good writeup from a phins fan - very long

[MadJack]

Week 18 - Wildcard - Ravens at Dolphins
In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 1 of 8

Now that the impossible dream has been achieved, the Miami Dolphins receive their reward for making the playoffs; the Baltimore Ravens. The two teams met early on in the season, with the Ravens winning by a score of 27 ? 13. The Dolphins would like nothing more than to turn the tables on Baltimore this time around and eliminate them from playoff contention. Enough of this stuff though, here are the Keys to the Game


Baltimore

1) Create Pressure on Chad Pennington

If Pennington can stand in the pocket unfettered, he can methodically move the ball down the field. The Ravens have only generated 34 sacks on the season ? which isn?t awful by any means, but isn?t astounding either. Terrell Suggs leads the team with 8, but there are six other players with 2 or more sacks for the Baltimore defense. The Ravens do not get great pressure without the use of the blitz. Baltimore blitzes well and often. One of the main aims of their defensive attack from what I can see, is to force the ball out of the quarterback?s hands quickly.

Pennington likes to get the ball out quickly anyway ? typically on short passes. The Dolphins offensive line has been playing much better over the last 5 games, giving up only 2 sacks during that span. Dan Henning typically will call protection schemes that have extra blockers in to protect the quarterback, and he will need to do so this week against the Ravens.

One issue that will come to light will be the play of the Miami guards. Baltimore likes to blitz up the middle to create pressure on the QB. That way, the quarterback cannot step into the throw, getting more juice on the ball and making a completion downfield. More than likely the quarterback will use the check down to complete a pass; playing into the teeth of the defense.

If you think about it, when the quarterback feels pressured up the middle the time it takes for the defender to reach the quarterback dictates the throw will be short ? there just isn?t time for a route of 8-10 yards to develop. Many times the Ravens will blitz two players up the gut on expected passing downs playing a shell behind the blitz. Baltimore is looking to keep the play in front of them; attacking downhill towards the ball. Often, the two blitzers are trying to get through the same hole in a staggered set. The Ravens have it timed to perfection and it typically involves Ray Lewis.

Neither of the Dolphins? guards are particularly adept at handling penetration very well. None of the interior players for Miami has a great base to handle the action of multiple defenders attacking the same hole, although Satele does do a good job of staying alert in the middle.

I would look for the Ravens to attack Andy Alleman in the passing game as he can struggle to anchor and can be driven back into the lap of the quarterback. I could see the Ravens using Haloti Ngata or Justin Bannan to cover Alleman and try to attack both the A and B gap at the same time. Ikechuku Ndukwe is the better of the two guards in pass protection, although he can struggle to adjust to picking up delayed blitzers, and has trouble with quick, penetrating one gap defensive tackles.

The Ravens create a great deal of penetration with their interior defenders, so Ndukwe?s ability to slow down Justin Bannan should be watched closely. This type of player can beat Ndukwe with his hands as Ndukwe can struggle to maintain contact with his defender. If so, the Ravens will have gone a long way to making the Dolphins? offense spectators at the game, rather than participants.

Terrell Suggs is the best pass rusher on the Ravens and he has both good strength and speed. He uses his hands well and can pressure the outside shoulder of the offensive tackle. Suggs can play too tall at times negating his effectiveness both against the run and pass. Suggs can also be attacked by bootlegging to his side of the field off of play action. Suggs attacks the ball, almost to fault, which can be taken advantage of. However, Suggs is no slouch and will make note of such plays on the fly, processing his adjustments.

Vernon Carey will have his hands full with Suggs, although I don?t think Suggs has the power to knock Carey on his heels. Suggs does have the hand speed and strength to redirect inside and beat Carey across his face. This may be the best way for Suggs to beat Carey as the offensive tackle has been beaten this way a few times this season. I will say though that the further out you go along the Dolphins? offensive line the better the talent becomes.

Carey needs to take a page out of Jake Long?s playbook and bring his punch this week. If Carey can keep putting his hands into Suggs chest it will help to impede the defensive end and make him much more of power player than he wants to be. Getting Suggs to play this way is better for Carey as he can keep the defensive end in front of him much easier.



In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 2 of 8

The last time the two teams met the Ravens only managed one sack against Pennington. That total will have to increase for the Ravens to win the game. The Dolphins actually moved the ball quite well through the air against the Ravens in their last meeting, and as mentioned if unfettered, Pennington will move the ball. If the Ravens cannot get pressure on Pennington it will allow the quarterback to get the ball outside the numbers to his receivers.

The Ravens do not have the cornerback play they had a few years ago with the likes of Chris McAllister and Duane Starks. Those corners could be left on an island, allowing the defense to truly pin their ears back. The current crop of corners includes a former teammate of mine in Corey Ivy. The Ravens as mentioned use a great deal of a shell in coverage, often times having their corners give a good cushion to the opposition?s receivers.

In the first game, the Dolphins took full advantage of this and completed a good deal of passes in front of the Ravens defensive backs. Fabian Washington could be targeted in the passing game through double moves as he can be very aggressive in playing the ball in the air, although he has the best speed of anyone in the secondary. Both Frank Walker and Ivy are somewhat stiff in the hips and can struggle changing directions. Ivy is physical and will stick his nose in on running plays, but is not the best at playing the ball in the air and can be beaten by head fakes. This group is not the best part of the Ravens defense and if the Dolphins can pick up the blitz there are plays to be made. If the Dolphins utilize short routes, natural picks, and seams, the defense can be exposed.


2) Control Davone Bess

The Dolphins? passing game is not typically explosive, although it has produced some big plays the last few weeks. As the season has progressed, the Dolphins have become much more of a pass first team. This strategy is born of a few reasons; the loss of both starting guards on an inline A gap running team is huge, and Chad Pennington is the team?s most accomplished player, making him a clear #1 choice within the offense. Many, including myself questioned the ability of Davone Bess to step up and handle the load of being a full time receiver in the NFL. Bess has quietly become the second leading pass catcher amongst undrafted free agents in their rookie year. I think that question has been answered.

Many readers would say that Ted Ginn and his speed must be the prime target of the Ravens? pass defense. The fact is that Ted Ginn is very mercurial, and thus cannot be counted on to make a major contribution on offense each week. Ginn did have 71 yards receiving last week against the Jets, but that was his only 60+yard receiving day in 4 games and produced only his second touchdown of the season through the air. Ginn?s speed does pose a threat to defenses, but he still is not consistent enough to be a main target of the pass defense.

If the Ravens truly wish to shut down the Miami offense, eliminating Davone Bess is the best way. Bess is the chain mover of the offense. Look at Bess?s stats this season to see what role Bess plays. Bess has 54 receptions on the season, and 29 of those have been for first downs ? 53.7% of his total receptions. Bess has also accumulated 35 of his 54 catches in the final 6 games ? 64.8% of his season?s total. Basically Bess has become Pennington?s security blanket in much the same way Greg Camarillo was. When Bess has been held in check, the Miami offense has had issues with consistency.

Against San Francisco, the Dolphins had a good deal of issues mounting sustained drives, and Bess was held to only 3 catches for 25 yards. Now, keeping Bess in check was not the only reason the Dolphins? offense struggled against San Francisco, but it did contribute. Bess is a receiver who catches most passes that go his way, and he allows the Dolphins? offense to play ahead of the sticks. For an offense that has had its issues with running the ball at times this season, having a 2nd and 5 is much better than being forced to throw on a 2nd and 8. Playing ahead of the sticks is important for any offense, but more so to Miami in particular.

One of the reasons Davone Bess has succeeded to this point in the NFL, is because of his ability to change directions very well. Bess is not fast over a long distance, but he gets up to top speed very quickly and he has a low center of gravity; allowing him to make cuts at full speed. Bess?s ability to cut quickly could pose a problem for the Ravens defense, especially if they rely on off coverage. Giving Bess a cushion in an effort to keep him in front of you and limit the big play is exactly where he thrives.

Chances are, Bess is matched up on Frank Walker in this week?s matchup, and that favors Bess. Walker does not change direction well, and thus is a little stiff in the hips. Walker is better when he can be physical with a receiver, but he still doesn?t want to be matched up one on one on many receivers. The problem for Bess is that he still must run patterns that will get past 10-12 yards and press Walker?s cushion. Even if the ball never comes in those scenarios, it is imperative that Bess forces Walker cover more than just the first 8 yards. If Bess is used exclusively on hitches, stick routes, 5 yard outs and drag routes, Walker will challenge Bess at the line to disrupt the timing of those plays. Obviously the coaches know this also, and the gameplan should reflect their desire to have Bess press Walker?s cushion at times during the game.

 

[MadJack]

In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 3 of 8

The Dolphins hopefully will use Bess on a good number of slant routes this week. In off coverage like the Ravens play, they allow for some easy completions into the short middle of the field on slants. Watching the Steelers play the Ravens, the Steelers ran a good number of slant routes against the Ravens from either outside the numbers or the slot.

If the Ravens will give up the 6-8 yard completion or a route like that, then take it all day long. The Dolphins are not a big play team, as I said before so having to march the ball down the field is not a foreign concept to the team or its fans. I say that, but if the Ravens continue to allow the slant then a natural progression would be the sluggo route; a slant/corner where the receiver initially breaks in like a slant, but after two steps breaks back outside for the ball.

The Dolphins ran this play a few times against the Ravens in the last game, and other teams have run similar routes against the Ravens defense with success. The best player to run this route for Miami is Ted Ginn as his speed will force the corners to react to him breaking inside, although he may not be able to sell the route as well as Bess.


3) Cover the middle of the field

Chad Pennington loves to hit the seam route for good yardage. David Martin is the best tight end the Dolphins have to stretch the field. Currently, he is suffering the effects of a vicious hit that resulted in a concussion. If Martin cannot play this week, it will affect the Dolphins? passing game, but Miami and Pennington will still try to get the ball into the middle of the field.

Watching tape of the Ravens, I see that many opponents try to get the ball into the middle of the field on intermediate routes, attacking the space between the layers of pass coverage. As I mentioned, the Ravens like to play off the receiver and let the routes develop in front of them. The multiple blitzes force the ball out early, helping that cause. In doing so there is typically a good amount of space between the underneath coverage and the safeties.

Now, I must qualify that the pass must be made early. If the quarterback waits, then checks down to the underneath receiver, the pass may get tipped, or picked as the Ravens will have keyed in on the play. I would rule out the middle screen this week for that very reason. The screen still happens in front of the defenders, allowing them to close on the ball quickly. The Ravens linebackers are very good at diagnosing a play and reacting to it, again if the play is in front of them.

However, I must clarify exactly what I mean by the middle of the field. The Dolphins must try to avoid short hitches or any route that makes the receiver stop in the short middle of the field at around 5 yards. The depth of the short route plays into the teeth of the defense. It allows the defenders to line up the receiver hoping to make a play on the ball.

If the Dolphins are to have success against the Ravens in the middle of the field, the routes must push the defense; the receiver must either run across the formation, or vertically attack the defense. Both routes put pressure on the defense as the crossing route either drags a corner with it, or makes the underneath coverage watch, thus taking attention away from the routes that may be run behind them. Both routes naturally have the defender trailing the play rather than waiting for the receiver to come to them. My point regarding the position of the defender is important. The Ravens do not have a great deal of speed in the linebacking corp.

As mentioned, Bart Scott is the best of the group, but he too is a little slow. This aspect is another reason I believe the Ravens play the style of pass coverage they do. If the Ravens were to man up on receivers (tight ends and running backs) a great deal with their linebackers the receivers would have a large advantage. Now most teams have issues with matching their linebackers man to man with tight ends and backs, but the Ravens would suffer especially.

Terrell Suggs and Jared Johnson are not great at turning and running, and Suggs typically drops into a zone, rarely man to man on anyone. Ray Lewis has never been fast, but his short steps get him to the ball in a hurry. Lewis is best when the play unfolds in front of him, not making plays with his back turned. Ray is also a bit long in the tooth and he has gotten slower as everyone does. The Ravens will bring more athletic linebackers in on coverage such as Nick Griesen who can better match up with a tight end, but overall the linebacking corp lacks speed.

I would look for Dan Henning to call formations that flex a tight end or running back into the slot, or outside the numbers looking to isolate the linebackers outside in coverage. In the first meeting, the Ravens resisted that tendency, but did not match up with the tight end in the slot particularly well. I would look for the Dolphins to run some seam ? corner routes with their tight ends this week. Also, look for the seam, slants, out and ups (wheel) flares and corner routes from the tight ends or anyone in the slot as the Dolphins look to attack this area of the field. David Martin would be sorely missed if he can?t go this week.

Davone Bess?s ability to catch the ball may be utilized running crossing routes this week, as a way to help make for Martin?s absence. It would also mean that Anthony Fasano would have to run more vertical routes, which isn?t his strong suit, but he can do it. Fasano is much better at running the underneath routes. Those routes may not be used as often this week, and thus may leave Fasano blocking more if Martin does indeed play.



In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 4 of 8

4) Run the ball

The Miami Dolphins rush defense over the last 6 games, (as the Dolphins are 5-1 over that span) has surrendered 707 yards, or 117.8 yards per game. That number is not what one would expect from a playoff caliber club, as the Dolphins have not limped into the playoffs, rather,they won their way in. Looking a little closer at the numbers, 141 yards have come from the quarterback position. The yardage given up to players other than a quarterback totals 566 yards, or 94.3 yards per game. Now if you break down the average per carry for the 566 yard total, you find that the Dolphins? defense has given up 4.49 yards per carry ? not exactly a good number.

Some of the yardage given up to the quarterback was done so on called runs, although I do not know the actual number. You can decide how you wish to view it as a whole, or if it is even worthy of note. Personally I think that 19.9% of the total yardage being attributed to the quarterback is interesting to say the least, and it does change the numbers significantly in terms of yardage allowed.

Either way, the Ravens must find a way to run the ball against the Miami defense. Now any Ravens fan will indicate that the Ravens ran for 139 yards against the Dolphins defense the last game. However, the majority of the yardage came after the Dolphins lost their starting nose tackle ? Jason Ferguson to begin the second half. After that, Randy Starks had to play the nose for the Dolphins. Starks is good at gaining penetration with his quickness and agility. He is not however, known as having the strong base needed to play the nose.

At halftime, the Ravens had only 39 yards rushing. Once the second half started, the Ravens chose to use draws and delayed handoffs and absolutely gashed the Miami defense. I fully expect the Ravens to use a similar strategy this week. Cam Cameron called plays that invited the Miami defenders up the field on the pass rush, all the while letting the linebackers drop into their coverage responsibilities.

The outside linebackers for the Dolphins got too far up field, and the interior defenders did not stay gap sound, allowing the runners to gather huge chunks of yardage. When the Ravens used a standard lead or isolation play the Dolphins defense generally did a good job of closing down the running lanes.

The Ravens running game is more geared to control the flow of the game and allowing their passing game to attack downfield. Both LeRon McClain and Willis McGahee average 3.9 yards per carry on the season. Both have broken off good sized runs this season, but for the majority of the season the running backs have chipped away at the yardage markers. McClain has averaged over 4 yards per carry 6 times this season. The Ravens run the ball 57.7% on offense this season, making the ground game of the utmost importance to the success of the team.

With Jason Ferguson in the lineup for this game, the Dolphins hope to shut down the running game for the Ravens. The Ravens are an interior running team for the most part, as McClain cannot turn the corner with ease. McGahee can turn the corner although he doesn?t have breakaway speed. Both runners use a north and south style, so the battle of Ferguson against Jason Brown, Chris Chester and Ben Grubbs will go a long way in dictating who will win this game.

Chris Chester is the finesse player of the 3, but he is athletic and can move quite well. Chester can pull very well, although he can end up on the ground too much, reaching or lunging for blocks. Chester also has issues keeping defenders off of his chest, as he lacks some upper body strength. Chester is at his best when he can use his athleticism to pull and hit a target on the second level. In the last game, the Ravens pulled Chester across the formation to the weak side ? away from Ferguson. On that play the left guard and center double Ferguson initially; the guard then peels off, going to the first body that flashes, leaving the center to use the angle to seal Ferguson from the play. Dolphins fans should recognize the play well, as it was a staple of the Cam Cameron offense last season. This type of play suits Chris Chester, as he is very quick to the second level.

Jason Brown does a good job at center, although he can be beaten with speed and good hand use. Brown does a good job of initiating and maintaining contact with the defender. Brown slides his feet well and knows how to use position to wall a man off from the play. In the first meeting between the two teams, Ferguson gave Brown problems when the Ravens tried to run the ball up the middle. Ferguson uses his hands very well and this matchup should be one to watch this week.

If Ferguson can tie up Brown and or Chester, the Dolphins? linebackers have a good chance to stop the running back in the backfield before gaining momentum. The interior of the line of scrimmage is the key to the running game for both teams. If the Dolphins can have a repeat performance of the first half of the Week 7 meeting they stand a good chance of having a chance to win late in the game. But, if the defense plays the same way it did in the second half of the first meeting this season, the Ravens will emerge victorious again.


In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 5 of 8

Miami

1) Spread out the defense

Miami may not seem like it has the personnel to spread the Ravens out with 3-4 wide receiver sets, but I look for the Dolphins to do just that. Whether the Dolphins use a TE such as David Martin in the slot, or even Patrick Cobbs, the Dolphins can via formation create space in the Ravens defense. The Dolphins did try this approach in the earlier matchup this season, and had success with it. My basic idea behind trying to show the defense 3-4 receiver looks is so that it makes the defense much less apt to blitz, and when they do it is easier to see who the blitzer is.

The principle I am talking about isn?t exactly new, and presents problems for all defenses, not just Baltimore?s. But, I believe Baltimore relies on the blitz a great deal more than most teams to help create pressure. The Ravens really don?t have a defense filled with great pass rushers. They have good football players in bundles, but no one player the likes of a DeMarcus Ware. That has its own advantages and disadvantages, but I won?t delve into that and get sidetracked.

As mentioned, this is hardly a new idea, but I think this idea will be the best way to work against the Ravens? defense. Just look at the proliferation of the spread offense or elements of it in both college and pro football. The Patriots operate out of the shotgun at least 80% of the time. The Chiefs and 49ers use elements of the spread to help manipulate defenses.

One reason spreading out the defense works is just because of numbers. If the offense has 4 receivers, the defense must counter with at least 4 players in coverage, and that?s cover zero. With Ted Ginn on the field, chances are the Ravens won?t be playing zero coverage during much. If the Ravens use a safety deep, then that means there are 5 players in coverage, and only 6 are left to rush the passer. For a team that likes to cause confusion, pressure and turnovers via the blitz cutting down on the number of blitzes they can use is paramount. Removing the blitz from the Ravens defense is like taking the venom from a snake; it doesn?t mean he won?t bite you, just that when he does, it won?t kill you.

If the Ravens cannot be continually aggressive because of being spread out, the running game may also be able to take advantage of the defense. In the scenario outlined above with only 6 players left to rush the passer or man the line of scrimmage the defense cannot outnumber the offense drastically enough to make running the ball difficult. A significant element of the running game is that the runner will have to beat one man on his own at some point during the run. If the defense has only 6 men around the line of scrimmage, the man the runner has to beat could be the 6th and final defender in the area ? resulting in a long run. Now obviously, I am speaking in very elementary terms with my simple 6-5 split of the defenders. The Ravens defense will not come out in anything basic in terms of alignment, hoping to cause some level of confusion or misinformation to the offense.

For instance, the Ravens do play coverage against 4 wide receivers where Ed Reed has walked down into the box, covering the tight end on the strong side. As the play develops, Reed drops diagonally across the formation looking to intercept the ball going to the shallow middle of the field. The strong side linebacker follows the tight end after giving a blitz look. The weak side linebacker is the one who blitzes on the play. The basic premise of a defense like this is to have the quarterback lose track of players ? Ed Reed for example.

To the quarterback, the open man appears like the player breaking into the middle of the field. After all, the weak side linebacker is blitzing, the strong side linebacker was on the line of scrimmage in a blitz look, and Reed was covering the tight end. If that progression is right the quarterback is looking to get the ball into the space vacated by the blitzing linebackers ? a standard desired outcome for the offense in a blitz look. Does anyone remember where Reed was breaking when the ball was snapped? I can tell you where he?ll end up; the end zone.

The design of the defense takes advantage of the offense?s desire to do the right thing, by taking what the defense appears to be giving up. This is why I stated earlier that if you attack the Ravens? defense from the spread, or their blitzes, the routes must be vertical in nature. Crossing routes should be used as window dressing primarily; only to draw the attention of the underneath defenders ? preventing them from dropping further and taking away the deeper receivers. Now, don?t get me wrong, if the crossing route is open underneath, take the yardage.

Another element of spreading the defense out, that it plays to one of Pennington?s strengths ? being hyper accurate on medium length routes. Now the combination of the Ravens playing off, and the Dolphins spreading the field, should lead to some nice passing lanes in the short to medium area. Pennington is very accurate in this area of the field, as displayed by his continued ability to fit the ball into the tight end down the seams. The one area where Pennington can have issues is the deep hitch, run at 10-12 yards ? he commonly is high with the ball on this throw. The Baltimore defense would be wise to try and force Pennington into these types of throws.

The spread formation also typically allows the ball to come out of the quarterback?s hand quickly. This is another way to help eliminate the blitz by a defense. If the ball is out quickly the defense can get frustrated, and hesitant to continued blitzing. Blitzing leaves open areas on the field, and puts a great deal of pressure on the secondary, especially if the blitz is ineffective.

 

[MadJack]

In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 5 of 8

Miami

1) Spread out the defense

Miami may not seem like it has the personnel to spread the Ravens out with 3-4 wide receiver sets, but I look for the Dolphins to do just that. Whether the Dolphins use a TE such as David Martin in the slot, or even Patrick Cobbs, the Dolphins can via formation create space in the Ravens defense. The Dolphins did try this approach in the earlier matchup this season, and had success with it. My basic idea behind trying to show the defense 3-4 receiver looks is so that it makes the defense much less apt to blitz, and when they do it is easier to see who the blitzer is.

The principle I am talking about isn?t exactly new, and presents problems for all defenses, not just Baltimore?s. But, I believe Baltimore relies on the blitz a great deal more than most teams to help create pressure. The Ravens really don?t have a defense filled with great pass rushers. They have good football players in bundles, but no one player the likes of a DeMarcus Ware. That has its own advantages and disadvantages, but I won?t delve into that and get sidetracked.

As mentioned, this is hardly a new idea, but I think this idea will be the best way to work against the Ravens? defense. Just look at the proliferation of the spread offense or elements of it in both college and pro football. The Patriots operate out of the shotgun at least 80% of the time. The Chiefs and 49ers use elements of the spread to help manipulate defenses.

One reason spreading out the defense works is just because of numbers. If the offense has 4 receivers, the defense must counter with at least 4 players in coverage, and that?s cover zero. With Ted Ginn on the field, chances are the Ravens won?t be playing zero coverage during much. If the Ravens use a safety deep, then that means there are 5 players in coverage, and only 6 are left to rush the passer. For a team that likes to cause confusion, pressure and turnovers via the blitz cutting down on the number of blitzes they can use is paramount. Removing the blitz from the Ravens defense is like taking the venom from a snake; it doesn?t mean he won?t bite you, just that when he does, it won?t kill you.

If the Ravens cannot be continually aggressive because of being spread out, the running game may also be able to take advantage of the defense. In the scenario outlined above with only 6 players left to rush the passer or man the line of scrimmage the defense cannot outnumber the offense drastically enough to make running the ball difficult. A significant element of the running game is that the runner will have to beat one man on his own at some point during the run. If the defense has only 6 men around the line of scrimmage, the man the runner has to beat could be the 6th and final defender in the area ? resulting in a long run. Now obviously, I am speaking in very elementary terms with my simple 6-5 split of the defenders. The Ravens defense will not come out in anything basic in terms of alignment, hoping to cause some level of confusion or misinformation to the offense.

For instance, the Ravens do play coverage against 4 wide receivers where Ed Reed has walked down into the box, covering the tight end on the strong side. As the play develops, Reed drops diagonally across the formation looking to intercept the ball going to the shallow middle of the field. The strong side linebacker follows the tight end after giving a blitz look. The weak side linebacker is the one who blitzes on the play. The basic premise of a defense like this is to have the quarterback lose track of players ? Ed Reed for example.

To the quarterback, the open man appears like the player breaking into the middle of the field. After all, the weak side linebacker is blitzing, the strong side linebacker was on the line of scrimmage in a blitz look, and Reed was covering the tight end. If that progression is right the quarterback is looking to get the ball into the space vacated by the blitzing linebackers ? a standard desired outcome for the offense in a blitz look. Does anyone remember where Reed was breaking when the ball was snapped? I can tell you where he?ll end up; the end zone.

The design of the defense takes advantage of the offense?s desire to do the right thing, by taking what the defense appears to be giving up. This is why I stated earlier that if you attack the Ravens? defense from the spread, or their blitzes, the routes must be vertical in nature. Crossing routes should be used as window dressing primarily; only to draw the attention of the underneath defenders ? preventing them from dropping further and taking away the deeper receivers. Now, don?t get me wrong, if the crossing route is open underneath, take the yardage.

Another element of spreading the defense out, that it plays to one of Pennington?s strengths ? being hyper accurate on medium length routes. Now the combination of the Ravens playing off, and the Dolphins spreading the field, should lead to some nice passing lanes in the short to medium area. Pennington is very accurate in this area of the field, as displayed by his continued ability to fit the ball into the tight end down the seams. The one area where Pennington can have issues is the deep hitch, run at 10-12 yards ? he commonly is high with the ball on this throw. The Baltimore defense would be wise to try and force Pennington into these types of throws.

The spread formation also typically allows the ball to come out of the quarterback?s hand quickly. This is another way to help eliminate the blitz by a defense. If the ball is out quickly the defense can get frustrated, and hesitant to continued blitzing. Blitzing leaves open areas on the field, and puts a great deal of pressure on the secondary, especially if the blitz is ineffective.


In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 7 of 8

4) Run the ball at the perimeter of the Ravens defense

The Dolphins original offensive philosophy was to run the ball primarily in the A gap. As the season progressed, and Miami lost both starting guards, Miami has become much more of perimeter team. This may work to the advantage of the Dolphins as teams that have had success running the ball against the Ravens, ran it in the B and C gaps.

When the the New York Giants ran all over the Ravens? defense, it was done primarily by pulling the strong side guard across the formation. The runner cut to the outside after initially pressing the B gap. Brandon Jacobs had a big day against the Ravens thanks in large part to this play. If the Dolphins do pull a guard, chances are it will be Ikechuku Ndukwe. Ndukwe is more athletic than Alleman, and can hit his targets better on the move, although he can be prone to missing targets in the open field.

As mentioned the Dolphins have changed their offensive modus operandi as the season has worn on. As the running game has progressed to the perimeter, the play of Samson Satele has improved. Satele is best when allowed to use angles to block his man in the run game, rather than brute strength. The Dolphins have been using Satele more as a blocker on the edge than they did in the first few weeks of the season. Satele is very good at tracking down targets in the open field and has the speed to get to the perimeter quickly.

Just for fun, I decided to see how the Miami rushing attack has fared during the two halves of the season. In the first 8 games, the Dolphins managed 808 yards on 218 carries ? 3.71 yards per carry (ru) In the second half of the season the Dolphins racked up 1089 yards rushing on 230 carries ? 4.73 yards per carry. The offense is running the ball at a average of 1.02 yards per carry better now than it did the first 8 games of the season. The excuse of the offense using more carries to garner the added yardage, or that the team has been winning, hence more carries for the run game is moot. There is a difference of only 12 carries between the two halves of the season.

Baltimore run defense in comparison has gotten worse as the season has worn on. In the first 8 games the Ravens? defense allowed 515 yards on 184 carries ? 2.8 yards per carry, or 64.36 yards per game. In the last 8 games the Ravens? defense has allowed 787 yards on 182 carries ? 4.32 yards per carry, or 98.36 yards per game. The Ravens are allowing 34 more yards a game on the ground during the second half of the season. Just some food for thought when diagnosing Miami?s running attack versus the Baltimore defense.

I would expect the Dolphins to use some trap plays in the run game this week, as Justin Bannan likes to get up the field and disrupt the continuity of the play. The more penetration and attention Bannan gets, the more space he creates for Ray Lewis to make plays. A trap is a great way to make a defensive tackle pay for being aggressive. If Miami can run this play to the weak side of the formation, they may get just the seam they need in the run game. This is obviously an interior running play and the Dolphins must run on the interior to keep the defense honest. Running inside also prevents the linebackers from flowing immediately to the outside. If the Dolphins are smart in how they attack the Ravens, there are plays to be made.

I would also look for the Wildcat to be a part of the offense this week. Now, many of you may say that the Wildcat was snuffed out against the Ravens, and that is true. But are the Dolphins running the same plays from the Wildcat formation? Hardly. For instance, the handoff to Ricky Williams used to call for Williams to take the play outside of the tight end into the D gap.

Nowadays the offense wants the ball to be cut back into the C hole as the play develops. Thus if the defense aggressively over pursues to the outside as had become common strategy against the play, the runner is looking to cut back inside. That doesn?t seem like much of a difference, but think about this. The blocker responsible for sealing the edge to that side should find it easier to ride a man wide than trying to hook that same defender, sealing the edge.

If the blocker doesn?t seal the edge, the play will be strung out and kept to a minimal gain. By moving the point of attack one hole in, it actually gives the runner a two way go, instead of a one way go. The runner is in a much better position to cut in or out as he isn?t already too wide to make the cutback more feasible. On the original version of this play Williams is already too far outside to cut back at speed, he would have to gear down in an effort to do so.

In doing so he allows the defense more time to react. When the point of attack is closer, the angle Williams takes to get to that hole means he is already rounding a corner to hit that hole ? the C gap. Thus he is heading more north and south at the moment when the cut can be made than he was in the original version of the play.

Let me put this another way. One of the ways in which this run from the Wildcat was handled by defenses was to blitz the A and D gaps. That ethos has been stated by more than one ?expert? as a way to stop the Wildcat. The play where Ricky now cuts up one hole earlier is an adjustment by the offense to the defense blitzing the D gap. The offense has tried to take a strength of the defense; the knowledge that blitzing the D gap can stop the Wildcat, and make it into a weakness. This refers to my question regarding which play is easier to block on the end of the line. The defender already wants to get outside, why not help him block himself out of the play. That shows how angles can be used to open holes in the run game.


In Depth - Con's Keys to the Game
by Richard Lines | January 02, 2009
Page 8 of 8

I fully expect the Wildcat to be used this week against the Ravens. Why? Try to take a strength of the defense and make it a weakness. The Ravens defense is a proud unit, and they were very proud about what they did to stop the Wildcat ? they brought the house to do it. I would fully expect the Dolphins to try and use their aggression in stopping the Wildcat against them. I have called for this play before, and I have even drawn one up ? not that it would have worked :lol:

But, I really think that there is a reverse coming from the Wildcat formation. If Ronnie Brown handed off to Ricky who then hands off to Patrick Cobbs coming the other way, it could get the Ravens in a pickle. The Ravens will in all likelihood not get cute and vary how they stopped the Wildcat in the last game. Chances are, they make the Dolphins prove they can beat the defense before they make any changes. If the Ravens play the formation the same way, blitzing the strong side D gap could allow the offense to take advantage. The defense isn?t going to blitz the weak side D gap, and with Cobbs coming back against the flow of the play, Ronnie Brown should be left as the lead blocker.

Cobbs has good speed, and should be able to turn the corner. To me the Ravens aggressiveness in the running game could be their downfall if the Dolphins continue to be smart in how they attack this defense. If the Ravens chose to be aggressive, Ronnie Brown will try to throw the ball in an effort to hurt the defense. If there was ever a defense primed to be bitten by misdirection off of the Wildcat, it was the hyper aggressive Ravens. If these plays work the defense could be stunned and thus hesitant playing the Wildcat from there on out, turning the tide in Miami?s favor.

Well, there you have it. I hope this hasn?t dulled your senses and made you thankful for CliffsNotes. I really think this game is much more winnable than many others do. Hopefully the reason I have outlined make sense as to why I am going against the grain here.