As if there was any other choice for the #1 NFL game of 2018-19. The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams were set on a collision course for week 11 on Monday Night Football. Both teams entered this game at 9-1 and on top of their respective conferences. Originally a scheduled as a neutral…
The best playoff game of the 2018-19 NFL season was without a doubt the AFC Championship. The headlines wrote themselves. Tom Brady, the ageless wonder, playing for a championship at age 41 against the wonder kid and eventual league MVP Patrick Mahomes. A team gunning for their sixth Super Bowl title in 18 years against…
With Chip Kelly now in Los Angeles as the head football coach of the UCLA, the Bruins seem like a perfect place to kick off scheme previews for the 2018-19 college football season. As I have the last two seasons, I’ll be focusing on the Pac-12 to get ready for the season, looking to build…
The Houston Texans offense has undergone a substantial shift after the first two weeks of the season. They’ve begun to heavily incorporate play action concepts to help rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson adjust to the NFL. Watson has been about as impressive as a rookie QB can be, and Mark Schofield broke down his eyes through…
The New England Patriots lost a 42-27 game to the Kansas City Chiefs to open the NFL regular season on a night that was supposed to be a celebration for the Patriots. However, the Chiefs were able to play spoilers as they moved the ball down the field with ease – mainly due to the…
It is has been 10 years since Jerry Reese’s first draft as the General Manager of the New York Giants and the fans of the renowned franchise still remember many key members of the 2007 draft. Aaron Ross, Kevin Boss, Jay Alford, Steve Smith, and Ahmad Bradshaw were all essential parts in conquering the undefeated…
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…
A few weeks ago I introduced my latest project Contextualizing Sack Production, and explained how and why the endeavor could be useful in evaluating individual performance for edge pass rushers in the NFL. With the regular season over, I compiled the final results of the CSP and organized them to give you an idea how…
All production is good and all sacks are good. I’m not here to debate that. From a team or fan perspective, an 8-second hustle sack is just as valuable as DeMarcus Ware bending the edge in a ridiculous show of athleticism. But while the box score stat has consistent value on the field, it can…
In his Sack Lunch series, Jon Ledyard looks at a particularly impressive pass-rushing performance from the past weekend’s games, highlighting techniques, moves, or athletic traits that brought each player success. In this installment, Jon looks at the traits and technique that led to outside linebacker and edge rusher Jeremiah Attaochu’s impressive sack of Drew Brees. Any football conversation about the…
One of the most important factors to winning games is pressuring the opposing quarterback and totaling up sacks. Ethan Young has developed a formula, drawing on data from 2009 to 2015, for accurately predicting future sacks totals, to see which players are expected to increase their sack totals, and which players we can expect to see a decrease…
Football is littered with specialized terminology. From punt gunner to climbing the pocket, commentators rarely get to explain everything you need to know before the next play. Inside The Pylon’s glossary was developed to give fans a deeper understanding of the game through clear explanations, as well as image and video examples. Please contact us with any terms…
The AFC West is filled with elite edge rushers. And last season the division added another one in Melvin Ingram. Jon Ledyard breaks down why the former first round draft pick took a leap into the upper echelon of NFL pass rushers. Sometimes we let the word “bust” escape our fingertips on the keyboard a…
Every year in the NFL players are called to step up in place of injured or underperforming starters. For Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford that time to step up comes at the beginning of this season. Jon Ledyard examines the third year linebackers skills to see if he will be able to make Justin Houston’s injury…
The 2017 NFL Draft will feature many edge rushing prospects that have the potential to be elite players in the NFL. However, one name often mentioned might have trouble reaching that elite level. Jon Ledyard breaks down University of Tennessee prospect Derek Barnett and how his cornering ability leaves something to be desired. Dan Hatman recently…
The 2016 NFL season begins now, with 32 teams scheming to knock off the reigning champion Denver Broncos. The NFL Draft is just around the corner, but the first step in any offseason plan is to assess a team’s needs. Here we look at what the Oakland Raiders team needs are. These reports were compiled with…