Offseason All22 Film Study

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by aTx49er:
I'm looking very forward to this! IMO you are the most objective and knowledgeable poster in the film analysis threads.

Thanks, although, I think Thl is pretty darn good too.

I agree.

Originally posted by aTx49er:
I'm looking very forward to this! IMO you are the most objective and knowledgeable poster in the film analysis threads.

I am too. jonnydel, if your cutups are focused on Kap and the passing game, feel free to start your own thread. I'm working on breaking down Dockett and already see why he gets labeled as a subpar run defender.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by aTx49er:
I'm looking very forward to this! IMO you are the most objective and knowledgeable poster in the film analysis threads.

I am too. jonnydel, if your cutups are focused on Kap and the passing game, feel free to start your own thread. I'm working on breaking down Dockett and already see why he gets labeled as a subpar run defender.

Then hopefully we use Dial and Carradine on base downs and allow him to slide inside and/rush mostly including from either LDE/RDE. I hope.

I'm excited to see what Kap learned from Warner camp.

I got around to watching most of Dockett's run defense snaps from 2013 in the 4 games vs SF and SEA (home and away). I figured why not watch him versus one of the best power blocking teams (SF) and one of the best zone blocking teams (SEA) in order to get a sense for how he handles different types of blocking. Just my observations.

Dockett is much quicker than he is strong. He does not handle double teams very well and will get moved off the spot in a big way. This is due to both his lack of strength to handle the double team, but also sloppy technique. One on one, he is also inconsistent with shedding blocks, but not horrible. He has a very high motor and will chase plays down from behind if given the chance to. His ability to use his hands to control blocks is average at best as he will often allow the blocker to get inside position.

Below are plays that are picked out that I feel best illustrate his run defense as a whole. I restricted the plays to, non-blitzes, shown from the endzone camera when it is behind the ARI defensive line. Since the teams switch endzones each quarter, I only picked plays where the ARI defense had its back to the camera in order to see Dockett easier. I'll post some tonight and some more later.


Thanks, BodhiPaddlesOut for posting this PFF chart. Notice Dockett struggled a lot with the power blocking from SF, while his agility helped him move with the ZBS schemes of SEA, HOU, DET. PHI is zbs, but in 2013 McCoy was running over the entire league. I didn't look at STL game 1 because I figured, first game of the year, everyone is finding their legs.

I think it helps to first see how it's done correctly. So why look any further than Justin and RayMac.

versus Inside zone (Nickel package). Both RayMac and Justin are head up on the Guards.


Highlighted (yellow) are two good things going on that will be related back to Dockett later. Justin has inside positioning with his hands versus the guard. This allows Justin to latch on to the body of the guard and control the block. Notice the guard's hand on the outside of Justin's shoulder. The advantage goes to Justin.


RayMac feels the double team coming from the Center and flips his hips towards the double team to turn himself sideways. This makes him a smaller target and more difficult for the Center to make firm contact. Also, notice RayMac's right knee and how much it is bent. By doing this, it forces him to turn sideways, but also to anchor himself and get low to the ground in case the Center decides to commit to the double team.


Once the Center moves to the second level, RayMac pops back up and gets his shoulders square to the blocker (guard). Can't tell in this pic, but RayMac's left arm is on the inside, and this will allow him to shed the block and make the tackle.

Another illustration of how to properly fend a double team block.

Key players here are RayMac and Ian Williams.


Both see the double team coming and drop the knee on the side that the double team is coming from (left knee). This forces the hips/body to turn so they get slim and don't present a big target for the double team block. Justin doesn't drop his knee because the double team block from that guard is being blocked by his own left tackle.


RayMac got so low and slim that the TE didn't bother to commit much time into the double team. The Center does commit to the double team block on Ian. The arrow shows just how much Ian has dropped low to the ground to anchor himself. He's practically on his knee. Notice where Ian's legs are on the field. He will not be moved off his spot.


The Center moves to the second level and Ian pops back up. RayMac is being held and will complain after the play. Otherwise he is heads up and seeing the RB the whole way.


+4 ,partly due to Wilhoite being a bit hesitant, which he was called out for after the game by Fangio.

Just one more good play to show the importance of hand positioning and how having inside positioning helps to control the block.

Justin highlighted.


Notice Justin has won the battle for hand positioning. The left tackle's hand is seen on the outside of Justin's arm, while Justin has the left tackle by the collar.


Head up the entire way, shed the block, and make the tackle. Helps to be strong as an ox.

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This is Dockett (#90) and how he handles double team blocks the majority of the time. Again, I only chose to show plays where ARI had its back to the camera so we can see Dockett's entire body. This kind of limited the choices I had. There are more than just these instances where he did the same things.

versus Power right with an unbalanced line (Staley playing TE).


Dockett feels the double team come and turns sideways towards the double team block (Staley). Notice how his knee is not dropped and he is does a poor job of anchoring. He is basically standing straight up with Staley shoving him right in the back. Notice where Dockett is standing in relation to the hash marks on the field (slightly off center from the middle of the field).


By not getting small and low to the ground, he presents a nice big target for Staley to shove.


Dockett is completely moved off his spot and that's the point of attack for Gore to run through. Notice where Dockett is now on the field.


Dockett never drops his knee and is easily moved aside. +10 yards.

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Dockett versus a double team block from ADavis and Boone.

Guard lead right


Dockett's inital contact is with Boone. When he feels the double team coming, he turns his hip towards ADavis to get slim. Notice Dockett's Left knee is bent, but he isn't getting low as he should, like how Ian Williams did in the play shown above where Ian was basically on his knee.


By staying too high, he is shoved aside and turns himself around putting his back to the RB, never a good thing. He is shown facing the camera here.


Dockett doesn't give himself a chance to see the RB and make any kind of play on the ball carrier. +6

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Here's a sequence of plays that show how sometimes Dockett tries to do too much, leading to technique breakdown, but then corrects himself.

Split zone.


Dockett engages with the right tackle and slides down the line. It's important that he maintains gap discipline and gives the RB no daylight to run to. Dockett was doing fine until he thought he had the play sniffed out. He is shown below starting a 360 turn.


His ill advised turn opens up daylight for the RB.


This can drive a DLine coach mad when a player tries to do too much. Just ride the play out and don't get shoved aside. If the play comes to Dockett, make the play, otherwise, play the given assignment. #58 was there to pick up the slack had Dockett just rode the play out and not give daylight on his right shoulder. +9

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