Options, Options

Posted: July 1st, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 40 Comments »

The beauty of what Chip Kelly does on offense is that he combines simple and complex concepts. The goal is to get the ball to the skill players in favorable situations. One of the ways Kelly does this is to run the option.

The guys at ChipWagon put together a great post on the triple option.

You can see that Kelly takes something simple like a dive play and makes it effective by adding in some window dressing. The defense has to look at multiple players on a given play and figure out what is happening / what could happen. If defenders sell out for the RB, Nick Foles can keep the ball. If defenders take him out, Foles can pitch it to another player (often DeSean Jackson last year).

Defenses will adjust to this, but Kelly will have counter-measures of his own. He is a proactive coach. Kelly isn’t going to wait for you to shut him down before figuring out what he can do to counter what you did to his offense.

It should be a lot of fun to see what Kelly does this season as defenses try to counter what they saw last year.

* * * * *

The great Bo Wulf of PE.com put up a piece on the Snow Bowl (you remember the win over the Lions, right?). Lots of great quotes from players.

Kendricks: I kept telling guys, ‘Look, after every play you need to click your cleats.’ I don’t think people understand how quickly snow, the molecules, how they stick together so fast. That can become cake underneath your shoe and essentially you’re snow on snow. Basically, you have skates on. So I kind of overemphasized the fact that we have to keep clicking our cleats. We might have gotten on their nerves a little bit with that.

Molecules, man, molecules.

Cornerback Cary Williams: I couldn’t see (Lions quarterback Matthew) Stafford. You couldn’t see him at all. You just kind of hope that you’re close to the receivers when he throws the ball … I missed a tackle because I wasn’t able to see the guy. The snow was in my face and I just naturally kind of panicked because there’s water rushing in your nose.

One of the best excuses for missing a tackle that I’ve ever heard.

What a wild day that was. Slow start, but once the Eagles started to click, it was a thing of beauty.

40 Comments on “Options, Options”

1 shah8 said at 10:37 PM on July 1st, 2014:
Main reason for me to like Kelly, the trusty ole triple option in the NFLism!
2 SteveH said at 11:11 PM on July 1st, 2014:
Something about Mychal Kendricks talking to his teammates about the molecules is just hilarious.
3 A_T_G said at 11:48 PM on July 1st, 2014:
Reportedly, the Florida guys kept saying, “There’s no place like home.” while clicking their cleats together.
4 anon said at 12:04 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Kiko Alonso — torn ACL — that’s too bad. #duckdynasty
5 TommyLawlor said at 12:08 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Hate seeing star players get hurt. It’s bad for the game.
6 Media Mike said at 9:10 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Almost always bad. Injuries to division rivals and/or players on competing fantasy teams are always welcome.
7 eagleyankfan said at 7:34 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
It has to be irritating for a team to see their product get hurt while not under their supervision.
8 Media Mike said at 9:11 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Correct. The Suggs basketball drama of 2 years ago illustrates your point perfectly.
9 GEAGLE said at 9:37 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Or your rookie injuring your star MLB. During non contact practices, resulting in you trading draft pick for Ranoldo McClain lol poor cowboy fans
10 Media Mike said at 9:09 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
He should see Lane Johnson for some medical advice on how to heal up faster.
11 GEAGLE said at 9:43 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Sucks…love watching that maniac play… I used to download bills games during the week and fast forward them just to watch their defensive snaps…unless they were playing against someone with a defense I like…. I’m a big admirer of the bills defense…they got some really amazing defenders. Marcel Dareus, prob my fav NT in the game(but he is a jackass who gets in trouble, he may be facing a suspension)…Kyle Williams is one of the best defenders in the NFL..such an under rated player that no one ever talks about…really liked Stephan Gilmore, Kiko, Jarius Byrd last year….they had a really fun defense to watch last year….now they have issues. Marcel could be suspended for I think an arrest. Kiko is done, Byrd is gone..not sure if Giomore is even healthy yet..
12 Kristopher Cebula said at 12:25 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
I was at the snow game. What a fun time!
13 LiamGarrett said at 12:33 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
My father and I were front row, 50-yard-line for the Snow Bowl. It was unreal.
14 Sean said at 12:35 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
This is why I never understood the argument that opposing defenses, given the time in the offseason to study Chip’s offense, will be so much better at stopping it. There is nothing here all that complex or that comes as much of a surprise. The whole point of the multiple options baked into the play is that there is no proper adjustment to be made against it. No matter what, as long as Foles makes the right read, the offense will have put itself in advantageous position.
15 A_T_G said at 8:27 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Agreed. Our system is simple enough and flexible enough that if one defender is undisciplined, we can take advantage.
Defending the package plays compared to defending the standard, call a play and hope it works well against the defense called, is like defending against the Viet Kong guerrilla tactics compared to the Revolutionary War, line up and march towards each other.
16 GEAGLE said at 9:29 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Just don’t know what a DC can try to do, to find a way to defend packaged plays with built in options to Sproles, Ertz, Shady, Mac, Coop, our 6’3 WR vs your 5’8 slot CB… To defend a p caged play with these types of weapons you have to be able to favorably match up with all those weapons, and I just don’t see too many defenses with the personel to shut down Sproles,shady and Ertz when all 3 go out to catch passes..
17 eagleyankfan said at 10:45 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Find the weak link — exploit. The more I say that the more I don’t believe that’s Chips way. Chips offense is designed to work no matter who’s on defense.
18 Tumtum said at 1:39 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
The more you think about it, the offense will naturally take advantage of the weaknesses. It doesn’t have to be a conscious effort on Chip’s part, during the game. Sure he will call plays that take advantage of the what he perceives as weakness, but really that just needs to be scheme/personnel alignments.
19 Maggie said at 5:32 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
Chuck Noll once cautioned his self-congratulating defense that they won the game because the opponent’s left guard was moving his feet wrong. ;~)
20 GEAGLE said at 9:26 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
The best is the “how will Nick perform now that DCs will study him all offseason?”….. He is a pocket QB, what’s there to study? think it’s safe to say that when you give a hard working, intelligent kid like FOles valuable game experience, gains a better command and understanding for this offense, and has another offseason to improve, 2014 FOles should be very different than 2013 FOles……I don’t think 2013 film is going to give you much of an accurate idea of what you will be facing when you meet the rainmaker this year..
..
Not sure how watching Film of last year is going to help prepare you for a 6’3 215lb, young, physical, beast WR in the slot, when you are studying film of old man Avant who was basically a blocker and glorified decoy last year. That film isn’t going to show you our slot WR beating up on your tiny slot CB all game lol…
…
Not sure how watching last years film will give you any Idea on how to defend Darren Sproles. he is a drastically different weapon than Desean, so how can you expect our play book not to change! from what you studying from last year..
…
You can spend the summer studying chips concepts and look for tell signs and tendencies,,..but I’m sure FOles is being coached to break his tendencies. If you can’t predict chips counters and alterations, last years playbook will only help you so much.
21 eagleyankfan said at 10:42 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Not to mention that Chip isn’t sitting there saying “our offense is great as is – why change it”….Chip will change the offense. Not dramatically, but he understands defenses will change to stop his offense, so Chip will counter move in a proactive way.
22 GEAGLE said at 1:16 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
He talked about last year self scouting himself, seeing that they had run so many pivot routes so he switched the route combos to take advatage of defenders expecting us to run it on film…Celek or Ertz scored against the cardinals I think…Kapadia did an all 22 about it
23 Jernst said at 1:43 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
A lot of Chip’s offensive success revolves around getting the defense to “think” they know where the play is going before the play and then taking advantage of their over pursuit to the wrong place when we alter it slightly. Chip wants defensive players to know his tendencies, because once they start guessing and stopping the play he hits them with the counter for a big gain since there’s so much space created by all his play designs stretching out the defense.
24 Jernst said at 1:40 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
Excellent post, Geagle
25 shah8 said at 11:54 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Broadly speaking, all sound systems work, but they have different tolerances. Going further, all systems make do with talent at hand. No exotic system will ever exceed what the talent provides it on a consistent basis. The more simple and foundational scheme work through lots of reps and very high execution. Swap in, swap out players as needed. E.g., Peyton Manning’s O. Or the Kelly offense in a sense. The more complex schemes work by manipulating the defense after the play and generally working all options at hand. You need experienced players who know what they are doing. E.g, Tom Brady’s offense with all those option routes. There is also, for all intents and purposes, the muscle scheme. Lots of bigger, faster, people, and making it all work. E.g, Al Davis when he still had his brains. Running and o where really big, even if unrefined, OL just pounds the DL, where WR either run by or out jump for balls in the vicinity, etc.
26 bubqr said at 1:57 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
The Snow bowl is one of my best Eagles memory, and that picture: http://blogs.delawareonline.com/firststatefocus/files/2013/12/120813_EaglesLions_KRG2190.jpg
Has been my phone screensaver for a while…
27 eagleyankfan said at 7:28 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Unless a defense is top notch(Seattle), you’re not going to slow down the Eagles. Chip makes almost every player on the defense accountable. If Chip finds that weak link, he’ll exploit it.
28 LeicesterEaglesAce73 said at 8:10 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
So it snowed the whole time Nnamdi was here…?
29 Mike Roman said at 9:11 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
If Foles throws to Cooper in this situation, are those blockers considered ineligible receivers down field?
30 Birds4Life said at 9:47 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
The rule is that an ineligible receiver cannot be beyond the LOS without blocking someone as the pass is thrown. It looks like Lane is blocking someone, so I would say that it would not be a penalty, but that is just my opinion.
31 Mike Roman said at 11:00 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
“without blocking someone” .. I didn’t know that caveat. Thanks!
32 Birds4Life said at 11:21 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
No problem! Can’t blame an O-lineman if he’s pushing his guy down the field.
33 Maggie said at 5:29 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
What about running downfield hoping to block someone?
34 Birds4Life said at 8:25 AM on July 3rd, 2014:
An O-Lineman can’t just leave the LOS and run down field to block someone. He has to be actively blocking someone if he is past the LOS.
35 Tumtum said at 1:30 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
I would say no. From an ignorant common sense perspective.
36 Mike Roman said at 1:59 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
That was my initial thought too but I’ve always been unclear on the rule.
37 D3FB said at 1:42 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
Linemen must be within 3 yards of the LOS or must be actively blocking someone.
38 GEAGLE said at 9:31 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
Kiko Alonso out for the season!! Yikes…. Lane 4 games, two of Which are against Jaguars and LOLskins seems like a slap on the wrist.
…
Dallas is so pathetic they traded for Ronaldo McClain….dude is like 25 years old and he retired and came back more times than Favre and Mike jordan combined
39 Mike Roman said at 1:09 PM on July 2nd, 2014:
No, but I know what causes me to piss hot. 😀
40 Mac said at 10:33 AM on July 2nd, 2014:
“Slow start, but once the Eagles started to click, it was a thing of beauty.”
I just laughed and slapped my knee. This is why you’re the best.