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Off the Field : Alex Smith

Alex Smith was the subject of the biggest quarterback controversy that no one saw coming when he was seamlessly replaced by Colin Kaepernick in the midst of the 49ers Super Bowl season. As with everything he’s endured during his tenure in San Francisco, he handled the situation with class and grace – even going so far as to coach Kaepernick himself – and has since been awarded the starting quarterback job with the rebuilding Kansas City Chiefs. Anyone who has watched the collective story of the Chiefs unfold over the past few years can only wish the best for Alex Smith, Andy Reid, and the entire organization as they embark on a new era.

A rather tumultuous existence on the field never stopped Alex from helping kids with tumultuous lives off the field, however. I first learned of Alex’s foundation back in 2009 when I read Between Sundays by Karen Kingsbury, a book about an NFL player who has his life changed by working with the foster care system. Alex wrote the foreword to the book and also assisted with information about life inside the NFL, as well as life for kids inside the foster care system.

He’s not well-informed about the foster care system because he had been forced to live through it as a child; he’s well-informed about the foster care system because he chose to learn about it and stand alongside kids in need of support as an adult. In 2005, after a visit to a residential school for foster care children in San Diego, Smith decided to pour his own money into the Alex Smith Foundation, which equips teens who are graduating out of the foster care system with long-term financial support to attend San Diego State University. As per the Foundations website, “by providing five-year scholarships, year round housing and extensive individual guidance and support, the Guardian scholars program provides the opportunity to change individual lives, realize true independence and reach their full potential.” Twenty-three out of the thirty total scholars who’ve been admitted entrance into the program have graduated successfully and are living markedly different lives than they would have ever had the opportunity to live otherwise.

The Foundation was recently honored for it’s success, especially in the way of financial integrity, by the Boston Globe:

[quote]Nonprofit specialists say a charitable foundation should funnel a minimum of 65 to 75 percent of proceeds to its cause. Of the 50 foundations the Globe examined, nearly half fell short of that standard. Meanwhile, Smith’s foundation spent 91 percent of its funds on its mission from 2008 to 2010, the time period from which the Globe examined IRS filings. A primary reason is because Smith has provided much of the funding.[/quote]

Aside from donating a substantial amount of money, Smith also donates his time, pouring mentorship into the lives of the Foundation’s youth and traveling to speaking engagements to lobby on behalf of needed changes in the foster care system nationwide. Marquis Blount, a scholarship recipient, said of Smith’s devotion, “That blew me away […] It was amazing to see when he had time off that he was a part of the program. He was like an older brother, making sure we were doing OK.”

Kansas City, you deserve a great man leading your team, and you sure are getting one. Thanks for all you do, Alex!

Fundamentals : Defensive Techniques

We’ve spent the past few weeks talking mostly about offensive fundamentals, so today we’re going to switch sides and talk defense.

As the draft approaches, you’re likely to hear commentators talking about defensive prospects in terms of “technique.” Now, to the rest of the world, this sounds like it would be a good descriptor for a player’s particular method of play, right? As in, “he has really solid technique.”

But because football likes to keep you guessing, that’s not at all what it means.

(If you’ve learned anything from this website, you are probably not at all surprised. When it comes to football terminology, nothing is ever what it seems.)

In this set of circumstances, a defensive player’s “technique” has nothing to do with his fundamental skill level and everything to do with where he lines up on the defensive line.

Let’s review where exactly the defensive line is by first reviewing the players on defense:

Here we see the defensive ends and defensive tackle up front on the defensive line, the linebackers behind, and the safeties and cornerbacks in the secondary.

Pop Quiz time!

What defensive formation is this defense running?

If you said 3-4, you’re right! Great job! There are 3 defensive linemen up front and 4 linebackers behind them.

Bonus Question!

There’s only one tackle lined up in the middle of the formation. What is the name for this position?

It’s, of course, named by the corresponding facial feature (of course!): the nose tackle. Mysterious Football Lingo strikes again.

Ok, moving on: to make it a little easier to see which area of the defense is where, here’s a color-coded copy:

So when we’re talking about defensive techniques, the only players in question are the guys all the way up front on the defensive line: the defensive ends and tackles.

As mentioned above, a technique is solely the lineman’s position on the field.

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Techniques are identified by numbers, starting with zero, and increase from inside to outside (almost always – this is still football, after all). Even numbers are D-linemen lined up directly over their corresponding offensive linemen. Odd numbers indicate D-linemen lined up to the outside shoulder of the O-linemen.

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There are two schools of thought when it comes to numbering defensive techniques. One is more confusing than the other, so we’ll start there:

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The line shown in shapes isn’t the defensive line; it’s the offensive line. The square C is the center, then the guards, then the tackles, and the TE is the tight end. The numbers indicate the defensive techniques.

You can see that the even numbers (0, 2, 4, 6) are all lined up directly across from an offensive lineman. On the occasion that a defensive lineman would line up inside an offensive lineman’s shoulder, the technique is marked by an “i” for inside (2i, 4i). The alignments that occur on the outside of the offensive lineman’s shoulder are marked by odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 9). The exception to this rule is the tight end: the inside position is marked by a 7, and the outside position is marked by a 9. In this example the tight end is on the offensive right of the formation, but were he on the offensive left instead, the same numbers would still apply – 7 for inside, 9 for outside. You’d think, logically, that the numbers for this alignment would be 7 for the outside, 6 for over top, and 6i for inside, but that’s not so. I kind of love the explanation given by Georgia Tech head coach Paul Johnson for how this came about: “No one knows why that is the case but Coach Bryant numbered it that way and no one has the guts to change it.”

Coach Bryant is Bear Bryant, legendary Alabama head coach. I can understand why no one thought it best to make the tweak.

Someone, however, must have had the guts to make the tweak somewhere along the line, because there’s another system of numbering that works much more sensibly:

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In this system, the zero technique is still aligned directly over the center. From there, techniques are assigned numerically down the line from 1-9 (if a tight end is present) or 1-6 (if no tight end is present). Even though it doesn’t follow the “even lines up over” rule, it’s still a little easier to follow.

So despite the systems being a little wonky, once you get past that, it’s not too bad, right?

Now the question is: who goes where? What type of player fits the mold for each technique? Let’s consider that in terms of odd-numbered techniques (except for zero), the ones most frequently used to describe defensive linemen:

0-technique: usually the biggest guy of the bunch. He’s traditionally (but not always) responsible for blocking the center and defending both A gaps, so he’s got to be large enough to take up a lot of space on the field.

1-technique: similar physique and job description as the 0-technique, but he usually defends one gap (the A gap), not two, and should command attention from both the center and the guard.

3-technique: the lineman aligned in this position is poised for disruption. It’s his job to shoot the B gap and get into the backfield to disrupt any running or passing plays. As per Pro Football Focus (which is a must read for more information about these techniques – or about anything football, for that matter): “Unlike the first two tackle positions, the 3-technique relies far more on speed and agility than brute strength.”

5-technique: this alignment is designed to block the B and C gaps, not so much through size, but through length. The 5-technique player is usually large, but also tall.

7-technique: it’s all about setting the edge and stopping the run for the 7-technique player. In the case of a passing play, the lineman in this position should also be able to elude the tight end and the tackle and get into the backfield to disrupt a passing play.

9-technique: these are the speed rushers; the guys who are going to fly off the defensive line and into the backfield to rush the quarterback.

So, what do you think? Clear as mud? I know we kind of dove into gaps in this post as well, and I don’t think we’ve talked about them before – consider that your spolier alert for next week’s fundamentals post :)

News and Notes : 4.5.13

Did it snow where you were this week? It snowed here in Upstate NY, and while that’s hardly news around here even in early April, it’s still unfortunate. I love snow, but come spring, it’s worn a hole in the welcome mat.

In other news:

The preseason schedule was released. Which, while preseason games are not generally cause for celebration, is actual game-news in early April, 3 months into the football dry spell. So it’s cause for unmerited celebration.

(Little known fact: teams schedule their own opponents for the last week of preseason. The Bears and the Browns have played each other in the final game for the past 10 years.)

Think the Pro Bowl could benefit from a little excitement? The NFL does too. (I actually love the Pro Bowl…but I think I’m the only one.) They’re thinking about implementing a draft-style format to the selection of teams. I’m not sure how much I love that idea, but I am definitely curious to know more.

Jason Hanson, who has been the only consistent piece of the Lions puzzle over the past two decades, has decided to retire after 21 years with the Lions. 21 years! That’s quite a career in the NFL, even for a kicker. In the end, it was a heel injury that ended things for him, otherwise he would have come back for year 22. Unreal.

Matt Flynn, the former Packers backup QB who after one great game was given an unbelievable contract by Seattle only to be beaten out by rookie phenom Russell Wilson, is now on his way to Oakland. Poor kid can’t buy a break.

Carson Palmer, now-displaced Raiders QB, is on his way to Arizona. He’s been named the starter already…even though the Cardinals staff brought in Matt Barkley, entering the draft from USC, for a workout this week.

What about the now-displaced Cardinals QB’s? John Skelton is out of a job, and Kevin Kolb is shuffling off to Buffalo. I’m not sure who bears the bigger burden.

And we could continue this trend and figure out who now-displaced Bills QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will be, in turn, displacing, but we’re going to pull the plug here because if history has taught us anything this offseason, it’s that this game could go on forever. The moves and rumors of moves are never-ending.

And that’s Friday.

History Lesson : Theismann’s Big Break

By now, you’ve probably seen or at least heard about the gruesome injury suffered by Louisville men’s basketball player Kevin Ware. I was working upstairs with the TV on mute while the game was on so I could look up at the score every now and then, but it was on live downstairs so I could still faintly hear what was going on.

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The commotion that followed Kevin Ware’s injury, however, was anything but faint. I looked up just in time to see the second replay of what has to be the worst injury I’ve ever witnessed with my own two eyes on a television screen. If you’ve not seen it…don’t seek it out. It’s one of those injuries you can’t un-see. Just know that Ware’s leg snapped beneath him like a twig through a lawnmower, his teammates were so dismayed that they were throwing up on the sidelines, and his head coach was in tears.

Joe Theismann, former quarterback of the Washington Redskins, is probably one of the only people who can truly empathize with Ware.

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Theismann was a star at Notre Dame in his college days and was initially drafted to the Miami Dolphins in 1971, though he decided to spend 3 years as a quarterback in the Canadian Football League instead due to problems with contract negotiations with the Dolphins. In 1974 he was obtained by the Washington Redskins and finally got his chance to be a starting quarterback for the Redskins in 1978. Another 4 years later, in 1982, he led the Redskins to their first Super Bowl win in 40 years.

His career as the Redskins starter continued until a Monday night in 1985 in a home game against the Giants. In the second quarter, Theismann handed the ball off to RB John Riggins, who pitched it back to Joe on a flea flicker pass. He dropped back to find an open receiver and was sacked by Hall of Fame Linebacker Lawrence Taylor. It would be the hit that ended his career.

Theismann’s leg immediately snapped in two, and was so badly broken that Lawrence Taylor was the first one to jump up off the pile and frantically motion for the Redskins training staff to come onto the field to help. It was so badly broken that L.T. didn’t stop there – he ran over to the Redskins sideline to get their orthopedic surgeon, Charles Jackson, who had been on the job for three weeks. In an interview about that night he recalled, “I just remember L.T. coming over and grabbing me. I hadn’t seen the play, and when I went out on the field, I looked down at Joe’s leg and his bone was sticking through his sock. Remember, I’ve only been doing this for three weeks, and I’m saying to myself, ‘Oh, man, what have I gotten myself into here?’ “

Perhaps the best part of this story is Joe’s memory of being transferred from the ambulance to the hospital: “When we pulled up there, as they were transferring me from the ambulance to a stretcher, they actually forgot to pick up my right leg. It just kind of flopped down. I remember saying to the attendant, ‘Hey, can you just grab the rest of me?'”

No big deal.

Sadly, Theismann would never return to play in the NFL again. And neither he nor Taylor would ever watch the tape of the play that ended his career.

Theismann, always the class act, has reached out to Kevin Ware this week during his recovery and has let it be known that he’ll be supporting Ware 100% throughout his recovery.

Because if anyone knows what he’s going through, it’s Joe.

Film Room : Wide Receiver Route Tree

On Monday we learned about play calling for passing plays. While the basics aren’t too challenging, the sheer breadth of terminology and nuances between systems can lead to a bit of information overload. To circumvent that, I thought we’d take a look at a different sort of film for today’s film room post. This is an educational video for wide receivers that features Larry Fitzgerald, one of the greatest to ever play the game, as the instructor.

I think we’ll be just fine after we spend a few minutes with him:

*Note for all of the routes below: Larry frequently mentions that he’s trying to get a defender to open his hips. That means a defender has started to commit to one direction or the other – the right or the left – by moving his hips in that direction. Once the defender opens his hips, it’s much harder to flip his hips and come back around in another direction.

*Note for the rest of draft season: You’ll hear a lot of scouts and draftniks speaking highly of defenders who can “flip their hips” – that’s what they’re talking about.

The Routes Larry refers to are a little different than some that we learned on Monday, but they’re still all standard NFL Routes. Here’s the Cardinals Route Tree that Larry breaks down in the video, with any new terminology italicized:

1 Route: 5 yard Hitch Route

Plus Four Outside the Numbers – that means he’s aligned 4 yards outside of the numbers on his side of the field. He explodes off the line as if he were running a Go route (straight up the field to the end zone), but then cuts back in after running 5 yards to complete the Hitch.

2 Route: a Slant or a Drag Route

A Slant Route for X’s – remember, the X receiver is the split end, the receiver on the opposite side from the tight end.

Or a Drag Route if you’re on the backside of a naked – Whoa there, Larry. This is family programming! While it sounds vile, what it actually means is that the 2 Route can be a Drag if a receiver is on the backside – the side of the play where the ball is not going – of a naked bootleg – a play in which the quarterback runs with the ball in the opposite direction from the rest of the offense.

In either circumstance, the receiver is going to have to beat the defender off the line and run upfield at an angle to achieve the Slant or Drag.

3 Route: 4 to 6 Step Quick Out (Semi Route)

In order to sync up with the QB’s timing, the receiver running this route has to stay right on the numbers and leave as much space between him and the sidelines as possible so that when he reaches the edge of his route the ball is there waiting for him.

(Larry’s making up for his language in the previous segment by getting friendly – which means he’s going to close in on the trajectory of the ball so that he’s in the right position to receive it.)

4 Route (Big In) and 5 Route (Comeback)

In these routes, the receiver is running full speed ahead for the majority of his route before breaking either inside (4 Route) or outside (5 Route). The key is to not let the defender guess which way you’re going to cut. For the Big In, the receiver rolls in flat and friendly – meaning he’s staying nice and tight to the path of the ball – and catches the ball about 2 yards inside of the numbers. It’s the same process for the Comeback, but instead of cutting in, he’s doing to cut out at a 45 degree angle back toward the trajectory of the ball.

6 Route: Curl

The Curl starts with the receiver lined up 2 yards outside of the numbers, and continues with him running at full speed for about 10 yards. Then he cuts back down, much like a Comeback but at less of an angle, and gets open to receive the ball.

7 Route: Bench Route

This route is a bit of a combination of skills. When there is a safety in the middle of the field – or midfield closed – it starts with a slant inside, continues vertical, and then breaks out to the edge. When the defense is playing Cover 2 (when the safeties are deep and defending against the long bomb) or Cover 4 (when 4 defensive backs are deep), the running back runs a Flat and the receiver runs the same route at a higher angle so that they can hi/lo the safety – which means the offense positions different players at different levels vertically to make the safety decide who he’s going to cover.

8 Route: Bang (Flag, Corner) Route

1st Variation: Bang 8, a seven-step timing route in which the receiver angles to the pylon at the corner of the end zone.

2nd Variation: Big 8, a route in which the receiver chases down the safety, waits until he’s right on top of him, and then cuts to the corner of the end zone. Larry mentions that this route is ideal against teams playing quarters (not a drinking game) – a defensive scheme that employs four defensive backs in the backfield.

9 Route: Go (Fly, Fade) Route

More than just running straight ahead! The important part here is that when the receiver reaches the defensive back, he stacks – or keeps the defender right next to him on the inside – so that the quarterback can throw the ball to the receiver’s outside, right where only he can catch it.

That clears things up, right? Thanks, Larry!

Off the Field : Marcus Lattimore

I’m not sure there is a person with a pulse who isn’t rooting for Marcus Lattimore. The junior running back from the University of South Carolina is currently preparing for the NFL Draft; it’s a day that had the chance of never arriving for Lattimore after two seasons of gruesome knee injuries that probably should have ended his career.

If you’re at all squeamish, consider yourself warned:

All of the hard work that Marcus has been putting into recovery was rewarded last Wednesday. There wasn’t a team in the NFL that wasn’t in attendance to see what he could pull off less than 6 months after having his knee flung around like a piece of spaghetti.

He put on quite a showing, that’s for sure. Those who watched were so inspired by his success that they gave him a round of applause and a standing ovation after his workout. That’s something you definitely don’t see everyday from heard-nosed NFL scouts.

If you’ve never seen a pro day before, or you need any measure of life inspiration, watch this video of South Carolina’s pro day. Aside from seeing Lattimore’s otherworldly performance, if you watch to the end you’ll also see a catch you’ve never seen before. Guaranteed.

(Isn’t that amazing?! Good work, South Carolina – whoever created this video is phenomenal. I don’t think I’ve ever been so compelled by footage of a kicker on a pro day. Seriously, that was incredibly well done!)

During his interviews afterward, Lattimore said the following of his road to recovery:

“I want to be an inspiration, to let people know that with hard work, and when you trust in God, you can come back from anything and do anything.”

I think we can safely say that mission was accomplished.