Football 301: Decoding Garrett - Week 16

The win over Washington broken down. Surely, we see that the Wildcat/Razorback effort is still extremely experimental. I am quite curious if they continue to try
and roll that out as the games get more and more "imperative".

Overall, these numbers demonstrate what we have seen all along; A very strong offense who at the moment of truth may not be able to get that yard, but otherwise, the evidence is such that we can suggest this is a formidable unit that gives its opponents significant stress in gameplan choices.

The questions of the RB rotation continue, and Tashard Choice's role continues to diminish it seems. Felix Jones shows all manner of burst and promise, and now his work load is steadily increasing, but it appears they still have no belief that he can handle the job in short yardage. Perhaps that is a spot where Choice would be worth a look. This is a major issue, of course, if this team must get a yard, they must have a solution. It would be easier if Marion Barber would simply take the decision out of play by getting that yard.

Here is the breakdown by groupings:

Totals by Personnel Groups:

Package	Plays Run	Yards	Run	Pass
11	2	15	2-15	0-0
12	9	36	2-4	7-32
13	0	0	0-0	0-0
21	8	115	5-19	3-96
22	14	43	11-44	3-(-1)
31	0	0	0-0	0-0
WC22	2	-13	2-(-13)	0-0
S21	0	0	0-0	0-0
S01	0	0	0-0	0-0
S11	26	169	7-40	19-129
S12	7	28	0-0	7-28
Totals	69	393	29-109	39-284

Table Tutorial

Definition of the Personnel Groups, click here .



I cannot wait to see what the Eagles/Cowboys match-up will give us, but here are some looks at the game where they tried to contain Albert Haynesworth from destroying every play.

Video Breakdowns:

Thanks, Brian at DC Fanatic.com . He has done a ton for this project this season, and deserves your occasional visit to his site.

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The Play:1Q - 3/9/35 - Pass to Crayton +16



What Happened: S11, and the Redskins are showing a big blitz. 5 end up coming, and they get a real push on Romo. Here is what I want to focus on today, is the composure of Tony Romo under duress. These first few plays all show the same thing. He doesn't scramble, he doesn't freak out. He stands tall, and buys Crayton a little extra time. It helps, of course, that the Redskins are playing a soft zone, leaving a huge hole for Crayton to sit in on 3rd and 9, but I think it all happens as a result of a more mature Tony Romo, who is having the game slow down around him and he is putting good throws on the money under pressure.

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The Play:2/G/4 - TD pass to Williams



What Happened: 12 personnel, with an interesting blocking scheme. Martellus goes in motion to help off of Left Tackle and then release into the flat. If Romo had the slightest confidence in Marty, he might go there with the ball. Meanwhile, Kosier pulls from LG to outside RT to pick up his man. I have always been interested in why this makes more sense than simple straight-on pass protection, but Kosier does a nice job with Philip Daniels. From there, more Romo composure and the willingness to flirt with 64 Golston and buy that extra moment and throws a perfect pass to Williams in the corner. Besides Bennett, it doesn't look like there is much more available.

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The Play: 2Q 1/10/16 - Jones +14



What Happened: Power Run 101, out of "22". Here, the announcers focus on Doug Free, who demonstrates a very impressive show of strength as he blocks down on the LDE. Also, note the typical strong lead by Deon Anderson and Jason Witten getting their guys. Then the burst of Felix allows an easy 14 yards. 22 personnel out of 1st and 10 is such a better advantage than 4th and 1. Fewer defenders in the box make this a simple exercise in taking candy from babies.

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The Play: 1/10/28 Pass to Witten +69



What Happened: 21 personnel, this is based on 2 things in football. 1) the play action fake. Even if it is not well sold (and it isn't), the defense must respect it if you are a good running team on 1st and 10. and 2) the blitz. If you send 7, you better get there. Because if you don't, then the QB has a major advantage with 3-4 receivers again 4 DBs and a wide open field. Jason Witten runs against Laron Landry and a perfect throw gives Witten a chance to demonstrate he can still run a bit. A perfect example of burning a blitz. We certainly know that this scares a defense out of future blitzes.


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The Play: 2Q - 3/8/40 - Pass to Austin +18



What Happened: S11 and another brilliant moment on 3rd and 8 where Romo shows composure in the face of an oncoming pass rush and delivers another clutch throw to his #1 target. I say the #1 target because the other #1 target candidate is Jason Witten, and since he is trying to pass protect 1-on-1 against Brian Orakpo, he is not a potential target. Look at Witten here try to hold off 98, and I can only imagine he is begging Romo to hurry up and get the ball out of there, because he has his hands full. But, Romo steps out of harms way for a split second, and then delivers the ball. These videos are a great sign for the development of a QB to an elite level.

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Target Distribution and Sack studies will be in another entry today. Stay tuned for that.
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Past Episodes:

Week 15 - New Orleans Saints
Week 14 - San Diego Chargers
Week 13 - New York Giants
Week 12 - Oakland Raiders
Week 11 - Washington Redskins
Week 10 - Green Bay Packers
Week 9 - Philadelphia Eagles
Week 8 - Seattle Seahawks
Week 7 - Atlanta Falcons
Week 5 - Kansas City
Week 4 - Denver
Week 3 – Carolina
Week 2 - New York Giants
Week 1 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Garrett '08