Post by Funkytown on Sept 6, 2018 18:26:30 GMT -6
Move over RPOs, the Vikings are getting ready for a different schematic trend by Matthew Coller
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Great piece; more analysis and GIFs at the link. Worth the read.
Link: www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/09/move-rpos-vikings-getting-ready-different-schematic-trend/
This offseason the Philadelphia Eagles — where DeFilippo was the quarterbacks coach — have gotten to wear the Football Genius Crown following their Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots. While the Eagles used offensive concepts that drew from every famous offense ever — the West Coast, Run and Shoot, Air Coryell — it was Doug Pederson’s use of Run/Pass Options that caught the attention of the football media.
Nearly every day this offseason, you could have opened Football Twitter or tuned into NFL Live or any of NFL Network’s shows and heard something about how Team X will be using RPOs and see-our-latest-breakdown-of-RPOs-at…
While Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer quipped that RPOs will be “all the rage” this year, there’s a few things to keep in mind about RPOs: A) Everyone in the league has been working on ways to stop them, which means their impact could be limited, B) There are limitations to RPOs that aren’t often discussed, like the fact that it’s difficult to create a vertical passing game with RPOs.
So it isn’t that you should ignore your favorite analyst when they’re talking RPOs, just keep in mind that they will only be a small part of this year’s football innovation puzzle.
Here’s the other thing to note: The Football Genius Crown was given to Philly and Pederson, but heading into last year’s playoffs, that title would have gone to wunderkind Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.
So when offensive coordinator’s around the league are in their labs at 2 a.m., they aren’t just studying the Eagles, they are also looking every bit as closely at the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense in L.A.
One thing the NFL’s chess masters will notice is how often the Rams used bunched formations.
A bunched formation was aptly described in this SB Nation piece from 2013 as a “group three or more receiving options — any combination of receivers, tight ends and running backs — together on one side of the field.”
According to Pro Football Focus data, the Rams used bunched formations on 47 percent of their offensive plays. The next highest team was Arizona with 36 percent and only seven teams used bunched formations more than 25 percent of the time. The Vikings used them 17 percent. The Giants were under 10 percent.
The SB Nation article from five years ago insinuates that bunched formations are the next wave. Now as the league looks to copycat McVay, there’s a good chance those numbers will spike across the board, that prediction is likely to come to fruition.
Nearly every day this offseason, you could have opened Football Twitter or tuned into NFL Live or any of NFL Network’s shows and heard something about how Team X will be using RPOs and see-our-latest-breakdown-of-RPOs-at…
While Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer quipped that RPOs will be “all the rage” this year, there’s a few things to keep in mind about RPOs: A) Everyone in the league has been working on ways to stop them, which means their impact could be limited, B) There are limitations to RPOs that aren’t often discussed, like the fact that it’s difficult to create a vertical passing game with RPOs.
So it isn’t that you should ignore your favorite analyst when they’re talking RPOs, just keep in mind that they will only be a small part of this year’s football innovation puzzle.
Here’s the other thing to note: The Football Genius Crown was given to Philly and Pederson, but heading into last year’s playoffs, that title would have gone to wunderkind Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams.
So when offensive coordinator’s around the league are in their labs at 2 a.m., they aren’t just studying the Eagles, they are also looking every bit as closely at the NFL’s No. 1 scoring offense in L.A.
One thing the NFL’s chess masters will notice is how often the Rams used bunched formations.
A bunched formation was aptly described in this SB Nation piece from 2013 as a “group three or more receiving options — any combination of receivers, tight ends and running backs — together on one side of the field.”
According to Pro Football Focus data, the Rams used bunched formations on 47 percent of their offensive plays. The next highest team was Arizona with 36 percent and only seven teams used bunched formations more than 25 percent of the time. The Vikings used them 17 percent. The Giants were under 10 percent.
The SB Nation article from five years ago insinuates that bunched formations are the next wave. Now as the league looks to copycat McVay, there’s a good chance those numbers will spike across the board, that prediction is likely to come to fruition.
Bunch and the Vikings’ personnel
You have to wonder how high John DeFilippo jumped in the air with glee when he sat down and watched the 2017 tape of Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
When either Sam Bradford or Case Keenum threw in the direction of Thielen, they registered a 104.4 quarterback rating. For Diggs that number was even higher at 120.4, which ranked seventh in the NFL.
Former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur used them all over the field — as both outside and slot receivers and in formations galore.
The plan for 2018 sounds similar.
“Since Day 1 since I’ve been here, personally one of the first things I said when I got in front of the offense and we were installing the passing game was ‘don’t learn your spot, learn the concept because all of you guys have no idea you’re going to be put everywhere,'” DeFilippo said.
The return of running back Dalvin Cook will also allow DeFilippo to line up his running back as a receiver whenever he sees fit.
“Here’s the thing I’ve noticed as more of an NFL fan than anything else: Bunch used to be real specific to 11 personnel, three receivers, now everybody can get into bunches out of all their personnel groups,” Coverdale said.
That certainly applies to the Vikings.
Yes, it’s probably the most football thing ever for the offensive coordinator to smile wide when you bring up the No. 2 tight end and fullback, but the value of David Morgan and CJ Ham in the Vikings’ offense is wildly underrated.
DeFilippo can call the same plays, just with significantly different personnel packages, sometimes ones that are traditionally used for runs. Opposing teams will often bring in more linebackers when Morgan and/or Ham are in the game. But the Vikings can still throw and use play-action in those situations — and sometimes they can speed up the game to keep extra linebackers on the field.
“Say you’re in 22 personnel (two backs, two tight ends) and a team goes four-four on you (for defensive linemen, four linebackers) and you have athletic tight ends and athletic backs that can line up in different spots, you can hit them with the no-huddle mock and keep them in their four-four personnel and go down the field, run the football, throw the football and it’s advantage offense and they can’t sub.
“If you have athletes like we have who can do a bunch of different things, I think it’s taking the same concept you have and dressing it up a bit, so it’s one less thing the quarterback has to learn. The other day we ran one of our base third down plays and instead of [Rudolph] in at No.3 we had [CJ Ham] in there at No. 3 and Rudolph on the other side. We just dressed it up.”
Ultimately we may not see the Vikings line up in bunch formations as much as the Rams did in 2017. In fact, it’s just as likely that the league copies the hell out of the Rams that they adapt to the Rams and they will fall off the face of the map (See: Kelly, Chip).
And no matter the direction, Coverdale offers one important reminder about all the talk of schemes, chess masters and historians:
“Every week in the NFL I’m sure you’re looking across the sideline and there’s a couple guys who can ruin the game…in the NFL you need a whole pocket full of answers for some of those cats,” Coverdale said. “Using different personnel groups to get into bunches is one thing they have at their disposal.”
What our study of uses of bunch formations reveals is that the Vikings will use everything at their disposal and they the offensive and defensive minds and offensive and defensive personnel to morph in whichever direction the league goes.
You have to wonder how high John DeFilippo jumped in the air with glee when he sat down and watched the 2017 tape of Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs.
When either Sam Bradford or Case Keenum threw in the direction of Thielen, they registered a 104.4 quarterback rating. For Diggs that number was even higher at 120.4, which ranked seventh in the NFL.
Former offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur used them all over the field — as both outside and slot receivers and in formations galore.
The plan for 2018 sounds similar.
“Since Day 1 since I’ve been here, personally one of the first things I said when I got in front of the offense and we were installing the passing game was ‘don’t learn your spot, learn the concept because all of you guys have no idea you’re going to be put everywhere,'” DeFilippo said.
The return of running back Dalvin Cook will also allow DeFilippo to line up his running back as a receiver whenever he sees fit.
“Here’s the thing I’ve noticed as more of an NFL fan than anything else: Bunch used to be real specific to 11 personnel, three receivers, now everybody can get into bunches out of all their personnel groups,” Coverdale said.
That certainly applies to the Vikings.
Yes, it’s probably the most football thing ever for the offensive coordinator to smile wide when you bring up the No. 2 tight end and fullback, but the value of David Morgan and CJ Ham in the Vikings’ offense is wildly underrated.
DeFilippo can call the same plays, just with significantly different personnel packages, sometimes ones that are traditionally used for runs. Opposing teams will often bring in more linebackers when Morgan and/or Ham are in the game. But the Vikings can still throw and use play-action in those situations — and sometimes they can speed up the game to keep extra linebackers on the field.
“Say you’re in 22 personnel (two backs, two tight ends) and a team goes four-four on you (for defensive linemen, four linebackers) and you have athletic tight ends and athletic backs that can line up in different spots, you can hit them with the no-huddle mock and keep them in their four-four personnel and go down the field, run the football, throw the football and it’s advantage offense and they can’t sub.
“If you have athletes like we have who can do a bunch of different things, I think it’s taking the same concept you have and dressing it up a bit, so it’s one less thing the quarterback has to learn. The other day we ran one of our base third down plays and instead of [Rudolph] in at No.3 we had [CJ Ham] in there at No. 3 and Rudolph on the other side. We just dressed it up.”
Ultimately we may not see the Vikings line up in bunch formations as much as the Rams did in 2017. In fact, it’s just as likely that the league copies the hell out of the Rams that they adapt to the Rams and they will fall off the face of the map (See: Kelly, Chip).
And no matter the direction, Coverdale offers one important reminder about all the talk of schemes, chess masters and historians:
“Every week in the NFL I’m sure you’re looking across the sideline and there’s a couple guys who can ruin the game…in the NFL you need a whole pocket full of answers for some of those cats,” Coverdale said. “Using different personnel groups to get into bunches is one thing they have at their disposal.”
What our study of uses of bunch formations reveals is that the Vikings will use everything at their disposal and they the offensive and defensive minds and offensive and defensive personnel to morph in whichever direction the league goes.
Great piece; more analysis and GIFs at the link. Worth the read.
Link: www.1500espn.com/vikings-2/2018/09/move-rpos-vikings-getting-ready-different-schematic-trend/
... and neither is this Chris guy.