Doug Farrar – Page 3 – Syndication Server

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.

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.

Chiefs DT Chris Jones named NFL’s most disruptive pass-rusher from 3-technique

On the latest Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar, #Chiefs DT Chris Jones was recognized for his play at 3-technique in 2022.

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Kansas City Chiefs DT Chris Jones was recently recognized as the league’s most disruptive pass-rusher when aligning as a 3-technique.

On the latest episode of “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the two veteran film junkies sought to identify the NFL’s most disruptive pass-rushers from every gap. They spent some time identifying the various traits that make for good edge rushers and interior rushers before delving into the players who were the best during the 2022 NFL season.

If you’re not familiar with the term, the 3-technique refers to when a defensive lineman aligns in the B-gap. They’ll align to the outside shoulder of an offensive guard, between that offensive guard and the offensive tackle.

While Aaron Donald remains in a league of his own, Jones was the better player at 3-tech last season in the eyes of Farrar.

“I’d say the guy who played the best three (technique) last year, to me, was Chris Jones with the Chiefs,” Farrar said. “He has great techniques, ways of just pulling you in and then slipping around.”

Cosell found himself impressed with Jones’ size and quickness, but there was something that he couldn’t seem to put his finger on about his playstyle.

“Yeah, he’s very big,” Cosell said. “He’s not as explosive of an athlete as (Aaron) Donald. So, he has a little bit more control in his playstyle, I mean, his game. Although, for his size, he’s quick. But he’s not quick in the way you think of like a true 3-technique.”

Farrar emphasized Jones’ finesse and hand-fighting as one of the things that set him apart.

“No, he’s a jiu-jitsu man,” Farrar said.

Be sure to check out the full episode at the top of the page or over on Touchdown Wire for more on the top D-Linemen in the NFL during the 2022 NFL season

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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:

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.

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

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect secondary

In this week’s Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar, the guys look to build the perfect secondary with ideal traits for every position.

If you were to create the ideal secondary for the modern NFL, most likely that secondary would have at least five pass defenders in its base coverages. Adding that slot defender, whether it’s a cornerback or a safety in “big nickel” (three-safety) packages, is a must against today’s 3×1 receiver sets. You’d also want outside cornerbacks who can play press-man coverage against an opponent’s top receivers, and safeties who don’t live by the old free and strong designations.

In this week’s edition 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) endeavor to build the perfect modern secondary, starting with the ideal traits for every position.

Let’s break that down, from cornerback to slot defender to safety.

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

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You can also listen to the Xs and Os podcast on Spotify:

…or on Apple podcasts.

Quandre Diggs ranked near the top of this list of the NFL’s best safeties

Those in the know see an elite back-end defender, though.

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Quandre Diggs flew under the radar in Detroit, as many great players seem to do. However, since getting traded to Seattle Diggs has been impossible to ignore. No other safety in the league is a better ball-hawk right now and he’s earned three straight trips to the Pro Bowl for his efforts.

Diggs is more than just an All-Star these days, though. Those in the know see that he’s developed into an elite back-end defender. That includes Doug Farrar at Touchdown Wire, who’s begun his annual NFL positional rankings lists, starting with the safeties. Diggs came in at No. 2 on his list. Only Minkah Fitzpatrick of the Steelers ranked higher.

“Over the last two seasons (1,078 in 2021 and 1,012 in 2022), Quandre Diggs lined up at free/deep safety on 2,090 snaps, by far the most in the NFL… Yes, Diggs’ overall stats were great (10 catches allowed on 21 targets for 135 yards, 62 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, five interceptions, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 60.7), but you really have to separate him from everyone else in the NFL at his position as a deep defender.”

For Diggs to recover the way he has (he says he couldn’t even cut six weeks before the 2022 season began) and return to a high level of play only a few months after breaking his leg is mind-blowing stuff. Hats off to No. 6, who’s easily the best free safety this franchise has had not named Earl Thomas.

More Seahawks Wire stories

One player from every team facing a make-or-break season

Seahawks all-time record vs. AFC South teams

The Xs and Os: How defenses use aggressive press coverage to stop passing games

Aggressive press coverage has been a factor in pro football since the 1960s. Greg Cosell explains why and how it’s still important today.

In the 2022 NFL season, per Sports Info Solutions, there were 4,801 dropbacks in which quarterbacks eventually threw a pass with a zero-step drop, or a one-step drop. Basically, the quickest quick game throws possible. On those dropbacks, quarterbacks completed 3,212 of 4,591 passes (70%) for 23,231 yards (6.15 YPA), 149 touchdowns, 55 interceptions, and a passer rating of 87.3. Last season, six NFL teams – the Buccaneers, Dolphins, Bills, Broncos, 49ers, and Seahawks – had more than 200 dropbacks with those quick-throw snaps, so it’s a staple for a lot of teams.

The point here is that with so much quick game in today’s NFL, you’re not always going to be able to get to the quarterback before he releases the ball, no matter how great your pass rush is. It’s one reason that interior pressure has become so important, but it’s also why you’d better be able to disrupt receivers with press coverage. Not that any team plays off all the time, but if you play off too much, opposing offenses are likely to look at that, smile, and say, “Hey, thanks – we’ll take the easy gains all day long.”

The origins of aggressive press coverage, where you’re not just mirror-matching receivers through the route, but you’re actively jamming them off their routes, go back a long way. You can start with the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders in the American Football League, transition it through the 1970’s Pittsburgh Steelers, and go from there. One of the most prominent examples of aggressive coverage came in Super Bowl XXXVI, when the underdog New England Patriots upset the St. Louis Rams, 20-17. In that game, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had a gutsy strategy to defeat Mike Martz’s “Greatest Show on Turf” offense — he was going to beat up the Rams’ receivers, and he was going to specifically target running back Marshall Faulk by taking his edge defenders and going after the epicenter of St. Louis’ offense with all kinds of nastiness.

What became known as the “Bull’s-eye” game plan worked magnificently.

In “The Games that Changed the Game,” the book he co-authored with Ron Jaworski and David Plaut, Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup got specifically into the details of that game plan, and why it worked. We discussed it in detail on this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell,” and then spun it forward to how teams are using “Bull’s-eyes” in today’s NFL to limit all kinds of explosive plays.

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One play from last season typified this approach. In their 30-27 Week 11 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs were dealing with a situation in which Justin Herbert had the ball at the Kansas City three-yard line with 23 seconds left in the first half. The Chargers were already up, 17-13, and a touchdown here would have created more problems. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s response was to go full Bull’s-eye, to great effect.

Herbert started his read to the front side of his 2×2 formation, made a 3×2 set with running back Austin Ekeler aligned to the right. At the snap, defensive end George Karlaftis bombed through to the backfield, and altered Ekeler’s angle route. This caused Herbert to pause, and it also gave the Chiefs time to pressure him, which might not have happened otherwise. Flushed out to his left, Herbert then tried to hit receiver Keenan Allen to the back side on a switch release, but cornerback L’Jarius Sneed had Allen on lock in press coverage, and the result was a deflection.

That play may have saved the game for the Chiefs.

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“There were a lot of things going on on that play,” Greg said. “First of all, you’re in the low red zone, and in the low red zone, you’re usually not asking your quarterback to take deep drops and scan the field. So, Herbert was reading to his right, which was the three-receiver side, because Ekeler was set to the right in the backfield. They ran kind of a smash concept with the wide receiver [DeAndre Carter] and the tight end [Stone Smartt]. The tight end was kind of open; we don’t know why Herbert didn’t throw it if that was indeed his read. But they had Ekeler on a ‘Texas’ or angle route, and Karlaftis ‘Bull’s-eyed’ him.

“[Herbert’s] not really coming back to the other side in s strict sense because you’re in the low red zone, but the Chiefs did a really good job in a press-man look with the slot and the outside receiver in switching, because it was a switch release off the line of scrimmage by the two receivers.”

Whether it’s quick game or downfield stuff, the ability of defenses to alter route concepts with aggressive physicality can make all the difference. It was true in the 1960s, it was true in Super Bowl XXXVI, and it’s true today.

You can listen and subscribe to the Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Alexander Mattison named most underrated player on Vikings by Doug Farrar

After four years with the Vikings, Mattison finally gets a chance to be the guy in the backfield.

Every year, there are players that are key to the success of an NFL team that go unnoticed. Unsung heroes don’t get the national recognition they deserve for their contributions. Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar named one underrated player from each team. For the Minnesota Vikings, that player is Alexander Mattision.

Mattison has gotten a bit more fanfare this off-season than most that made the list heading into the 2023 season. The selection was based on his workload, or lack thereof, going into his fifth season in the league. Mattison has only 404 career carries heading into this season, where he will turn 25 before the season starts. With the release of Cook last week, keeping Mattison fresh may have been the best way to go.

Farrar states that while Mattison is not the explosive runner that Dalvin has been, Mattison “is absolutely the kind of hammerhead back you can go with in critical situations.”

There are a lot of questions surrounding this offense. Will Justin Jefferson keep up this superior level of play? How far can Kirk Cousins take this team? Can Jordan Addison immediately contribute to the passing game? What can we really expect for seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride to become?

With all these questions circling, it is nice to have just one semblance of consistency. That will come from Alexander Mattison. The peace of mind that will come with that fact is underrated indeed.

The Xs and Os: How the Chiefs won the Super Bowl with a couple of ‘Corn Dogs’

In this week’s “Xs and Os,” Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar look at how the Chiefs won the Super Bowl with a couple of corn dogs.

With 12:08 left in Super Bowl LVII, the Kansas City Chiefs were trying to overcome a 27-20 deficit to the Philadelphia Eagles. They had the ball on the Philadelphia five-yard line with third-and-3, and the call was to have receiver Kadarius Toney use return motion to fool an Eagles defense that was going to jump on any pre-snap motion that had the receiver crossing the formation.

The play was called “Corn Dog,” and it was the first of two times the Chiefs zapped the Eagles on a similar concept for touchdowns. Here, Andy Reid explains it all to NBC Sports’ Peter King.

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) chose to discuss pre-snap motion as one of the concepts that has taken over the modern NFL, and which better plays to discuss than the two that turned out to be the difference for the Chiefs?

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“I loved the touchdown to Kadarius Toney — that was the first one,” Greg said. “Because Toney was split to the right — he was No. 1 to the right. And he started to go in motion as if he would go across the formation. And what made this play fun to watch was that the Eagles clearly had a plan for it. Darius Slay was lined up over Toney, and on this particular play, it was oow red zone, meaning that it was inside the 10-yard line. On this play, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was the post safety, What they wanted to do as soon as Toney went in motion… they anticipated it being across the formation, because the Chiefs do that a lot in the low red zone, is Slay and Gardner-Johnson were going to switch responsibilities. And you can see Slay communicate with Gardner-Johnson — what he’s saying is, ‘Hey, he’s going across the formation now. You run with him from your post safety position, and I’ll replace you as the post safety.'”

“They [the Eagles] had practiced this. This wasn’t done on a whim. So what happened was, Slay assumed that Toney was going across the formation, he took his eyes off Toney and assumed that he was just going to the deep safety position. Toney immediately went in return motion, meaning that he went right back to where he started, and Slay, because he took his eyes off of him, did not see him. So Patrick Mahomes had an easy pitch-and-catch, and Toney walked into the end zone.”

The Eagles went three-and-out on their next drive. Now, with the Chiefs up 28-27, it was time to expand the lead with a similar concept to the other side of the field. The Chiefs did so on this four-yard touchdown pass to Skyy Moore with 9:16 left in the game. This time, the return motion went to the left. Different reaction, same basic result.

“That one was just a case where Avonte Maddox, the slot cornerback… he just assumed that Skyy Moore would run across the formation, and he started to run across the formation, and took his eyes off Moore totally. Moore, of course, went in return motion, back where he came from. That was on the left side, and again, another easy touchdown.

“But the first [touchdown] to Toney was the really interesting one to me, because the Eagles clearly had a plan that they practiced, and the Chiefs countered it really nicely.”