlightening. Thought dorgan was right about Rolle. He didn't seem like he jumped to early. The ball was handed of quickly and he read his key faster.

Excellent thread Mort...
Good stuff  
TD : 10/14/2010 10:29 am : link
thanks
Very impressive  
Joey in VA : 10/14/2010 10:31 am : link
FINALLY an analysis that isn't shallow and astounding to anyone who has never watched a play in slow motion. That is some good quality recognition.

The only bone I have to pick is that on the play where Rolle comes in to shut down the run, his keys were 100% that it was going to be a run. You don't run play action passes where your OL on the play side are collapsing down to create a running lane. You'd get your QB killed if you did that and you'd have illegal men downfield. Rolle read it right because it was a run all the way.
on that play looks like the (receiver or te?) never looks to  
alligatorpie : 10/14/2010 10:48 am : link
make a move nor looks back at the QB, looks to be run blocking all the way , and there is another defender on him in any case.
Saw this last night  
lawguy9801 : 10/14/2010 10:52 am : link
Great stuff. I absolutely love analyzing the game like this. I used to religiously watch Edge NFL Matchup on ESPN (is it even still on?)
If you key on Canty,  
jimv667 : 10/14/2010 11:05 am : link
he is extremely critical to the success of those plays. He is exactly where he needs to be to force the cutback or swallow up the RB. He hasn't received enough credit for what he is doing against the run.
Great  
Bleedin Blue : 10/14/2010 11:17 am : link
breakdown, Great find Mort
love stuff like this  
sshin05 : 10/14/2010 11:55 am : link
great find Mort
Wow, this was a great read....  
Britt in VA : 10/14/2010 12:43 pm : link
along with the other fan blog that was posted yesterday.
Another Terrific Analysis  
Percy : 10/14/2010 6:54 pm : link
Thanks for this. It is possible I might learn something about line play after this one and the Dallas piece.
QUESTION: Is the cut block in the last clip legal?  
GloryDayz : 10/14/2010 7:55 pm : link
Snee holds up #94 (Smith) and McKenzie blocks him low.

In the comments, below the article, somebody mentions it, says McKenzie should have been flagged. Should it?

If I remember right, cut blocks within 3 yards of the LOS are legal. Isnt that the case?

glory  
ITaLiRiCaN : 10/14/2010 8:03 pm : link
should have been a penalty, Smith was already engaged.
my impression is that you can go low  
TheMcThrill : 10/14/2010 8:07 pm : link
as long as the player IS NOT engaged by another blocker. havent had a chance to watch the specific clip yet but as you described it, it should have been a penalty
^^^  
TheMcThrill : 10/14/2010 8:07 pm : link
what he said
Alright... thx guys  
GloryDayz : 10/14/2010 8:11 pm : link
:)
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