Tag: Brian Baldinger

Baldy Breakdown: Giants’ Dexter Lawrence, Malik Nabers ‘special’

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger calls New York Giants NT Dexter Lawrence and rookie WR Malik Nabers “difference makers.”

New York Giants fans have been waiting patiently for years now to have some players they can take some pride in.

They may finally have a few in defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and wide receiver Malik Nabers.

Former NFL offensive lineman and current NFL Network analyst, Brian Baldinger, took a quick sample from each player’s performance in the Giants’ 21-15 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday to illustrate how both players are making a difference for Big Blue.

First, Baldinger takes us through Lawrence’s pursuit of Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson which led to an intentional grounding, costing Cleveland 13 yards.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1838235904663490671

“It’s just like a sack,” Baldinger said.

Lawrence had two sacks and three QB hits in the game.

Next, Nabers, who had eight catches for 78 yards and two scores in the game, uses his legs on an end around on fourth-and-1 near midfield to extend a Giants drive. He outran the entire Cleveland defense to the first down marker.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1838189423466303817

The Giants won the game and should have won last week in Washington. They are playing better football. “Complimentary football” as head coach Brian Daboll describes it.

Hopefully, for the Giants, they can continue to do so and have a successful season behind the efforts of these two difference makers.

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Baldy’s breakdowns: Jets’ Leonard Taylor III gets shouted out for Patriots sack

Baldy’s breakdowns: Jets’ Leonard Taylor III gets shouted out for Patriots sack:

A surprising New York Jets defender got a shoutout following the team’s 24-3 throttling of the New England Patriots.

The Jets (2-1) defense had a huge effort. Seven total sacks, doubling their season total in one game.

While Will McDonald IV took headlines for the second-straight game with another multi-sack outing, it was not him who got a shout out from NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger.

During his social media “Baldy’s breakdowns,” it was Leonard Taylor III who did. Taylor had a takedown late against Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye when the game was essentially over.

“There’s something there,” Baldinger said about Taylor.

The full breakdown can be found below:

Brian Baldinger breaks down film from Broncos’ game

The trick play was exciting!

NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger has returned with more commentary on Denver Broncos film.

This week, Baldinger broke down a few plays from Denver’s 13-6 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, including a 49-yard trick play in the third quarter.

“The Broncos were losing 10-nothing halfway through the third quarter and they said, ‘You know what? Let’s go to the deseptives here. Let’s put Javonte [Williams] in a Wildcat look,'” Baldinger says his latest video on X.

“You’ve got Nate Adkins over there at fullback. Here comes Courtland Sutton — a little pitch to Courtland Sutton right here. And right now, he flips it to Bo Nix. And Bo Nix right here is going to take a shot down the field to Josh Reynolds. And he gets behind the defense and just like that — Bo Nix shows off his arm — 49 yards later, Minkah Fitzpatrick keeps them out of the end zone. That’s the biggest play of the season so far, they had first and goal at the six with a chance to get right back in the game.”

Unfortunately, Nix threw an interception in the end zone two plays later. Baldinger also reviewed that play:

And Baldinger took a look at T.J. Watt’s sack that went viral:

After dropping to 0-2 on Sunday, the Broncos will attempt to bounce back on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 3.

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NFL Network analyst breaks down Zach Frazier’s elite performance in Week 2

Rookie Zach Fraizer has been a huge upgrade at center this seaosn.

There were plenty of both positive and negative takeaways from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 2 victory over the Denver Broncos.  The offense seemed to be off to a hot start in the first half, only to sputter out and be almost nonexistent in the second half of football.  Brian Baldinger, an NFL Network analyst known for his breakdown of player performance, shed light on what he believes was best performance on the Steelers’ offense.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1835852522470158495

Baldinger frequently referenced Zach Frazier’s ability to put defenders on the ground, highlighting one key play in which Najee Harris broke free for 9 yards thanks to an elite block by Frazier.

Zach Frazier, a 2024 second-round pick out of West Virginia, is outperforming expectations thus far into the Steelers’ 2024 campaign.  The outstanding rookie center will look to keep his great performances coming as the Steelers prepare for their home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday, September 22nd, at 1 PM EST.

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Brian Baldinger breaks down film from Broncos’ season opener

Brian Baldinger broke down some film from the Broncos’ season opener, including a few of Bo Nix’s highlights from the game.

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger is a must-follow during football season.

Baldinger took to Twitter/X on Tuesday to break down film from the Denver Broncos‘ season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.

Baldinger’s breakdowns included a few plays from quarterback Bo Nix, who struggled in his NFL debut but battled until the end. Baldinger first showed Nix’s back shoulder throw to Josh Reynolds before halftime which led to a field goal. Then he showed a pass to Courtland Sutton that set up Nix’s touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

“It was tough, but there were some highlights,” Baldinger said of Nix’s first game in the NFL.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1833630518136410315

Baldinger also reviewed a few plays of Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain covering Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf. “That right there is a great matchup,” Baldinger said.

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1833567171466690834

Baldinger also showed the two safeties that Denver’s defense forced. He also thinks a third safety should have been called:

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1833551977151599067

After losing to the Seahawks 26-20 in Week 1, the Broncos will aim to bounce back at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2.

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‘He’s a dawg!’ Titans’ T’Vondre Sweat earns high praise

Tennessee Titans defensive tackle D’Vondre Sweat garnered some high praise from teammates and experts for his performance.

The Tennessee Titans defense was dominant at times Sunday during the 24-17 loss to the Chicago Bears. Not only did it stifle the Bears’ rushing attack, but it also kept rookie quarterback Caleb Williams off-balanced and frustrated most of the day. 

One player that stood out was defensive tackle T’Vondre Sweat. Sweat was a beast throughout the game and was a force in the middle. The Titans’ young standout even received praise from analyst Brian Baldinger in his “Baldy’s Breakdowns.”

While he didn’t light up the stat sheet, showing 38 snaps and two quarterback pressures, his presence in the middle of the line made an impact that went beyond the stat sheet. The Titans’ 2024 second-round pick dominated the interior and forced the Bears to run the ball away from his area.

In the coming weeks, he should become even more comfortable in the system and even more dynamic. More importantly for the success of the defense, his continued growth should allow for fewer double-teams on standout Jeffrey Simmons as they develop into a fearsome duo. 

It’s hard not to overreact after a week, but with Sweat and Simmons on the defensive line, it’s hard not to envision success for the Titans defense. That growth will continue Sunday as the Titans prepare to face the New York Jets in Week 2. 

 

Baldy Breakdown: Vikings stonewalled Giants’ edge rush duo

Brian Baldinger breaks down how the New York Giants’ pass rush duo was “no hit” by the Minnesota Vikings with ease.

One of the bright spots coming into the 2024 season for the New York Giants was their dynamic pass rush duo of outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux and edge rusher Brian Burns.

Their performance in the Giants’ 28-6 opening-week loss to the Minnesota Vikings was less than inspiring. In fact, it was practically invisible.

Vikings offensive tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill kept the duo off the stat sheet — no sacks and just one QB hit between them.

The Giants had just one sack, by defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and the lack of pressure allowed quarterback San Darnold to operate unfettered. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards and a touchdown for a QB rating of 113.2.

Retired offensive lineman and current NFL analyst Brian Baldinger broke down the Vikings’ dominance.

On Monday, head coach Brian Daboll said the preparation was not the issue, the Vikings just did an excellent job in pass protection.

“I think some of the games were good, the stunts and the games we used,” said Daboll. “I’d say the pressure was really good inside with Dexter when he was lined up in there. Again, they played the game. They played it well. They were playing in favorable situations. They get up, we get down.

“The game’s controlled a little bit. So, we got to do a better job of playing complementary football. Offense, defense, kicking game to make sure that we can get into more of those situations.”

After the game, a frustrated Thibodeaux was short with reporters, dodging questions about the egg he and his team just laid.

Thibodeaux has to be more accommodating and mature than this. As they say, success has a million mothers while failure is an orphan. He’s got to stay professional win or lose.

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Brian Baldinger breaks down crucial touchdown from Chiefs’ playoff victory over Ravens

Brian Baldinger broke down Travis Kelce’s touchdown catch from January’s playoff matchup between the #Chiefs and #Ravens.

The Kansas City Chiefs are set to face the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night in an AFC Championship Game rematch.

The highly anticipated matchup will feature some of the NFL’s most exciting talent and the prolific connection between Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce is sure to steal the spotlight if Baltimore’s secondary isn’t properly prepared.

NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger reviewed Kansas City’s victory over the Ravens in January and broke down Kelce’s touchdown reception from the game in a post to Twitter.

Check out what Baldinger had to say about Mahomes’ exceptional throw to Kelce that got the Chiefs out to an early lead in their last meeting with Baltimore:

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1830661049596682603

Despite Mahomes and Kelce’s success in their previous matchup against Baltimore, success on Thursday night is far from guaranteed.

Expect to see Kansas City’s dynamic duo do their best to replicate their outstanding performance to help the Chiefs earn a win to kick off their 2024 season.

Titans rookie earns breakdown from legendary NFL analyst

Titans’ rookie drawing praise on “Baldy’s Breakdowns.”

Titans rookie T’Vondre Sweat is already catching eyes around the NFL.

The massive defensive tackle was the Titans’ second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft and should immediately play a key role in the defense.

This weekend, legendary NFL analyst Brian Baldinger singled out Sweat as a player he will be studying. Baldinger, known for his “Baldys Breakdowns” series, was watching Sweat’s preseason tape and was impressed by how the DT “takes up space.”

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1829898481529733225

Baldinger is a respected football mind, so catching his eye already is a great sign for Sweat.

During his final season at Texas in 2023, Sweat racked up 45 tackles, eight tackles for loss, and two sacks. Sweat was considered to be one of the top defensive linemen in the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Titans jumped on the former Longhorn in the 2nd round.

Sweat will be relied upon heavily as a rookie, starting next to Sebastian Joseph-Day and Jeffery Simmons on the Titans’ front.

Sweat and the Titans will kick off the 2024 season on September 8 against the Chicago Bears.

NFL analyst shows how Brandon Aiyuk impacts 49ers beyond box score stats

Here’s a great video highlighting all the ways Brandon Aiyuk affects the 49ers beyond his catches, yards and touchdowns:

The San Francisco 49ers and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk agreed to a contract extension that will keep the All-Pro in the Bay Area through the 2028 season.

There were discussions about whether Aiyuk was worth the headache of a preseason-long negotiation, and whether he was worth to the 49ers the $30 million or so per year it would take to keep him with San Francisco.

Aiyuk was the team’s leading receiver last year and is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. His Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2023 was his first, but all signs pointed toward him being an ascending player in the NFL. However, his ball production isn’t the only value he provides the 49ers.

NFL Media’s Brian Baldinger posted a video on Twitter (currently X) that highlights various ways Aiyuk had a positive impact on the 49ers in the Super Bowl:

https://twitter.com/BaldyNFL/status/1829583984130441547

These impacts aren’t exclusive to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl. Aiyuk’s run-blocking and how he warps coverages are keys for how the 49ers’ entire offense runs.

Removing Aiyuk and his ability to get open in all areas of the field fundamentally changes how defenses would be able to cover San Francisco’s passing game. It would also change how the 49ers run game works because Aiyuk’s threat as a receiver combined with his ability to clear out running lanes as a blocker maximizes head coach Kyle Shanahan’s options with play calling.

It was hard to envision the 49ers getting better in 2024 without Aiyuk in large part because of how much he impacts their offense without even having the ball in his hands. The good news for San Francisco is they won’t have to worry about it now with Aiyuk locked in through 2028.

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