Category: The All-22

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect receiver corps

In this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys look to build the perfect receiver corps for the modern NFL.

Over the last few episodes of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and the USA Today Sports Media Group) have endeavored to build some perfect position groups. We started with the ideal secondary, worked our way to the best defensive line we could put together from current NFL players, and then, moved to the other side of the trenches with the best possible offensive line.

Now, it’s time to switch that focus to the best receiver group that can be assembled, identifying the traits and attributes for tight ends, outside receivers, and slot receivers that are the most important in today’s NFL.

Moreover, there’s the elements of how receivers must develop and improve their modus operandi against defenses that are showing them more disguised looks and late movement than at any other time in NFL history.

“Receivers have to read coverage the same way quarterbacks have to read coverages,” Greg said in this week’s video/podcast. “Because you can draw up routes, and everything is drawn up as a structural ideal. So, if you have a route concept — let’s say for the sake of discussion, a three-level stretch or flood concept — there’s three routes to one side of the field: A short route, an intermediate route, and a vertical route. Now, a vertical route is a vertical route. It could be a straight go route, or it could be a deep post.

“An intermediate route? That functions to some degree based on coverage. In an ideal world, you run it at a certain depth. But if the coverage does not allow you to run it at a certain depth, you must make an adjustment. Because the quarterback will see that the receiver may not be able to make his break exactly in that spot, because maybe the underneath defender went to more depth, or he sunk a little further, so he’s taken away where the intermediate route is supposed to go.

“That’s just one example, but the overriding point is that receivers must be able to read coverage the same way quarterbacks do.”

This 42-yard pass from Patrick Mahomes to Marquez Valdes-Scantling in Week 13’s Chiefs-Bengals game last season was a great example of a winning flood concept. Tight end Travis Kelce ran the flat route short from the formation, and Valdes-Scantling ran the vertical route from the slot. It was up to outside receiver Justin Watson to deduce how the coverage would go, and when he saw slot defender Mike Hilton come down to defend Kelce, and outside cornerback Eli Apple rush to double Valdes-Scantling deep with safety Vonn Bell, Watson knew he’d have an opening on the intermediate route.

Not that he needed it, because Mahomes (as is his wont) was aiming for the big play.

You can watch this week’s edition of “The Xs and Os” right here:

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And, you can listen to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

or on Apple podcasts.

Richard Sherman details how DeVonta Smith facilitated his decision to retire from the NFL

Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith made Richard Sherman’s decision to retire easy after one comeback route.

Richard Sherman is one of the greatest cornerbacks of his era, and probably a first-ballot Hall of Famer when the time comes for that decision to be made. Over his career, Sherman allowed just 18 touchdown passes, while grabbing 41 interceptions, and breaking up 73 passes. Opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of 54.5 when targeting him, which isn’t much better than just throwing it in the dirt.

That said, time is undefeated, and even greats like Sherman know when it’s time to focus on something else. Sherman knew exactly when that was. In the end, it was Eagles receiver DeVonta Smith who cemented Sherman’s choice to call it a career.

The play happened in Week 6 of the 2021 season, which marked Sherman’s third game with the Buccaneers. He was defending Smith on what became an incomplete Jalen Hurts pass to Jalen Reagor with 7:36 left in the first quarter. Though Sherman wasn’t targeted on the play, he knew he’d had enough.

“DeVonta must’ve run this comeback,” Sherman said in a recent episode of his podcast. “I had him under control, I was like, bam, quick jam, easy, had him under control. He must’ve stopped and I tried to stop and my whole groin said, ‘Snap, snap, snap, snap,’ and I said, ‘Whoa, whoa.’”

Sherman added: “Then you’re trying to guard and chasing him around and you’re like please don’t throw him the ball, please. My coach is looking at me on the sideline like, ‘Hey, you wanna come out, you wanna come out?’

“I’m like, ‘Yeah, but they’re in a hurry-up,’ so I’m like bailing out. At that moment I was like yeah, this is probably my last year. I don’t got it for these young dudes right here.”

Sherman had moved on to a successful career in broadcasting and podcasting, which he put together even before he made that final decision to move on to greener pastures.

How can Kellen Moore get the most out of Justin Herbert? Just get out of the way!

All new Chargers OC Kellen Moore has to do to get the most out of Justin Herbert is to get out of the way, and let the big dog eat!

Under offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi in 2021 and 2022, quarterback Justin Herbert was one of the most unfairly limited players at his position in the NFL. Herbert, the sixth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, has one of the best deep arms in the NFL. Sadly, he’s been unable to use it in the ways in which it was intended.

Last season, per Pro Football Focus, Herbert completed 25 of 73 passes of 20 or more air yards for 806 yards, seven touchdowns, three interceptions, and a passer rating of 91.5. To put that in perspective, Josh Allen of the Bills led the NFL with 41 such completions on 104 attempts for 1,386 yards, 12 touchdowns, seven interceptions, and a passer rating of 97.4.

It’s time for new Chargers OC Kellen Moore to do what Lombardi refused to do — let the big dog eat. Fortunately, Herbert’s new play-designer seems to get it.

“Yeah, there’s some obvious stuff,” Moore recently told Albert Breer of the MMQB, regarding the talent of his new quarterback. “The biggest thing is obviously his arm talent. But his combination of size, throwing ability, athleticism, I mean, there’s only a few on earth that can have that combination, and play at such a high level. It’s really fun to see. I was a 6-foot, kind of hanging-on quarterback for six years. And I laugh, there’s a few throws sometimes he makes that I say, I would never think about trying that throw, but here we are. It’s opened my eyes to some things.”

We can but live in hope.

One stat tells the story of Giants DI Dexter Lawrence’s dominance

New York Giants DI Dexter Lawrence has become an amazing pass-rusher. One stat tells the story of just how dominant he is.

New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence has become one of the most dominant players at his position(s) since he was selected with the 17th overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft out of Clemson. Last season, Lawrence was an absolute wrecking machine wherever he lined up. Per Pro Football Focus, he totaled nine sacks, 26 quarterback hits, 35 quarterback hurries, and 42 stops.

But where the 6-foot-4, 342-pound Lawrence was at his best — and at the best for anybody in the league by far — was at nose tackle. Whether he was aligned at 0-tech (straight up over the center) or 1-tech (to either side of the center), Lawrence far outstripped the efforts of any other big man looking to disrupt from the inside.

You can read comprehensive analysis of the 11 best interior defensive linemen in the NFL (Lawrence ranked second behind Chris Jones of the Chiefs) at the link below.

The NFL’s 11 best interior defensive linemen

The NFL’s 11 best interior defensive linemen

From Vita Vea to Chris Jones, here’s Doug Farrar’s list of the 11 best interior defensive linemen in the NFL today.

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line. That simple truth is important for the purposes of our list of the NFL’s best interior defensive linemen because we’re in a league where quick-game passing concepts are perhaps more prevalent than ever. And with those zero- and one-stop drops, and one- to three-level RPOs, your edge-rushers aren’t always going to get to the quarterback in time.

So, it behooves your NFL franchise to develop as much interior pressure as possible. That’s where the straight line comes in.

In a recent episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell,” Greg and I got into the traits for every player aligned to every gap along the defensive line, and those big guys getting to the quarterback made up a big part of that.

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The attributes required to make our list of the best interior definitive linemen coming into the 2023 season are as follows:

  • Gap versatility is an absolute must. If you can only win from one or two gaps, especially if those gaps are right next to each other… well, that’s nice, but we’re looking for more.
  • You must have different ways to get to the ball, and if you’re too reliant on schemes and stunts and those around you, that’s a debit. We need guys who can do it all without help all the time.
  • When we’re talking about inside guys, the ability to stop the run obviously becomes more important and is more paramount. Defenders with high stop rates will find that paying off on this list.

So, here’s our list of the 11 best interior defensive linemen in the NFL today. You can read the rest of our position lists linked below, leading up to our list of the 101 best players in the NFL today.

The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect offensive line

In this week’s Xs and Os video and podcast, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar endeavor to build the perfect offensive line.

In the last two episodes of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s MFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and USA Today’s Sports Media Group) endeavored to build the perfect secondary, and the perfect defensive line by specifying the traits and attributes required for every position in those positional groups.

Now, in this week’s “Xs and Os,” Greg and Doug turn their attention to the offensive line. What do offensive tackles, offensive guards, and centers need to do to become among the best in the NFL today? From vertical sets to switching your hands to picking up stunts, this is some seriously nerdy football devoted to the front five.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here.

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You can also subscribe to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The NFL’s 11 best edge defenders

From Josh Allen to Myles Garrett, here’s Doug Farrar’s list of the top 11 edge-rushers in the NFL today.

Edge defenders aren’t just edge-rushers. That’s a big part of what they do, of course, but there’s a lot more to being a transcendent player off the edge than just pinning one’s ears back and attacking offensive tackles. You have to have a comprehensive array of pass-rush moves, you must combine power and speed together in a package that’s difficult to block, and you must be able to define your rush path early in the rep.

In last week’s episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell,” we set out to build the perfect defensive line, and Greg talked about the attributes required for the best edge guys in the league at any given time.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect defensive line

“One thing I’ve learned, not only from watching tape but also from talking to coaches, is that to be a good edge-rusher, you have to be able to control the high side,” Greg said. “If you cannot win off the edge, it’s very hard to be a quality pass-rusher. Because winning off the edge and being able to threaten and challenge off the edge, forces offensive tackles more often than not to break down their technique. They do not want to get beaten off the edge, and if you get them to break down their technique, then you can work with your moves and your counters. Then you can work back inside.

“And you see this with a lot of guys — they’ll take two or three steps to the edge, and they get the offensive tackle to do what we call an ‘over-set. They’re so conscious of not being beaten off the edge, because that’s a quick path to the quarterback, that they turn their bodies to the sideline, and that opens them up to the inside quick counter.”

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More than that, the 11 players in this year’s list of the best edge defenders had to meet these criteria:

  • How often can you get to the quarterback without help — from teammates on the line, blitzes and overload fronts, and from stunts and games? High-quality solo pressures and sacks mean a ton; if you’re more a product of scheme and design and those around you, that’s fine, but not quite what we’re looking for here.
  • Gap versatility will serve you well on this list. If you can rush the passer from multiple gaps, you’re more indispensable to your defense.
  • Defending the run is important, but this is mostly about how you get to the quarterback over and over.
  • Sacks aren’t necessarily weighted more than quarterback hits or hurries; it’s all about how you got into the backfield.

Without further ado, let’s get into this year’s list of the NFL’s 11 best edge defenders. Also, you can read our other 2023 positional lists as we move ever closer to the top 101 players in the NFL today in late July.

The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

The NFL’s 11 best linebackers

From Fred Warner to Frankie Luvu, it’s time to talk linebackers with Doug Farrar’s list of the 11 best in the NFL today.

The days of the base defense with three linebackers on the field are most definitely over. Last season, defenses played nickel (five defensive backs) on 12,630 opponent passing attempts. Defenses played dime (six defensive backs) on 2,715 opponent dropbacks. With just 3,206 opponent dropbacks against four defensive backs last season, base defense is no longer base defense — nickel is the new base, and has been for some time.

With that in mind, it’s also clear that the requirements for NFL linebackers have changed. Running backs motioning out of the backfield, and the advent of the 3×1 formation, have altered team needs at the position. The old-school forward-motion run-stopper is of limited use at best, unless he can also cover from the flat to the seam, and blitz everywhere from the second level to various gaps at the line of scrimmage.

It’s a new day for linebackers, and as such, we’re seeing different types of players define the position. Now, you need to be built like a safety while still hitting like a 250-pound middle linebacker from the 1970s. It’s not an easy gig, and that’s one reason for the supposed “devaluation” of the position. Linebackers are rarely thought to be the personifications of their defenses as they were in previous eras. Now, it’s mostly about cornerbacks and edge-rushers. If you want to stand out in the public eye like Dick Butkus or Jack Lambert… well, good luck with that.

Still, it’s an important position, and as the goalposts have moved, players have redefined themselves to bend with the times. Thus, the 11 players you’ll see on this list.

The criteria to make the list of the 11 best linebackers in the game today represented a focus on a multi-faceted approach to the game.

  • Beating blocks and getting through run fits on a consistent basis is crucial. If you can’t stop the run well, it’s going to be tough to get anywhere near this listicle.
  • Pass coverage is also crucial. Can you be a true half-field defender at linebacker depth and beyond? Can you work responsibilities from the flat to the middle of the field?
  • Finally, the ability to blitz effectively from multiple gaps is a must.

And now, here are the 11 best linebackers in the NFL today. You can also read our previous position lists; they’re all headed in the same direction: To our list of the 101 best players overall heading into the 2023 NFL season.

The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

The Xs and Os: The NFL’s most disruptive pass-rushers from every gap

From Dexter Lawrence to Nick Bosa, who are the best pass-rushers from every gap — wide-9 to nose tackle? Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar investigate.

Today’s NFL is about two things above all else — creating and defending explosive plays. In the effort to defend explosive plays, defenses align their pass-rushers all over the line of scrimmage in everything from stunts off of base fronts to overload fronts, where offensive linemen have to adjust more than they’d like to against numbers that don’t work for them.

Anything to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible.

Still, quarterback disruption is about more than just scheme — you also have to have a certain number of guys with the right tools and traits to blow things up from every gap.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire) get into the traits needed to get after the quarterback from every gap — from 0-tech (right over the center) to wide-9 (far outside the offensive tackle).

Greg and Doug spent this week’s “Xs and Os” building the ideal defensive line with those specific traits, and here, we drill down to the best pass-rushers in the 2022 season from every gap. Who does it best, and what are the tools needed to do it?

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

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You can also subscribe to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

(All metrics courtesy of Sports Info Solutions and Pro Football Focus unless otherwise specified). 

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect defensive line

In this week’s “Xs and Os” with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar, the guys build the perfect defensive line at every gap — from Myles Garrett to Dexter Lawrence.

In this week’s episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire) get into the traits and attributes of players needed to build the ideal defensive line, from wide-9 to nose tackle.

The requirements for pass rush and run-stopping haven’t changed much since the eras of Lawrence Taylor and Bruce Smith, though front concepts are different to a degree, but the game is different, so how do you build that ideal defensive front for every down?

Some of it is pure athletic talent, but mostly, defensive line is about technique. From Micah Parsons’ speed counter to Nick Bosa’s multi-gap loops to Maxx Crosby’s speed spin to T.J. Watt’s ghost rush to Aaron Donald’s bull/slip to Chris Jones’ counter/club to Dexter Lawrence’s furious bull-rush, the guys get into all of that, and more!

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here.

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You can also subscribe to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.