{"id":82439,"date":"2021-09-15T13:32:01","date_gmt":"2021-09-15T13:32:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/?p=82439"},"modified":"2021-09-17T06:59:56","modified_gmt":"2021-09-17T06:59:56","slug":"lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\/","title":{"rendered":"Lazar’s Film Notes: Patriots Struggles Defending RPOs, Third Down Defense Dominates"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Patriots\u2019 struggles against option schemes is a yearly occurrence for Bill Belichick\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n

In Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, New England\u2019s issues with run-pass options continued when Tua Tagaviola completed six passes for 70 yards off RPOs.<\/p>\n

The conflict that RPOs put defenders in is obvious and is why they\u2019re becoming so prevalent at all levels of football; defenders, especially linebackers, have run fits and coverage assignments. They can\u2019t defend both the pass and the run simultaneously, while committing to one is better than getting caught in no man’s land in between both responsibilities.<\/p>\n

In Week 1, the Pats fell victim to the conflict presented by RPOs, with Jaylen Waddle\u2019s 17-yard catch-and-run on Miami\u2019s opening serving as a perfect example.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

The Dolphins run a G\/TE counter with the backside guard and tight end pulling to the weak side. Tua is reading the backside. If Dont\u2019a Hightower and Deatrich Wise crash to play the run, Tua will work the flat\/snag combination to his left. Hightower comes downhill to take on the puller, vacating his short zone in cover-three, which opens a passing lane to Waddle and gives Waddle more space to run after the catch.<\/p>\n

\u201cRun players are run players. Pass players are pass players,\u201d inside linebackers coach Jerod Mayo told CLNS Media. \u201cIt [RPOs] puts you in a lot of space, and it puts you in those conflicts.\u201d<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve heard the \u201crun players are run players. Pass players are pass players\u201d mantra from the Patriots\u2019 coaches and players before. If that\u2019s their mentality, then they\u2019ll rely on better coverage from their corners to shut down RPO passes.<\/p>\n

However, an alternative thought would be to adjust the way the college game has adapted to these types of schemes. College coaches are doing their best to stop the run with their front four, allowing players at the second level to drop underneath in-breaking routes.<\/p>\n

The Pats could play a man short in the run fit. Big bodies such as Davon Godchaux, Lawrence Guy, and Matt Judon anchoring the run defense on the line of scrimmage would allow their second-level defenders to close off the middle of the field.<\/p>\n

Outside of a game plan against an elite passing attack, we have our doubts that the Pats will adjust to RPOs by living with the yards on the ground they\u2019ll give up playing a man down.<\/p>\n

But they\u2019ll need to evolve, and allowing four or five yards per rush is better than over ten yards per pass attempt on RPO or quick-game concepts with linebackers stepping into the fit.<\/p>\n

Here are five over film notes on defense from the Patriots-Dolphins coaches tape:<\/p>\n

1. Patriots\u2019 Third Down \u201cExotic\u201d Schemes Still Causing Havoc<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The Dolphins went 1-for-7 in Sunday\u2019s game when Tua Tagovailoa dropped back to pass on third down, with the lone conversion on Tua\u2019s heave on a jump ball to DeVante Parker. The Pats defense registered two sacks and an interception on the money down as well. If that\u2019s any indication, Bill Belichick\u2019s third-down package is still one of the best.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

On Jon Jones\u2019s interception, the Patriots are in a \u201ccut\u201d coverage where they pass off crossing routes. At the bottom of the screen, Jalen Mills passes off the shallow crosser to Dont\u2019a Hightower, then rallies back into the middle of the field to help with the crossers in the other direction. The Pats run a four-man replacement blitz, where the edges drop off in coverage, and Adrian Phillips blitzes up the middle. Phillips then combines with Matt Judon on an LB\/E twist, which beats the protection and sends Tua scrambling.<\/p>\n

2. Run Defense, Edge-Setting Significantly Improves<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Another area of perceived improvement that passed the first test was New England\u2019s re-worked run defense. Miami averaged 3.2 yards per rush on its 23 carries, with a 43% success rate.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Here, Pats linebacker Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley executes a \u201cmesh charge\u201d on a read-option play to force a quick handoff by Tua. By blitzing the mesh point up the middle, Bentley\u2019s interior pressure forces Tua to give it to the back. From there, the back tries to bounce it outside, but Judon successfully sets the edge and makes the stop with Kyle Dugger. The only escape route for the back was around the corner, but Judon was there to shut it down.<\/p>\n

3. Jalen Mills at Outside Corner Mostly a Success, With Some Clear Shortcomings<\/p>\n

Free-agent addition Jalen Mills mostly held up in coverage at outside corner. Mills gave up one catch on three targets for 13 yards and had a nice pass breakup in the end zone. The catch was a back-breaker, though, with DeVante Parker beating Mills on a quick slant on 1st-and-14 from Miami\u2019s five-yard line on the Dolphins\u2019 game-icing drive. He was in on one coverage bust where he carried a vertical route in cover-two, vacating his shallow zone responsibility, leaving Jaylen Waddle open on third down (but Waddle dropped the pass). Mills\u2019s rules could be to carry an outside vertical in cover-two but based on Jon Jones\u2019s reaction, he expected Mills to be there. Outside of the one catch and lone coverage bust, Mills was solid. The Pats will take that performance<\/p>\n

4. NT Davon Godchaux\u2019s Quickness in Pass Rush Pops\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/div>\n

Godchaux is a run-stopper, but his snap reaction and lateral quickness as a pass rusher flashed on tape a few times. He beat the center for a hurry above when the center used inside zone footwork to sell the play-action pass. Godchaux anticipated the centers\u2019 aggressive set and went right around him with a quick lateral move. Godchaux is a good football player, and his presence on the nose is making everyone around him better.<\/p>\n

5. Thoughts on Dont\u2019a Hightower\u2019s Slow Start<\/strong><\/h4>\n

The way Dont\u2019a Hightower was moving in coverage wasn\u2019t concerning. That\u2019s not his strength as a player, and the Pats should try to avoid putting him in space. However, it was concerning to see how easily he was blocked at times in the run game.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Hightower was cut down in the hole on an inside run by Myles Gaskin the play before Tua\u2019s touchdown run, and there were other instances where he wasn\u2019t dominating blockers like we are used to seeing. I\u2019m willing to chalk this up to a potential injury or his first game back after a long layoff. But the Pats need the old Boomtower in the middle of their defense. Let\u2019s hope it\u2019s not a sign of something more ominous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Patriots\u2019 struggles against option schemes is a yearly occurrence for Bill Belichick\u2019s defense. In Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, New England\u2019s issues with run-pass options continued when Tua Tagaviola completed six passes for 70 yards off RPOs. The conflict that RPOs put defenders in is obvious and is why they\u2019re becoming so prevalent at<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":131993,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[392,210],"class_list":["post-82439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-dolphins","tag-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\nLazar's Film Notes: Patriots Struggles Defending RPOs, Third Down Defense Dominates - CLNS Media<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Lazar's Film Notes: Patriots Struggles Defending RPOs, Third Down Defense Dominates - CLNS Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Patriots\u2019 struggles against option schemes is a yearly occurrence for Bill Belichick\u2019s defense. In Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, New England\u2019s issues with run-pass options continued when Tua Tagaviola completed six passes for 70 yards off RPOs. The conflict that RPOs put defenders in is obvious and is why they\u2019re becoming so prevalent at\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CLNS Media\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CLNSmedia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-09-15T13:32:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-09-17T06:59:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/mac-stock-photo-1024x576.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"576\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Evan Lazar\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@clnsmedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@clnsmedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Evan Lazar\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Evan Lazar\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/93c183ed668e514721ab2f9a99a90e17\"},\"headline\":\"Lazar’s Film Notes: Patriots Struggles Defending RPOs, Third Down Defense Dominates\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-09-15T13:32:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-09-17T06:59:56+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1115,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/12\\\/mac-stock-photo.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Dolphins\",\"Patriots\"],\"articleSection\":[\"NFL\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clnsmedia.com\\\/lazars-film-notes-patriots-struggles-defending-rpos-third-down-defense-dominates\\\/\",\"name\":\"Lazar's Film Notes: Patriots Struggles Defending RPOs, Third Down Defense Dominates - 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