Cards Camp: 2 Minute Drill

Thanks to @SportsAzFan we can take a good, close look at the Cardinals’ 2 minute drill, starting with QB Kyler Murray and the first team offense and then with QB Colt McCoy and the second team offense.

1st Team Offense

Personnel:

• QB (1) Kyler Murray, RB (2) Chase Edmonds, WR (10) DeAndre Hopkins, WR (85) Rondale Moore, WR (19) KeeSean Johnson, LT (74) D.J. Humphries, LG (67) Justin Pugh, C (61) Rodney Hudson, RG (71) Justin Murray, RT (68) Kelvin Beachum.
• Play 1: Quick out left COMPLETE from Murray to Hopkins for 5 yards (with (3) Budda Baker blitzing from left edge and (23) Robert Alford making the tackle.
• Play 2: Quick middle crosser COMPLETE from Murray to Hopkins for 6 yards (with (9) Justin Simmons and (25) Zaven Collins converging on the tackle.
• Play 3: RB Middle RPO Draw to Edmonds for 2 yards.
• Play 4: Right seam pass from Murray to Moore COMPLETE for 25 yards (with (21) Malcolm Butler missing the PBU and (34) Jalen Thompson making the tackle. Tremendous zip throw into tight window by Murray and concentration catch in traffic by Moore.
• Play 5: Empty backfield, SACK up middle.
• Play 6: Spike.
• Play 7: Slant pass middle from Murray to Johnson COMPLETE. Excellent feet sand precision throw and catch by Murray and Johnson.
• Play 8: SACK up the middle.

Commentary:

The line play was good and set some nice walls with C Rodney Hudson anchoring the middle. Hudson’s consistently sharp shotgun snaps are a significant upgrade.

The better RB draw call, imo, is to the side of the best edge rusher, so as to make him think twice about pinning his ears back.

Despite some precision throws and catches, the two sacks up the middle, both of which where Kyler Murray didn’t buy extra time with his feet, coast the offense a TD.

The key for the defense coverage-wise on both sacks was the blanket coverage Isaiah Simmons (first sack) and Zaven Collins (2nd sack) over the middle on Chase Edmonds, who typically is the safety valve on those plays. Murray had to eat the ball when he saw Edmonds covered,

Answer: move the pocket from time to time the way GB does with Aaron Rodgers when off of the shotgun snap he spins wide to one side—- not only to buy time and cleaner passing lanes, but to present the defense with the challenge and pressure of having to defend Kyler Murray on the move.

2nd Team Offense:

Personnel

• QB (12) Colt McCoy, RB (29) Jonathan Ward, WR (17) Andy Isabella, WR (14) JoJo Ward, WR (82) Andre Baccellia LT (66) Joshua Miles, LG (64) Sean Harlow, C (73) Max Garcia, RG (60) Koda Martin, RT (79) Josh Jones.
• Play 1: Middle crosser from McCoy to Isabella COMPLETE, with good, quick RAC.
• Play 2: Circle pass middle from McCoy to Jonathan Ward COMPLETE.
• Play 3: Middle crosser from McCoy to Isabella broken up by (51) Tanner Vallejo. Outstanding leverage and break on the ball by Vallejo.
• Play 4: Deep right go pass from McCoy to JoJo Ward INCOMPLETE, pass broken up by (37) Daryl Worley, Good recovery by Worley.
• Play 5: Scramble right by McCoy COMPLETE to Isabella who adjusted his route and came back to ball.
• Play 6: Drag pass left INCOMPLETE.
• Play 7: Circle pass middle COMPLETE from McCoy to Jonathan Ward.

Commentary:

McCoy did a nice job of sensing pressure and moving his feet when necessary. Isabella and Jonathan Ward did a good job of getting open and securing the catches. The deep shot to JoJo Ward might have connected had McCoy thrown it a half a second earlier. That’s a play that JoJo Ward hit home runs on repeatedly at Hawaii.

If you go back and take a look at WR Andre Baccellia’s quick feet, although he wasn’t targeted, when the coaches and players watch the tape, Baccellia was consistently open.

For the first time running the 2 minute drills there were lots of positives —- but, as the coaches will stress, the offense needs to find the right ways to finish the drives.

Here is an excellent video from Cardinals camp by Peter Schrager:

It’s great to see the positive buzzes coming from Cardinals’ camp, despite the number of Cardinals’ players missing practices for a variety of reasons.

What are your thoughts about the 2 minute drill and Peter Schrager’s video?