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Why are we so bad covering the TE?


Ramza86

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3 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Well the 2nd half of the Colts game, who else noticed him lined up in press across from Hilton. 

 

Now at that point, Rivers was obsessed with the middle of the field, and despite no pass, never even looked Hilton's way. 

 

This is why he wasn't looking Hilton's way.....he didn't need to nor was he forced too......run those plays all day long until they are stopped then move to the next one......

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No analysis - just memory recall. It seems like a lot of TE's get open finding holes in our zone or when defenders are switching in coverage. This is likely play design when OC's look at our pass coverage and can identify holes. A lot seem to come on blitzes as the QB has enough time to still get the ball out and TE's tend to be the hot read. 

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I've thought about it. 

 

On Saturday it looked like multiple issues. 

 

There were times when Mo-Allie Cox boxed out the safety, times where Milano just stopped running and let his Tight End go, and other times where the Indy Tight Ends just ran past our defenders easily. 

 

We looked lost across the middle of the field. You had Pittman running across the formation, Doyle had a huge game running down the seam, Hilton had limited impact on the outside, but his big catch was down the middle. 

 

So was it a case of playing our 2-deep shell too deep to prevent the big play?  

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3 hours ago, Buffalo Junction said:

We play nickel instead of big nickel. None of our LBers have really stepped up against TEs this season. All of our DBs are 6’ or under. This defense has been inconsistent with passing off TEs from on defender to another. The pass rush has given TEs time to settle into zones or get down the seam. 

Yes!  Especially the time factor fie opposing TEs to settle in to zones 

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33 minutes ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

I've thought about it. 

 

On Saturday it looked like multiple issues. 

 

There were times when Mo-Allie Cox boxed out the safety, times where Milano just stopped running and let his Tight End go, and other times where the Indy Tight Ends just ran past our defenders easily. 

 

We looked lost across the middle of the field. You had Pittman running across the formation, Doyle had a huge game running down the seam, Hilton had limited impact on the outside, but his big catch was down the middle. 

 

So was it a case of playing our 2-deep shell too deep to prevent the big play?  

Milano is a very good player, no knock on him.....most frustrating when he passed off Doyle to the invisible man in the end zone. That is our scheme with issues or communication issues 

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Am I crazy to think the best way to beat Lamar is to only rush 3-4, rarely blitz, don’t let it turn into school yard ball where once he escapes the pressure he runs for 20-50 yards?

 

Clog up the middle of the field, instead of blitzing use Milano/Edmunds or a safety to spy Lamar.

 

I’d be stuffing that box all day, daring him to beat the secondary deep and outside.

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4 hours ago, dneveu said:

 

Lots of zone.  There are soft spots in zones.  In cover 2 its between the safeties, in cover 3 and cover 4 its usually nearer to the hash marks.  This is usually where TEs run their routes.

Exactly. Its 2 things, first our pass rush is mediocre.  Secondly we're playing a soft zone constantly. It has nothing to do with the size or speed of our dbs/lbs. TE's can easily settle into big gaps and just wait for the ball. 

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Just now, LABILLBACKER said:

Exactly. Its 2 things, first our pass rush is mediocre.  Secondly we're playing a soft zone constantly. It has nothing to do with the size or speed of our dbs/lbs. TE's can easily settle into big gaps and just wait for the ball. 

 

Sometimes its coverage mistakes by the linebackers, but you're willing to give up small chunks because at the end of the day your goal is stopping them on 3rd downs and in RZ.  One defensive play, or drop, or bad throw (there were all of these in this game against indy) and it stalls a drive. 

 

They missed a FG, got stopped on a 4th and punted twice in buffalo territory.  Probably a little more bending than they'd like, but they didn't break either.

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4 hours ago, CapeBreton said:

 

Kyle Dugger? You're saying we need a huge safety to cover these TE's and Hyde/Poyer aren't the answer?

 

 

 

Kinda yeah.

 

"Given the challenges of defending hybrid tight ends, defensive coordinators are better served pitting an athletic safety with corner-like cover skills against a big-bodied pass catcher. Safeties are quick enough to run with these types of tight ends down the seam, while also possessing the athleticism to battle on post-ups and 50-50 balls in the red zone.

 

"Most importantly, the presence of a hybrid safety on the field gives a defensive coordinator the freedom to use man or zone coverage without tipping his hand prior to the snap, which is a huge win for the defense."

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/big-nickel-package-emerging-as-nfl-s-hottest-defensive-trend-0ap3000000375711

 

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4 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

 

Kinda yeah.

 

"Given the challenges of defending hybrid tight ends, defensive coordinators are better served pitting an athletic safety with corner-like cover skills against a big-bodied pass catcher. Safeties are quick enough to run with these types of tight ends down the seam, while also possessing the athleticism to battle on post-ups and 50-50 balls in the red zone.

 

"Most importantly, the presence of a hybrid safety on the field gives a defensive coordinator the freedom to use man or zone coverage without tipping his hand prior to the snap, which is a huge win for the defense."

 

https://www.nfl.com/news/big-nickel-package-emerging-as-nfl-s-hottest-defensive-trend-0ap3000000375711

 

 

At this stage of their careers?  Taron Johnson is probably more effective than Dugger.  I think baltimore still runs more 11 than any other formation - so he'll likely get a fair amount of snaps.  

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1 hour ago, Livinginthepast said:

Torrel Troup what a diamond in the rough he turned out to be!!

 

 

Again, he was. 

 

The story came out a few years ago. He was kicking asses and taking names in camp his second year, he'd really gotten a ton better. And he hurt his back and then was urged to keep playing. He could have been extremely good.

 

 

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/torell-troup-the-one-drafted-a-pick-ahead-of-rob-gronkowski/article_5b363410-dbdd-503c-a774-69fedf3d37d7.html

 

 

"When Gronkowski was scoring more touchdowns than any tight end ever in 2011, Troup was, as he said, 'all doped up' on Toradol to survive Sundays. During the week, he chugged pain pills like Tic Tacs. Troup played that season with a fractured back – his disc slipping, jamming into nerves – enduring the most unthinkable pain he doesn’t wish upon his worst enemies.

 

"Teammates told him to quit. Coaches, he claims, told him to play. So he played to the literal point of tears and the subsequent L4/L5 spinal fusion ended his career.

 

"He’s more casualty of a ruthless business than bust. More commodity chewed up and spit out by the NFL than outright failure. Each creak of a joint in the a.m. is his aching reminder of his season from hell."

 

 

 

 

... and ...

 

 

 

"His rookie year was OK. A start. This second season would be dynamite.

 

"Through the 2011 lockout, Troup trained with a vengeance. He reported to training camp at a chiseled 319 pounds, eager to break out. Practices began at St. John Fisher and the kid who had 23 tackles and no sacks the year prior was dominant for stretches.

 

“'Honestly, I was killing the offensive line,' Troup said. 'Eric Wood, I’m good friends with him, but they couldn’t handle me.'

 

"One day in the lunchroom, head coach Chan Gailey and General Manager Buddy Nix couldn’t contain their excitement. The two asked Troup to sit down with them and told this bull in a china shop they had no clue what he did over the offseason, but, wow, were they ecstatic to see this all transfer to game day.

 

"Their words added more fuel to Troup’s fire. His tear continued. Teammates today still remember Troup’s raw strength.

 

“'Low center of gravity,' guard Kraig Urbik said. 'Super strong. Legs were very thick. Strong dude – he was tough to move for sure.'

 

“'He was a strong dude,' Wood said.

“'Big, powerful guy,' added veteran Kyle Williams. 'He’s probably not your pass rusher, but a guy who could stack things up at the line and make plays at the line of scrimmage and do some good things there.'

 

"Reached by phone, Nix instantly remembers this camp well.

 

“'Those big guys are hard to find! Especially him,' Nix said. 'He had some movement ability and was really a strong anchor guy.'

 

"As Nix recalls, the Bills were shifting to a 3-4 scheme when they took Troup and needed a nose to take on double teams.

 

"He doesn’t remember teams being scared off by Gronkowski’s injury history, but the Arizona tight end was the one with the shoddy Carfax report. Back surgery sidelined him his entire final season at Arizona. Troup? He missed a few games due to a knee scope as a freshman but was healthy in totaling 52 tackles (12.5 for loss) as a junior and 35 tackles (five for loss) as a senior.

 

"Then, without warning, his world started to crumble down."

 

 

... and ...

 

 

"Troup missed one week of practice, wrapped the paw in a club and was prepared to punctuate his knockout summer in the preseason finale against Detroit. To this day, he cannot pinpoint the play, the moment, but during this game he fractured his lower back.

 

“'I played all through the game doped up, [after playing with a badly broken hand]' he said, 'so I couldn’t feel it.'

 

"On Wednesday, it felt like he pulled both hamstrings. He received an epidural. Tests later revealed the fracture. A disc in his back was slipping and pushing against nerves, causing burning and numbness down his legs.

 

"Troup sat out the first three weeks of the season and returned.

 

“'It’s easy to look back now and say, "I should have sat my ass down,”' Troup said. 'But I was young. I was stupid. And it cost me my career.'"

 

 

 

It's a Tyler Dunne story, and a good one. I've only excerpted about 25 - 30% there.

Edited by Thurman#1
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8 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

At this stage of their careers?  Taron Johnson is probably more effective than Dugger.  I think baltimore still runs more 11 than any other formation - so he'll likely get a fair amount of snaps.  

 

 

Haven't kept close track of Dugger since the Pats got him but he'd likely have been the Bills pick if he'd made it there. I wouldn't be surprised if Taron's playing better right now, he's a third year guy and Dugger's a rookie. But the Pats have said Dugger has gotten a lot better late in the season. He's certainly gotten a lot more snaps the second half of the year.

 

Though Taron's really tough for his size, the two aren't much alike. Dugger is a bit of a chess piece for Belichick and he covers TEs quite a bit. Dugger's about 25 pounds heavier but has a smidge faster 40, but though Dugger didn't run the shuttle, Johnson probably would beat him in quickness.

 

I'm happy with Johnson, especially where we drafted him, but IMO we'll see someone like Dugger in Buffalo in the next two or three years.

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5 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Haven't kept close track of Dugger since the Pats got him but he'd likely have been the Bills pick if he'd made it there. I wouldn't be surprised if Taron's playing better right now, he's a third year guy and Dugger's a rookie. But the Pats have said Dugger has gotten a lot better late in the season. He's certainly gotten a lot more snaps the second half of the year.

 

Though Taron's really tough for his size, the two aren't much alike. Dugger is a bit of a chess piece for Belichick and he covers TEs quite a bit. Dugger's about 25 pounds heavier but has a smidge faster 40, but though Dugger didn't run the shuttle, Johnson probably would beat him in quickness.

 

I'm happy with Johnson, especially where we drafted him, but IMO we'll see someone like Dugger in Buffalo in the next two or three years.

 

I don't really disagree.  Nickel CBs were always traditionally smaller to match up with slot WRs.  But as teams start bringing athletic freaks onto the team, and moving them around the formation, its nice to have someone to match up physically.  

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I don't think the Ravens TE's are quite as big as Doyle (think that's his name) for the Colts is. He just looked huge out there and was making good plays for much of that game.

 

I feel like the Ravens TE's may not be quite as difficult to contain, at least I hope anyways.

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