The Arizona Cardinals’ top two selections in the 2017 NFL Draft are perfectly suited to the defensive scheme run in Phoenix. Budda Baker and Haason Reddick give defensive coordinator James Bettcher even more options in the hybrid scheme. For another piece breaking down Baker and Reddick’s fit in Arizona, check out this piece by Ollie…
The Cleveland Browns made the right decision staying with Myles Garrett and not taking Mitchell Trubisky. In the end, I believe the Trubisky hype was all media-driven and that the Browns were locked in the entire time, which is what I maintained throughout the process. Cleveland allowing teams to come up around them for Deshaun…
The first round of the NFL draft is in the books, and three quarterbacks heard their names called, all in the first dozen selections. This is in line with what some were expecting, given the number of teams picking in the top 12 that needed to address the quarterback position. However, the order in which…
Series Introduction: A scheme fit is when a player’s traits and abilities line up with a certain coach’s style and scheme. Imagine if every NFL team could draft a player that fit perfectly into their scheme. That would benefit both the teams and the players simultaneously, as general managers and coaches wouldn’t be putting a…
Series Introduction: A scheme fit is when a player’s traits and abilities line up with a certain coach’s style and scheme. Imagine if every NFL team could draft a player that fit perfectly into their scheme. That would benefit both the teams and the players simultaneously, as general managers and coaches wouldn’t be putting a…
The NFL’s rules are designed to create parity with the draft and roster turnover through free agency. But don’t tell that to Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots. As if you didn’t already know, the Patriots have had unprecedented success in the last two decades – winning five Super Bowls in that span. And…
Most of the time, a blitz is a risk / reward proposition. A defense takes an extra player or players out of coverage, creating risk on the back end, in exchange for the reward of more rushers and hopefully more pressure on the quarterback. If the rush gets home, the risk pays off; if the…
It’s to be expected that each of Bill Belichick’s players are told to simply “do their job”. The phrase “Do Your Job” is basically the approach of being prepared to execute the assignments given to a player. It’s a team-first philosophy where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This is why…
After a historic comeback Sunday night, New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady won the Super Bowl MVP award after he willed the team to an overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons historically blew a 21 point lead on their way to a 34-28 loss. The story could have been so different for Atlanta…
Following Super Bowl LI, Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan took some heat over his decision to abandon the run with the Falcons leading the New England Patriots 21-3 to open the second half, and climbing to a 28-3 lead midway through the 3rd quarter. The Patriots staged a historical comeback ending in the Falcons defeat…
The Super Bowl showdown between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons is less than a day away. With that, it’s time to examine some keys for both teams as we approach the big game. We will go in-depth and examine just what both Atlanta and New England will need to accomplish in order to…
With the Super Bowl upon us and the football season finish line right in front of our eyes, what better time than now to reflect on past big games and how their participants compare to this year’s combatants: the Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots. In my previous article looking at recent conference championship…
The Atlanta Falcons are first in points scored with 33.8 and second in yards with 415.8, making a case for one of the most explosive offenses in NFL history. Much of their offensive success could be credited to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, who has come up with creative game plans for a talented group of…
As the Atlanta Falcons were moving the ball up and down the field at will against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, the question arose within the walls of the Inside the Pylon Slack channel, “where does this Atlanta offense rank among the best in NFL history?” As I’ve mentioned in previous…
Seattle’s 2016 NFL season contained detrimental elements that had not previously been seen from a Pete Carroll-led Seahawks team. Additionally, existing factors continued, such as the Seahawks’ poor red zone offense. Their inability to convert good opportunities is something that has plagued the team. Jimmy Graham Jimmy Graham had 65 catches for 923 yards and…
Past performance does not guarantee future results. It’s also extremely tough to compare NFL teams across seasons because each season is its own story. But in order to lend another layer of context to this weekend’s games, I took a look at each conference championship team since 2002 (the 32-team era) and compared them by…