Emptying The Notebook: Commanders' Offense vs Browns
A compliation of smaller notes from the Commanders' offense in the preseason opener against the Browns.
For those that are new here and haven’t seen my Emptying The Notebook posts before, the idea is for me to be able to talk about a few smaller notes I had from watching the All-22 that didn’t necessarily merit a full post on their own. That means this post is going to jump from point to point rather than stay on a single theme or player, but it allows me to touch on multiple smaller details worth highlighting. Today I’m focusing on the offensive side of the ball from the preseason opener against the Browns, tomorrow I’ll do the same thing with the defense.
Howell and Gates communication
One of the key relationships for a successful offense is that of the quarterback and center. The Commanders identified Nick Gates in free agency as the center they wanted to partner with a young quarterback in Sam Howell and against the Browns we got our first look at how well the pair worked together. For a start, it was encouraging to see just how much responsibility Howell had at the line of scrimmage with regards to protection, but there were also plays where Gates was helping him.
This play stood out as a good example. It occurred on third and six on the opening drive. Running back Brian Robinson initially aligned outside to the right, leaving Howell with an empty backfield. The Browns responded by having the Mike (middle) linebacker follow Robinson outside. However, Howell quickly signals for Robinson to motion into the backfield, which sees the Mike linebacker follow him back into the box. With another linebacker in the box, Howell decides he wants to re-identify the Mike to ensure he’s protected properly, so he walks up to the offensive line and points at the Mike linebacker to set the protection.
Once Howell communicates the call to Gates, Gates then adjusts the protection for the rest of the offensive line. You can see Gates turn his head and look to the right side of the line to make sure they’re all on the same page. However, both Gates and right tackle Andrew Wylie then point to the left side of the line. My guess would be this is to alert Howell to the possibility of the slot corner blitzing given his alignment tight to the formation. It appears as though Gates is communicating to Howell that after the protection change, Howell needs to be prepared to account for that defender. He even looks back at Howell and points outside again. Howell gives him a slight nod to confirm he understands and then signals for the snap.
The defender ends up not rushing, but if Gates was indeed making sure Howell was aware of that possibility after Howell had changed the protection, it shows a good understanding of not only their own system, but possible threats from the defense that need to be accounted for. Having a center with a good awareness of the bigger picture is huge, especially for a young quarterback. Reminders like that could prove to be extremely helpful in the future.
4x1 formation
A few weeks ago, I broke down a clip from the Commanders' training camp practice where the team used a four by one, or 4x1 formation. 4x1 formations are becoming more common around the NFL because it messes with a lot of common coverage structures. With four eligible receivers aligning the same side, the defense has to adjust the coverage to avoid being overloaded. That typically results in the one receiver on the other side being isolated one-on-one against a cornerback.
In the training camp clip, I wrote about how the Commanders could use this to isolate Terry McLaurin and have him win slants one-on-one. That was, in fact, what the Commanders did on the play I broke down. However, the Chiefs last year also evolved that 4x1 look to start drawing up shots down the field and it appears as though Eric Bieniemy intends to do the same in Washington.
This play comes from the Commanders’ second team offense. They use a bunch set to the left with the running back in the backfield also aligned to the left. That leaves one receiver isolated to the right. The Commanders use the same concept with the four receiver side that we saw in the training camp practice play, but the individual route on the back side changes. Instead of a slant, Byron Pringle runs a fade. He works inside off the snap and sells a stutter fake before bursting outside and down the sideline.
The 4x1 formation creates a pure one-on-one matchup for Pringle and he takes full advantage, gaining a step on the defender as he runs down the sideline. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett likes the matchup so he takes the shot down the field and delivers a nice ball for Pringle to make a play and pick up 32 yards.
There’s a lot of different routes that the Commanders could use on the back side of this look, so expect to see it regularly from Washington’s offense this season to try and create one-on-one matchups for Terry McLaurin.
Cole Turner run blocking
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