Teaching Points (Kanoff to Kirk)

Thanks to a Ronnie Laybold tweet here is the breakdown of a successful flat pass left by QB Charles Kanoff versus a Cover 3 zone to WR Christian Kirk.

• Good quick over-the-top release by Kanoff (#6), who quickly squares his shoulders to the target (textbook) and hits Christian Kirk (#13) in stride.
• Would like to see Kanoff’s tee (ball) position during his dropback be a little higher.
• Kirk catches the football cleanly with his hands, not his body, which allows him to accelerate for extra yards after the catch.
• WR Trent Sheffield makes a good, alert side block on chasing NCB Bene Benwikere (#23)..
• Excellent fan block by LT John Wetzel (#73) on RDE Cap Capi (#61). Not good by Capi to stop his feet.
• Good double team on DT Olsen Pierre (#72) by RG Will House (#60) and C Daniel Munyer (#62). That’s a good inside pass rusher they nullified, which is the key to the play. Although Pierre stands up on the snap and gets off the ball too late. Poor technique.
• Notice because of the effective double team and fan block by the LT—-the wide open passing lane the offense creates for Kanoff and Kirk.
• DT Rodney Gunter (#95) stands up too quickly off the snap and gets planted by the RG who could be flagged for holding behind the top Gunter’s left shoulder.
• RT Will Holden (#69) executes a perfect fan block away from the play.
• RB T.J. Logan (#22) is protecting against an A gap blitz, but none comes and the pocket is clean.
• Defense is playing zone. LB Scooby Wright (#56) gets to his hook zone, but doesn’t react quicker to Kirk who crosses Wright’s face. Wright needs to communicate with the CB. The key here is to play man in your zone until the receiver leaves it when you pass the man over to the defender in the next zone (here it’s the NCB in the flat).
• The nickel CB (#23) Bene Benwikere has the flat, but like Wright, he’s late to react and only gets one hand on Kirk. In zones you have to react quickly to the ball because ideally you want to arrive just after the ball does so you can bust the play up.
• The CB (#33) Chris Campbell comes up from his deep third to make the tackle, but over-pursues it, allowing Kirk a possible cutback—-although—-Wright hustles well from the inside to help. The rule for the CB is to break down and to use the sideline as an extra defender, which Campbell did not do.
• Good grades on this play: QB Kanoff, WR Kirk, LT Wetzel, LG House, C Munyer, RT Holden, RB Logan, WR Sherfield.
• Poor grades on this play: RG (couldn’t make his number out—-his hold could have ruined the play), DT Gunter, DT Pierre, DE Capi, LB Wright, NCB Benwikere, RCB Campbell.
• Excellent play design versus zone by Mike McCoy. Double teaming the play-side tackle with the LG and C. Filling/protecting the opposite A gap with the RB. Running the WR quickly into the gray area between and underneath the ILB and the flat NCB and setting up a crack-back block by the WR.