David Mayo highlighted Washington's need for a Mike linebacker

Mayo played well against the Eagles and showed just how much impact a true Mike linebacker could have on this defense

While it’s not fair to write off Washington first-round pick Jamin Davis as a complete bust already, it’s entirely fair to say he’s been very disappointing this season. On Sunday, Washington opted to play journeyman linebacker David Mayo over Davis for large portions of the game against the Eagles. It might seem like an odd choice given Davis is a first-round pick and Mayo has bounced around the league since 2015, but the difference in quality of play and impact on the team was noticeable. 

Davis is a highly athletic linebacker with tremendous physical attributes, but profiles to fit more of a Will, or weak side, linebacker role. Washington decided to try Davis out at the Mike, or middle, role which requires not just playing a tougher spot, but also making all the calls and checks at the line of scrimmage. I understand the thinking at the time, because if Davis could handle that extra responsibility, his athletic profile would make for a strong player at a key spot. But in hindsight, it was clearly too much to ask of a young player with little experience. 

Davis really struggled in preseason and at the start of the year. Eventually Cole Holcomb took over the duties of calling plays and making checks at the line, though it’s not exactly a natural role for him either. Like Davis, Holcomb is a little more suited to playing one of the two outside linebacker roles in a 4-3 scheme. He did a solid job playing the Mike and making the calls, but on Sunday against the Eagles, Washington used Mayo at the Mike spot and allowed Holcomb to shift back to his more natural position. 

The change had a significant impact, particularly on Washington’s run defense. The Eagles have the top rushing offense in the league, averaging 160 yards per game. On Sunday though, Washington held the Eagles to just 118 yards on 34 carries at 3.5 yards per carry. This is a huge improvement from just two weeks prior, when the Eagles ran for 238 yards on 41 carries at 5.8 yards per carry against Washington. So what did Mayo do that caused such a big improvement? Let’s take a closer look.

This play shows a lot of what Mayo offered. As the Mike, he took over the role of calling plays and making adjustments from Holcomb. Mayo has experience doing this, having played under Rivera in Carolina for three years. On this play, the Eagles motion their tight end across the formation and then back towards the outside, but he ends up changing from a tight end on the end of the line to more of a fullback or H-back after resetting. This gives the Eagles the flexibility to insert him into different gaps and create an extra gap inside that Washington has to account for. Mayo reads the motion and makes the call to adjust his defensive lineman accordingly. 

Mayo doesn’t get overwhelmed with thoughts of what the right adjustment is, he naturally knows it thanks to his experience. This allows him to make the adjustment while still playing the run quickly, but it also takes that responsibility of a guy like Holcomb, enabling him to play more freely too. You can see it as the ball is snapped on this play. Both are playing instinctively right from the snap. Both see the tight end sift back across the line, which means a gap is being moved from one side to the other. That requires both linebackers to fall back a gap and you can see how both Mayo and Holcomb are almost perfectly in sync with how they step forward towards their initial gap before falling back to adjust to the sift. Of course, Jonathan Allen blew up the run by quickly shedding the block of the left tackle and tackling the running back, but Mayo and Holcomb were both in position to make the play as well.

Being able to make adjustment calls and still react quickly to the play is critical at the Mike spot. Davis was clearly hesitant early in the year, often pausing to think about what was happening in front of him at the start of plays. Holcomb struggled with this at times too, though not to the same extent. But Mayo had no issues making adjustments and still playing fast, especially down on the goal line.

On this first and goal run, the Eagles pull both their left guard and left tackle to the right. Mayo aligns in the A gap between the left guard and center, about four yards off the line of scrimmage. As soon as the ball is snapped, Mayo spots the pulling lineman and instantly follows them to the other side of the line. He gets across quickly and avoids the down block from the right tackle, enabling him to fill the hole the Eagles were trying to open for the back. Mayo meets the running back in the hole and makes the tackle for a minimal gain.

Mayo’s presence was key throughout that goal line situation.

On the next play, Mayo aligns in the A gap on the other side of the line, between the center and right guard this time. With the quarterback in the shotgun, Mayo knows there is a good chance of a quick inside run scheme, either inside zone or duo, where the offensive line can get some quick movement with double teams up front before working up to block the linebackers. So as soon as the ball is snapped, Mayo doesn’t allow the offensive line to set up their blocks. The right guard initially tries to help the right tackle secure the block of Daron Payne, but Mayo shoots the gap inside so quickly that the guard has to instantly come off Payne and try to pick up Mayo. 

The guard does well to stop Mayo running into the backfield, but Mayo did exactly what the defense needed him to do. By taking away the guard so quickly, Payne was able to establish control of the block with the right tackle, while Holcomb was able to overlap Mayo and fill in behind him. Between Holcomb and Payne, the back is stopped short of the end zone again.

Mayo played a part in the stop on third down as well.

The Eagles go back to a power scheme here, with the right guard pulling to the left side as a lead blocker for the back. Before the snap, they motion in a tight end and you can see Mayo pointing and making adjustments, but he’s then instantly back on his run keys and ready for the snap. Holcomb, on the back side of the run, also points, but you can see the difference between them as the ball is snapped. As soon as the snap happens, Mayo attacks his gap straight away, while Holcomb is still pointing and not fully focused on the snap. It takes him an extra beat to realise the guard is pulling and the ball is going to the other side. With Mayo attacking the A gap inside, Holcomb has to overlap him and follow the pulling guard to the edge. Fortunately, Washington get some defenders outside to take away the edge and Holcomb is athletic enough to work across and make the tackle as the back cuts inside towards him. 

Its clear to see there that Mayo is much more comfortable making the calls and then playing his responsibility, while Holcomb is still a little hesitant and slow off the snap when making calls. This was more obvious when Mayo wasn’t on the field.

On fourth down, the Eagles bring on extra receivers to force Washington into a nickel coverage package, taking Mayo off the field and leaving Holcomb with the task of making the calls and adjustments. You can see how he’s still pointing and looking around as the ball is snapped, making him a tick late to play his responsibility. This allows center Jason Kelce time to land a strong shove on Daron Payne, helping the right guard secure him before working up to block Holcomb. The back follows behind and gets in for the touchdown. 

Compare that play with the second down play and you can see the difference. Mayo made his calls quickly and was ready to hit his gap as soon as the ball was snapped, which forced the blocker off a double team early to pick him up. Conversely, Holcomb was still making a read as the ball was snapped, giving Kelce time to help secure Payne before working up to block him. It was clear to see that Holcomb was far more comfortable focusing on his own role and therefore much quicker to react when Mayo was alongside him. 

Now, does this mean Mayo is Washington’s new Mike linebacker going forward? Probably not. The run defense was considerably improved, for sure. In coverage, Mayo had a few issues. He wasn’t as bad as many made out, but he did have one particularly poor rep that does bring in doubts as to how well he would hold up in coverage over a full season.

Here, the Eagles work out of 12 personnel, consisting of one running back and two tight ends. They align both tight ends to the left with both receivers to the right. The call is a simple four verticals, but the running back runs a Texas or angle route out of the backfield. Washington sends five rushers, dropping the other six defenders into what appears to be a three-deep, three-under fire zone. Mayo reads the release of the back to the edge and pushes outside to match him. However, the back then cuts back inside sharply and Mayo struggles to quickly change direction to get back inside, stumbling in the process. Mayo fails to recover and the  back runs by him on his way to a big gain after the catch.

This is where Davis’ struggles show up most. Because he’s not able to make the calls and play fast in the run game, Washington can’t get him on the field regularly. So when a team shows a run-heavy look like this and then pass out of it, a good run defending linebacker like Mayo can get a bit exposed in coverage, where Davis’ athletic ability would help out more. Mayo wasn’t as poor in coverage as many made out on Sunday, this was the obvious big error but outside of that he was fine in zone coverage. But there is no real coverage upside with Mayo like there is with Davis. 

Mayo is unlikely to be a long term answer for Washington at the Mike position, but his play against the Eagles highlights Washington’s need for a true Mike linebacker that is comfortable making calls and adjustments while still being able to play their responsibility, be it run defense or pass coverage. I would expect this to be the priority for Washington this offseason, of course after quarterback, but the impact of finding a true Mike would be significant.