Reviewing the Reserves

  

     School and work kept me pretty busy this week, but a few nights ago I was finally able to get around to evaluating the All-22 of the Bengals vs. Packers game. As I watched, one of the most striking aspects of the game was how much pressure Green Bay was able to apply to Joe Burrow. They were able to get to Burrow using blitzes, stunts, simulated pressures, and by simply winning one-on-ones. It wasn't just the starters who were able to succeed, either. As Joe Barry rotated in his backups at EDGE and along the defensive line, those players were able to continue making Burrow uncomfortable. Obviously, they did not play to the level of Preston Smith, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, or the other studs on the Packers defense, but they were able to do well enough to gum up the operation of the Bengals offense. Although I usually review a single blitz or pressure call for my weekly article, I've decided to make an exception this time around. There were multiple plays from the backups that I think deserve to be highlighted.

     Play #1

     This sequence resulted in a sack split between TJ Slaton and Dean Lowry, but it was really Jonathan Garvin who makes the play. The right tackle uses a jump set to get his hands on Garvin quickly. Garvin stutter-steps to make the tackle stop his feet, then uses a two-handed stab and a rip move to win around the corner. Slaton and Lowry are running a stunt; Slaton occupies the center and RG, while Lowry loops around to the weak B gap. Burrow, already being squeezed by Slaton's bull-rush, is forced to step up by Garvin's win around the edge. He tries to scramble, but Lowry shows nice awareness to retrace his steps back to the frontside to meet Slaton at the QB.

     Play #2

     Not as impressive as Garvin's win in the last clip, but Lowry pulls out a good bull-rush to drive the right guard into the backfield, then gets his hands up for the deflection.

     Play #3

     

    A little later in the game, Green Bay rolls out a 3-3 front, with 3 DL, 2 OLBs, and 1 ILB . The five-man look from the Packers' front forces man protection from the offensive line. Essentially, this means that the EDGE rushers and defensive linemen all have one-on-ones. Lowry again uses his apparently devastating bull-rush, putting the right guard on skates.

     Play #4

     

     Green Bay again gets man protection with a 3-3 look. Burrow decides to attempt to hit the double-move Go route that Chase runs, but he underestimates the violent, destructive force that is Dean Lowry. Lowry gets his hands inside the RG's chest and bulldozes him back, helping to force a near-interception.

     Play #5

     GB's backups weren't only able to make plays against the pass. They also managed to blow up a few run plays. The Bengal are trying to run a long Trap play. Drew Sample (#89) starts moving up to the second level, ignoring the Green Bay edge player (LaDarius Hamilton); on Trap plays, offenses usually let a defensive player into the backfield and then "trap" them with a pulling blocker, in this case C.J. Uzomah (#87). Garvin is lined up as a stand-up nose tackle, similar to what Gary and Za'Darius have done in the past. Once the ball is snapped, Garvin knifes over to the opposite A gap, gets skinny, and gets past the center. Kenny Clark squeezes between the RT and RG, penetrating into the backfield and helping Garvin muddy up the play. This gives De'Vondre Campbell time to track the RB and make the tackle for minimal gain.

     Play #6

     Garvin really did a solid job when he was called on in this game, handling a variety of defensive situations well. Here he disrupts a boot-action play as the backside OLB, bumping the TE sliding out of the backfield to mess up the route timing, and then closing decisively on Burrow to get pressure and force an errant throw.

     Play #7     

    We might as well finish off our review with perhaps the most critical play of the game. The Bengals have driven down the field, hoping to kick the game-winning field goal. They line up on 3rd & 5 with 31 seconds left in the 4th quarter. The Bengals roll out an 11 personnel package, with Burrow in shotgun. With three wide receivers on the field, Green Bay has to respect the possibility of a pass. Barry decides to put the secondary in man coverage with two high safeties. Campbell starts to creep up towards the line, probably both to guard against the run and threaten a blitz. As Samaje Perine changes his alignment, Clark shifts over into the backside A gap right before the snap.

     The Bengals run Inside Zone Split, sending Uzomah across the formation to block the backside EDGE player (Gary). Cincinnati blocks the concept up well, doubling Kenny Clark and getting the RT up to the second level to secure Campbell. If Keke doesn't make a play, this could very well have ended up a Bengals first down. If they get the first down, the Bengals have two timeouts left; they could easily run another play to take a shot at the endzone or gain some extra yards. Who knows what the result could have been? Furthermore, the Bengals field goal attempt following this play only misses by a few feet. Even an extra yard on this run could have been the difference between a win and a loss.

     Thankfully for Packers fans, however, Keke does make a play against the single block from the LG. He gets good hand placement in the armpits of the guard, then holds his ground, peeks into the backfield, and sheds. Campbell and Clark are able to work off their blockers to help finish the tackle, but it is Keke who makes the first significant contact.

     It looks like Keke is using a "gap-and-a-half" technique, which is somewhere in-between purely playing one gap or playing two gaps. Based on a Twitter conversation I had with a former NFL defensive lineman, a DL who is gap-and-a-halfing will first play his primary gap, then shift into his secondary gap if the RB commits that way. This technique is fairly common in schemes from the Fangio tree. These defensive systems often use two high safeties, thus taking a player out of the box. Playing the gap-and-a-half technique on the DL allows the defense to muddy up the front, forcing the RB to hesitate and providing time for the safeties to trigger down to play the run.

     Conclusion

     The performances of multiple backups and role players, especially Garvin, Lowry, and Keke, played a critical role in securing a win for Green Bay. At the beginning of the season, many of these players were struggling mightily, drawing (deserved) criticism from the Packers fan base. Luckily, that has changed as the season has gone on. If they can keep playing at an above-average level, then I think that the defense can continue improving. Having your stars play well is critical, but getting contributions from the reserves can be equally important to defensive success.