Aaron Rodgers Packers have path to playoff revenge in Seattle
The might be led by an MVP-caliber quarterback in , but few are giving them a chance to knock off the defending champion on the road in next Sunday. However, a closer look at the suggests the ' offense could have the right recipe for beating the 'Hawks, even after a disappointing showing by Green Bay in Seattle . After reviewing
Harold Landry Jersey that first meeting, as well as how opponents have succeeded in attacking the ' oft-impenetrable defense, I've come up with a strategy that could help and Co. pull off a monumental upset in Seattle -- even with the quarterback by a calf injury.First, let's consider what the can learn from that Week 1 lo s. Yes, they were blasted by the , 36-16 -- but the experience should have given them valuable insight on the best strategies to employ in the rematch. Coach and his staff have plenty of footage on how the will likely game plan against their personnel and schemes. Looking at the , I noticed that the primarily played Cover 1 and Cover 3 "Sky" or "Buzz" for most of the game. COVER 1In the play depicted below, taken from that Week 1 matchup, the are playing Cover 1 against the ' dubs formation. Green Bay is attempting to run a snag-wheel combination at the bottom, with running a wheel route down the boundary. However, Seattle does an excellent job of hugging up the receivers, and Rodgers is forced to throw an alley-oop into a tight window, resulting in an incompletion. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):COVER 3 "SKY"In the play depicted below, also taken from that Week 1 game, the are in Cover 3 "Sky," with safety aligned on the edge of the box as a curl/flat dropper. He is one of four underneath defenders a signed to drop to specific landmarks on the field (numbers and hashes) while keeping vision on the quarterback for a quick break on the throw. The combination of eye discipline, route recognition and anticipation allows the to close quickly on underneath throws and limit yards after the catch on short throws. In this instance, tight end is wrapped up shortly after grabbing the football, limiting him to a 2-yard gain. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):COVER 3 "BUZZ"In the play depicted below, the are playing Cover 3 Buzz, with Chancellor dropping into the box as a middle-hook dropper. The four underneath defenders are dropping to spots on the field (numbers and hashes), with the corners responsible for the outside utilizing pre s or bail technique. When Rodgers hits the top of his drop, the Seahawk defenders reach their landmarks and read the eyes of the quarterback, to get a quick break on the throw. Seattle plays the defense perfectly, leading Rodgers to dump the ball off to running back in the flat. With the tracking Rodgers' eyes before the to s, the unit is able to down Lacy for a 5-yard lo s on the pa s to the flat. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The single-high safety looks are designed to shut down throws to the middle of the field and force Rodgers to direct his pa ses to the sideline or settle for the checkdown underneath coverage. On the perimeter, the ' cornerbacks will challenge receivers at the line of scrimmage and disrupt their timing with physical jams throughout the route. The constant hara sment not only leads to inconsistent finishes at the tops of routes, but it condenses the windows for the quarterback and drastically reduces completion rates on pa ses thrown outside the numbers.The complement their suffocating coverage with a fierce pa s rush led by a number of athletic defenders. , and wreak havoc on opponents with their collective speed, quickne s and burst off the edges. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn enhances their skills by using an a sortment of stunts, twists and games to get them isolated against overmatched blockers at the point of attack. The constant pre sure, particularly from the defensive left (the quarterback's right), quickens the clock in the quarterback's head, leading him to abandon his reads before fully working through
Ben Jones Jersey his progre sions.So how can Green Bay counter this juggernaut of a defense?1) Pound the ball between the tackles with Eddie Lacy.It's not a coincidence that those who have enjoyed succe s against the in Seattle have been able to run the ball between the tackles. The ' defense features a collection of explosive athletes adept at running from sideline to sideline. Thus, it is better to attack with a downhill running game directed between the tackles. By running directly at the ' swift linebackers, the could neutralize the biggest strength of the corps (speed, quickne s and athleticism) and make the game a street fight in a phone booth. This tactic would also allow Green Bay to control the tempo and bring quiet to a raucous stadium.After watching the lean on Lacy extensively in their over the on Sunday, I believe the second-year pro should be the focal point of the offensive game plan in this matchup. I would expect the to use their two-back running game from an a sortment of offset spread I formations with Pistol set-up (in which Rodgers is 4 yards from center in a shotgun alignment, with Lacy positioned directly behind him). Lacy is at his best attacking the line of scrimmage from a deep alignment. The offset spread I formation allows him to run between the tackles against a "light" box.In the play depicted below, taken from the ' win over the , Green Bay is aligned in an offset I formation, with three receivers on the field and Lacy at tailback. The presence of three receivers puts the in a nickel package, leaving just six defenders in the box. With a lead blocker and slot receiver capable of digging out the linebacker or safety in the hole, Lacy is able to shoot through the crack en route to a 19-yard gain. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Back in Week 1, Lacy was held to 34 rushing yards on 12 carries. But he should get more attempts in the rematch as part of a ball-control game plan designed to alleviate some of the pre sure on Rodgers. If Lacy finishes with 25 or more attempts (Green Bay is 3-0 when Lacy receives 20-plus carries in a game this season), the should be in good shape.2) Throw the ball away from Richard Sherman.Despite
LeShaun Sims Jersey being chastised for this strategy by observers via every media outlet, the were wise to throw away from er in Week 1, and they should adopt a similar strategy in the rematch. Sherman is playing at a ridiculous level. His ability to blanket receivers, anticipate throws and make plays on the ball should discourage Green Bay from going anywhere near him.I understand why McCarthy planted on Sherman's side for most of the season opener, and why he instructed his quarterback to look elsewhere for completions. By aligning Boykin primarily on the right, the were able to align Cobb and in the slot or on the opposite side, putting the team's most explosive weapons in favorable matchups against and . Although the plan didn't result in a win, it's still the sensible approach to take this Sunday, given the talent on the ' roster, particularly with playing significant minutes on the corner. Given that the had tremendous succe s working to the left in the Divisional Round, Rodgers should be encouraged to direct the majority of his pa ses in that direction, with Nelson or positioned on the outside.The from that Week 1 game shows the were at their best when throwing at Maxwell and Lane. Against Maxwell in particular, Nelson was able to work free on the sideline on a variety of fade-stop routes and quick hitches against pre s coverage. In the play depicted below, the break the huddle in spread I formation, with Nelson aligned at the X-receiver spot on the left and instructed to run a hinge route against Maxwell. Rodgers sees the one-on-one coverage on the outside and fires a dart to Nelson, away from Maxwell and near the boundary, for a first down. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):In the play depicted below, the are aligned in a dubs formation, with Cobb positioned in the slot and running an angle route against Lane. The fourth-year pro is instructed to take a hard angle outside before slipping underneath on a slant route. With Lane overreacting to the outside release, Cobb slips inside for a nifty 11-yard gain. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):I know it's hard to imagine an ultra-competitive player like Rodgers avoiding a premier cornerback in a high-stakes contest, but the matchups on the perimeter suggest it could be the best way to attack the in the pa sing game.3) Use exotic packages and formations to decipher the coverage.McCarthy is a clever schemer adept at creating mismatches through exotic formations and personnel groupings. The will frequently trot out "01" (one tight end and four receivers) and "02" personnel (two tight ends and three receivers) groupings in
Dennis Kelly Jersey order to put defensive coordinators in a bind with their substitution patterns. He accentuates his exotic groupings by using a number of spread or empty formations that force defenders to make adjustments on the fly. When you throw in some pre-snap motion or shifting, it's clear the ' willingne s to put a "speed" package on the field is problematic for foes.Looking at the ' matchup against the , I discovered a few exotic formations that the team could use to exploit the ' man coverage. In the play depicted below, the trot out their "01" personnel package, with a bunch formation and Cobb aligned at running back. McCarthy has a version of flanker-drive called, with the three receivers running cro sing routes at different depths acro s the field and Cobb running a rail route down the boundary. The pick action by the receivers allows Cobb to run past on the route and haul in a 33-yard pa s from Rodgers. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):In the play depicted below, the are aligned in a trips formation to the right, with Cobb positioned at RB. He shifts to the left, to put the ' most explosive playmakers -- Cobb and Nelson -- on the same side. Nelson will clear the zone with a go-route, while Cobb runs a quick out to the boundary. Rodgers targets Cobb -- who enjoys a speed and quickne s advantage against most interior defenders -- immediately for an easy completion. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):Against Dallas last Sunday, the again used their "01" personnel package and an empty formation to create a big-play opportunity in the pa sing game. In the play depicted below, Cobb starts out in the backfield before shifting into the slot on the left. Cobb will run a seam
Jurrell Casey Jersey route down the hash, with Quarle s and Nelson running stick routes on the opposite side. Rodgers sees Cobb quickly win on the route and delivers a dart to the diminutive pa s catcher for a 26-yard reception. (TO VIEW THE PLAY, SCROLL LEFT TO RIGHT ON THE IMAGE BELOW):The to attack the in ; the could copy the plan to attack the "Legion of Boom" in the rematch.4) Play "dink and dunk" football.For all of the scheming McCarthy and Rodgers will do prior to kickoff, the veteran quarterback must take a patient approach to move the ball consistently. Instead of pushing the ball downfield into the teeth of the ' suffocating coverage, Rodgers would be wise to hit his tight ends and running backs on checkdowns underneath coverage. By targeting his safety valves quickly after reaching the tops of his drops, Rodgers can allow his pa s catchers to rack up yards after the catch before defenders close to make tackles. This is the approach San Diego quarterback used to move the ball downfield against the 'Hawks and control the action against the NFL's stingiest defense. If the want to pull off a huge upset on the road, the ball-control tactics employed by the .Follow Bucky Brooks on Twitter .