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News and Notes : 3.29.13

Bits of Draft News:

Manti Te’o shaved a whole second off his 40 time at Notre Dame’s pro day on Tuesday, from a 4.82 to a 4.7, which should at the very least inspire confidence in the teams who are already considering drafting him.
Pro Football Weekly’s Top 5 QB’s in the draft: Matt Barkley, Ryan Nassib, E.J. Manuel, Tyler Wilson, Zac Dysert. Geno Smith comes in at 6. I think I’d be surprised if Smith went after Wilson and Dysert, right? I haven’t seen him projected so low until this list, but PFW knows their stuff.
Marcus Lattimore was given a well-deserved round of applause after his pro day at South Carolina on Wednesday. If you need something to uplift your Friday, this article should do the trick.

Bits of League News:

Elvis Dumervil is now a Raven.
Ed Reed is now a Texan.
Osi Umenyiora is now a Falcon.
Basically: if you’re a veteran, you’re not where you were last year.
There are a gaggle of guys still on the market: Brent Grimes, Antoine Winfield, Ahmad Bradshaw, Dwight Freeney, and John Abraham, just to name a few.

Slow news week this week, gang. Anything to add? Go ahead and shout it out in the comments if so!

History Lesson : The ’72 Dolphins

You know that group that hangs out at the bar and talks about that championship they won back in the day? The group that everyone sees and follows with a sigh because you know it’s going to be the same old story again?

The ’72 Dolphins are the ultimate example of that club…only they have reason to chat up days gone by. They’re still the only team in the history of the league to have an undefeated season.

The amazing thing about the ’72 Dolphins is that they didn’t even have their starting quarterback, Bob Griese, for the entire season. He broke his ankle in Week 5. The backup QB, Earl Morral, led them to more wins than Griese did, winning 9 games in the regular season before Griese returned for the playoffs.

Also amazing: their undefeated season boasted not only 17 wins, but three shutouts. Three! One really would have been plenty, but three, on top of an undefeated season…that’s just crazy.

Six of the players on the legendary ’72 team are already in the Hall of Fame, along with the team’s coach, Don Shula. The team has been accused of being fiercely protective of their record-breaking season, but since over 40 years have passed without any team equalling their success, can you blame them?

What about the ’07 Patriots, you ask? Good memory! The Pats were close, but not close enough. They had an undefeated regular season, and even an undefeated playoff run, but lost the Super Bowl in the final minutes to the Giants, thus falling short of a completely undefeated season.

The Dolphins have struggled since the days of the ’72 team and the Dan Marino era that followed. They’ve made quite the splash in free agency so far this offseason, though, so maybe something could be brewing for next year.

(Maybe.)

Until then, Miami still has the ’72 team. And they’ll continue to hold their breath through each consecutive record-keeping season.

Film Room : Steelers vs. Ravens

The good news: we get to break down film of a special teams play today, and we haven’t done that yet.

The bad news: we have to watch it with the Steelers in their bumble bee throwbacks, and we really don’t want to do that.

Be that as it may, it’s still a great play: a touchdown return with the latest crossover talent from the NFL, Dancing With the Stars’ own Jacoby Jones:

So, what happened?

1. Setting the Wall

What’s a “lane” anyway? It is what is seems: an open linear space for a ball carrier to run through. Think of it in terms of traffic: If you want to pass someone on the highway, there needs to be an open lane beside you so that you can accelerate and pass (and not make any impolite comments). To free up this lane for Jones, Sean Considine works towards his outside blocker (which looks like inside from this camera angle) to push him inside and open up a lane for Jones. You can see that Jones has that lane because he can run in between two Ravens who are blocking for him.

2. Stretch and Cut

What if Jones runs right up the middle? The fastest way from one point to another is a straight line, right? In science, yes. In football, when there are 300 lb men running toward you full speed ahead…no. If Jones had run straight up the middle he would have been tackled midfield by a pile of defenders. Instead, he cuts left to spread the defenders out toward the sideline, then cuts back inside with great speed and great protection so that they can’t catch him.

3. Staying With Downfield Blocks

Let’s just review, for a moment. Initially, Brian Ayanbadejo blocks his man around the 7 yard line. He stays with that block until Jones passing him at the 35-yard line. That’s discipline right there, nearly 30 yards of staying with a block. With Ayanbadejo and the other Ravens covering their blocking responsibilities, Jones only has to beat the punter to get into the end zone. The only punter who strikes fear into the hearts of receivers is Giants punter Steve Weatherford, so Jones is free and clear to score.

I’m sure he’ll be adding some dance moves to his post-touchdown routine next season.

Off the Field : Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers isn’t just my favorite quarterback on the field, he’s also my (totally unbiased) favorite off the field, too. He’s not a fanfare guy and is probably the only high-profile quarterback who doesn’t have his own website, but chooses instead to quietly helps people behind the scenes.

One outreach initiative he’s been involved with recently is the It’s Aaron series for the MACC Fund. The Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer was founded in 1976 to provide funding for scientific research. Besides significantly contributing to groundbreaking research that helps kids every day, they also go above and beyond to make families feel supported while battling cancer through a variety of special events and fundraising initiatives.

I’m going to stop writing so that you can start watching, but I really have to implore you to watch all three videos. I’ve seen them all so many times but without fail, I always burst into tears as soon as the kids open their front door, completely unsuspecting, to see Aaron Rodgers standing on their front step.

It’s so wonderful.

Fundamentals : Formations

So for the past two weeks we’ve talked about schemes, or the overarching philosophy of a unit (in our case, the offensive unit). We learned about five basic schemes and dove a little deeper into the waters of this whole option offense movement in the NFL. Today, we’re moving onto formations – and you’re in luck! We’ve already been over this and you may not have even known it!

If a scheme is the meal (breakfast), a formation is the dish of choice (pancakes). We’ll talk more about plays next week, which are the specific ingredients that make everything come together (flour, milk, butter, syrup).

So what’s a formation? It’s how players are aligned on the field at the snap of the ball. Formations aren’t just isolated to offense; the defense and special teams units have specific formations that they use as well.

Think it sounds complicated? Not at all! In fact, we’ve already covered most of this in different contexts. You’ll fly through this in no time.

Here are a few common formations that you’ll see on offense and defense:

Offensive Formations

Shotgun Formation

We learned about the shotgun formation when we talked about snaps a few Fundamentals posts ago. In the shotgun formation, the quarterback takes the snap from between 5 to 7 yards behind the Center. It looks like this:

photo source

See how far back Phillip Rivers is? He’s taking the snap from the shotgun formation, 5-7 yards behind the Center.

Moment of truth: we can also determine the basic offensive scheme the Chargers are running in this play just from looking at this picture. Go ahead and give it a try!

If you guessed spread offense, you’re right on. It’s spread and not spread option because there is no one in the backfield to run the ball; all of the receivers are spread out along the line of scrimmage so this is a passing play with no option for the run.

Split Back Formation

Oh, people! Look at this! Way back when we talked about personnel groups, little did we know we were actually looking at a split back (or pro set) formation:

Now, if I’m correct, I think that the split back formations of yore have the quarterback taking the snap from under Center. However, as a broad definition, a split back formation is when there are two running backs on either side of the quarterback, lined up behind the offensive guards on each side.

I-Formation

The Packers are going to help us out with this one:

photo source

The I-formation is an easy one to figure out, since the players literally line up in an “I” behind Center. The quarterback and running backs form a straight line back in this classic formation.

Defensive Formations

3-4 Defense

Oh, hey! Guess what! We know this one too, from our Basics of Defense lesson:

In a 3-4 formation, there are 3 defensive linemen up front with 4 linebackers behind them. Hence: 3-4.

You’re going to rock at the 4-3.

4-3 Formation

If you’re guessing that this formation employs 4 defensive linemen up front with 3 linebackers behind them…you win! That’s 100% right:

photo source

See? 4 up front, 3 behind.

Moment of truth, defense: We know from last week’s film room post that one corner is playing man coverage and the other is playing zone.

Isn’t knowing that such a thing of beauty?

Ok, now let’s throw a little caution to the wind here, because you have to be careful with this whole 3-4/4-3 business. Some tricksters, like, say, the Hoodie, throw a few surprises into the mix:

photo source

That’s a 4-3, right? Nope, not in this case. See that 4th defensive player on the left up front? See how he’s in a 2-point stance (standing up), not a 3-point stance (one hand on the ground)? That’s because he’s a linebacker. He’s just playing on the defensive line on this play; he’s not one of the defensive linemen. This is still 3-4: 3 linemen, 4 linebackers, even though it looks like 4-3. The linebacker who is up front in this play probably isn’t going to act like a lineman – he’s not going to help block the offensive line – so he’s not part of the linemen equation. There are still 3 linemen, 4 linebackers.

Does all of that make sense?

If not, leave any and all questions in the comments below and we’ll chat about what’s still muddy!

News and Notes : 3.22.13

We’ve reached the portion of the off-season in which legitimate news that will actually matter come September is hard to come by but tabloid-style flashy news is everywhere.

It’s kind of fun.

Plenty of other things happened over the course of the last week, but these are the five categories of events that stood out most for me:

Weirdest: Last Friday, I was sitting on a friend’s couch, catching up on the week, when my iPhone lit up with “Elvis Dumervil takes pay cut to stay in Denver.” No big surprise there. Then, no more than a minute or two later, this: “Elvis Dumervil cut from Denver after missed contract deadline.” And that was quite the big surprise.

In what has to be one of the weirdest sports stories ever (although there have been quite a few hum dingers lately), Elvis Dumervil’s now former agent didn’t get his contract faxed over in time to meet the deadline, and the Broncos had no rational business choice but to cut him. Now, this isn’t quite as devastating as it might seem, because they can resign him if they want to (and most signs point to that happening), but still…wow. It raises a variety of thoughts. Among them: 1) Fax machines? 2) The business side of football in all it’s cut throat glory is the same for all players with few exceptions.

3) Fax machines.

Who knew?

Saddest: It takes a lot for me to say this as a Packers fan and thus a non-fan of the Bears and all their constituents…but it’s sad to me that the Bears wouldn’t resign Urlacher for a measly $3 million. I realize that I just used the phrase “measly $3 million” but when you’re talking about keeping one of your veterans for the duration of his career and the difference between giving him a one-team legacy and cutting him loose is about $1 million (they offered him 2, he said he would negotiate 3)…it just seems like class should prevail over business at that point.

And now we have Exhibit 700 as evidence to why I would be a terrible GM.

Angriest: Greg Jennings is now the millionth Packer to don the Purple. And who helped him reach that decision? The Vikings other recent big-time NFC North steal: Brett Favre.

You’re really not helping to orchestrate your hero’s welcome back to GB, 4.

Three guesses as to which team is reportedly trying to grab Urlacher now that he’s on the market?

The Purple We-Can’t-Find-Our-Own-People Eaters.

Seriously…burns my biscuits.

Best: Praise the Lord and Hallelujah, the Tuck Rule is no more. I think it’s safe to say that no one is more pleased than Charles Woods0n.

Best Intended: The new helmet rule is taking a lot of flack from fans and players alike, and it’s easy to see why. At first glance, it seems like this new rule – which is trying to increase player safety by penalizing running backs who make contact with the crown of their head in the open field – is the latest stop on the train to football’s demise, at least football as we currently know it. Trying to make an unsafe sport safe is a tall order. It’s also an impossible, highly important, order. And when changes are made to the fabric of the game, it’s an order that causes mass hysteria.

But as a few level-heads have pointed out, this rule doesn’t change anything. No running back has ever been taught to hit with the crown of his head. Besides not making safety sense, it doesn’t make football sense. So this rule really shouldn’t be that big of a deal; in fact, it should be celebrated.

However, and this is an elephant of a however, the celebration pauses when we consider how in the world this is going to be officiated. The rule makes sense on paper, and it even makes sense on tape, but at game speed? When officials are keeping track of other factors and are trying to make their best judgement in real time in the mass of humanity that is stopping the run? That’s going to be rough. There will be lots of flags, lots of disgruntled people, and lots of throwing the baby out with the bathwater to the tune of, “They’re killing football!!!”

Don’t give up on this rule – or the future of football – quite yet. These changes aren’t being made to kill a game we love; they’re being made to make sure it doesn’t die of it’s own volition: an inherently violent nature and a refusal to adapt.

What do you guys think of the new rule?