The Interception Conspiracy

[jason j]

Just for fun I want to walk through the anatomy of an interception at the NFL level. This is a bit presumptuous on my part, but some of you might find it fun.

First, Colt McCoy straight up threw one interception on Sunday. Interestingly it wasn't the one that was actually picked off.

On the Browns touchdown drive, Colt throw late and light to the right flat and gift wrapped a pick six. Fortunately, the Ravens defender treated it much the same way that his own receivers did... allowing to bounce harmlessly to the turf.

That said, his earlier interception is a perfect example of how ineptitude and lack of discipline conspire to create turnovers.

Let's start at frame one. Offensively, what you've got here is a shot gun 2x2 set with negative splits (inside the numbers). Defensively you've got a 2-4-5 with the Strong side linebacker on the line outside shoulder to the RT and the weak side linebacker showing high low coverage on the backside twins.



The pre-snap read should be zone quarters with the weak side linebacker in the flat to the boundary.



Note, the arrows for the 2 safeties off screen are pointing forward just so you can see where they are. Their actual responsibility is anything vertical in the middle of the field.

However... pre-snap is pre-snap...

As we get closer to the snap, the Ravens tip their blitz package.



At that point the coverage has to rotate. The weak side corner becomes the flat defender. The safety to that side takes first vertical route to that side. This leaves the safety to the field either "free," or in quarter-quarter-half coverage (with the safety to the boundary with the "half"). Either way it means you have two on two to the weak side and 4 on two to the strong side.

So here's the problem, you've got. There are two high probability ways to attack this:

1.) QB must hold the middle quarter defender on the strong side of the field... in this case, Colt, look to your right. Then you run some variation on a "smash concept" to the weak side. That is a 0-7 combination or a 1-7 combination (or hitch-corner or out-corner).

2.) QB must hold the free safety (the inside quarter defender to the strong side) deep. Then run the smash (or a variation) concept to the strong side.

They had 3 - 0/1 option call to the strong side. That's a high/low out route with a hitch option in the slot.

The back side was a 9-1 combination route with Cribbs running the seam vertical from the outside and the slot running the out. Not ideal. You you've either got to throw that seam route over the linebacker, or risk driving that out route to the sideline short of the sticks from the near hash.

Ideally Cribbs is just there to lift the safeties. And he does that. So Colt know that he's working strong side. A courtesy glance to the weak side would've been nice. But basically, we're now working a strong side high/low read against 4 zone defenders. Not ideal, but not impossible.

All Colt has to do is keep the free safety honest and he should be able to get a window on the 3 route to the marker, or if the corner sags, he's got Little on the hitch - get the ball into an athletes hands and let him make a play.

So let's look at the strong side route combination:


If #21 sags underneath Massaquoi , Little needs to hitch up at 4-5 yards. If sits, he's got to dig back. If he mans up, he's got to drive on the out route... also at 4-5 yards. The whole point is to create space between himself and Massaquoi... to make the flat defender make a decision.

Massaquoi has the 3 route to the marker. He's working off coverage. Which means he has to play positive leverage. He needs to drive to the outside shoulder of the vertical defender and snap that route off at the maker. He should be driving right down the 46 yard line to the sideline.

So... here we see the DB's declare coverage.




Webb sits on the route. Jarret drops into the curl zone. At this point Little knows his only choice is to dig back to the quarterback. If he hitches up, he's covered. If he drives on the out, he's covered.

Massaquoi gets his off coverage... he just needs to drive to the outside shoulder, and snap that route off at 10 yards.

But... there's always a but, here's what really happened.


Massaquoi floats his route. Little stutter steps, staggers forward, and runs like a half hitch / half out route then turns around and stops between two defenders. We've now got two defenders 4 yards deeper than they should be, collapsing the window into which Colt has to throw the ball. So, McCoy's got to loft the ball over the curl & flat defenders and drop it into a spot at the sticks... a spot that his primary receiver doesn't seem to have any interest in occupying. And that's taking a lot off the ball.


Ball's in the air... So... does Mr. Massaquoi drive back to his spot and attack the ball?



Nope... he drifts all the way back to the 50 yard line. Good effort from Little, jumping for a ball that was 9 feet over his head.

It would appear that someone in this shot is attacking the ball... hmmm



But you have to ask... how was Mohammad supposed to know that Smith would break on the ball? I mean, doesn't he have to protect the deep quarter?

Well other than the fact that Smith was actually looking for the ball... the secret is in the scheme. And the answer is on the film.

You see, there's no vertical route to Massaquoi's side. No one's threatening the inside quarter defender. So he becomes the 1/2 field defender. Meaning the outside safety can jump the ball.

But how is Mo to know that?



Because he's right in front of him for the duration of the stem of his route. He knows Smith has deep help. He has to close off his defender by using good leverage, and running his route tight to the marker and giving his quarterback a safe place to put the ball.

Ironically, McCoy put it there anyway. At worst, that should've been a contested ball. But he didn't deserve that pick.

I thought you guys (and gal (gals?)) might have some fun with that one.

-jj

[TheBestPlayersPlay]

Great post!

Always thought MoMass ran lazy routes. They've got no fight in them.

[Neo]

[Riffer X]

Fantastic breakdown Jason, excellent stuff. I had a a very similar feeling about this play, and my first impression was that MoMass rounded his route big time.

I can't imagine a worse combo at WR than Little and MoMass when it comes to defining and running their routes, they are both clueless and then you have the little problem of catching the ball. We all see that Little can't catch, and often times when he does it seems to be an aberration or pure luck---he rarely catches it cleanly.

MoMass has been a huge disappointment this year, which was supposed to be his breakout season 3. It would be nice to just blame it on him missing camp, but the truth is he has never looked like a real receiver who knows what he is doing. I said earlier in the year that whenever Colt threw a WTF is that pass, look around and you will see MoMass somewhere in the same zip code looking like he lost his contact. He is also a huge liability when throwing into tight coverage, because he doesn't like that fighting for the ball notion.

The Browns need some receivers who know how to play football, I don't even care it they are the "serious weapons" we always need. Give me a Broyles type from Oklahoma (you could get him at a discount with his ACL blown), a free agent who still has young legs and another draft pick such as Blackmon or Floyd. Then they need to get these guys in here and hit it hard in OTA's. I would keep Norwood and make Little earn his way onto the field, plain and simple.

In all my years of watching football, I have never come close to seeing a passing attack where there is so much ambiguity on each play, it is like everybody is trying to guess what someone else is going to do, and that's only when there is time to actually throw a pass. The blitz reads have been a joke from the get go, it almost seems like there are no hots or they even know what they are.

The notion that we have to have a 4.2 guy is good in theory, but we need good, smart, instinctive and reliable receivers first. Right now, Norwood is the only guy that fits that mold and he is still only marginal.

[golfer704u]

WOW, Jason I'd wish you'd take one play a week and do this with us. Hell I'd wish you'd take about 20 a week and do it, but I have a feeling your wife would hunt me down

It's amazing to see diagramed what I think we all sometimes feel. That throw looked awful by Colt. and you can't imagine he's that awful of a QB. And this proves he isn't. Given what we seem to know about Momass and Little, maybe he shouldn't have made that throw because as you said before, he couldn't lodge it in their face masks. But to become a better QB, he has to trust things and make the reads and make the right throw. I just hope the Browns coaches see it the way you do.

[pl4tinum]

Great post Jason.
While I agree that this may not have been his fault, he made some other stupid ass passes this game that made me wonder if he was retarded. Notably the passes behind the line of scrimmage for losses that he should have thrown away.

[Bronx Cheer]

Good post JJ. On the OBR board, someone linked to MoMass' draft scouting report from Walter Football. Could not be any more spot on (or depressing), except maybe for the fact that Walter gives MoMass credit for being able to adjust to the ball in the air.

WalterFootball.com: 2009 NFL Draft Prospects - Mohamed Massaquoi Profile

[Neo]

Originally Posted by Bronx Cheer

Good post JJ. On the OBR board, someone linked to MoMass' draft scouting report from Walter Football. Could not be any more spot on (or depressing), except maybe for the fact that Walter gives MoMass credit for being able to adjust to the ball in the air.

WalterFootball.com: 2009 NFL Draft Prospects - Mohamed Massaquoi Profile

Quote from the article

"Weaknesses: Horrendous route runner ... Not tough and scared to go over the middle ... Terrible hands and drops passes ... Pathetic production statistically until late in his senior year (with one of the best quarterbacks in the country) ... Scrawny frame ... Does not show anything in terms of YAC despite great athleticism ... Did not improve much over college career in terms of technique ... Does not play hard ... Does not attack the football ... Does not show a love for the game on the field ... Not going to block."

[Greythan]

Wow JJ, great stuff.

I really appreciate your taking the time to do that work.

[YtownBacker]

my, my my...............................................g reat stuff.

If McCoy is the guy to lead this offense then he needs to be the leader and get in someones ass for crap like this.

[next2nothing]

Originally Posted by Neo

Quote from the article

"Weaknesses: Horrendous route runner ... Not tough and scared to go over the middle ... Terrible hands and drops passes ... Pathetic production statistically until late in his senior year (with one of the best quarterbacks in the country) ... Scrawny frame ... Does not show anything in terms of YAC despite great athleticism ... Did not improve much over college career in terms of technique ... Does not play hard ... Does not attack the football ... Does not show a love for the game on the field ... Not going to block."

Yet... with all this negative we still take a shot on him...

I can understand every guy has weaknesses but all of MoMass's weaknesses have to do with playing WR!!!!!!

[Neo]

Originally Posted by next2nothing

Yet... with all this negative we still take a shot on him...

I can understand every guy has weaknesses but all MoMass's weaknesses have to do with playing WR!!!!!!

I know, RIGHT

"Weaknesses: Horrendous route runner ... Not tough and scared to go over the middle ... Terrible hands and drops passes ... Pathetic production statistically until late in his senior year (with one of the best quarterbacks in the country) ... Scrawny frame ... Does not show anything in terms of YAC despite great athleticism ... Did not improve much over college career in terms of technique ... Does not play hard ... Does not attack the football ... Does not show a love for the game on the field ... Not going to block."

What part of this screams "DRAFT ME" ? And in the second round ...................................... ...