Smoot Lays the Smack Down (Redskins vs. Ravens)

[GTripp0012]

Flat out fact: if Chris Horton gets beaten in deep coverage by Lee Evans, then shamelessly stays on the field illegally with the idea that they'll have to go challenge the play if he protests it, Chris Horton gets released the next morning. Period. End of story.

Defensive "leaders" like Hall do get a bit more room for that, but we're really talking about 20% of NFL defensive players who won't get released instantly for pulling a selfish stunt. Whether or not your opinion of Hall is that he's one of the best 20% of defensive players in football, it's clear that the term to describe this is preferential treatment. If your defense of Hall is that he's earned preferential treatment, fine, my argument ends at that point. But let us at least call it what it is.

[Bucket]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Flat out fact: if Chris Horton gets beaten in deep coverage by Lee Evans, then shamelessly stays on the field illegally with the idea that they'll have to go challenge the play if he protests it, Chris Horton gets released the next morning. Period. End of story.

Defensive "leaders" like Hall do get a bit more room for that, but we're really talking about 20% of NFL defensive players who won't get released instantly for pulling a selfish stunt. Whether or not your opinion of Hall is that he's one of the best 20% of defensive players in football, it's clear that the term to describe this is preferential treatment. If your defense of Hall is that he's earned preferential treatment, fine, my argument ends at that point. But let us at least call it what it is.

How can you call that a fact if it's never happen? You don't know what would happen if this was to occur. You guys are just picking on a guy who goes out and try's to make plays every game. This is the kinda defense Haslett wants and if you want to blame someone for this then blame him.

Facts.... LOL, That's like me saying..

FACT!!! John Beck would win the NFL MVP if he completed 50% of his passes this year

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Finally had a chance to review the game. Hopefully this is a preview of a weekly SS33 Game Review.

OL - Huge improvement from last year. Familiarity with the ZB scheme is helping the guys from last year. I finally saw an important component of the ZB scheme that was missing last year.....the cut blocks. On the Hightower TD, the cut from KL took down two Ravens and opened the cutback lane. I specifically saw good two good cuts by TW and another by KL. Didn't notice any from Brown/Chester, but hope they're coming.

Monty at C, without bashing ol' turnstile Rabach for a paragraph, let's just say Monty is a huge upgrade at C. The only bad play from him was a mis-communication between him and Chester that allowed the DT to shoot the A gap and blow up a run. Monty went 2nd level too early and Chester couldn't reach the DT.

Pass-pro is much improved. Not seeing the OL getting beaten with a 4 or 5 man rush. The OL is getting at worst a stalemate in pass-pro, which is a win and big improvement from last year where our OL were not only doing a poor job of blitz pick-up, but were losing individual battles.

Blitz Pick-up - An area that needs work, but with new players at C, RG, RB and TE this should improve and is an area that can be "coached up". TW has to get better at reading overload C-gap pressure and stay home rather than get sucked down to the B gap. Brown and Chester need to improve communication in passing the rushers between them. The blitz pick-up appears to be more of an issue on Brown's side. Hopefully by game 4-5 Brown, Chester and the backs/Davis will have settled in.

Davis is much improved in blocking and appears to be taking pride in this effort here. He still has work to do in blitz pick-up, but the run blocking appears to be coming along well and he's showing "want-to".

DL - Very pleased here. Cofield is showing why he was the most improtant off-season acquisition. He holds his ground in the run game and creates pressure in the pass game. The base 3-4 rush and 4-man front are getting pressure without needing blitz support....huge improvement from last year. I really like the even front with Rak and Kerrigan off the edges and Cofield and possibly Carriker/Bowen/Scott (JJ loss is awful, overall we'll be fine but he was a pleasant surprise).

Not real happy with Bowen's pre-snap stance (I get in a similar stance in the early AM), but he's doing his job so far.

I think Scott earned himself a roster spot with his versatility and effort. He created good pressure in pass rush and held up well in the run game overall.

More later....

[Slingin Sammy 33]

UPDATED: Finally had a chance to review the game. Hopefully this is a preview of a weekly SS33 Game Review.

OL - Huge improvement from last year. Familiarity with the ZB scheme is helping the guys from last year. I finally saw an important component of the ZB scheme that was missing last year.....the cut blocks. On the Hightower TD, the cut from KL took down two Ravens and opened the cutback lane. I specifically saw good two good cuts by TW and another by KL. Didn't notice any from Brown/Chester, but hope they're coming.

Monty at C, without bashing ol' turnstile Rabach for a paragraph, let's just say Monty is a huge upgrade at C. The only bad play from him was a mis-communication between him and Chester that allowed the DT to shoot the A gap and blow up a run. Monty went 2nd level too early and Chester couldn't reach the DT.

Pass-pro is much improved. Not seeing the OL getting beaten with a 4 or 5 man rush. The OL is getting at worst a stalemate in pass-pro, which is a win and big improvement from last year where our OL were not only doing a poor job of blitz pick-up, but were losing individual battles.

Blitz Pick-up - An area that needs work, but with new players at C, RG, RB and TE this should improve and is an area that can be "coached up". TW has to get better at reading overload C-gap pressure and stay home rather than get sucked down to the B gap. Brown and Chester need to improve communication in passing the rushers between them. The blitz pick-up appears to be more of an issue on Brown's side. Hopefully by game 4-5 Brown, Chester and the backs/Davis will have settled in.

Davis is much improved in blocking and appears to be taking pride in this effort here. He still has work to do in blitz pick-up, but the run blocking appears to be coming along well and he's showing "want-to".

Hightower looks to be a great fit, excellent cut in the open field on the TD, also excellent explosion and "second gear" which we haven't had in our backfield in quite some time. He did well in pass-pro, another good "want to" showing.

Austin has earned a roster spot. Sure hands, making plays, appears to have a good grasp on his responsibilities.

Our O faced the Ravens 1st team D and played well, I wouldn't say "dominated" but they did win the battle up front and displayed a very good effort all around.

DL - Very pleased here. Cofield is showing why he was the most improtant off-season acquisition. He holds his ground in the run game and creates pressure in the pass game. The base 3-4 rush and 4-man front are getting pressure without needing blitz support....huge improvement from last year. I really like the even front with Rak and Kerrigan off the edges and Cofield and possibly Carriker/Bowen/Scott (JJ loss is awful, overall we'll be fine but he was a pleasant surprise).

Not real happy with Bowen's pre-snap stance (I get in a similar stance in the early AM), but he's doing his job so far.

I think Scott earned himself a roster spot with his versatility and effort. He created good pressure in pass rush and held up well in the run game overall.

Defensive Secondary: We've discussed Hall in other posts so I won't repeat.

Rushkins made a great post on this earlier. We are going to be hurt by not having OJA and LL on the field together in camp and pre-season. There were two specific plays where OJA was completely lost/out of position. The one that hurt most was the Boldin cross. OJA gets sucked out of his zone by the post and Boldin comes underneath into his vacated zone for a big play. I initially thought Hall got sucked up on a flat route, but a closer look showed a Cover 3 Zone deep and OJA was the culprit. Also, our youngsters didn't play particularly well, Gomes and Jones didn't help their cause.

Rak looked very good, Kerrigan too. Not worried about the penalties on 91, they're effort penalties and will be corrected. I'd like to see Neild make the team, he's doing a good job holding his ground and taking up space in the run game. He got a good push in pass rush, but I don't think he'll ever be considered a sack threat.

I liked the playcalls by Haslett. Good mix on D, different looks, coverages, blitzes.

I think Locklear, Golston, and Clemens can be cut.

And finally.....Beck vs. Rex. Beck has a better grasp of the O. He's making the correct reads and quick/accurate throws. The deep INT appeared to be a miscommunication between him and Stallworth that will be corrected once the final 53 is determined and they get familiar with each other. Beck led him in, Stallworth was looking out. If in doubt, throw it out(side) should be the rule of thumb....less chance for INT. Or Beck just made a $hitty throw....but I think it was the former.

Rex is still the same guy, great throws in stretches, but too many poor throws/reads that will kill drives and lose games. Before the TD, Smith should've picked him on a VERY poor throw. That being said Moss dropped a TD right before that. Rex also doesn't identify the blitz and coverage quite as quickly as Beck does.

SS, 12th, 53, thanks for the kind words. Any reviews I do are Warpath Exclusives I'll do my best to keep them up every week.

[mooby]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

UPDATED: Finally had a chance to review the game. Hopefully this is a preview of a weekly SS33 Game Review.

OL - Huge improvement from last year. Familiarity with the ZB scheme is helping the guys from last year. I finally saw an important component of the ZB scheme that was missing last year.....the cut blocks. On the Hightower TD, the cut from KL took down two Ravens and opened the cutback lane. I specifically saw good two good cuts by TW and another by KL. Didn't notice any from Brown/Chester, but hope they're coming.

Monty at C, without bashing ol' turnstile Rabach for a paragraph, let's just say Monty is a huge upgrade at C. The only bad play from him was a mis-communication between him and Chester that allowed the DT to shoot the A gap and blow up a run. Monty went 2nd level too early and Chester couldn't reach the DT.

Pass-pro is much improved. Not seeing the OL getting beaten with a 4 or 5 man rush. The OL is getting at worst a stalemate in pass-pro, which is a win and big improvement from last year where our OL were not only doing a poor job of blitz pick-up, but were losing individual battles.

Blitz Pick-up - An area that needs work, but with new players at C, RG, RB and TE this should improve and is an area that can be "coached up". TW has to get better at reading overload C-gap pressure and stay home rather than get sucked down to the B gap. Brown and Chester need to improve communication in passing the rushers between them. The blitz pick-up appears to be more of an issue on Brown's side. Hopefully by game 4-5 Brown, Chester and the backs/Davis will have settled in.

Davis is much improved in blocking and appears to be taking pride in this effort here. He still has work to do in blitz pick-up, but the run blocking appears to be coming along well and he's showing "want-to".

Hightower looks to be a great fit, excellent cut in the open field on the TD, also excellent explosion and "second gear" which we haven't had in our backfield in quite some time. He did well in pass-pro, another good "want to" showing.

Austin has earned a roster spot. Sure hands, making plays, appears to have a good grasp on his responsibilities.

Our O faced the Ravens 1st team D and played well, I wouldn't say "dominated" but they did win the battle up front and displayed a very good effort all around.

DL - Very pleased here. Cofield is showing why he was the most improtant off-season acquisition. He holds his ground in the run game and creates pressure in the pass game. The base 3-4 rush and 4-man front are getting pressure without needing blitz support....huge improvement from last year. I really like the even front with Rak and Kerrigan off the edges and Cofield and possibly Carriker/Bowen/Scott (JJ loss is awful, overall we'll be fine but he was a pleasant surprise).

Not real happy with Bowen's pre-snap stance (I get in a similar stance in the early AM), but he's doing his job so far.

I think Scott earned himself a roster spot with his versatility and effort. He created good pressure in pass rush and held up well in the run game overall.

Defensive Secondary: We've discussed Hall in other posts so I won't repeat.

Rushkins made a great post on this earlier. We are going to be hurt by not having OJA and LL on the field together in camp and pre-season. There were two specific plays where OJA was completely lost/out of position. The one that hurt most was the Boldin cross. OJA gets sucked out of his zone by the post and Boldin comes underneath into his vacated zone for a big play. I initially thought Hall got sucked up on a flat route, but a closer look showed a Cover 3 Zone deep and OJA was the culprit. Also, our youngsters didn't play particularly well, Gomes and Jones didn't help their cause.

Rak looked very good, Kerrigan too. Not worried about the penalties on 91, they're effort penalties and will be corrected. I'd like to see Neild make the team, he's doing a good job holding his ground and taking up space in the run game. He got a good push in pass rush, but I don't think he'll ever be considered a sack threat.

I liked the playcalls by Haslett. Good mix on D, different looks, coverages, blitzes.

I think Locklear, Golston, and Clemens can be cut.

And finally.....Beck vs. Rex. Beck has a better grasp of the O. He's making the correct reads and quick/accurate throws. The deep INT appeared to be a miscommunication between him and Stallworth that will be corrected once the final 53 is determined and they get familiar with each other. Beck led him in, Stallworth was looking out. If in doubt, throw it out(side) should be the rule of thumb....less chance for INT. Or Beck just made a $hitty throw....but I think it was the former.

Rex is still the same guy, great throws in stretches, but too many poor throws/reads that will kill drives and lose games. Before the TD, Smith should've picked him on a VERY poor throw. That being said Moss dropped a TD right before that. Rex also doesn't identify the blitz and coverage quite as quickly as Beck does.

SS, 12th, 53, thanks for the kind words. Any reviews I do are Warpath Exclusives I'll do my best to keep them up every week.

SS33, your value to this site should never be in question. Great job.

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by Slingin Sammy 33

UPDATED: Finally had a chance to review the game. Hopefully this is a preview of a weekly SS33 Game Review.

OL - Huge improvement from last year. Familiarity with the ZB scheme is helping the guys from last year. I finally saw an important component of the ZB scheme that was missing last year.....the cut blocks. On the Hightower TD, the cut from KL took down two Ravens and opened the cutback lane. I specifically saw good two good cuts by TW and another by KL. Didn't notice any from Brown/Chester, but hope they're coming.

.

Couple of things here 1) love the review SS33 I'm on a few boards and you are definetly one of the best at what you do.
2) I love ZB...I believe more teams should do it.
3)CUT BLOCKS= chop blocks and those are illegal.......Shannahan has a bad rep when it come to this his lines in Denver were called "dirty" at times,the O line has to be careful ...

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by Giantone

Couple of things here 1) love the review SS33 I'm on a few boards and you are definetly one of the best at what you do.
2) I love ZB...I believe more teams should do it.
3)CUT BLOCKS= chop blocks and those are illegal.......Shannahan has a bad rep when it come to this his lines in Denver were called "dirty" at times,the O line has to be careful ...

Thanks again to everyone for the encouragement, it makes the time to put the reviews together worthwhile.

Giantone - one #3, I agree with you. Shanny's ZB scheme and the "dirty" label is great in one respect, it creates a bit of fear and uncertainty in the Def Line's mind. One the other hand, opposing coaches will be whining to the refs and they'll be watching closely for illegal blocks. With good coaching, those cut blocks are perfectly legal and shouldn't be penalized.

[SmootSmack]

You should make it a weekly feature. Your game reviews are the best I've seen on any message board and as good as many professional ones I've seen, and you don't have the same access to film they do

[53Fan]

Good stuff Sammy and very encouraging. Keep it coming!

[12thMan]

Good breakdown, SS33

[Swarley]

I'm I the only one that missed the part where most NFL CB's are apparently great at tackling?

95 tackles by Dhall is nothing to scoff at. I'm sure he whiffed on a few but I'm sure CB's around the league whiffed on as many if not more than he did.

[SBXVII]

Originally Posted by GreekSkin

I'm I the only one that missed the part where most NFL CB's are apparently great at tackling?

95 tackles by Dhall is nothing to scoff at. I'm sure he whiffed on a few but I'm sure CB's around the league whiffed on as many if not more than he did.

But apparently they are not Hall so they are superior.

[53Fan]

Originally Posted by GreekSkin

I'm I the only one that missed the part where most NFL CB's are apparently great at tackling?

95 tackles by Dhall is nothing to scoff at. I'm sure he whiffed on a few but I'm sure CB's around the league whiffed on as many if not more than he did.

No it's not. Asomugha only had 19. I wonder if that's because teams try to avoid Asomugha and game plan around him? Just saying... I love when D. Hall gets turnovers. They're game changers and they fire the team up. I think a lot of us just think he gives up a lot more plays than he needs to by trying for the big play. I'd like to see him cover a little better. Hope that's not too much to ask out of a corner. Shut your man down first...look for the TO second....not the other way around.

[Swarley]

nah, he just was fortunate to go up against extremely soft ball carriers...

[SBXVII]

Plus I think it's up to Haslett. If he didn't think Hall could cover the opponants #1 WR then he would make another CB cover them and let Hall shift to the side with the lesser talent. But apparently he has faith in Hall by letting him cover his side of the field.