AbsolutNET
New member
I had a few spare minutes and access to the all 22 so I wanted to look at the passing game. I got the 1st quarter done and here's what I came up with. Just info for you to make your own conclusions from. I know it's late, but what the heck.
1st & 10, 1st Quarter
5 wide, twins to right. Lynch @ split end is a good pre-snap read with leverage and off coverage w/ double slants. Looks to slot on other side vs. off coverage, has 3 yard out but doesn’t throw off his drop. Scrambles for 5 yards, had two good looks on each side of the field he didn’t pull the trigger on. Even had Tate on a LB in the middle of the field, but bailed from a clean pocket because the routes broke quickly and he didn’t make the throw. Russ needs to trust the pre-snap read and throw the ball on this one.
2 & 5
Trips left, no releases to the right. Combo is Go-Post-Out. Cardinals have 6 in coverage and Russ throws over the top but throws long for Kearse. Tate runs a lazy Out and lets it drift into the defender, otherwise the throw could go to him if he stayed tighter. Had Kearse 1-on-1 but in tight coverage
3rd & 5
Shotgun, Quads. Cardinals show 6 rushers, drop the LB’s and rush 4. Hawks have 1 route breaking when Russ takes two quick steps and readies to throw, and it’s to the backside of the play. The front side combo is a deep out from the slot and a window from Tate where he pushes the seam and sits down in space. Lynch is running an arrow underneath, but by the time the routes break, Russ is being forced from the pocket on the right side. He could have thrown to Lynch but it was a few yards shy of the marker so he scrambled and made a really bad decision to throw into coverage into the middle of the field and it should have been picked. Looks like Russ picked the right side due to leverage with numbers pre-snap and a soft corner. Single safety showed man coverage on the back side. Good coverage against what the Hawks tried to do on the zone side. Soft corner bailed and gave the QB a read to throw underneath him with a LB screaming to the flats on the short arrow.
3rd & 3
5 wide, twins to right. Cardinals show 7 rushers, leaving 4 in coverage so someone will have to drop. Extra rusher to trips side drops, as to be expected & Miller stays in to block. 4 receivers vs 5 in coverage (man with the dropping LB in the middle). Russ looks to the left which is basically a Smash concept with a slant underneath instead of a hitch. Flanker presses the CB who stays tight, so Russ looks to throw in the void over that CB to the slot running a corner. Not a bad look and good coverage on the slot. Pre-snap gave the Hawks the space to run the corner, it was just overthrown. Ran a couple slants on the back side but the smash was the right look here, it just didn’t connect.
1st & 10
Trey right, Ace back
Boot left off run action right. Russ rolls away from the trey side. Single receiver pushes like a Go route, then stops, goes, and finally pushes to the sideline. Not sure what he was trying to do here but it took forever and Russ was at the numbers by the time the receiver broke to the play. Baldwin started in the slot and ran a drag across the field right at the marker. Backside S played this well, once he saw boot he let his DL chase Russ and dropped into coverage, which took away Baldwin. Russ tried to get it to him at the last second but it wasn’t there. Incomplete.
3rd & 2
Shotgun, trey left. Cardinals show 5 rushers and bring them. Coverage is single high safety with man on the edges (sound familiar?). Hawks release 4, Lynch stays home. Single receiver runs a fade stop with Wilson throwing complete to his backside for a great catch. The trey side combo is Dig-Out-Post. Kind of curious for a 2 yards-to-go 3rd down. The Dig took a long time to develop but the Post could have been a good look as the MLB cleared out to follow the Out, but it’s a throw that Russ needs to not hesitate on if he wants it. Solid protection and I can’t blame Russ for going to the Stop since he had the man coverage on it and a dense zone to the trey side.
3rd & 6
5 wide, twins to the left. Single high man-under with a blitz look. Press coverage on the twins, off the trey. Same smash concept on the twins side with the split end pushing the CB and the slot running over top of him. This time though, the CB turned his shoulders and dropped, so the read is underneath to the slant for a 9 yard gain and a 1st down. Trey combo is Hitch (probably a choice depending on coverage)-Go-Pivot (TE pushing to the MLB and then turning out). Good combo against this defense on both side of the play, imo. Built in man and zone beaters for the QB to choose from based on the pre-snap look.
1st & 10
Flex Left (TE with a second TE lined up a yard behind the C gap), ace back, twins right
Cardinals show 5 rushers with a 2 deep zone over top. Primary combo is to the flex side, TE running a go to clear out for the flexed TE running a short arrow to the flat. Interesting that Russ basically hopped to make the throw on such a quick drop. Good to see from him though making the play without taking much time in the pocket. Twins combo was In-Out which would have actually been a better read against off coverage here. But he hits the flexed TE for a 3 yard gain.
1st & 10, 1st Quarter
5 wide, twins to right. Lynch @ split end is a good pre-snap read with leverage and off coverage w/ double slants. Looks to slot on other side vs. off coverage, has 3 yard out but doesn’t throw off his drop. Scrambles for 5 yards, had two good looks on each side of the field he didn’t pull the trigger on. Even had Tate on a LB in the middle of the field, but bailed from a clean pocket because the routes broke quickly and he didn’t make the throw. Russ needs to trust the pre-snap read and throw the ball on this one.
2 & 5
Trips left, no releases to the right. Combo is Go-Post-Out. Cardinals have 6 in coverage and Russ throws over the top but throws long for Kearse. Tate runs a lazy Out and lets it drift into the defender, otherwise the throw could go to him if he stayed tighter. Had Kearse 1-on-1 but in tight coverage
3rd & 5
Shotgun, Quads. Cardinals show 6 rushers, drop the LB’s and rush 4. Hawks have 1 route breaking when Russ takes two quick steps and readies to throw, and it’s to the backside of the play. The front side combo is a deep out from the slot and a window from Tate where he pushes the seam and sits down in space. Lynch is running an arrow underneath, but by the time the routes break, Russ is being forced from the pocket on the right side. He could have thrown to Lynch but it was a few yards shy of the marker so he scrambled and made a really bad decision to throw into coverage into the middle of the field and it should have been picked. Looks like Russ picked the right side due to leverage with numbers pre-snap and a soft corner. Single safety showed man coverage on the back side. Good coverage against what the Hawks tried to do on the zone side. Soft corner bailed and gave the QB a read to throw underneath him with a LB screaming to the flats on the short arrow.
3rd & 3
5 wide, twins to right. Cardinals show 7 rushers, leaving 4 in coverage so someone will have to drop. Extra rusher to trips side drops, as to be expected & Miller stays in to block. 4 receivers vs 5 in coverage (man with the dropping LB in the middle). Russ looks to the left which is basically a Smash concept with a slant underneath instead of a hitch. Flanker presses the CB who stays tight, so Russ looks to throw in the void over that CB to the slot running a corner. Not a bad look and good coverage on the slot. Pre-snap gave the Hawks the space to run the corner, it was just overthrown. Ran a couple slants on the back side but the smash was the right look here, it just didn’t connect.
1st & 10
Trey right, Ace back
Boot left off run action right. Russ rolls away from the trey side. Single receiver pushes like a Go route, then stops, goes, and finally pushes to the sideline. Not sure what he was trying to do here but it took forever and Russ was at the numbers by the time the receiver broke to the play. Baldwin started in the slot and ran a drag across the field right at the marker. Backside S played this well, once he saw boot he let his DL chase Russ and dropped into coverage, which took away Baldwin. Russ tried to get it to him at the last second but it wasn’t there. Incomplete.
3rd & 2
Shotgun, trey left. Cardinals show 5 rushers and bring them. Coverage is single high safety with man on the edges (sound familiar?). Hawks release 4, Lynch stays home. Single receiver runs a fade stop with Wilson throwing complete to his backside for a great catch. The trey side combo is Dig-Out-Post. Kind of curious for a 2 yards-to-go 3rd down. The Dig took a long time to develop but the Post could have been a good look as the MLB cleared out to follow the Out, but it’s a throw that Russ needs to not hesitate on if he wants it. Solid protection and I can’t blame Russ for going to the Stop since he had the man coverage on it and a dense zone to the trey side.
3rd & 6
5 wide, twins to the left. Single high man-under with a blitz look. Press coverage on the twins, off the trey. Same smash concept on the twins side with the split end pushing the CB and the slot running over top of him. This time though, the CB turned his shoulders and dropped, so the read is underneath to the slant for a 9 yard gain and a 1st down. Trey combo is Hitch (probably a choice depending on coverage)-Go-Pivot (TE pushing to the MLB and then turning out). Good combo against this defense on both side of the play, imo. Built in man and zone beaters for the QB to choose from based on the pre-snap look.
1st & 10
Flex Left (TE with a second TE lined up a yard behind the C gap), ace back, twins right
Cardinals show 5 rushers with a 2 deep zone over top. Primary combo is to the flex side, TE running a go to clear out for the flexed TE running a short arrow to the flat. Interesting that Russ basically hopped to make the throw on such a quick drop. Good to see from him though making the play without taking much time in the pocket. Twins combo was In-Out which would have actually been a better read against off coverage here. But he hits the flexed TE for a 3 yard gain.