week 12 Arizona Cardinals coaches film analysis

Originally posted by jonnydel:
It looks like an "even" alignment. Where the Dline are all on even numbered techs. Looks like it could be a 2, 4(he could be in a 3, it's kind of in between) and 6.

Yeah I see what you mean. ARI comes with some very funky defensive fronts. Sometimes they'll have all 3 DL on one side of the formation and all the LBs to the other side of the formation. Just very weird.

Just wondering, based on what you guys are seeing.....is it still feeling like a really paired down playbook? Just from watching on tv, it feels like it a little more expansive. Hell, we are even completing screen passes out of i form now

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by jonnydel:

It looks like an "even" alignment. Where the Dline are all on even numbered techs. Looks like it could be a 2, 4(he could be in a 3, it's kind of in between) and 6.

Yeah I see what you mean. ARI comes with some very funky defensive fronts. Sometimes they'll have all 3 DL on one side of the formation and all the LBs to the other side of the formation. Just very weird.

Now I know what you meant when you replied to correct me. I should not have used the word "odd" in my post. I meant to say "strange", or "unorthodox". Should not have used the word "odd" since that describes what you were referring to (alignment of technique). I agree with you it looks more like an "even" alignment.

Originally posted by Niners816:

Just wondering, based on what you guys are seeing.....is it still feeling like a really paired down playbook? Just from watching on tv, it feels like it a little more expansive. Hell, we are even completing screen passes out of i form now

It's definitely more than what was being run in the first SEA game and the STL game. When Kap was in full tunnel vision mode it was spacing, slant-flat, or slide (three level flood) on nearly every dropback. I'll show later shallow cross and trail that Gabbert hit on.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Niners816:
Just wondering, based on what you guys are seeing.....is it still feeling like a really paired down playbook? Just from watching on tv, it feels like it a little more expansive. Hell, we are even completing screen passes out of i form now

It's definitely more than what was being run in the first SEA game and the STL game. When Kap was in full tunnel vision mode it was spacing, slant-flat, or slide (three level flood) on nearly every dropback. I'll show later shallow cross and trail that Gabbert hit on.

I hope all the other aussies come in here and absorb some this. Best place to learn, thanks guys. and thanks google.

Originally posted by Dingo:

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by Niners816:

Just wondering, based on what you guys are seeing.....is it still feeling like a really paired down playbook? Just from watching on tv, it feels like it a little more expansive. Hell, we are even completing screen passes out of i form now

It's definitely more than what was being run in the first SEA game and the STL game. When Kap was in full tunnel vision mode it was spacing, slant-flat, or slide (three level flood) on nearly every dropback. I'll show later shallow cross and trail that Gabbert hit on.

I hope all the other aussies come in here and absorb some this. Best place to learn, thanks guys. and thanks google.

If you are looking to learn more about American football I suggest you check out the "all22 concepts thread" that's pinned at the top of this forum. It has tons of infomation on pretty much everything revolving around the X's and O's of football. Kinda a one stop shop.....diagrams, playbook art, gifs of concepts etc...

All22 concepts thread

For me, reading Jonny or thl break down a play is like being a young kid listening to your parents have a conversation. You know they're speaking English but have no idea what they are talking about. Truly amazing knowledge of the game.

Originally posted by Niners816:
If you are looking to learn more about American football I suggest you check out the "all22 concepts thread" that's pinned at the top of this forum. It has tons of infomation on pretty much everything revolving around the X's and O's of football. Kinda a one stop shop.....diagrams, playbook art, gifs of concepts etc...

All22 concepts thread

This is why I love American football. I played Rugby Union to I guess what you guys might consider JV level and it never really got more complicated than individual assignments and some pre-practiced set-pieces. The depth in NFL is staggering in comparison (even if Rugby probably creates more rounded players overall).

Originally posted by Jasta:

Originally posted by Niners816:
If you are looking to learn more about American football I suggest you check out the "all22 concepts thread" that's pinned at the top of this forum. It has tons of infomation on pretty much everything revolving around the X's and O's of football. Kinda a one stop shop.....diagrams, playbook art, gifs of concepts etc...

All22 concepts thread

This is why I love American football. I played Rugby Union to I guess what you guys might consider JV level and it never really got more complicated than individual assignments and some pre-practiced set-pieces. The depth in NFL is staggering in comparison (even if Rugby probably creates more rounded players overall).

definitely man. the strategy is so detailed and in-depth. like a chess-match in so many ways.

The 49ers called a total of 1 fire zone blitz the entire game, that I saw. In their first meeting this season, they called many zone concepts and the zone coverages got roasted again and again. There were many more man coverage concepts in this game and, overall, it resulted in a better showing, although Brock and Ward each got beat deep.

Going back a little bit, this is the first possession for ARI.
Mills concept to Palmer's left + a backside deep curl vs Cover 1 blitz. DJ is matched up against Fitz.



5 man rush. Reid comes up to rob the middle, but his real assignment is to cover the RB if the RB leaks out. Brock is in good position to defeat any vertical route from the backside WR by staying in front of him.


Palmer in mid windup, Brock with sticky coverage. All of the DBs on the strongside also playing good man coverage.


Brock is able to contest the throw to force an incompletion. Punt (Ellington fumble).

Here's the play that pissed all of us off. After a timeout, the 49ers line up trips right. 3rd & 14, the 49ers need to push the ball downfield. There are 3 down linemen, but blue LB will be the 4th rusher.

Slant-flat to the left + triple slant to the right. Can't tell what coverage ARI is in - maybe Cover 1 robber.


Gabbert takes the snap and the OL parts like the red sea for blue to rush up the middle.


Gabbert is thinking he has to get rid of the ball.


Checkdown to the flat on 3rd & 14!!?? Now we know why.

On the next 49er possession. This is a drive with run, run, pass, and more 3rd down fail.

Drive concept (yellow + red) vs Cover 1 blitz. The area to attack Cover 1 blitz is over the middle short/intermediate, so on the whiteboard, the red route should be open provided protection holds up.


Gabbert completes his drop and sees this. He knows the blitz is on - 5 rushers.


The Dig route over the middle (Vance) has yet to break and Gabbert has a nice pocket to step up into. Gabbert decides to target the drag route, which would work if the defender on Patton was in a trail position - he is not - the defender is able to attack downhill on the drag.


Patton drops the pass, but even if he had caught it, he would get drilled short of the first down. Punt.

I've been looking at this gif for a day or so now from the PM, I'm thinking Vance might be the culprit on why the dig didn't open up when it should. Drive is a 7 step concept with a crosser at 4-6 yards and the dig at 10-12. We have a gun with 5 steps, that's equivalent to 7 steps so this should have timed up. I'm wondering if Vance's intial get-off delayed it enough to throw the timing off. Just a thought.

This is on the FG drive to end the first half. This play is immediately after the play in post#19 (Vance catches a pass and flattens the safety).

Shallow Cross (yellow + red) vs Cover 1 blitz


Gabbert completes his drop and feels pressure off the edge. He steps up into the pocket.


Gabbert eludes a tackle and breaks pocket containment. This causes the defender on Boldin to leave Boldin to defend a possible scramble. Gabbert throws across his body targeting Boldin.




Scrambling opens up a WR - in this case 2 WRs as the defender on Vance also leaves him so there are two possible targets in the middle of the field. +15 yards.

Originally posted by Niners816:


I've been looking at this gif for a day or so now from the PM, I'm thinking Vance might be the culprit on why the dig didn't open up when it should. Drive is a 7 step concept with a crosser at 4-6 yards and the dig at 10-12. We have a gun with 5 steps, that's equivalent to 7 steps so this should have timed up. I'm wondering if Vance's intial get-off delayed it enough to throw the timing off. Just a thought.

Vance does a stutter step at the LoS, then gets a bit tangled up with the defender. Perhaps he should have adjusted his route to shorten the depth.