Like all of you, I have split focus right now when it comes to the Packers. On the one hand, I’m looking forward to seeing Jordan Love against the Chiefs. On the other hand, I’m still looking at plays from their win over the Cardinals. And that’s it. That is all that is going on right now.
This week we looked at a single play spread out over 2 posts on the evolution of the spread, starting with Tiger Ellison, visiting with Mouse Davis and ending up with Hal Mumme & Mike Leach. Today we’re just gonna roll through some plays from the Packers Week 8 win. Kind of a grab bag of fun, if you will. Will you?
I’ve mentioned this on an earlier one of these, but these are going to be fairly informal. Quick thoughts. Some of them without any squiggly lines drawn. Just going through some plays I didn’t get a chance to write about in-depth, but still wanted to highlight.
Play 1: PA Boot
We’re going to kick things off with some PA Boot. We’ve been covering the Packers use of PA Boot and its variations this year. Against the Cardinals, I saw a couple standard, run-of-the-mill boots.
This first one shows why the Packers have gone to more of the half-boot variation stuff: teams have started keeping the boot-side end home and closing hard on the quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers (remember him! He plays football!) fakes the handoff on the wide zone, then boots back the other way. But the end is advancing, so the throw is rushed, tipped, and ultimately short.
Play 2: PA Boot
This one is a nice contrast, showing the kind of space and time the quarterback gets when there’s indecision on the boot end. He’s angling to take the run, then has to run flat and back to the sideline when Rodgers boots out.
The second level of the defense doesn’t get sucked up by the threat laid by play action, so they’re able to fall under the middle route and cover up the short one, while the deep coverage takes care of the vertical threat. Rodgers scrambles for no-gain and falls for 50 seconds while looking for a horse collar call.
Play 3: TE Screen
This has been one the main counters the Packers have been using this season when teams start keying on PA Boot. Playfake, get the blocking moving to key the defenders on a run/boot, then pull up and throw a TE screen to the other side.
We’ve seen a healthy dose of Tonyan and Lewis on that screen option. This one goes to Deguara who ends up picking up 8 yards on 1st & 10. Certainly feels like something we’re going to be seeing a lot of.
Play 4: Drift
This is another concept the Packers have made good use of this season. Again, the front looks like wide zone/PA Boot. So you’re trying to get the defense flowing with the run then looking for the boot as a passing option, only for the QB to flip and throw the backside dig route.
It’s a beautifully simple concept that works because of what was run before it. On this play, the second level of the defense doesn’t even take a half-step forward on the playfake, so they’re easily able to take away the dig route. No matter: just hit Amari Rodgers - camped out in the flat after the jet motion - and get him rolling in space.
So far this season, we’ve seen Amari Rodgers take off on a wheel from the jet motion and the defense has fallen back on that. How do you get that to open up? By hitting him in space over and over again until the defense is forced to respect it. Once they start stepping up? Hit the wheel, baby. (Side note: I have no idea how the Cardinals didn’t get called for unnecessary roughness on this. Just thankful Rodgers was able to get his legs out from underneath.)
Really nice pass pro from Dillon to pick up the free rusher. Newman is looking to slide and pick up #91, but the quick loop has him heading inside and he can’t get back to pick up the rusher. The protection puts that man on Dillon, and he stones #7 in the hole.
Play 5: Slant/Corner
In the low red zone on 3rd & goal, the Packers dial up a slant/corner combo, with Cobb on the corner route. With the middle safety crashing on the slant, Rodgers has Cobb on a one-on-one and Cobb wins outside leverage.
Cobb is grabbed out of the break and the ball is slightly out of his grasp.
A real shame it didn’t work and that it would never actually work in this game.
Play 6: Slant/Corner
You fell for it. YOU FOOL.
It’s a different look. The Packers are not in an empty look and the Stick Pivot concept to the other side is gone. But the slant/corner combo. Alive and well, brother.
Rodgers fakes the handoff, loads and fires a perfect bullet to Cobb before he is smashed through the gates of hell.
Beautiful. Except for the “gates of hell” part. That looked like it hurt.
Play 7: End around
Just a beautiful piece of selling the run. Deguara releases under the line to sell the split-zone blocking. As soon as Rodgers fakes the handoff to Dillon, Deguara reverses field and acts at the lead blocker for Amari Rodgers around the end.
Rodgers does a great job with the deception on this as well. Shows the ball on the playfake, hides the ball behind his hip, then gives the subtle flip to Amari Rodgers while releasing the other way. Really nicely done.
Let’s just throw a few more on here from Twitter, shall we?