Film Room – Page 2 – Syndication Server

Packers film room: A closer look at Matt LaFleur’s offensive game plan vs Colts

Let’s dig into how Matt LaFleur helped Malik Willis and the Packers run game defeat the Colts in Week 2.

Since arriving in Green Bay in 2019, Matt LaFleur has enjoyed the luxury of coaching a four-time NFL MVP in Aaron Rodgers and now a rising star in Jordan Love. But in Week 2, with Rodgers in New York and Love sidelined, LaFleur faced a new challenge: winning with recently acquired quarterback Malik Willis. And he delivered.

The Packers won their first game of the 2024 season, defeating the Colts 16-10. Even though it was a one-score game, Green Bay took advantage of their Week 2 opponent’s weaknesses, tallying 261 rushing yards as a team and three takeaways.

Willis, who had only been with the team for three weeks, looked comfortable and made smart decisions with the football en route to completing 12 out of 14 passes for 122 yards with a touchdown. LaFleur deserves a ton of credit for not only having Willis ready to play but for how efficient he was.

LaFleur has yet to win NFL Coach of the Year despite having three consecutive 13-win seasons — with two trips to the NFC Championship game — and last year leading the youngest roster in the league to the playoffs.

By and large, Green Bay’s head coach hasn’t gotten the credit he is due. In Sunday’s win, LaFleur once again showed he is one of the best offensive minds in the game.

To get a better idea of how difficult it is to stop LaFleur’s scheme, we are going to look at some of LaFleur’s best play calls against Indianapolis for this week’s film room.

Let’s begin.

One great thing about this scheme is that its creativity is not just limited to the passing game. The run game also has a ton of wrinkles to keep the defense guessing. In this play, the Packers are in split shotgun with two potential runners on either side. Watch as the one back loops behind the quarterback in play action while the other takes the handoff. This little misdirection gets the defense moving in the opposite direction of the ball. It also buys a little time for the tight end to execute his split-flow action and climb to the linebacker, leading to a 12-yard gain.

As expected, LaFleur sprinkled in some read option and run-pass option (RPO). This RPO call in particular was set up beautifully to get an advantageous look for the offense. The safety bites on the potential wide receiver screen, creating space for the running back, who follows his blockers for a big gain. Early in the game, this play design helped Willis get settled as it was probably a variation of a play he had run hundreds of times and was a relatively easy read.

Here is another misdirection play action call out of split shotgun, but this time, it’s a swing pass out with the left tackle and center getting out to the second level to lead the charge. This is a perfect example of why Green Bay covets athletic offensive linemen who can get up-field and operate in space. Also, you have to love the blocks from the wide receiver and tight end, as both do an excellent job to open up a lane for the ball carrier.

Willis’ first career passing touchdown was a thing of beauty. Not only did he deliver the throw with pinpoint accuracy, but the play was well-crafted and well-executed. The No. 2 receiver in the formation runs a back-and-forth motion that allows him to get into his speed out route quicker. If it’s not a perfect throw, it’s probably a pick-six. However, Willis has a strong arm and trusts that he can deliver an accurate ball outside the numbers. And he does.

Let’s finish with another RPO. There are many moving parts to this play, but it’s really just a two-level read that puts Willis in a position to do what he does best: use his mobility and allow him to make half-field reads. Willis could have handed this ball off, but he decided to keep it. The receiver in motion runs a wheel route to try to create space for the tight end leaking out of the backfield into the flat. However, the Colts have the tight end covered, so Willis is forced to progress to his second-level read. He delivers a great ball right on the money to the receiver in space for a nice gain and a first down. Well done.

Conclusion

Overall, the Packers hope that Love can return as soon as possible. But when you have a great play-caller who understands his personnel and knows how to put his players in a position to succeed, you can take some comfort in that. Despite being with the team for just three weeks, Willis quickly settled into LaFleur’s system, delivering an efficient performance. Until Love returns, the Packers can lean on LaFleur’s creativity to keep the offense moving. Sunday’s win showed that even with a new quarterback, Green Bay’s offense is in capable hands.

Packers film room: What to expect from rookie LB Edgerrin Cooper

Breaking down the tape of Packers’ second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper.

The Green Bay Packers selected Texas A&M linebacker Edgerrin Cooper with the 45th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, marking him as the first off-ball linebacker to come off the board.

The Packers were also the first team to draft an inside linebacker in 2022 when they took Quay Walker 22nd overall.

Green Bay is currently in the process of transitioning to a 4-3 defense under new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley, so additions to the linebacker room were expected. Of course, in today’s NFL, defenses spend most of their time in nickel with two linebackers. However, the Packers have an opening they need to fill after releasing 2021 All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell earlier in the offseason.

It would appear that the expectation is to have Cooper replace Campbell as the three-down linebacker, pairing him with Walker. He certainly has the athleticism and skill set to do so.

Cooper is listed at 6-2, 230 pounds and was a good tester, running the 40-yard dash in 4.51 seconds and logging a relative athletic score of 9.13. A two-year starter for the Aggies, he finished with 205 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, eight pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and three forced fumbles. That sort of production made a case for Cooper as the best inside linebacker in this year’s class.

Of course, teams don’t draft players based solely on their athletic measurables and prior statistics. The number one indicator of whether a guy can play is through his film. So, for this film room, we are taking a closer look at some of Cooper’s tape from his senior season.

Afterward, we will have a better idea of what the Packers see in Cooper.

Let’s begin.

Run Defense

A part of the reason why Cooper is able to rack up tackles is his processing skills and football IQ. Basically, he knows where to be to make plays. Cooper is in great position here, filling the cutback lane perfectly and is able to wrangle the running back down for a TFL.

Cooper is at his best when he is playing downhill. His play speed is evident in this play, in which he beats the blockers to the point of attack and shoots the gap to get his hands on the running back.

This play highlights his athleticism, vision, and understanding of leverage. Cooper’s eyes never leave the ball carrier as he shuffles his feet and gets in position to track down the running back, whether he chooses to bounce the run outside or cut back. In this instance, the back sticks his foot in the ground, but Cooper is there waiting for him. It even results in a fumble.

Again, when Cooper is kept clean and can violently trigger downhill, he can be super disruptive.

When not impeded by blockers, he shows good range as a lateral defender as well.

Cooper isn’t just all speed, either. He possesses the functional play strength to stalemate a running back in the B gap.

Coverage, Pass Rush, Spy Work

Cooper flashes some impressive range in coverage as well. Lined up over the center, watch as he comes from the opposite hash to track down the running back catching a pass in the flat, arriving in a punishing manner.

He has the speed to cover running backs and tight ends moving vertically. Here, he completely takes away the back running a wheel route out of the backfield.

Cooper could find himself occasionally utilized as a pass rusher in Green Bay. In this play, he is lined up on the edge and used as the looper on a stunt. He shows good patience on the play and is able to get home against second-overall pick Jayden Daniels.

Cooper will also be a good spy option when the Packers face mobile quarterbacks. He has the athleticism to tackle in space.

Conclusion

Green Bay has added a twitchy second-level defender who can wear many hats in their new defense. He has all the tools to be a three-down defender alongside Walker. Some have questioned if he will be the MIKE linebacker since that is what he played in college. However, the Packers aren’t likely to label either Cooper or Walker. Both can play the MIKE or WILL on any given play and having that flexibility can’t be understated.

Overall, Green Bay is getting an impactful player who will likely be a day-one starter. Cooper is a prototypical modern linebacker who will thrive in an aggressive scheme. My main concerns are his hand usage when stacking and shedding blockers. He will need to work on his technique so it is more functional/consistent. Cooper will also need to clean up his missed tackles. According to Pro Football Focus, he missed double-digit tackles in three consecutive seasons at Texas A&M. The film shows that sometimes his angles are too aggressive, making him susceptible to misses from elusive ball carriers.

2024 NFL draft: Missouri CB Kris Abrams-Draine prospect film review

Missouri CB Kris Abrams-Draine is a potential target for the Minnesota Vikings in the 2024 NFL Draft. Saivion Mixson digs into his film to find out how he fits

The Minnesota Vikings have nine picks going into the 2024 NFL Draft:

First round, 11th overall
Second round, 42nd overall
Fourth round (from Detroit)
Fourth round
Fifth round (from Kansas City)
Fifth round (from Cleveland)
Sixth round (from Jacksonville)
Sixth round (from Las Vegas)
Seventh round (from Atlanta via Arizona)

To maximize these picks, the Vikings front office has a lot of homework to find who in this draft is a good fit for Minnesota.

With the questions surrounding the pass rush and quarterback, one question that may have to wait until day two or even day three is how the Vikings address the cornerback position. Missouri’s Kris Abrams-Draine gives the Vikings a potential answer.

Lions vs. Buccaneers: What I learned from film study of Detroit’s playoff win

Lions vs. Buccaneers: What I learned from film study of Detroit’s playoff win from Lions Wire’s Jeff Risdon

Fresh off the first Detroit Lions postseason victory since the 1991 season, the team decided that one win wasn’t enough. The Lions beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 31-23, in Ford Field in Sunday’s NFC Divisional Round matchup to advance to the NFC Championship in San Francisco.

Just like the win over the Rams a week earlier, this was a stressful game decided in the fourth quarter. The first three quarters all ended with the score tied. The tension of such a closely-played, high-stakes contest shone through even on the silent All-22 game film.

This week’s film rewatch of the game, both of the broadcast feed and the All-22, revealed a lot about the Lions and where they win and lose games. Here’s some of what I took away from the rewatch.

[lawrence-related id=102455]

Film Room: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was outstanding against the Rams

Film Room: Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown was outstanding against the Rams, from Russell Brown

Regardless of being a consistent weapon in the Lions offense on a weekly basis, it still feels like Amon-Ra St. Brown is slept on. Which is hard to imagine as he finished the season with 119 receptions for 1,515 yards and 10 touchdowns. Furthermore, he’s been on fire in his last five games with 39 receptions for 562 yards and four touchdowns.

As the Lions returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and hosted their first home playoff game since 1991, St. Brown was outstanding in the opening round of the playoffs. Finishing the game with 7 receptions for 110 yards, he made big play after big play on Sunday night. Each one of his receptions went for first down and he caught the first down pass that sealed the Lions first playoff win in 32 years. Let’s dive into the tape to see what makes Amon-Ra St. Brown so good as a pass-catcher for the Lions.

Starting with one of the first big plays of the game from St. Brown, it’s one where he shows his strength and play-making ability. Looking at the play above, you’ll see that the Lions come out in a 2×2 set with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end).

At the top of the screen, St. Brown is aligned as the ‘X’ receiver. Once the ball is snapped, he releases vertical but hits the cornerback with an inside jab step while pushing vertically along the sideline. As he gets about 7 or 8 yards downfield, he throttles down quickly and turns back to Goff on a curl route.

With an opening, Goff fires the ball to St. Brown and it leads to him securing the catch. Despite having the defender on his back, he tosses him off and puts his play strength and run after-the-catch ability on display.

The next play I want to focus on is one of my favorite catches from St. Brown on the season. Looking at the play above, the Lions come out in a trips left formation with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end).

Aligned as the lone receiver on the bottom of the screen is St. Brown. Much like the previous play, St. Brown hits the defender with an inside jab step before releasing outside. Rather than turning back to Goff on a curl route, St. Brown runs a wheel route instead. With enough separation, St. Brown is able to concentrate and get his hands up for the catch. His ability to run after catching it is just an added bonus.

Moving onto a huge 3rd down completion, we move to a play that happens coming out of the two-minute warning before the half. Previous Lions teams would have ran a screen or a draw play and gave the ball to the opposition with plenty of time. Not this Lions team.

They go for the jugular every chance they get.

Looking at the play above, the Lions come out in a trips left formation with condensed splits. Bunched together on the left side is Josh Reynolds, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see all 3 receivers release vertically. As the defender across from St. Brown tries to jam him, you’ll see a quick arm over from St. Brown and that gives him plenty of separation.

Exploding off his inside foot, St. Brown snaps his route towards the sideline on a deep out route. With no defender in sight, he’s able to catch this one freely and clean. Goff really drives this throw and delivers a strike and it leads to a big first down for the Lions.

Lastly, I want to focus on one of the greatest plays we’ve seen in our lives. It’s the play that secured the game for the Lions. Coming out of the two-minute warning in the fourth quarter, the Lions were given a chance to talk this one out with Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell.

Looking at the play above, the Lions come out in a 2×2 set and aligned in the slot on the bottom of the screen, you’ll see St. Brown. Despite facing off-coverage from the defender, it’s not enough to slow him down. He pushes vertically and while it appears like he could be running a deep route, he snaps his route back towards Goff. While there’s contact from St. Brown, there’s also contact from the defender.

This gives separation to St. Brown and Goff gets the ball to him quickly. Turning up field right after catching the ball leads to St. Brown picking up the first down and it sets up the Lions to come out in the victory formation. After three straight kneel downs, the Lions win the game and advance to the next round of the playoffs!

When looking at the tape, you can see St. Brown make plays constantly. He’s by far the best player on the offense and is an absolute joy to watch every week. As he enters a contract year, it’s no secret that he’ll be worth every penny he’s given on his next contract. We can only hope that it’s an extension to stay in Detroit for a very long time. For now, look for him to continue to make big play after big play this weekend against Tampa Bay in the Divisional Round of the playoffs!

Packers film room: Jordan Love breaks down improbable fourth-down completion to Romeo Doubs vs Chiefs

Breaking down Jordan Love’s improbable fourth-down completion to Romeo Doubs during the Packers’ win over the Chiefs.

The Green Bay Packers managed to hang on against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13, defeating the defending Super Bowl Champions 27-19 to improve to 6-6 on the season.

The defense came up with a timely takeaway in the final six minutes and prevented a last-second Hail Mary while the offense continued its improved play, with more signs of growth from its young players. Over the past five games, the youngest team in the NFL is averaging 23.6 points and 389.2 yards of offense per contest.

Green Bay’s recent success on the offensive side of the ball can be largely attributed to the play of Jordan Love. The first-year starting quarterback has shown remarkable progress since the beginning of the season and could be on track to receive a long-term contract.

Against Kansas City’s third-ranked pass defense, Love completed 25 of 36 passes for 267 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions for a 118.6 passer rating. Like the defense, Love played exceptionally well down the stretch and made plays in crucial moments.

One that stood out was Love’s fourth-down completion to Romeo Doubs in the third quarter. The play occurred on the Packers’ first drive of the second half after the Chiefs scored a touchdown to get within two points. The offense had moved the ball into Kansas City territory but stalled at the 44-yard line. Rather than attempt a long field goal or punt it away, Matt LaFleur put his trust into his quarterback’s hands on 4th and 1.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones (95) pressures Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) as Love passes the ball on Sunday, December 3, 2023, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Packers won the game, 27-19.

Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

Operating out of shotgun, Love faced immediate pressure but completed an improbable deep pass to Doubs, who was in a crowd of defenders for a 33-yard gain.

For better context, here’s Love breaking down the play after the game:

“I’m throwing it Romeo, where I think he’s going to be…The coverage was telling me to go there to him. Threw it up, thinking the safety was going to make a play, and he didn’t. Good job by Romeo, he couldn’t really track the ball at first but then was able to find it. Great catch by him.”

Breaking down all 3 Vikings touchdowns vs. Saints

Tyler Forness breaks down the all-22 of the 3 Vikings touchdowns

The Minnesota Vikings are an incredibly fun team right now.

Not only are they fun, but they are successful as well. The Vikings are riding a five-game winning streak with three winable games going into a tough finishing stretch against the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions twice.

Throughout the five-game winning streak the Vikings have been on, they have scratched and clawed while dealing with multiple injuries, including losing numerous starters on offense for multiple games.

On Sunday, the Vikings were explosive on offense, especially in the first half. We looked at all three touchdowns the Vikings scored and broke down the all-22.

Harrison Phillips has been bright spot amid Vikings’ rocky start

Despite the Minnesota Vikings rocky start, nose tackle Harrison Phillips has been a bright spot

It is no secret that the Minnesota Vikings have had a rocky start to the 2023 season. That’s probably putting it lightly.

After bringing back a solid amount of the core that helped lead them to a crazy 13-win season, this 2-4 start feels very anticlimactic.

Even through circumstances such as this, there are bright spots to be found throughout the roster. One of them happens to stay in a three-point stance on the defensive side of the ball.

After the Philadelphia Eagles game, Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire highlighted Minnesota defensive lineman Harrison Phillips as a potential secret superstar of this Vikings defense.

On the surface, this was a wild assessment to have after Philadelphia’s offensive line manhandled this Minnesota defensive line. Everyone except Phillips.

He had five run stops that week, tied for the most by any interior defensive lineman with the Jets’ Quinnen Williams, and added a sack and hurry.

Phillips has been a consistent positive for this Vikings defense that has started to find their stride under new defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

Since week four, the Vikings are seventh in EPA and 13th in success rate. Part of that is due to their ability to stop the run, they are tied for eighth in yards per attempt allowed in that span. Phillips has been one of the main reasons for this success.

In this exercise, we will show a sequence of plays from the second quarter of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears that outline Harrison Phillips’ effect on this defense, and how Flores has been utilizing him to accentuate his abilities.

The Minnesota Vikings have a pass rush problem

The Minnesota Vikings loss to the Los Angeles Chargers exposed a major defensive problem for the Vikings.

Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores built a very hyper-specific game plan to try and stop Justin Herbert.

Instead of dropping eight into coverage (like Flores did against Jalen Hurts), Flores decided to blitz Herbert.

A lot.

Flores wound up blitzing Hebert on 81.6% of his dropbacks. The figure is the highest since 2013 when Colin Kaepernick was blitzed on 87.5% of his dropbacks.

Despite Flores’ aggressive nature, Herbert wasn’t phased.

According to Pro Football Focus, Herbert completed 34 of his 40 attempts while blitzed for 317 yards and three touchdowns. His average depth of target on these throws was just 6.7 yards, signaling a specific approach to combating the pressure from offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

The Vikings’ inability to create pressure when sending extra rushers is the unfortunate reality of the Vikings’ personnel.

When asked by the media if the Vikings have players who can win in one-on-one situations, Flores mentioned three players: Danielle Hunter, Marcus Davenport, and Ivan Pace, Jr.

Here’s the problem: Marcus Davenport is injured, and Ivan Pace is an off-ball linebacker.

The Vikings don’t have enough players who consistently win in pass-rush situations. As a result, cornerbacks are stressed to hold blocks even longer, and offenses can drive down the field without concern.

On the Chargers’ second drive, Justin Herbert and company drove 79 yards down the field on 12 plays and took close to six minutes off the clock. The Vikings tried everything to challenge Herbert, including sending multiple players and trying various stunts to get home.

However, the Vikings had no answer. Herbert dinked his way down the field, and all the Vikings could do was watch.

Here is a look at why some of the Vikings’ playcalls on that drive failed and if the problem(s) can be fixed.

The danger of max protect passing plays

Max protect passing plays can be great, but they don’t always work

The Minnesota Vikings have struggled to protect the passer for the better part of the last decade. This season has been a mixed bag, but the amount of pressures have been higher mainly due to quarterback Kirk Cousins throwing the ball nearly 50 times per game.

One of the ways that you can help protect your quarterback is by running max protect pass plays, but there brings a downside along with that. Below is a max protect play from Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Cardinals.

This is a rather simple play. Cousins uses play-action and has two options at the top of his drop: Justin Jefferson to the nearside on an in route and T.J. Hockenson on a corner route to the far side. The idea is for one of these to come open. Problem is, with only two players running routes, it makes it easy to cover.

Because nobody else is running a route underneath, both Jefferson and Hockenson get immediately double-teamed. It also doesn’t help that the Vikings only have 22 yards of space to work with.

Under Mike Zimmer, the Vikings used a lot of max protect shot plays, but usually come around the 50-yard line. That space makes a lot of difference with only two players out in the route concept.

Max protect plays can work, but it’s important to use spacing well. That didn’t happen here, but why is that? Did Kevin O’Connell see something that had him call the play so close to the end zone? He was likely trying to get Hockenson on the corner route.

These can be great play calls, but they come with a potential cost.

[lawrence-related id=83626,83621,83599,83585,83615,83591]