The second instalment of The Option Route series now takes a closer look at New York Giants wide receiver, Sterling Shepard. If you’re not familiar with the purpose of this series, it is to focus on a chosen wide receiver and illustrate what he does well. I’ll be demonstrating his traits, including athletic ability, route-running,…
Labor Day brings the return of the school year, and the return of football. Now that games are upon us, of course it’s time to think about the 2018 NFL Draft. In part 1 of this, we looked at 10 rising seniors, in part 2, we looked at 10 more seniors, and in part 3…
Golden Tate was drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks where he spent four seasons, winning a Super Bowl in 2013 before leaving for Detroit in the 2014 offseason. Tate played running back in high school, but was mostly used as a WR while at Notre Dame. During…
When fans watch #10 ranked Oklahoma State kick off their 2017 college football season in a rivalry game against Tulsa, all eyes will be on the offensive duo of quarterback Mason Rudolph and wide receiver James Washington. The connection between the pair is integral to the Cowboys’ fortunes. If Washington is isolated, particularly to the…
This is a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit, top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and OL…
Through two preseason games there is a lot to like about Rico Gathers. The 6’6”, 290-pound Dallas Cowboys tight end has made the most of his opportunities thus far catching seven passes for 106 yards – averaging 15.1 yards per reception – and two scores. His play is showing everyone exactly why Jerry Jones took…
The Arizona Wildcats under head coach Rich Rodriguez have consistently fielded one of the strongest rushing offenses in the Pac-12. In 2016, they ranked at the top of the conference, totalling 237 yards per game on the ground. This is a combination of both their running backs and quarterbacks’ ability to run the ball, as…
To hear Head Coach James Franklin tell it, Penn State’s offensive line is the engine that makes their offense work. While that is a strong group, which returns four starters and two other players with significant playing time in 2016, the offense as a whole returns starters at every skill position. Chief among those are…
This will be a multi-part series covering several areas of offensive line play in 2017; predictions on the five best OL units, top 3 OL at each position based on tape study, surprise OL unit, top backup OL, and a Q&A session with Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz – covering different aspects of his career and…
The Oregon State Beavers are one of the most effective rushing teams in the Pac-12, utilizing a combination of inside zone, outside zone, misdirection, and option running plays to confuse and attack defenses. One of their most common run plays, beyond their basic inside and outside zone calls, is the pin-pull sweep. It involves one…
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay is all about mismatches – just ask Oakland Raiders cornerback T.J. Carrie. Cooper Kupp’s ability to create separation consistently when faced with man coverage from Carrie was a clear imbalance that McVay repeatedly exploited in Week 2 of the preseason. The 31-year-old mainly schemed this through an angle…
One of the more common passing concepts that teams run at both the college and professional level is the curl/flat design. As the name indicates, it is a two-man route combination with a curl route paired with a route releasing to the flat. The reason for its popularity is somewhat simple: When run well, the…
A strong rushing attack has been a focus of the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Kirk Ferentz Era. The Hawkeyes have averaged over 160 yards per game on the ground each of the last four seasons. A core component of their ground game has been a zone-blocking scheme, which Ferentz brought to Iowa City over 16…
“…when the sun comes up you better be running.” If you do a google search for the University of Michigan’s defensive coordinator, Don Brown, you’ll find an anecdote about the synergetic nature of survival between a predator and its prey. Brown, undoubtedly, fashions himself as a predator. Consider the fact that despite years and reams…
The year ahead is filled with potential for the Indiana Hoosiers. Under the tutelage of new Head Coach Tom Allen, they open their season with a dream matchup, in Bloomington on a Thursday night against the Ohio State Buckeyes. During B1G Media Days, Allen kept calling this game the biggest opener in school history. But…
“Some people try to find things in this game that don’t exist but football is only two things – blocking and tackling” This Vince Lombardi quote dates back to the earliest days of the game, but it isn’t any less true today. Even in the modern game where dangerous aerial attacks like the air raid…