Screw the QB school, Duncs film breakdown

[Jackie Lee]

An actual fan and smart dude. He deserves the clicks

 

[Call Me James]

None of this matters.

[Ricky Spanish]

3 hours ago, Call Me James said:

None of this matters.

 

[ForJimmy]

“You are never going to read the backside first on a rollout.” That should answer some questions on why he hit AT vs DJ on his PA rollout. Not that it really needed explaining but some wanted a different read. 

[KSpan]

24 minutes ago, ForJimmy said:

“You are never going to read the backside first on a rollout.” That should answer some questions on why he hit AT vs DJ on his PA rollout. Not that it really needed explaining but some wanted a different read. 

But the 'explanation' is wrong as it applies to the play. Not saying he should have thrown it to Johnson here but the QB is not 'reading the backside' to make that decision. He's reading the safety and knows that Thielen is underneath and Johnson will be crossing in this concept, so if the safety comes up and the CB bites on the hitch the read is then Johnson crossing into the frontside. That pass would always be thrown ahead/to the right based on the safety and CB position. There is no backside read to even make because it's completely irrelevant.

As an aside, Thielen seeing the CB dropping into deep third and pulling up was a great read as well. He and Bryce saw the same thing and the ball came out quickly. It was a good outcome.

Edited August 27, 2024 by KSpan

[hepcat]

4 hours ago, Call Me James said:

None of this matters.

I’m going to guess you didn’t watch the video.

The only negative takeaway is that it was against the Bills 2nd stringers. Otherwise the offense looks a lot quicker and more organized than last year. Having Sanders and Matthews at TE might be Bryce’s saving grace this year. 

[Icege]

Dunc is my favorite of the Panthers content creators. Level headed, stays above the mess for the most part, and knows ball.

[Candler Cat]

2 hours ago, Ricky Spanish said:

 

 

 

 

[MHS831]

7 hours ago, Jackie Lee said:

An actual fan and smart dude. He deserves the clicks

 

 I watched this and I watched the OL.  Here is my breakdown of each OL:

Ekwonu:  He did OK.  Still has some balance issues--bending at the waist.  Needs to keep feet under him.  He should be farther along by now, but he is better than last year.  Old habits--and the two times I saw this was late in the drive.  There are drills to correct this, but to prevent waste bending you need to bend at the knees and waist--not back. With Ickey,  I only saw it at the end of the 12 play drive--was he tired?  Lower body strength training--especially squats--can help.  Conditioning can help.  It is fixable and I know they know what to do--so I expect a better Ickey in 2024 because in 90 degree heat at the end of camp, if fatigue is going to reveal itself, it would show itself at the end of a 12-play drive, we can hope.

Zavala:  He was confident that he knew his assignment and demonstrated some football intelligence wherein last season, he seemed lost.  For example, he was doubling down to help Raym and a deep ILB came on a slight delay blitz.  Not only did Zavala effectively double the 3 technique, he broke off and picked up the LB.  On running plays he reached the second level.  Most improved player on the team.

Raym:  He made all his blocks and was accurate with his pre snap reads, identifying the Mike correctly and calling out potential blitzes.  His snaps were quick and fairly accurate--a few, however, were above eye level. Now, most QBs in the shotgun do not like looking down to catch the snap, so he is trying to put the snap just above the numbers.  One snap was to Bryce's right and low, causing him to lose eye contact with the defense; another was above his head, causing the short qb to jump a hair.  That may not seem like too much, but if you leave your feet, your timing is off.  This may have been the reason Bryce missed some open targets early in the route--I need to rewatch this to make sure that is the case.  Beyond that, Raym is good enough to be the back up center.  Run blocking--he was excellent.  He got in position quickly on an early reach block--the video host criticized him for not anchoring at the end of the reach block, but that is nearly impossible--a 320 lb DT moving with the flow of the play and you expect the Center to beat him to a point and then get leverage?  Rare.  I am very excited about Raym.

Hunt is a beast.  He really surprised me when he pulled across the formation. Excellent body control and agility.  However, that is not his strong suit.  You do not move Hunt with a bull rush.  If he gets his hands on you, game over.  RG was our biggest weakness last season on the OL (very arguable), and now we have a pro bowler there. 

Moton:  Mr. Reliable.  Smart, effective--not the most overwhelming physical presence, but he just wins most of the time.  You all know Moton.

Some other observations:  Matthews took on an edge rusher and won.  I was surprised.  He will be the veteran leader on this team.  Love him.  I worry that Legette is still learning and it is causing him to play slow. 

Receivers were open early, but it was as if Bryce was still a bit -- a fraction-- late in delivering the pass. Not complaining--his reads were solid--but there were a few routes that would have been TDs had he seen them, and he threw underneath.  1. Johnson on a post---man that was wide open, but Young was not looking for it at that time in his progression--may not be his fault.  The other was on the play (I think--going from memory) where he had to scramble.  He should not have missed this one.  A back (or slot) was flaring out of the backfield as if he was going to be a check down option and he sprinted up the sideline.  A nickel or LB came up to cover the check down.  While he was not open when Bryce looked there, he was going to be.  It was obvious that the LB's momentum would make covering the sideline go route impossible.  At that time, all Bryce had to do was loft a pass for the back to run under.  I am sure Bryce is watching film, and I am sure this drive gave him some feedback.  He needs to read more not be afraid.  His feet need to be in position, but they are loads better than last season.  It is as if he does not trust his eyes downfield.  That will change.  The pass to Thielen was a good read but he had options--like Johnson.  The pass to Matthews was a no brainer--busted coverage.  I give Bryce a B when he might have earned a B once last season.

Overview:  Ickey is now the weak link on the OL, but Canales seems to be offering more help for him (TEs).  Last season, Ickey was the second best offensive lineman for much of the season.  He has improved.  I have not seen the starting C or LG, but even if considering their backups, Ickey had the most areas in which he needs to improve than Zavala and Raym as evidenced in these 12 plays.  Small sample size. 

[Tbe]

15 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

 I watched this and I watched the OL.  Here is my breakdown of each OL:

Ekwonu:  He did OK.  Still has some balance issues--bending at the waist.  Needs to keep feet under him.  He should be farther along by now, but he is better than last year.  Old habits--and the two times I saw this was late in the drive.  There are drills to correct this, but to prevent waste bending you need to bend at the knees and waist--not back. With Ickey,  I only saw it at the end of the 12 play drive--was he tired?  Lower body strength training--especially squats--can help.  Conditioning can help.  It is fixable and I know they know what to do--so I expect a better Ickey in 2024 because in 90 degree heat at the end of camp, if fatigue is going to reveal itself, it would show itself at the end of a 12-play drive, we can hope.

Zavala:  He was confident that he knew his assignment and demonstrated some football intelligence wherein last season, he seemed lost.  For example, he was doubling down to help Raym and a deep ILB came on a slight delay blitz.  Not only did Zavala effectively double the 3 technique, he broke off and picked up the LB.  On running plays he reached the second level.  Most improved player on the team.

Raym:  He made all his blocks and was accurate with his pre snap reads, identifying the Mike correctly and calling out potential blitzes.  His snaps were quick and fairly accurate--a few, however, were above eye level. Now, most QBs in the shotgun do not like looking down to catch the snap, so he is trying to put the snap just above the numbers.  One snap was to Bryce's right and low, causing him to lose eye contact with the defense; another was above his head, causing the short qb to jump a hair.  That may not seem like too much, but if you leave your feet, your timing is off.  This may have been the reason Bryce missed some open targets early in the route--I need to rewatch this to make sure that is the case.  Beyond that, Raym is good enough to be the back up center.  Run blocking--he was excellent.  He got in position quickly on an early reach block--the video host criticized him for not anchoring at the end of the reach block, but that is nearly impossible--a 320 lb DT moving with the flow of the play and you expect the Center to beat him to a point and then get leverage?  Rare.  I am very excited about Raym.

Hunt is a beast.  He really surprised me when he pulled across the formation. Excellent body control and agility.  However, that is not his strong suit.  You do not move Hunt with a bull rush.  If he gets his hands on you, game over.  RG was our biggest weakness last season on the OL (very arguable), and now we have a pro bowler there. 

Moton:  Mr. Reliable.  Smart, effective--not the most overwhelming physical presence, but he just wins most of the time.  You all know Moton.

Some other observations:  Matthews took on an edge rusher and won.  I was surprised.  He will be the veteran leader on this team.  Love him.  I worry that Legette is still learning and it is causing him to play slow. 

Receivers were open early, but it was as if Bryce was still a bit -- a fraction-- late in delivering the pass. Not complaining--his reads were solid--but there were a few routes that would have been TDs had he seen them, and he threw underneath.  1. Johnson on a post---man that was wide open, but Young was not looking for it at that time in his progression--may not be his fault.  The other was on the play (I think--going from memory) where he had to scramble.  He should not have missed this one.  A back (or slot) was flaring out of the backfield as if he was going to be a check down option and he sprinted up the sideline.  A nickel or LB came up to cover the check down.  While he was not open when Bryce looked there, he was going to be.  It was obvious that the LB's momentum would make covering the sideline go route impossible.  At that time, all Bryce had to do was loft a pass for the back to run under.  I am sure Bryce is watching film, and I am sure this drive gave him some feedback.  He needs to read more not be afraid.  His feet need to be in position, but they are loads better than last season.  It is as if he does not trust his eyes downfield.  That will change.  The pass to Thielen was a good read but he had options--like Johnson.  The pass to Matthews was a no brainer--busted coverage.  I give Bryce a B when he might have earned a B once last season.

Overview:  Ickey is now the weak link on the OL, but Canales seems to be offering more help for him (TEs).  Last season, Ickey was the second best offensive lineman for much of the season.  He has improved.  I have not seen the starting C or LG, but even if considering their backups, Ickey had the most areas in which he needs to improve than Zavala and Raym as evidenced in these 12 plays.  Small sample size. 

I would love to come out of this season with Ickey, Zavala, and Raym looking good. 

That would go a long way towards fixing our OL depth issues.

[MHS831]

46 minutes ago, Tbe said:

I would love to come out of this season with Ickey, Zavala, and Raym looking good. 

That would go a long way towards fixing our OL depth issues.

Ekwonu is a technical issue--he has the athleticism and upper body strength to play OT.  I coached OL for a high school so I enough to be dangerous--I just know how high school OL develop when you are preaching technique.  You have vertical technique (pass blocking) and horizontal technique (run blocking).  It is almost like Ickey combines the two--when the edge gets a half step on him, he needs to alter his angle, keep his back straight, arms extended, and slide those feet.  Ickey panics and lunges at times, and a good NFL edge will eat your lunch every time.  I did not see growth under Campen, but I am already seeing huge development under the current OL staff (3 guys).  I think he will be better--but Zavala's growth is mind blowing--telling me that the light is now on (I think he may have screwed up Ickey on one pass play--the defense stunted toward the center and Zavala followed the three technique who was picked up by Raym.   Ickey's man scooped into C gap, and technically, Zavala should have stayed home and picked him up.  Ickey rode the edge inside, but the edge got into Bryce's face and caused the play to break down--Bryce scrambled for about 3 yards.  That looked bad on Ickey, but I have to believe, since Bryce did not roll to his right, that Zavala tried to reach the 3 technique when Raym had nobody else to block.  It could be that Raym thought there would be a blitz that did not happen, so Zavala was correct.  Without knowing the play and the rule blocking process, it is hard to say--regardless, that play would buried Young last year. )

Edited August 27, 2024 by MHS831

[MHS831]

I think about or OL depth in the past--we did not have depth. The best depth player I can recall is Jeff Hangartner, a g/c who did not cause us to lose a step.  If Nijman is as good as he was at Green Bay (playing behind an all-pro LT), if Christensen can focus on just one or two positions, and if Zavala and Raym continue to play solid football vs. the 1s, this could be the best OL--top 9 players--we have had. Moton is our best RT, Hunt is probably good enough to equal or surpass any RG we have had, Corbett has a lot to prove, but he will never be Kalil level, but he does offer more girth--Kalil at 285 could get bull rushed into the passer--with Cam, not a big deal--Bryce?  Yikes.  Lewis is unknown, but he potentially can play with some of our best LGs, and of course, Ekwonu--after Gross, who else is there? Oher? Remmers?  Byron Bell? Greg Little? Matt Kalil?  If Ickey gets his technique down, he could be one of the best LT in franchise history--or in the conversation by the time he peaks.

Edited August 27, 2024 by MHS831

[WUnderhill]

Diontae Johnson is going to make a huge difference for us. That second play where the safety went to help the CB with coverage over top doesn’t happen with last years receivers. If that’s Mingo on the outside the safety can just sit down in that gap without offering help over top. Huge difference.

[Call Me James]

On 8/27/2024 at 8:11 AM, hepcat said:

I’m going to guess you didn’t watch the video.

The only negative takeaway is that it was against the Bills 2nd stringers. Otherwise the offense looks a lot quicker and more organized than last year. Having Sanders and Matthews at TE might be Bryce’s saving grace this year. 

Let's talk about it now lol