Thoughts on College Football's Week 12 and NFL Week 11

 

Thoughts on College Football's Week 12 and NFL Week 11

A light week on the recap blog as we will have a big preview for the Thanksgiving weekend. Let's party.

1. Best of the Week

Best Game: Appalachian State vs James Madison


They came to town, saw the Dukes get all the praise on GameDay, and pulled out a win in overtime as ten point underdogs. How many teams get 48 rushing yards and find a way to win? A back and forth, muddy affair. God bless the Sunbelt.

Best Player: Jalen Ramsey (CB) - Dolphins

Ramsey was a big off-season acquisition, but a preseason injury made for a rocky start in Miami. The Raiders aren't know for their firepower, but they do have Davante Adams, and Ramsey showed the rookie O'Connell why teams generally avoid his half of the field. Two pass deflections and two picks, the second to seal the win, is a way to put the league on notice.

Best Uniform: Texans

I love the new red helmets for the Texans, but putting them on the blue jerseys made it pop. The blue pants, blue socks, and then most players wearing red gloves made it a beautifully coordinated day. 

2. Feast Week

We made it to the best weekend of football, the apex of the season. In college football we have rivalry week, and still plenty left to play for in terms of conference and playoff contention. But my favorite part is the spoiler matchups. There will be plenty of teams playing so their rival doesn't get to go bowling. Not even the a top bowl, I'm talking December 16th bowl games. That is pure hatred, a testament of the human spirit.

In the NFL, we will have great games on Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday. The first ever four day Thanksgiving weekend for the Shield. If you enjoy sports volume and not a sport quality fan (aka March Madness opening weekend makes your sport heart more happy than the Super Bowl) then fill your plate with food and buckle up.

3. Left Defensive Ends

Growing up, it was all about the right defensive ends. Dwight Freeney, Jason Taylor, Jared Allen, and the like came on the quarterback's blindside and made the left tackle so important in football. Sure, there was the Michael Strahan's of the world, but most top rushers came from the right side. Then came Von Miller, Robert Mathis, JJ Watt (left side 3 tech), and a host of players coming from the left side.

And if you watched Aidan Hutchinson's game-winning strip sack of Justin Fields you get why. You don't have to chop around the back of the quarterbacks, the quarterback puts it in front of you if you come from the left side. Today's best pass rushers have more freedom to pick their matchup than any previous generation (watch Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, and Chris Jones move everywhere). But a lot of them make their bread coming from the left side. It's an interesting response to the left tackle movement, players subconsciously finding the best matchup since they started putting their hand in the dirt.

4. Play of the Week

The UCLA Bruins have been through it this year at the quarterback position, playing three different players meaningful minutes. Say whatever you want about Chip Kelly, the man can scheme up open, defined reads for his quarterback. We had to feature this game for the uniform matchup alone, but having Chip put on a Masterclass on how to get a player wide open is something to see.


  • UCLA starts the play with three receivers, but one of them is a running back split out wide (dot 1). This is commonplace for teams with a running back who is proficient in the pass game, and allows for an easy read for a quick screen or go route if not covered properly. The Trojans are concerned about the run, Chip's bread and butter is inside zone read, so they are in man coverage with a safety split out wide (dot 2) to cover the running back.
  • The other safety (dot 3) is deep, but he is checking out the tight end. Let's see what happens when the Bruins bring the running back in jet motion.
  • The running back (dot 1) comes in jet motion. The safety who was covering him (dot 2) starts telling his safety-mate (dot 3) to come down and take the jet motion while he will take the middle of the field.
  • We have a fake jet handoff (dot 1), an influence pull by the backside guard (dot 2) to get the defense to commit, and the playside safety is starting to flying the alley (dot 3).
  • The tight end (dot 4) engages the edge player, further selling the run to the defense, and gets the backside safety (dot 5) looking into the backfield.
  • Now the tight end (dot 1) has released from his block, crossed the formation, and is heading on a throwback wheel route. Everything on the offense has flowed one way for the play, so this is hard to stop. 
  • The safety (dot 2) has gone from split out wide on the running back, to covering the middle of the field, and now has to watch as the tight end be wide open on the backside of the field. The Trojans' defense is not good, but this is simply too much for a college safety to process in such a short period of time. Dear neckbeards, stop blaming these kids and go spend time with your family.
  • Easy pitch and catch, just in front of 90k people. Nice win Bruins!

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