Previous Game is Under Review - Panthers (Week 3 - Saints)

[TheCasillas]

Alright, thanks to help from The Huddle, I was able to get my All-22 going. This is a good one. I am actually blown away with some of the pieces I saw in this game. Wait until you found out why DJ Moore wasn't open... this is a doozy. Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!
 

Offensive Breakdown

• Get ready to be angry at me…. The first incompletion by Baker to DJ Moore… it doesn't appear to be Baker’s fault. When DJ is supposed to be breaking for his route, he instead rounds his route and engages the DB and pushes him which completely throws off his cut to the outside. Baker put the ball where DJ should have been. It’s hard to tell why DJ even engaged the DB the way he did. He had the DB on his heels and leaning inside. In fairness, this could have been a flag on the Saints for holding. Images in sequence below. 

• Looks like both Elf and BC came back down to earth some of the plays in the game. I counted a couple of big time whiffs in the run game by BC. Another where Elf was thrown to the ground like a small child

• We have to stop asking Robbie to block on WR screens. RA has proven to be effective at downfield blocking, but these screen plays, he is just out of position to frequently 

• Want a reason why DJ isn’t open? Image below.

• Ouch. It’s time we give Foreman the ball more. The Saints knew when Foreman was in the game he wasn't going to be running the ball, and that it was a play action. Image below.

• I can't stress enough that there has to be more trust in each other on this offense. I am sure not playing with each other for a long period of time plays a role in it, but it doesn't appear that our offense trusts each other at this moment in time. 

• Our WRs did not show up on Sunday to run block, that was clear as day.

• Teams are going to expose our left side of our line if they start using disguised blitzes and stunts. It appears the youth of that side is evident when it comes to understanding assignments. The Saints got us good with a stunt on BC. 

• I am just blown away with how much defensive holding the Saints got away with on DJ Moore in this game

• Everything about Baker right now is he just moving too fast. On this play action play he has all the time in the world, and if he just does a simple scan of the field he has a wide open Tremble for a score. Image Below

• One thing I did notice from CMC that I’m not used to and maybe this is due to his time away from the game, he just missed holes and lanes for big runs. He appears to look for contact instead of hitting cut backs. Not sure if this game plan or if it's just rust.

• Another observation, Laviska gives it 100% no matter what he is asked to do. 

• Overall, I don’t think the play calling is at bad as I originally thought… the amount of plays the Saints got away with on holding DJ kept this game close, and were drive killers. I was actually pretty shocked with how many I caught. I shared most of them below. I am interested to hear everyone’s opinion here. 

• If Baker is able to slow this game down, I don't think we will be worried about the play calling unless it's a critical bonehead call like that 4th and short

 

Player Spotlight

DJ Moore

Is he open?

• DJ Moore was going to be open on the third play of the game off of a play action, but was hip checked by a linebacker 3 yards off of the LOS and threw off of his route. Took him out of the play. He then gave up, and Baker was sacked (should have thrown the ball away)

• Baker missed DJ on a big pass across the middle that could have gone for about 30 yards. DJ was wide open and beat his man off the line pretty bad 

• I have counted 3 defensive holdings against the Saints. I have attached all images below. For a year where the refs are enforcing this more, they sure did blow it this game.

• The Saints seemed to frequently have a safety over the top on DJ’s side 

 

Baker Mayfield

Is he going through his reads?

• Baker is still focusing on the big throws, he had CMC underneath for a first down and more on his overthrow to DJ early in the game

• Baker just goes through his read 1 fraction of a second too fast. Last year our problem was we went through our reads too slow, and this year we are going too fast. I am not sure how he can get to  a point of settling down, but that is his main issue right now.

• Overall after watching footage, Baker went from a 5.5 out of 10 to a 6.5 out of 10 for me. However, still not enough. He needs to find a way to slow the game down.

Brady Christensen

• Easily the worst game of the year for BC, he was getting beat pretty bad on run plays

• Pass plays BC played well, outside of getting destroyed on a stunt that led to a sack

CMC

Motion before snap ?

• Not really

Ickey

• My man is improving, and is an absolute mauler on run blocking. The kid possess elite ability to run block, its pretty insane

• As for a pass blocker, the game is definitely slowing down for him and this is yet another week of progress

• Ickey was beat pretty bad on one for going to wide but outside of that played pretty well

 

Defensive Breakdown

• On the one big run by Alvin Kamara it appears the player that got stuck in no man’s land was Hartsfield. Not sure what he saw, but he stayed on the backside of the run. It was Brian Burns' job to prevent the cutback. He could have been looking for the playaction, but the guard for the Saints had pulled at that point, he should have known it was a run.  In the image below you will notice how Hartsfield is on an island. 

• Wow, our defense was ready to eat in the first half against the Saints. It was almost like we knew where the ball was going anytime there was a designed screen. Two of those screens were incomplete. Our defense was on the receiver before the ball even got there 

• A shining moment for YGM. The Saints ran a misdirection run and Shaq and Luvu got out of position, it was pretty much Donte vs Ingram but YGM sheds his block and tackled Ingram for no gain. 

• Good news…. Chinn played at the line more times than he didn't

• It appears loves him some blitzing of Horn. To be fair… each time Horn did blitz… the outcome was positive for us

• That strip fumble play was pretty awesome. Mainly because Kamara just had nowhere to go. We had 4 players on top of him before he could make his first cut

• Watching Jeremy Chinn at FS in this game shows me he is getting some good coaching from Wilkes. Whenever Jamies moved his head the slightest direction, Chinn’s hips followed almost instantaneously. That's good growth to see on Chinn.

• Jeremy is back in the box baby!

• Luvu plays with some fire he hits every hole so hard and meets blockers head on

• I am a bit concerned with how aggressive our defense crashes holes in the run game. A team is eventually going to hit us with a misdirection or a perfectly timed play action and it's going to hurt us. Right now it’s working well, and it appears we are asking our safeties and NB to be the conservative ones.. Just something worth calling out

• Adding to my previous bullet Wilson is one that is guilty of this

• The Saints game was the most I have ever seen us run cover 4 this year, this also explains why CJ Henderson was many yards off of his man

• Speaking of CJ, he definitely didn't have the best game, but it wasn't as bad as it appeared on the TV. He was in the right place at most times in the game. Most of the receptions that came his way were quick hitters while he was off of the LOS by 7 yards.

• The almost pick by Shaq, was actually really good defense by Juwan Johnson

• Henry Anderson was a great addition for our run defense

• We had Luvu play man against AK47 a couple plays and he fared alright 

• Hartsfield can be awesome on some plays and then others just out of position. This is the third week in a row where I have tracked him being out of position on a play leading positive yards for the opposing team. CJ was hit with the “catch allowed” but it was Hartsfield supposed to be playing the flat, as we were playing cover 3.  Olave got a catch and run of 8 yards.

• Not sure who’s fault this is, but judging by how many players on Olave it is CJ’s fault. However, the Saints had a wide open Landry for a score and Jamies missed it. Image below.

• Wild part about my above bullet, the Saints ran the EXACT same play the next play, and CJ covered it perfectly. Wild.

• Chinn’s hustle is insane. The guy whiffed on a backfield tackle on AK and then got up off of the ground chased him down and still tackled him for 6 yard gain.

• Towards the end of the game, we definitely switched to a bend dont break defensive approach. There was only two plays that even kept the Saints in the game.I will say it was a good find by Jamies to get in the gap in our cover 2 to Olave, but the heave the Tre’quan smith against Chinn was a prayer, and it got answered.

 

Player Spotlight:

 

Marquan McCall

• I know this was requested, and in all honesty… in this game he looked like a backup player

• I didnt see any plays where he was out of position, I did see him get bullied on a couple of plays but outside of that he was a big body creating space for his LBer

• When McCall was in, the Saints didnt get many yards on the ground. Not saying he was the reason, but played a role

Derrick Brown

• Derrick Brown was a beast in this game, eating up blocks, moving from up tackle to end. He was responsible for multiple stops in the backfield

• I think Brown is finally figuring out this game, he was all over the place in this game. 

• He was eating up blocks, getting pressure, in the backfield on run plays and of course the awesome interception

Brian Burns

• Quiet game for BB. He was moved around the line and brought pressure on multiple plays. 

• He had one sack opportunity but Jamies was able to throw the ball away before Burns got there

• Burns did not drop back in coverage as much as he did against the Giants. I only counted 3 plays, but there might have been 1 or 2 that slipped past me 

 

 

 

Hartsfield on an island

 

Baker throwing the ball in anticipation of DJ out route

 

DJ rounding his route and engaging the DB

 

Because DJ is getting held for about 5-7 yards running down the damn field

And this

And this

And this

 

Saints linebackers knowing it’s a play action before Baker finishes his play fake

 

The one tough thing about running zone is the discipline and knowing where you are supposed to be 

 

Tremble open deep:

PGUR_ Week3 (Saints).pdf

Edited September 29, 2022 by TheCasillas
attached PDF incase formatting issues

[mav1234]

Awesome content, thanks for putting this together! Haven't had a chance to get through it all but these are quickly becoming one of my favorite things to find on the Huddle every week.

Edit: The youth on the OL is going to have some growing pains, but disappointed Elf is falling back to earth (if its somewhat expected). Ickey I thought played better just watching the game and it sounds like you thought so, too.

I feel like elite receivers get held often and don't get calls.  So, not surprised there. We need to find a way to get DJ involved despite this.

Interesting observation on Baker going through his reads too fast. May be due to not trusting the OL to block.

I don't understand what we are doing with our RBs, lol.

Edited September 29, 2022 by mav1234

[raleigh-panther]

Good job !  Thank you 

[PantherGuy]

2 hours ago, TheCasillas said:

Alright, thanks to help from The Huddle, I was able to get my All-22 going. This is a good one. I am actually blown away with some of the pieces I saw in this game. Wait until you found out why DJ Moore wasn't open... this is a doozy. Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback!
 

Offensive Breakdown

• Get ready to be angry at me…. The first incompletion by Baker to DJ Moore… it doesn't appear to be Baker’s fault. When DJ is supposed to be breaking for his route, he instead rounds his route and engages the DB and pushes him which completely throws off his cut to the outside. Baker put the ball where DJ should have been. It’s hard to tell why DJ even engaged the DB the way he did. He had the DB on his heels and leaning inside. In fairness, this could have been a flag on the Saints for holding. Images in sequence below. 

• Looks like both Elf and BC came back down to earth some of the plays in the game. I counted a couple of big time whiffs in the run game by BC. Another where Elf was thrown to the ground like a small child

• We have to stop asking Robbie to block on WR screens. RA has proven to be effective at downfield blocking, but these screen plays, he is just out of position to frequently 

• Want a reason why DJ isn’t open? Image below.

• Ouch. It’s time we give Foreman the ball more. The Saints knew when Foreman was in the game he wasn't going to be running the ball, and that it was a play action. Image below.

• I can't stress enough that there has to be more trust in each other on this offense. I am sure not playing with each other for a long period of time plays a role in it, but it doesn't appear that our offense trusts each other at this moment in time. 

• Our WRs did not show up on Sunday to run block, that was clear as day.

• Teams are going to expose our left side of our line if they start using disguised blitzes and stunts. It appears the youth of that side is evident when it comes to understanding assignments. The Saints got us good with a stunt on BC. 

• I am just blown away with how much defensive holding the Saints got away with on DJ Moore in this game

• Everything about Baker right now is he just moving too fast. On this play action play he has all the time in the world, and if he just does a simple scan of the field he has a wide open Tremble for a score. Image Below

• One thing I did notice from CMC that I’m not used to and maybe this is due to his time away from the game, he just missed holes and lanes for big runs. He appears to look for contact instead of hitting cut backs. Not sure if this game plan or if it's just rust.

• Another observation, Laviska gives it 100% no matter what he is asked to do. 

• Overall, I don’t think the play calling is at bad as I originally thought… the amount of plays the Saints got away with on holding DJ kept this game close, and were drive killers. I was actually pretty shocked with how many I caught. I shared most of them below. I am interested to hear everyone’s opinion here. 

• If Baker is able to slow this game down, I don't think we will be worried about the play calling unless it's a critical bonehead call like that 4th and short

 

Player Spotlight

DJ Moore

Is he open?

• DJ Moore was going to be open on the third play of the game off of a play action, but was hip checked by a linebacker 3 yards off of the LOS and threw off of his route. Took him out of the play. He then gave up, and Baker was sacked (should have thrown the ball away)

• Baker missed DJ on a big pass across the middle that could have gone for about 30 yards. DJ was wide open and beat his man off the line pretty bad 

• I have counted 3 defensive holdings against the Saints. I have attached all images below. For a year where the refs are enforcing this more, they sure did blow it this game.

• The Saints seemed to frequently have a safety over the top on DJ’s side 

 

Baker Mayfield

Is he going through his reads?

• Baker is still focusing on the big throws, he had CMC underneath for a first down and more on his overthrow to DJ early in the game

• Baker just goes through his read 1 fraction of a second too fast. Last year our problem was we went through our reads too slow, and this year we are going too fast. I am not sure how he can get to  a point of settling down, but that is his main issue right now.

• Overall after watching footage, Baker went from a 5.5 out of 10 to a 6.5 out of 10 for me. However, still not enough. He needs to find a way to slow the game down.

Brady Christensen

• Easily the worst game of the year for BC, he was getting beat pretty bad on run plays

• Pass plays BC played well, outside of getting destroyed on a stunt that led to a sack

CMC

Motion before snap ?

• Not really

Ickey

• My man is improving, and is an absolute mauler on run blocking. The kid possess elite ability to run block, its pretty insane

• As for a pass blocker, the game is definitely slowing down for him and this is yet another week of progress

• Ickey was beat pretty bad on one for going to wide but outside of that played pretty well

 

Defensive Breakdown

• On the one big run by Alvin Kamara it appears the player that got stuck in no man’s land was Hartsfield. Not sure what he saw, but he stayed on the backside of the run. It was Brian Burns' job to prevent the cutback. He could have been looking for the playaction, but the guard for the Saints had pulled at that point, he should have known it was a run.  In the image below you will notice how Hartsfield is on an island. 

• Wow, our defense was ready to eat in the first half against the Saints. It was almost like we knew where the ball was going anytime there was a designed screen. Two of those screens were incomplete. Our defense was on the receiver before the ball even got there 

• A shining moment for YGM. The Saints ran a misdirection run and Shaq and Luvu got out of position, it was pretty much Donte vs Ingram but YGM sheds his block and tackled Ingram for no gain. 

• Good news…. Chinn played at the line more times than he didn't

• It appears loves him some blitzing of Horn. To be fair… each time Horn did blitz… the outcome was positive for us

• That strip fumble play was pretty awesome. Mainly because Kamara just had nowhere to go. We had 4 players on top of him before he could make his first cut

• Watching Jeremy Chinn at FS in this game shows me he is getting some good coaching from Wilkes. Whenever Jamies moved his head the slightest direction, Chinn’s hips followed almost instantaneously. That's good growth to see on Chinn.

• Jeremy is back in the box baby!

• Luvu plays with some fire he hits every hole so hard and meets blockers head on

• I am a bit concerned with how aggressive our defense crashes holes in the run game. A team is eventually going to hit us with a misdirection or a perfectly timed play action and it's going to hurt us. Right now it’s working well, and it appears we are asking our safeties and NB to be the conservative ones.. Just something worth calling out

• Adding to my previous bullet Wilson is one that is guilty of this

• The Saints game was the most I have ever seen us run cover 4 this year, this also explains why CJ Henderson was many yards off of his man

• Speaking of CJ, he definitely didn't have the best game, but it wasn't as bad as it appeared on the TV. He was in the right place at most times in the game. Most of the receptions that came his way were quick hitters while he was off of the LOS by 7 yards.

• The almost pick by Shaq, was actually really good defense by Juwan Johnson

• Henry Anderson was a great addition for our run defense

• We had Luvu play man against AK47 a couple plays and he fared alright 

• Hartsfield can be awesome on some plays and then others just out of position. This is the third week in a row where I have tracked him being out of position on a play leading positive yards for the opposing team. CJ was hit with the “catch allowed” but it was Hartsfield supposed to be playing the flat, as we were playing cover 3.  Olave got a catch and run of 8 yards.

• Not sure who’s fault this is, but judging by how many players on Olave it is CJ’s fault. However, the Saints had a wide open Landry for a score and Jamies missed it. Image below.

• Wild part about my above bullet, the Saints ran the EXACT same play the next play, and CJ covered it perfectly. Wild.

• Chinn’s hustle is insane. The guy whiffed on a backfield tackle on AK and then got up off of the ground chased him down and still tackled him for 6 yard gain.

• Towards the end of the game, we definitely switched to a bend dont break defensive approach. There was only two plays that even kept the Saints in the game.I will say it was a good find by Jamies to get in the gap in our cover 2 to Olave, but the heave the Tre’quan smith against Chinn was a prayer, and it got answered.

 

Player Spotlight:

 

Marquan McCall

• I know this was requested, and in all honesty… in this game he looked like a backup player

• I didnt see any plays where he was out of position, I did see him get bullied on a couple of plays but outside of that he was a big body creating space for his LBer

• When McCall was in, the Saints didnt get many yards on the ground. Not saying he was the reason, but played a role

Derrick Brown

• Derrick Brown was a beast in this game, eating up blocks, moving from up tackle to end. He was responsible for multiple stops in the backfield

• I think Brown is finally figuring out this game, he was all over the place in this game. 

• He was eating up blocks, getting pressure, in the backfield on run plays and of course the awesome interception

Brian Burns

• Quiet game for BB. He was moved around the line and brought pressure on multiple plays. 

• He had one sack opportunity but Jamies was able to throw the ball away before Burns got there

• Burns did not drop back in coverage as much as he did against the Giants. I only counted 3 plays, but there might have been 1 or 2 that slipped past me 

 

 

 

Hartsfield on an island

 

Baker throwing the ball in anticipation of DJ out route

 

DJ rounding his route and engaging the DB

 

Because DJ is getting held for about 5-7 yards running down the damn field

And this

And this

And this

 

Saints linebackers knowing it’s a play action before Baker finishes his play fake

 

The one tough thing about running zone is the discipline and knowing where you are supposed to be 

 

Tremble open deep:

PGUR_ Week3 (Saints).pdf 5.13 MB · 1 download

You rock for posting these breakdowns. Thank you sir!

[Carl Spackler]

Kinda funny but after 3 games, the best-looking rookie is a UDFA (McCall). Ekwonu appeared to have his best game Sunday, though.

[TheSpecialJuan]

excellent work 

[jb2288]

Great work! Anything with Horn stand out to you besides blitzing? Is he looking above average in coverage again? 

[joemac]

4 hours ago, jb2288 said:

Great work! Anything with Horn stand out to you besides blitzing? Is he looking above average in coverage again? 

From what I can tell, QBs are rarely throwing near him, and when they do, 9 times out of 10 its an incompletion.  Hes balling. 

[TheCasillas]

20 minutes ago, joemac said:

From what I can tell, QBs are rarely throwing near him, and when they do, 9 times out of 10 its an incompletion.  Hes balling. 

This. @jb2288Horn is playing elite football right now. 

[Khyber53]

Nice work! Thanks for that write-up and visual aids!

[Khaki Lackey]

Thanks @TheCasillas. Threads like this make the huddle worth logging into.

[ChuckWag78]

Love these write ups!  Thank you!

[top dawg]

Of course Baker is in the fire, but it looks like he had options on several of these. I really only see one pic where everyone was locked up.

Not trying to be funny, but he probably couldn't see Tremble. Or, he was only locking to one side of the field (which he tends to do as Kurt Warner suggested).

[hepcat]

Interesting about the coverage scheme being cover 4. I’m guessing that’s Wilkes leaning on Snow.