Film review: Why Cover Zero blitz was a big zero for Jets
December, 9, 2014
By Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com
10COMMENTS0EMAILPRINT
One last look back at the New York Jets' 30-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:
Rex Ryan threw himself under the bus for calling a risky play -- a Cover Zero blitz -- on Jarius Wright's 87-yard touchdown in overtime. A couple of background notes: The Vikings ran the same play earlier in the game, except to the left side. The Jets rushed only four and played soft coverage at corner, with cornerback Marcus Williams stopping Wright for a 4-yard gain. A review of the film showed that Ryan called a Cover Zero blitz on at least two other occasions, both resulting in pressured incompletions. In those cases, the blitzes were disguised well.
The Vikings' Jarius Wright made Jaiquawn Jarrett and the Jets pay for this missed tackle in overtime.
So what went wrong in overtime? Linebackers Demario Davis and David Harris tipped their intentions too soon. Let's get specific, focusing on the pre-snap chess match and how it unfolded with the time remaining on the play clock.
20 seconds: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater breaks the huddle with his offense. The third-and-5 call is a long pass, perhaps to Charles Johnson, who has Phillip Adams in single coverage on the weak side.
12 seconds: Davis walks up to the line of scrimmage, positioning himself on the right shoulder of right end Jason Babin.
10 seconds: Harris follows suit on the left side, off the left shoulder of left end Calvin Pace. It gives the Jets a six-man front. This is a poorly disguised blitz. As soon as he sees Harris move up, Bridgewater changes the play with a hand signal, tapping his chest with both hands.
5 seconds: The ball is snapped. Safety Calvin Pryor, on a well-timed blitz, rushes the middle and gets close to Bridgewater just as he releases a wide receiver screen to Wright on the right side.
A Pryor sack in that situation would've been a cool story, considering he and Bridgewater were college teammates at Louisville. As a side note, former Jets draft bust Vladimir Ducasse -- at left guard -- whiffed on Pryor as he came through the hole. Some things never change.
Everybody knows what happened next. Wright made the reception, safety Jaiquawn Jarrett missed the tackle and -- with no deep safety -- it was a sprint to the end zone. The entire play took 14 seconds. Ryan took a calculated gamble, expecting the seven-man rush to pressure the rookie quarterback into an incompletion or, better yet, a turnover.
All told, Bridgewater was blitzed 12 times, according to Pro Football Focus. He completed six of 10 for 155 yards and a touchdown, plus a sack and scramble.
Sheldon's big day: Sheldon Richardson became the first Jets player since Calvin Pace in 2009 to record three sacks in a game. Each one came on a four-man rush. On the second sack, he actually rushed first and dropped into short coverage, something he has done more frequently this season. He has dropped 35 times, more than three times the number of any other defensive lineman on the team, per PFF. Richardson's third sack was another clean-up situation, as Babin forced Bridgewater to step up in the pocket.
Catch of the year: It was overshadowed by everything else, but Chris Owusu's acrobatic catch might have been the play of the year for the Jets. It wasn't in the Odell Beckham, Jr. category, but it was sensational in its own right. On a second-and-3, he got high off the ground, showing his 40-inch vertical jump. He actually should've caught it on the first attempt, but he maintained his concentration as safety Harrison Smith yanked him to the ground. The ball fell into his lap and he secured it. It was only his fourth catch of the season (the first two came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and the 18th of his career. Owusu was promoted from the practice squad last week to replace Greg Salas, who went on injured reserve. Maybe they should use Owusu in the red zone; they could use a playmaker there.
December, 9, 2014
By Rich Cimini | ESPNNewYork.com
10COMMENTS0EMAILPRINT
One last look back at the New York Jets' 30-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings:
Rex Ryan threw himself under the bus for calling a risky play -- a Cover Zero blitz -- on Jarius Wright's 87-yard touchdown in overtime. A couple of background notes: The Vikings ran the same play earlier in the game, except to the left side. The Jets rushed only four and played soft coverage at corner, with cornerback Marcus Williams stopping Wright for a 4-yard gain. A review of the film showed that Ryan called a Cover Zero blitz on at least two other occasions, both resulting in pressured incompletions. In those cases, the blitzes were disguised well.
The Vikings' Jarius Wright made Jaiquawn Jarrett and the Jets pay for this missed tackle in overtime.
So what went wrong in overtime? Linebackers Demario Davis and David Harris tipped their intentions too soon. Let's get specific, focusing on the pre-snap chess match and how it unfolded with the time remaining on the play clock.
20 seconds: Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater breaks the huddle with his offense. The third-and-5 call is a long pass, perhaps to Charles Johnson, who has Phillip Adams in single coverage on the weak side.
12 seconds: Davis walks up to the line of scrimmage, positioning himself on the right shoulder of right end Jason Babin.
10 seconds: Harris follows suit on the left side, off the left shoulder of left end Calvin Pace. It gives the Jets a six-man front. This is a poorly disguised blitz. As soon as he sees Harris move up, Bridgewater changes the play with a hand signal, tapping his chest with both hands.
5 seconds: The ball is snapped. Safety Calvin Pryor, on a well-timed blitz, rushes the middle and gets close to Bridgewater just as he releases a wide receiver screen to Wright on the right side.
A Pryor sack in that situation would've been a cool story, considering he and Bridgewater were college teammates at Louisville. As a side note, former Jets draft bust Vladimir Ducasse -- at left guard -- whiffed on Pryor as he came through the hole. Some things never change.
Everybody knows what happened next. Wright made the reception, safety Jaiquawn Jarrett missed the tackle and -- with no deep safety -- it was a sprint to the end zone. The entire play took 14 seconds. Ryan took a calculated gamble, expecting the seven-man rush to pressure the rookie quarterback into an incompletion or, better yet, a turnover.
All told, Bridgewater was blitzed 12 times, according to Pro Football Focus. He completed six of 10 for 155 yards and a touchdown, plus a sack and scramble.
Sheldon's big day: Sheldon Richardson became the first Jets player since Calvin Pace in 2009 to record three sacks in a game. Each one came on a four-man rush. On the second sack, he actually rushed first and dropped into short coverage, something he has done more frequently this season. He has dropped 35 times, more than three times the number of any other defensive lineman on the team, per PFF. Richardson's third sack was another clean-up situation, as Babin forced Bridgewater to step up in the pocket.
Catch of the year: It was overshadowed by everything else, but Chris Owusu's acrobatic catch might have been the play of the year for the Jets. It wasn't in the Odell Beckham, Jr. category, but it was sensational in its own right. On a second-and-3, he got high off the ground, showing his 40-inch vertical jump. He actually should've caught it on the first attempt, but he maintained his concentration as safety Harrison Smith yanked him to the ground. The ball fell into his lap and he secured it. It was only his fourth catch of the season (the first two came with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and the 18th of his career. Owusu was promoted from the practice squad last week to replace Greg Salas, who went on injured reserve. Maybe they should use Owusu in the red zone; they could use a playmaker there.
