Fascinating Piece By Greg Cosell
46 replies
Da 'FinsStaffOPI posted this in the draft forum also. I know this is not directly Dolphin related (so if it needs to be moved, I understand) - however indirectly I think it relates to all our discussions on the Dolphins direction and that's why I'm posting it here as to what Cosell argues below and a) how legit his theories are; b) how this might impact the Dolphins draft (esp. connected to Austin and CB's - as well as pursuit of pass rushers - which are sorely needed); and c) what areas the Dolphins may need to adjust their present roster as the NFL continues to evolve.
NFL free agency is an annual rite of spring. The media and fans pontificate with absolute certainty about all the signings that occur. There’s rarely a gray area, especially for those loyal followers who truly believe they know what’s best for their respective team. If only the general manager and the coach would listen ... well, "we’d" be Super Bowl champions every year.
It’s a fascinating ritual, one that engenders such emotion and passion you’d think you were in the middle of the season, fighting for a division championship and home field advantage. There’s no question that free agent signings have a meaningful impact on a team’s outlook for the coming season. For me, it’s not so much the individual player or players, it’s what those players signify about the specific team’s beliefs -- how it sees itself in the context of its division, its conference, the rest of the NFL, and where the league is trending schematically.That’s why I was so captivated by the moves the Seattle Seahawks made over the last 10 days, especially the trade for Percy Harvin, and the free agent signings of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett. It’s easy to say they acquired good players who will make them better, but to me, that’s too simplistic and misses the point. It’s the kind of players they targeted, and how they fit into Seattle’s larger world view of how best to compete and win in a constantly changing NFL landscape.
Let’s step back for a minute and look at the NFL as we enter the 2013 season. We know it’s a passing league; that’s been clearly established in so many different ways, the most obvious being the considerable increases in passing attempts and yardage. We also know it’s so much more than that. There are spread formations with multiple wide receivers, more athletic tight ends that align all over the formation, shifts and motions that create matchup advantages for versatile receivers and backs. The NFL is becoming more and more of a space game, with greater emphasis on expanding the field rather than constricting it. This may well be the influence of the college game, where the hash marks are much further apart, and there’s a clearly defined wide side of the field that significantly impacts offensive concepts and play calling.
It used to be fashionable to say with conviction that the NFL game was played in the middle of the field, and the college game was played on the perimeter. That axiom followed from the placement of the hash marks. In fact, many coaches I have spoken to over the years have strongly echoed that sentiment. There’s no question it has merit, if for no other reason than the mathematical parameters that the wider hash marks present. There’s simply more room to one side of the field. That allows for greater spacing in route combinations, especially in 3x1 distributions where there are three receivers to the wide side. Chip Kelly, when he was at Oregon, was a master at route spacing with three receivers.
In the NFL, you can’t replicate that faithfully. So the question then becomes, how can offenses best reproduce the spacing concepts, both in the passing game and the running game, so that defenses must defend the entire field, horizontally and vertically? Asked a different way, how can the NFL game extend even further outward, away from the cluttered bodies between the hash marks? I’ve already mentioned tactics that have now become conventional, like multiple wide receiver personnel and tight ends and backs that can split from the formation.
Earlier frustrations against spread offenses set Pete Carroll on a different path.
As I’ve studied college tape over the years, I’ve learned that there’s so much more. And Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll knows this from personal experience, spending nine years at USC. Interestingly enough, he spent his last three years there trying to defend Kelly’s offense at Oregon; in Carroll’s last game against Kelly, Oregon rolled up 613 yards of total offense, the most allowed in Carroll’s tenure at USC.
One tactic that I repeatedly see in college with both the quarterback under center and in the shotgun is a player from outside the formation, usually from a wide receiver position, motioning into the backfield with speed. That places a tremendous pre-snap burden on the defense.
Think about it in the context of the Seahawks. You have Russell Wilson in the shotgun, with Marshawn Lynch next to him or behind him in the Pistol formation. If Lynch is next to Wilson, the defense must be prepared for read option, which presents its own set of tactical issues. If it’s the Pistol, then the defense must be ready for the complete and multiple running game with Lynch, which of course is no easy task to defend. Of course, you can throw very effectively from these formations as well, with multiple play action and run action principles. Now add Harvin into the mix, sprinting into the backfield. That gives the Seahawks so many more options, and the defense much more to digest, process and adjust to in a matter of seconds. It’s a very difficult balancing act for even the most experienced defense.
In the right offense, Percy Harvin is nearly impossible to stop. (AP)
It’s a fascinating dynamic. Even though Harvin is motioning tight to the formation, he is really stretching the field horizontally because of the speed with which he is crossing the field. That kind of velocity motion forces the defense to widen. Why? What if Wilson takes the snap, and immediately hands the ball to Harvin racing to the perimeter? That attacks the edge, and puts the defense in a tough predicament. The result, and I’ve just scratched the surface of the multiple skill set of Harvin, is the further integration of the college spread game with the NFL game despite the closer hash marks. It’s a means of expanding the field, utilizing more space and forcing the defense to defend more area. Harvin gives the Seahawks that dimension. I’m convinced they made the trade with that in mind. He will not simply be a wide receiver. He will be a movable chess piece that advances the continuing evolution of NFL offense.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks have also recognized where the NFL is going. In a passing league, what must you do? You must rush the quarterback, and you must cover receivers. That’s the Cliff's Notes version. The devil is always in the details. What the Seahawks have done is draft and sign players that give them tremendous pass rush versatility -- and just as important, disruption on the outside versus wide receivers.
Go back a year to the 2012 NFL draft. All we heard when Seattle selected Bruce Irvin with the 15th overall pick in the first round was, “what a reach.” Those same “experts” would then tell you in the next breath that rushing the quarterback is the most important defensive element in today’s NFL. And by the way, Irvin played 46 percent of the snaps in his rookie season, including the playoffs, recording 11 sacks. But there’s a much larger point at work here. It’s how you scheme pass rush pressure. With Irvin, a returning Chris Clemons, and newly signed Cliff Avril, the Seahawks have three players who can align anywhere in their nickel sub-package. They all have what we call “Joker” ability, the talent to line up in either 3-point or 2-point stances and rush from different positions and angles.
What you have is an ideal mix of physical athleticism, and multiple schemes. It’s the new age pressure concepts in the NFL. It’s very difficult to line up with four defensive linemen in conventional positions, and create consistent pressure on the quarterback. Not only is it difficult to find four players who can do that, it’s tactically easier for the offense to protect against those more basic fronts. What defenses are trying to accomplish is pass protection indecision based on front alignments, coupled with athletic mismatches. The Seahawks are well positioned to do that with their personnel.
Let’s not forget Bennett. In Tampa last season, he played defensive end in the base 4-3, and then moved inside to tackle in the nickel and dime sub-packages. His pass rush quickness was not only a problem for offensive guards, it allowed him to be effective with stunts, another tactic that creates hesitation and confusion in pass protection schemes. The bottom line is this: the Seahawks have constructed a multi-dimensional combination of talent with speed, athleticism, and position and scheme versatility. That’s what’s necessary in the NFL of 2013 and beyond.
The picture is not complete, however. The Seahawks made a commitment to big, physical corners, players who were not held in the same high value around the league because they did not possess what has long been regarded as the necessary attributes of lateral quickness, dynamic change of direction and timed speed. Richard Sherman was a former wide receiver at Stanford who switched to corner his final two years. The Seahawks selected the 6’3” Sherman in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. He is arguably the best cornerback in the NFL entering the 2013 season. 6’4” Brandon Browner was undrafted out of Oregon State in 2005; again, he was seen as too slow and not quick enough to play NFL corner. The Seahawks signed him as a free agent after 4 seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
Gus Bradley, the Seahawks defensive coordinator the last four seasons before becoming the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coach in January, summed it up best. He once said, “Whatever scheme you play, you’ve got to create disruption at the perimeter.” With Sherman and Browner, the Seahawks do that more consistently and better than any team in the NFL. Disruption outside with taller, more aggressive corners; pass rush flexibility and adaptability with athletic and versatile hybrids who can align all over
That’s the template for defensive success in a passing league.The Seahawks have recognized the tactical advances that are in the forefront of the NFL’s next strategic cycle, and they have taken proactive measures to implement them. I will be very anxious to watch Seattle in 2013. They could well be the model for the NFL of the future -- the ideal fusion of Saturday and Sunday football.
Rhody Phins FanForum VeteranIn the right offense, Percy Harvin is nearly impossible to stop. (AP)
It’s a fascinating dynamic. Even though Harvin is motioning tight to the formation, he is really stretching the field horizontally because of the speed with which he is crossing the field. That kind of velocity motion forces the defense to widen. Why? What if Wilson takes the snap, and immediately hands the ball to Harvin racing to the perimeter? That attacks the edge, and puts the defense in a tough predicament. The result, and I’ve just scratched the surface of the multiple skill set of Harvin, is the further integration of the college spread game with the NFL game despite the closer hash marks. It’s a means of expanding the field, utilizing more space and forcing the defense to defend more area. Harvin gives the Seahawks that dimension. I’m convinced they made the trade with that in mind. He will not simply be a wide receiver. He will be a movable chess piece that advances the continuing evolution of NFL offense.
These are the types of options that a player like Tavon Austin would give Miami. This is what Ross has always wanted: a dynamic and exciting offense fitting the city of Miami. Hopefully this coaching staff is creative enough to think outside the box.
ToddPhinLuxury BoxThis type of stuff (in regards to Harvin) is exactly why I love Tavon Austin for this offense grouped with Wallace, Miller, Keller, & Tannehill. Using Tavon in presnap motion to stretch the field horizontally with Wallace & Keller who can stretch it vertically, complimented by the speed of Miller at tailback and the athleticism & decent speed of Tannehill at QB. It's one big cluster**** for a defense to prepare for and attempt to stop. Take Tavon off the field and the dynamic completely changes, obviously for the worse. He's the remaining thread that ties it all together.
padre31Luxury BoxOn the defensive side of the ball, the Seahawks have also recognized where the NFL is going. In a passing league, what must you do? You must rush the quarterback, and you must cover receivers. That’s the Cliff's Notes version. The devil is always in the details. What the Seahawks have done is draft and sign players that give them tremendous pass rush versatility -- and just as important, disruption on the outside versus wide receivers.
Go back a year to the 2012 NFL draft. All we heard when Seattle selected Bruce Irvin with the 15th overall pick in the first round was, “what a reach.” Those same “experts” would then tell you in the next breath that rushing the quarterback is the most important defensive element in today’s NFL. And by the way, Irvin played 46 percent of the snaps in his rookie season, including the playoffs, recording 11 sacks. But there’s a much larger point at work here. It’s how you scheme pass rush pressure. With Irvin, a returning Chris Clemons, and newly signed Cliff Avril, the Seahawks have three players who can align anywhere in their nickel sub-package. They all have what we call “Joker” ability, the talent to line up in either 3-point or 2-point stances and rush from different positions and angles.
Who saw that one coming?
Danger is 'chasing the trend", that "joker" also means lighter defensive players, this has all happened before Da fins
The "next" offensive trend will then be power running to maul those lighter defenders.
Meanwhile, tbh, the balanced approach also means..you sacrifice passrushing for "run stopping".
Da 'FinsStaffOne thing that is happening as well is guys who are weighing 260 who are still really lean (because of weight training; etc.) and have exceptional quickness, speed and power. The entire league is changing in that way. Just look at Philip Wheeler. He's 6'2, 240 and his body is so lean he looks like a WR or CB.
So, while the NFL might go more power (and power teams are still there - Baltimore won the SB, after all), teams can still stop the run with athletic and powerful players. Maybe 1-2 mammoths in the middle and the other front 5 being lean and powerful - who can all get to the QB.
The Tavon Austin issue and the CB factor is also interesting. Makes a kid like Banks all the more interesting.
SamphinNew MemberI think it's fascinating that you think we would read all dem there words.
Post in picture form please.
padre31Luxury Box"Samphin wrote:
I think it's fascinating that you think we would read all dem there words.
Post in picture form please.
Hmm, I knew literacy skills were slipping around the country but..
djphinfanSupporterThis evolvement is great, it's what I thought would happen when the wildcat first started, just needed to find the special signal caller that had the athletic ability to execute a full passing offense horizontally and vertical, great Qb athleticism, and be able to run a power spread run game like the pistol, hesitation by defenders by scheme and formation from the offense is the key, it's an unfair platform for which to start the play..
Offensively speaking, Tavon Austin makes the offense truly lethal, Wallace/Austin truly test the vert/horiz concepts to its max ..His talent is unquestioned, in space, it becomes easy..
So Mark Trestman has stated that jay cutler will be running the zone read..I hope to see what Tannehill can do..
KB21SupporterYou know, I've been saying for a while now that the brightest coaching minds in football are not in the NFL, or at the major college level. Those minds are at the lower levels of college football, as these are the coaches that have to come up with schemes to beat teams with better talent than they have. Who knew that when Chris Ault decided way back when that he wanted to combine the passing concepts of the top spread offenses of the day with the ability to continue to have a power oriented, downhill running game that he would come up with a formation that is likely the most versatile formation to obtain balance in your play calling while also keeping up with the innovations in the game.
padre31Luxury BoxDeej Bro, trust me, this will hit the rocks soon enough.
"If" this cannot last in the CFL, on a wider field, and a smaller pool of DefCord's to figure it out, how long will it last in the NFL with a smaller field and 32 DefCord's figuring it out?
As I've said, think a sort of S/Lb Hybrid who can cover and blitz and keep up with the athletic Qb's.
KB21Supporter"padre31 wrote:
Deej Bro, trust me, this will hit the rocks soon enough.
"If" this cannot last in the CFL, on a wider field, and a smaller pool of DefCord's to figure it out, how long will it last in the NFL with a smaller field and 32 DefCord's figuring it out?
As I've said, think a sort of S/Lb Hybrid who can cover and blitz and keep up with the athletic Qb's.
This is actually an idea that has stood the test of time already. It's just getting more publicized now than it was back in the 1980s. The fact of the matter is that when Bill Walsh created his offense, his goal was to create space on the field and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers quickly and allow them to work in the space created. It was actually Sid Gillman that came up with the passing concepts of vertical stretches, horizontal stretches, and man reads. Bill Walsh took those concepts and expounded on them in his offense. Walsh was the pioneer of doing what guys like Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton are doing and what Joe Philbin wants to do. Walsh essentially discovered that a great way to create space was to combine the vertical stretches and horizontal stretches into the same play. Prior to that, you would have teams doing one or the other, flooding that particular zone. Walsh combined the concepts and started using triangle reads.
I said last year before the season started the Seahawks what should have been Miami's perfect plan for addressing the QB position and they continue on that path. Schneider / Carroll have done an incredible job with assembling the Seahawks. Trading for Harvin was a great move if he can stay on the field. There is a good chance the two best teams over the 5+ years reside in the NFC West.
I hope Miami doesn't spend #12 on Austin hoping he can fulfill the role Harvin will be in Seattle, just not physical enough. Probably would end up in the long line of 1st round draft picks having short careers in a Dolphin uniform.
padre31Luxury Box"KB21 wrote:
This is actually an idea that has stood the test of time already. It's just getting more publicized now than it was back in the 1980s. The fact of the matter is that when Bill Walsh created his offense, his goal was to create space on the field and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers quickly and allow them to work in the space created. It was actually Sid Gillman that came up with the passing concepts of vertical stretches, horizontal stretches, and man reads. Bill Walsh took those concepts and expounded on them in his offense. Walsh was the pioneer of doing what guys like Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton are doing and what Joe Philbin wants to do. Walsh essentially discovered that a great way to create space was to combine the vertical stretches and horizontal stretches into the same play. Prior to that, you would have teams doing one or the other, flooding that particular zone. Walsh combined the concepts and started using triangle reads.
Suffice it to say Kb, to quote Wally Buono:
"..if they had called us prior to the championship game..they would have won.."
You can google it if one cares to "NFL teams calling the CFL for tips on how to stop.."
De's and Lb's won't be fooled for very long.
BayAreaFinFanSupporterI was already on board for drafting Austin, this article has me drooling over the possibilities if we do! The speed we would have on the offensive side of the ball would be ridiculous. Wallace, Miller, and Austin! Don't forget Tanny ran something like a 4.59 at his pro day, which is nothing to sneeze at.
ToddPhinLuxury Box"KB21 wrote:
This is actually an idea that has stood the test of time already. It's just getting more publicized now than it was back in the 1980s. The fact of the matter is that when Bill Walsh created his offense, his goal was to create space on the field and get the ball into the hands of his playmakers quickly and allow them to work in the space created. It was actually Sid Gillman that came up with the passing concepts of vertical stretches, horizontal stretches, and man reads. Bill Walsh took those concepts and expounded on them in his offense. Walsh was the pioneer of doing what guys like Mike McCarthy and Sean Payton are doing and what Joe Philbin wants to do. Walsh essentially discovered that a great way to create space was to combine the vertical stretches and horizontal stretches into the same play. Prior to that, you would have teams doing one or the other, flooding that particular zone. Walsh combined the concepts and started using triangle reads.
Yup, Gillman's philosophy was to make opposing defenses have to "defend every blade of grass".
Clark KentForum VeteranGotta agree with Cosell about the physicality of the secondary (CB's specifically) going into this new offensive generation. I've always preferred the man press of the Dolphins circa 97-04. With Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain mobbing defenders and letting the DL do work in the pocket. One of the reasons I thought we always seemed to have success defensively against the Brady's and Manning's. Which has happened significantly less over the years. Never was too thrilled about the new zone D rumor personally.
I wonder if Miami is planning on a similar concept for our defensive line. GC description of Seattle's new acquisition's and the plan for them would seem to fit in well with Miami given the Solai, Starks and Odrick situation. All we would need is a pass rushing specialist for nickle/dime and we would have the same versatility.
djphinfanSupporter"phinsational wrote:
Yup, Gillman's philosophy was to make opposing defenses have to "defend every blade of grass".
Really you have to have two elements to accomplish that, elite speed at the receiver position, and a strong armed Qb.
SICKForum Veteran"Samphin wrote:
I think it's fascinating that you think we would read all dem there words.
Post in picture form please.
Yeah! Pop up pictures!!
Co-Host of the Welcome to Perfectville Podcast
DisgustipateSupporterI'm not really convinced about Austin's potential contributions from the backfield. He's a threat in the open field but I'm not sure he has particularly good vision or skills before he gets there. He'll almost certainly be good on jet sweeps and reverses and the like, but other then that? Percy Harvin was way more productive and prolific as a college rusher and that hasn't really translated into a lot with him.
I think Cosell is wrong about shift to press-man. It's the wrong way to go.
rafaelForum Veteran"Disgustipate wrote:
I'm not really convinced about Austin's potential contributions from the backfield. He's a threat in the open field but I'm not sure he has particularly good vision or skills before he gets there. He'll almost certainly be good on jet sweeps and reverses and the like, but other then that? Percy Harvin was way more productive and prolific as a college rusher and that hasn't really translated into a lot with him.
I never thought Harvin had great vision as a runner. At UF his successful runs were almost all plays where he just ran straight through the designed hole. Basically they were successful b/c of scheme and his speed. I think Austin has better vision as a runner. The advantage Harvin has over Austin is power.
GreenMonsterNew MemberWhile I love reading all this stuff about new offenses and Tavon Austin, considering our strength at receiver now, shouldn't we be considering other positions more closely?
Fin DForum Veteran"GreenMonster wrote:
While I love reading all this stuff about new offenses and Tavon Austin, considering our strength at receiver now, shouldn't we be considering other positions more closely?
I don't understand how you can read the stuff in this thread then ask that question.
I mean, I can understand if you disagree with taking Austin, but acting like very specific reasons for taking him with our current WRs wasn't explained is weird to me.
GreenMonsterNew Member"Fin D wrote:
I don't understand how you can read the stuff in this thread then ask that question.
I mean, I can understand if you disagree with taking Austin, but acting like very specific reasons for taking him with our current WRs wasn't explained is weird to me.
Well the same article also mentioned pass rushers. It is more likely to me that we go for an elite pass rusher, than another WR, considering 3 are set in stone.
Da 'FinsStaffWhen Cosell was talking about Tavon he referenced this article and why Austin has increased value.