Analysis from Seahawks Game coaches film

Originally posted by jonnydel:
Someone asked early in the thread about what was wrong with the red zone offense. It was a couple things. The first field goal we scored we ran an old WCO play action that Seattle sniffed out and Kaep made a good decision to throw the ball away. Then he got tackled on a shoe string tackle a yard short and I covered what happened at 3rd and 1 earlier.

The second time, after the punt. we had the Frank Gore 4 yd run that I highlighted earlier. Then we ran a PA pass which Seattle had excellent coverage on(I hate admitting that BTW). Then this incompletion I'll highlight.


The safety rolls over on the crabtree on the corner route with Sherman in good position on Davis. They reveal zone again by having a LB out on Boldin(he's the inside receiver on the bottom of the screen. At the top they run a corner route with Crabtree and a deep hook with Manningham - he's probably the primary read on this play(remember Seattle ran cover 3 on probably 80-85% of the plays in this game, so, when they call a play designed against cover 3 the primary read was almost always the guy to go to) You can see by the receivers that they are all active in the play but the primary read is going to be open



Manningham is open, though it is a small window. The flat defender does a good job of knowing the down and distance. He gives Gore the flat knowing it's short of the first down and takes a deep drop in coverage.



I've highlighted that Kaep does a good job of planting off his back foot and driving on the throw. He keeps his shoulders square(all highlighted in yellow) I would like to see he front foot point out towards his target a little more(highlighted in blue).



Kaep just misses on the throw. The yellow circle is where the ball should be delivered. He needs to hit manningham on the numbers, instead he misses about 2-3 feet left and the defender is able to make a play on the ball and break up the pass.(blue arrow)

Before I say this, let me first say that Kap was off on a lot of throws this game. He does not play well against the Seahawks, for whatever reason.

However, I think this particular throw was perfectly placed. I think it was a solid decision too. Nobody else was a clear option as he made his reads. He looked to the right, those reads were covered. He looked to the left, stepped up and was throwing the ball as MM was breaking into the timing route.
That was a comeback route, they throw it a million times in practice. They throw it to where the receiver is breaking. The throw was spot on, but the defender simply made an outstanding play on the ball.
The defender took away Gore, and then turned his hips and turned up field to take the pass away. It's just a classic, good play by the defense.

The key is the TIMING. Kap can't throw the ball to the inside shoulder and risk the interception. Perhaps if it was thrown two feet more inside, it would have had a better chance to be complete, but that is not where the ball is practiced to be thrown. The route is designed to be thrown to the same spot a million times in practice. Kap would somehow have to break away from what he does a million times in practice and decide to throw it two feet closer to the inside. It's not a conscious decision of where to place the ball, it's a practiced location.

That being said, there ARE times a quarterback can make a perfect placement throw.
For example, the TD throw to Vernon Davis is an example of a time where a quarterback can make a perfect placement throw. It was not a timing route, so Kap had the luxury of placing the ball to the exact inch of where it needed to be. He had the luxury of a full second to look at Davis to determine where the ball needed to be thrown.
Another example was the interception to Crabtree. That ball needed to be placed to the outside shoulder. For some reason, Kap threw it like a jump ball instead on the inside shoulder.

Originally posted by BrianGO:
Before I say this, let me first say that Kap was off on a lot of throws this game. He does not play well against the Seahawks, for whatever reason.

However, I think this particular throw was perfectly placed. I think it was a solid decision too. Nobody else was a clear option as he made his reads. He looked to the right, those reads were covered. He looked to the left, stepped up and was throwing the ball as MM was breaking into the timing route.
That was a comeback route, they throw it a million times in practice. They throw it to where the receiver is breaking. The throw was spot on, but the defender simply made an outstanding play on the ball.
The defender took away Gore, and then turned his hips and turned up field to take the pass away. It's just a classic, good play by the defense.

The key is the TIMING. Kap can't throw the ball to the inside shoulder and risk the interception. Perhaps if it was thrown two feet more inside, it would have had a better chance to be complete, but that is not where the ball is practiced to be thrown. The route is designed to be thrown to the same spot a million times in practice. Kap would somehow have to break away from what he does a million times in practice and decide to throw it two feet closer to the inside. It's not a conscious decision of where to place the ball, it's a practiced location.

That being said, there ARE times a quarterback can make a perfect placement throw.
For example, the TD throw to Vernon Davis is an example of a time where a quarterback can make a perfect placement throw. It was not a timing route, so Kap had the luxury of placing the ball to the exact inch of where it needed to be. He had the luxury of a full second to look at Davis to determine where the ball needed to be thrown.
Another example was the interception to Crabtree. That ball needed to be placed to the outside shoulder. For some reason, Kap threw it like a jump ball instead on the inside shoulder.

I totally agree about the timing and all that, however, I think he did miss on the throw because, Manningham breaks in, not out, it's not a comeback it's a curl. Also, a qb at the NFL level has to be able to aim his ball more(like changing the location on a slant route if the receiver is being led into a defender). If he throws that ball 2 feet inside the DB doesn't have a play on the ball regardless of his good jump on the ball. If you watch the play at full speed Manningham clearly expects the ball inside.

This defensive stop forces the first punt of the day for SEA.

SEA 11 personnel (1RB/1TE/3WR) vs 49er 3-4 base personnel:
It's 3rd & 2 and the 49ers have to respect the run, so they stay in their base personnel despite SEA coming with 3WRs.

Below: RW has recognized that Brooks will be blitzing, he is shown pointing to Brooks to call for the blitz pickup for his right tackle. Since Brooks gave away his intentions pre-snap, RW has an idea that it is man coverage on the wideouts. SEA has lined up a TE to widen Aldon and help Okung, the LT.


Below:
49ers are in cover1 man under. Reid is asked to play centerfield (deep zone) while everyone else is assigned their man. Bowman is on Lynch.

SEA runs a smash concept on one side with a rub concept (pick play) on the other. The smash concept is basically a corner route by the slot WR complimented by a hitch route by the wideout. The idea of the smash concept is to stretch the zone defender vertically and put stress on the CB nearest to the sideline. It is mainly used to beat zone coverage. Whitner is covering the slot (corner route). Rogers is covering the wideout (hitch route).

On the other side of the formation, SEA is running a rub concept where two WRs will cross each other to create a pick play (run interference for one another). This concept is designed to beat man coverage. If a defender is following the route runner, then he should get picked by either the other WR or his own teammate, then separation is created. RW has already diagnosed a blitz pre-snap. This suggests man coverage, so he will look to the side of the field with the rub concept.





Below: RW has just completed his dropback and his first read is to the rub routes (man coverage beater) being run to his left. He is correct that Brooks is blitzing, he is correct that it is man coverage. Willis and Brock are fighting fire with fire. If SEA wants to run a pick, then grab and hold to prevent separation. Illegal hands to the face on Okung?


Below: Same point in time as the above pic. Nothing to anticipate being open. The line of scrimmage is the 44 yard line so the 49ers can't make contact past the 49 yard line. Ehh, I think SEA will understand if the 49ers make contact at the 50 yard line.
On the other side of the field, Whitner has crammed himself in between the two WRs. Both Whitner and Rogers have outside leverage and are trying to funnel the WRs towards Reid in the middle of the field.


Below: RW now turns his attention to the combination route on the right side of the field, the smash concept. This is mainly a zone coverage beater which is not what is going on here. RW can try an anticipation throw to either route, but Rogers playing over the top allows him to partially have his eyes on RW. A tenth of a second later from this pic, Aldon makes his presence felt in RW's peripheral. RW senses the pressure and will bolt from his spot in the pocket.



In the gif, Whitner is behind his man a couple steps as the route fully develops, but the pressure from Aldon has RW running for his life. Then in comes the BOW!

The 49ers coverage wins on the initial read. Then the 49ers pass rush will clean up and allow the coverage to slip a little. Team defense.


The best part of the play



As a reference, the play in post (#69) has the 49ers running a smash concept to successfully beat zone coverage. It is a corner route by the slot WR (Vernon) and a deep in route by the wideout (Boldin).
Here is that play in post #69

thl408 Eric Wright has been playing some darn good football he's better and more comfortable every week. Looking at the plays he's tight in coverage and you can tell he's paying attention to the film.

on that 1st or 2nd drive when he almost got the pick 6, I think if that were to happen again he makes that play and takes it to the house. the speed is there

Also if anyone wants to break down the 3rd possession I believe red zone 2nd and 10

the 5wr designed qb draw.

should have been a touch down. should have been a walk in touch down....except Alex Boone makes it to the 2nd level and misses his block. Wagner makes a good play to bring Kap down, barely. But if Boone even chips him, Kap walks in for the td

Originally posted by jonesadrian:
Also if anyone wants to break down the 3rd possession I believe red zone 2nd and 10

the 5wr designed qb draw.

should have been a touch down. should have been a walk in touch down....except Alex Boone makes it to the 2nd level and misses his block. Wagner makes a good play to bring Kap down, barely. But if Boone even chips him, Kap walks in for the td

Yeah saw that. Boone went over and said "my bad" to Kap. That shoulda been a walk in, like you said. Bobby Wagner is a speedy guy. Good play call in the redzone, just short on the execution.

Originally posted by thl408:
Yeah saw that. Boone went over and said "my bad" to Kap. That shoulda been a walk in, like you said. Bobby Wagner is a speedy guy. Good play call in the redzone, just short on the execution.

a lot of these plays are going to be completions against other teams.

they're not going to grab and hold like seattle did. im looking at the first half and pretty much every play that wasn't bunch formation they were held all through their routes.. not bumped..held

it threw off a lot of the timing and throws

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by jonesadrian:
Also if anyone wants to break down the 3rd possession I believe red zone 2nd and 10

the 5wr designed qb draw.

should have been a touch down. should have been a walk in touch down....except Alex Boone makes it to the 2nd level and misses his block. Wagner makes a good play to bring Kap down, barely. But if Boone even chips him, Kap walks in for the td

Yeah saw that. Boone went over and said "my bad" to Kap. That shoulda been a walk in, like you said. Bobby Wagner is a speedy guy. Good play call in the redzone, just short on the execution.

Always good to remember these guys are human and even the best make mistakes. Not that Boone is all-pro yet, but they are all still learning and if they have assembled a smart team then this group should really continue to improve and excel.

Originally posted by thl408:
Yeah saw that. Boone went over and said "my bad" to Kap. That shoulda been a walk in, like you said. Bobby Wagner is a speedy guy. Good play call in the redzone, just short on the execution.

thl408, thank YOU so much for the gif's. These REALLY help see things from start-to-finish. And for the insight/analysis as well, great job

This is fun stuff!

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by thl408:
Yeah saw that. Boone went over and said "my bad" to Kap. That shoulda been a walk in, like you said. Bobby Wagner is a speedy guy. Good play call in the redzone, just short on the execution.

thl408, thank YOU so much for the gif's. These REALLY help see things from start-to-finish. And for the insight/analysis as well, great job

This is fun stuff!

Yes! Bowman diagnosed quickly and looked like he was at a track meet! Love that guy! He was spying Wilson, but how many MLBs could make that play? Willis looks like he has lost a step but Bowman seems to be just as fast as always. Of course, a big part of speed is early recognition!

Originally posted by Mr.Mcgibblets:
Eh... vertical speed sure helps, but we see WRs around the league with less than burner speed getting deep. We see them timing their jumps and winning 1-vs-1 matchups even in tight coverage. And then there's always the flag-throwing refs that can turn a deep attempt into a 30+ yard DPI. Find the single covered receiver running deep... use that God-given arm strength... and see what happens. Just try it a handful of times a game. This is what fans begged for in recent years with similar WR talent... why not demand it all the more with a QB that can fling it deep so effortlessly?

Agreed on so many levels. Last year we had Moss running deep go's and post routes all game long to occupy 2 DB's. But did we ever pass to him? Rarely. We also had "speed" in Walker but only passed to him 21 times all last year. We even had the 4.2 Ginn but the last time we passed a bomb to him he made a TD against Baltimore (called back) and we never tried again. This year we had a speedy Jenkins (traded), Moore (known in Miama for his deep sideline speed and catches) and we started using VD out wide more (very fast once he gets going). But do we use them?

Obviously the philosophy is to keep everything in the intermediate (i.e. "chunk plays") zone to keep the passes at a higher probablity of success and b/c that's CK's strength (and our personnel's route running strengths).

I genuinely don't think even if we DID have Jacoby Jones, we'd use him properly - we'd probably just run nothing but go and post-route decoys with him to open up the underneath, intermediate zones.

In fact, can anyone name one single time we tried a bomb this year?

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by thl408:
Yeah saw that. Boone went over and said "my bad" to Kap. That shoulda been a walk in, like you said. Bobby Wagner is a speedy guy. Good play call in the redzone, just short on the execution.

thl408, thank YOU so much for the gif's. These REALLY help see things from start-to-finish. And for the insight/analysis as well, great job

This is fun stuff!

Yes! Bowman diagnosed quickly and looked like he was at a track meet! Love that guy! He was spying Wilson, but how many MLBs could make that play? Willis looks like he has lost a step but Bowman seems to be just as fast as always. Of course, a big part of speed is early recognition!

It really is...1) play recognition 2) zero hesitation and 3) explosion/hustle. Bowman has it all.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Mr.Mcgibblets:
Eh... vertical speed sure helps, but we see WRs around the league with less than burner speed getting deep. We see them timing their jumps and winning 1-vs-1 matchups even in tight coverage. And then there's always the flag-throwing refs that can turn a deep attempt into a 30+ yard DPI. Find the single covered receiver running deep... use that God-given arm strength... and see what happens. Just try it a handful of times a game. This is what fans begged for in recent years with similar WR talent... why not demand it all the more with a QB that can fling it deep so effortlessly?

Agreed on so many levels. Last year we had Moss running deep go's and post routes all game long to occupy 2 DB's. But did we ever pass to him? Rarely. We also had "speed" in Walker but only passed to him 21 times all last year. We even had the 4.2 Ginn but the last time we passed a bomb to him he made a TD against Baltimore (called back) and we never tried again. This year we had a speedy Jenkins (traded), Moore (known in Miama for his deep sideline speed and catches) and we started using VD out wide more (very fast once he gets going). But do we use them?

Obviously the philosophy is to keep everything in the intermediate (i.e. "chunk plays") zone to keep the passes at a higher probablity of success and b/c that's CK's strength (and our personnel's route running strengths).

I genuinely don't think even if we DID have Jacoby Jones, we'd use him properly - we'd probably just run nothing but go and post-route decoys with him to open under the underneath, intermediate zones.

In fact, can anyone name one single time we tried a bomb this year?

Your posts are making me sad...JK...but in a way...this goes back to Roman not using players strengths and incorporating them into the game plans...something many have been pointing out for a while, but your examples of Moore and Ginn hurt a bit this morning--Moore because I'd forgotten, Ginn because I see him having success this year in a different system.

There have been a couple of attempts at bombs this year but so few that none spring to mind. I agree with you, Mac, that all of these receivers can get down the field for a bomb...speed is only part of the equation on long passes. Dwight Clark and Brent Jones used to be used occasionally on bombs so speed is definitely not an absolute. Setting up the bomb is much more important.

Originally posted by jonesadrian:
thl408 Eric Wright has been playing some darn good football he's better and more comfortable every week. Looking at the plays he's tight in coverage and you can tell he's paying attention to the film.

on that 1st or 2nd drive when he almost got the pick 6, I think if that were to happen again he makes that play and takes it to the house. the speed is there

Yes, he really showed up this game. I'm seeing elevated play...he's standing out now when the ball is in the air. He seems to be playing faster, with more passion, etc. Between he and Brock, this is starting to become a special group. Brown who? Now, if we can get Mr. "1/2-assed" Rogers to play with some passion, urgency and physicality, we'd be unstoppable, esp. on 3rd downs.

thl408...perhaps we can now start analyzing schemes (theorize) on the defense as to why we tend to play our CB's sooooo far off at times (and back pedaling), esp. on 3rd and shorts for easy completions.