For every great return, there are many great blocks. Eleven players working together in orchestrated chaos, punt return blockers are only recognized when they get penalized for blocking in the back. Not on Chuck Zodda‘s watch. Here is how one extraordinary individual effort earned Kansas City Chiefs Josh Martin the coveted title of Special Teams…
NFL defenses are often gauged by their success or failure once an opposing offense reaches the goal line’s doorstep. Dave Archibald explores how the New England Patriots have reinvented their red zone defense. At the bye in Week 10, the New England Patriots rated as mediocre when defending inside their own 20-yard-line, ranking 19th in…
The stakes are high in special teams play. A routine sequence can go very well ‒ or very poorly. As Chuck Zodda shows us, even the little things can make all the difference between a kick getting away safely and having it blocked. There are some in the NFL who believe success requires extreme trickery…
Calling a run play is easy enough. The end result is just as easy to grade. Running backs receive most of the glory on successful attempts while blowups in the backfield seem to focus on the defender recording the tackle for a loss. But it’s often the many and myriad intricate actions in between that…
Each week Inside The Pylon takes a look at some of the standout offensive plays from around the NFL in Reel Film Recap. In this edition Mark Schofield looks at the Pittsburgh Steelers dipping back into the well against the Atlanta Falcons, and the key to a huge Dallas Cowboys road win over the Philadelphia…
Each week Inside The Pylon takes a look at ins and outs of the latest offensive action from around the NFL in Reel Film Recap. In this edition Mark Schofield looks at how the first-ever Johnny Manziel start went for the Cleveland Browns against the Cincinnati Bengals. In his own words, his performance graded as…
The New England Patriots secured their sixth straight AFC East title with a convincing 41-13 win over the Miami Dolphins in NFL Week 15. After a disappointing first half offensively, Tom Brady and Company went on a 27-0 run in the second half, highlighted by this perfect touchdown pass on a Rob Gronkowski seam route.…
New England Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis locked down San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen Sunday, holding him to just two catches for three yards. The Chargers tried different tactics to generate offense, but, as Dave Archibald demonstrates (again), they ultimately proved fruitless. In just his second season, wide receiver Keenan Allen has already established…
The New England Patriots return Sunday to frigid Foxborough, where they hope to serve the Miami Dolphins a cold dish of revenge. Much has changed for both teams since the Fins upset the Pats in Week 1. The Patriots offense will rely on diverse personnel, alignments and routes to battle Miami’s strategies, coverages and pocket…
Sometimes, rushing the football is easy. Defenders, though, try to make it hard. With LaGarrette Blount returning to the New England Patriots, Brian Filipiak breaks down what we saw from him rushing against the San Diego Chargers. The New England Patriots stormed back to beat the San Diego Chargers on the road in a Week…
The St. Louis Rams pulled off one of the most audacious plays of any NFL season earlier this year with a fake punt return against the Seattle Seahawks. This time, the play call proved more conventional, but the punt return unit again delivered in impressive and exciting fashion. John Fassel could have called it a…
The New England Patriots welcomed back defensive tackle Sealver Siliga from a lengthy absence due to injury and the run-stuffer immediately made his presence felt, recording three tackles and half a sack against the San Diego Chargers in NFL Week 14. The New England Patriots interior defensive line suffered a setback when the team placed…
The New England Patriots defense had a tremendous night against the San Diego Chargers, allowing just one drive of more than 30 yards and recording four sacks en route to a 23-14 victory in NFL Week 14. The unconventional use of Devin McCourty as a man coverage defender against the Chargers’ most reliable third down…
Each week Inside The Pylon takes a look at some of the standout offensive plays from around the NFL in Reel Film Recap. In this edition Mark Schofield looks at Teddy Bridgewater beating the New York Jets blitz, how the Arizona Cardinals righted the ship, the Denver Broncos‘ revamped offensive line, and the key to…
The New England Patriots blitzed Jamie Collins up the middle (the “A gap”) to prey on rookie Chris Watt and make things miserable for Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers passing offense in their victory Sunday night. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line, and the shortest distance to the quarterback…
The Reel Football Preview Week 14 is Mark Schofield‘s look at the most compelling matchups in the NFL on tape. Scouring the film, highlighting interesting play design, optimum offense, innovative defense and how the inches really matter. This week it’s #SEAvsPHI, #NOvsCAR and #JAXvsHOU. The Legion of Boom vs. Chip Kelly’s Tactics One matchup to…