Pass Protectors vs Pass Catchers

[Mr. Scot]

For his latest Football Morning in America column, Peter King talked to Daniel Jeremiah about the improvement of Joe Burrow from 2018 9to 2019. Jeremiah had discussed it with Burrow, and his answer could give us some insight about how new Panthers Offensive Coordinator Joe Brady might run the Panthers pass attack.

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The Burrow coronation: He’ll speak to the press Tuesday morning and be asked whether he intends to play for the Bengals if picked one overall by Cincinnati, as is expected. That’s one story. The rest of his story? The Bengals, and those hoping he falls, will continue to probe his past, particularly this: One team told me if Burrow had left LSU after his mediocre 2018 season, that team would have given him approximately a fifth-round grade. And now he’s likely to go number one. So should 15 otherwordly games in 2019 (60 touchdowns, six interceptions) bury the evidence of 2018?

Jeremiah: “He was training an hour from my house with [QB coach] Jordan Palmer. He was out there with Sam Darnold and Josh Allen and Kyle Allen. I went up there and watched him work out, throw. I had a chance to visit with him for 20 minutes. I said, ‘Joe, you’re gonna get asked this question at the combine: Why the unbelievable leap from last year to this year?’

“He said, first of all, he’s a grad transfer. Most grad transfers transfer in the spring. He said, ‘I got to LSU after the freshmen had already reported for full camp.’ So you talk about trying to learn everything in a heartbeat and try to get to know your teammates, and then plug in and be ready to play. That’s the first part of it. Second part, he hadn’t played much football in the previous three years. There was some rust. Okay, this makes sense. And then schematically, and this is the big one, they were in a lot of seven-man protection in that offense last year. Burrow, his greatest gift, and you can see it this year when you watch him, is he has the vision to be able to take a snapshot of the entire field, to see everything, to process, and to throw accurately. Well, when you’re in seven-man protection and you limit the number of guys that can get out on a route, you’re limiting the answers you can give somebody. He was handicapped by them trying to mass-protect him. There’s no room for him to use his athletic ability to take off and go if you want. There’s no room for him to slide around, more around, find windows. It was just a congested brand of football.

“And then, you look at this year. He gets [passing-game coordinator] Joe Brady in there. He becomes a master of the offense. At the beginning of the season, they were in a bunch of six-man protection, which he’s playing really well. And he said eventually Joe Brady said in week three or four, ‘Let’s just go five-man protection. Let’s get everybody out into the route.’ When they did that, [he] completed about 80 percent from that point on.

“His super-power is his ability to see the entire field, to work through progressions, and then throw the ball accurately. So they kind of unlocked that super-power this last year. And the rest is history.”

Peter King: Football Morning in America

The Panthers over the past few years frequently used "max protect" or additional protection and sent out fewer receivers. It's not all that unusual in modern Coryell style offenses, and honestly even some older style attacks only used two or three receivers at a time, with runningbacks sometimes being used as extra blockers when needed. And yes, it can work. Former Rams OC Mike Martz used a fair amount of max protect during their "Greatest Show on Turf" days, and they had an ideal combination of quarterback and receiving corps to make it very effective. Unfortunately, it's also fair to note that it's something of a necessary approach when your pass blocking is weak, and I think most would agree that the Panthers post 2015 O-lines have been something less than stellar.

But back when it first came into vogue, the West Coast Offense (and Coach Bill Walsh) went with a different approach, sending multiple receiving options - including runningbacks, fullbacks, tight ends, etc - out into the field. It's one of the reasons why WCO's frequently have mobile quarterbacks, because there aren't as many blockers as you might see in other systems.  Mind you, a West Coast QB doesn't necessarily have to be a run threat, but pocket mobility is a very good quality to possess in such a scheme. Another good option, of course, is to have the best offensive line possible.

When Joe Brady took over the LSU passing game, he shifted the offensive balance from more blockers / less receivers to vice versa, and it worked. Mind you, in doing so he was playing to Joe Burrow's skill set, so for that to work with a Panthers it'll need someone similar. Not necessarily Burrow himself mind you (though as discussed elsewhere, that's not necessarily impossible) but someone who can process his reads and passing options with equal quickness.

Also noteworthy in this discussion is that LSU's offensive line was highly rated and vastly improved from one year to the next. To be clear, Burrow's ability to quickly read the field and get the ball out likely helped a lot. It should also be remembered that head coach Matt Rhule is a former offensive line guy and is known to be a big believer in strong blocking. The Panthers haven't had a highly touted OL since their Super Bowl run, and this past season they showcased some absolutely horrid pass blocking. You can expect both Rhule and Brady will want to change that, though they may attack it from different angles.

Basically, if he follows his recent trend from LSU (and why wouldn't he) you can expect Brady to favor pass catchers over pass protectors. You can also expect Rhule to want high quality pass protectors, especially since they'll likely be entrusted to handle the pass rush with a minimum of additional help.

How well will it work?

That's a good question.

[4Corners]