TE and H-Back sets - the future of the NFL offense?
| 12
|
by user Drpatriot
|
The Future of the NFL Offense
As the NFL has progressed in age, teams have continued to adapt to changing offenses. First came the passing game in general as an option. Phenomena like the shotgun formation, the Power-I, the fun and gun, the wishbone and the West Coast offense have swept through and completely revamped the way that the NFL offense works. These phenomena confused defenses beyond belief, causing them to adjust their personnel radically. Offenses like these have changed the flow of the game drastically.
One current fad is the ace-slot set, which causes teams to have 1 RB and 3 WRs on the field. This set appears to be effective because it causes the defense to either adjust their personnel (opening up the run game) or put someone not suited to coverage in pursuit of a WR. Another trend that is currently in vogue is the athletic TE. Players like Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez and Alge Crumpler are becoming well-known names among those who follow football, as well as passing fans of the team, because they are becoming valuable parts of the NFL offense.
From these two ideas, a dramatic change comes to mind. This new idea will progress the NFL offense to new dimensions and, in my opinion, will help certain teams with mediocre or worse offenses become juggernauts. So what is this offense called? I give you…the Next-Gen Offense.
(Editor's note: Yes, I know the name is kind of lame. Suggestions are welcome.)
This new offense would feature a few main sets. The “base” set would have 2 TEs, 1 HB, 2 WR and 1 RB. “Small” would turn the weak side HB into a WR, whereas “wide” would turn both HBs into WRs. If anyone is confused (I know I am), I will put the positions into more detail, as the specific skill sets required for each position are quite specific.
The tight end: The tight ends are similar to today’s offense. A TE in this system should have at least adequate blocking skill and above-average receiving skill, ideally with the two TEs being varied in their skill sets.
The wide receiver: The wide receiver in this offense requires good agility. Speed receivers are preferred to possession receivers, as they are used to make matchup problems with cornerbacks and safeties. The receiver is placed wide on the same side as the WTE.
The H-back: “HB” refers to H-back. HBs are all-purpose players, designed to have good blocking skills and have the ability to receive or run the ball. As these players are the key to the next-gen offense, certain adjusting due to the specific player’s skillset is required. An ideal HB who can block and receive is Chris Cooley. An ideal HB who can block and run is William Henderson.
The running back: Just like in any NFL offense, the runningback carries the rock most of the time. RBs in this system need to be faster than the average RB and need to be able to catch the ball out of the backfield. Players like LaDainian Tomlinson and Brian Westbrook are preferable to Jerome Bettis or Corey Dillon.
Each of these positions plays a crucial role in the offense, and it is designed so that almost any play can be run in any of the base three formations with near to equal success. Let us look at a few different types of plays used in this offense:
The Run
The running play has been the basis of any and all NFL offenses so far. Luckily, it isn’t going anywhere and will remain in this type of offense. The reason running play works well in this offense, especially better than in other offenses, is because there should be two to three extra blockers blocking for the RB on any given play.
How can this be, you ask? I will illustrate with a picture. Red lines are the runner, blue lines are blocking, and green lines are motion before the snap.
Before the snap, one HB goes into motion towards the QB and behind his back. At the snap, the C and RG double team a lineman in the 4-3, the LG hits the other DT, the tackle and TE double up on the DE, with one shedding off and hitting the OLB. The near HB hits the MLB and the HB that went in motion lead blocks, assisting on the DT, OLB or MLB if necessary. Ideally, the nearest man is a CB, who would be further away than shown in this diagram, and the RB would run right through, possibly with a lead blocker kicking out anyone necessary. This scheme has more people at the center of the average running play than almost any other system. Though some would say that this could pose a problem, a successful team would stop a pile-up at the line.
The only apparent problem with this is that the HB's motion would cue the defense into what was going on. Not so, if you ask me. Counter plays where the motioning HB and RB change direction, passing plays where the motioning HB blocks, and reverses to the non-motion HB are all viable options to mess with the defense’s head.
Pros to running in the Next Gen Offense:
- Heavy blocking: Up to 5 men at the point of attack, plus the runningback.
- Trick plays: HB handoffs and reverses could drive a defense wild.
- Flexibility: Plays can be run to either side from the same formation and a variety of different plays can be run from each formation.
Cons to running in the Next Gen Offense:
- Some predictability: Though there are many options, the motion of the HB can sometimes tip a defense off.
The Pass
Passing is probably the greatest feature of the Next Gen Offense. Passing can use any of the 3 base formations but we’ll use the small formation to create the greatest matchup problems. Let’s use a typical pass play as an example:
Note that colors are different only to help us identify who is running which route. Let us look at matchups for each player:
The WR: This is the easiest decision for the defense. The closest CB covers the WR, but with only one WR on the field, this guy should be pretty good.
The LTE: Who covers the LTE? The answer is simple, right? The OLB! But wait, the OLB is too slow to cover this TE. Of course, the FS can cover him. But wait again, this leaves the deep zone open, especially for burners at WR. The best option is probably that the MLB guards this TE, leaving the OLB on the RB, but this still creates huge matchup problems as the TE is probably much better at receiving than the MLB is in coverage.
The RTE: Now the question comes to who covers this guy. It could be the CB, but the TE is much stronger and should be able to plow through him on a quick out route, and that will be open all day. The SS could cover him, but then who covers the HB? The OLB or CB? That could present a problem for the defense, as the HB is likely much faster than the OLB and stronger than the CB.
The RB: The RB would probably be the OLB’s responsibility on either side, but he could stay back in pass protection or go for a swing route anyway, hoping to catch someone out of position. A speedy RB like Brian Westbrook, who is vastly preferred in this offense to power RBs, will beat an OLB in single coverage any day of the week.
Obviously, this formation leaves the pass play wide open, causing numerous matchup problems for the defense. This type of offense will cause defenses to readjust the personnel of defenses around the league as they scramble to counter this new offensive style.
Pros of the Next Gen Pass Play:
- Match-up problems. A traditional defense cannot cover everyone in a base formation and will have equal trouble in the small formation.
- Short passing is easier. With so many big targets on the field, it is easy to find a first-down target.
- Pass blocking: If fewer receivers are sent out, all but one (the WR) is able to help a lot in pass protection.
Cons of the Next Gen Pass Play:
- Long bombs: Don’t try the Hail Mary out of this formation; it probably won’t work. This is not a deep passing formation, except the occasional drop to the WR.
Who can run the Next Gen Offense?
I hope this has shown you how and why the Next Gen Offense could become an extremely formidable offense in the future. To conclude, I will answer the question of who could run the Next Gen Offense - not soon, but this year! This question is an important one, and the type of team who could quickly implement this system is clear: a team deep at TE but considerably lacking at WR, a team with quick, pass-catching RBs. There are two teams that immediately come to mind.
The San Francisco 49ers: With the recent drafting of Vernon Davis, the 49ers could begin this offense as early as this year. They have 7 TEs on their current roster, including Davis and Eric Johnson, who was a Pro Bowler as recently as 2003. They also have a few HB candidates, including RB Michael Robinson (who played anything at Penn State), RB Terry Jackson and FB Chris Heatherington. In particular, I believe Robinson would use his various skills at the HB position very well.
The 49ers would benefit from this system because, as we all know, the 49ers are considerably thin at WR and cannot support a traditional pass attack. In addition, RBs Kevan Barlow and Frank Gore could use all of the blocking they could get. This system would also bring more protection to Alex Smith, who could probably use less pressure, and would give him more reliable targets on the field at once.
The New England Patriots: The Patriots are the ideal team to run this system. They have nearly the perfect personnel set, with proven TEs Daniel Graham and Ben Watson already established in the offense. TE/FB Garrett Mills, drafted in the 4th round, would excel at HB, as would jack-of-all-trades RB Patrick Pass. Future starting RB Laurence Maroney has the skill set to be a threat in the running game and the passing game.
Finally, the Patriots are considerably lacking at WR, with Deion Branch, Reche Caldwell and Chad Jackson being their primary targets; though Branch is good, Caldwell has not proven himself and Jackson is a rookie. The strength at TE and the weakness at WR, along with the correct personnel to run the system, make the Next Gen Offense an excellent choice for the Pats.
Date
Wed 08/02/06, 11:22 am EST
