Sturm: Decoding Linehan - Personnel Groupings Give Cowboys Advantage Downfield

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By Bob Sturm, Special contributor

We have been writing these offensive summaries on Tuesday mornings since the 2008 season. The study has certainly evolved over the years, but when it started the sole purpose was to try to figure out a little more about what is going on based on what the screen is telling us. We know the announcers are not treating the game like a teaching clinic - because most of the audience is not interested in the Xs and Os and the deep layers of football. We know that following the ball is how most people watch the game and that seems to satisfy the majority of the audience. Great.

But, the reason I started attempting to unlock layers of the NFL game was that I wasn't satisfied with the simplistic explanations we often get. I don't appreciate the catch-all phrases like "halftime adjustments" or "throw it deep" or even "call the touchdown play". I wanted to try to understand the game in terms of what each team is trying to do to each other and actually make it into the mental chess game from the couch that it actually appears to the participants and the coaches.

However, I do confess as the season is going along, I assume the readers of this have been with me for 10 seasons, too. And I am wrong. The point of this exercise should be to bring those along who are joining in along the way. I shouldn't assume that personnel grouping concepts are obvious to all involved, so at the risk of some hearing this for the 10th time, allow me to review one of the most important concepts of enjoying football at a deeper level:

Offenses are attempting to gain advantages by showing the defense something and then doing something different. Just like in baseball in the showdown between a pitcher and a batter or any other sport, deception is a massive way to overcome your opponent.

In football we do that with formations and personnel groupings. I highly recommend you learn personnel groupings so they become 2nd nature as you watch a team line up. Formations are important, too, but in my opinion, lesser so. Formations affect the 11 men on the field. Personnel groupings generally affect the other entire sideline.

Between every play as you look at your phone or say something to your buddy, the teams are running guys on or off the field. The offense goes first and the defense is studying their move and countering with their own. That is why we track personnel groupings so carefully each week below. We want to see what the offensive coordinator is trying and in what situations he is trying it. The defense wants to know, too, so they put the proper personnel out there to counter. To review, 6 players never change on the offense. The 5 OL and the QB. The other 5 players rotate quite a bit. Most every team passes with "11" personnel - 1 RB, 1 TE and 3 WR so that would be their 2-minute and 3rd down offense. Across the league this is pretty uniform. Defenses see this and will bring on 5-6 defensive backs to defend this. Whereas short-yardage on the goal-line is often "23" personnel - 2 RB and 3 TEs. This screams run, so a defense will go get their big group to defend. Those are the two ends of the spectrum and there are a number of options in between that attempt to tell the world either: we are definitely running, we are likely to run, we might run here, we are probably passing, and we are definitely passing.

And that is where deception gets involved. You tell the opponent one thing and then you do something completely different.

The Cowboys have been finding success with this by using 13 personnel - 1 RB, 3 TE, and 1 WR which is something they have historically run out of about 75%-80% of the time as well as 22 personnel - 2 RB, 2 TE, and 1 WR and throwing passes when they think the defense has sucked too far up. When you want to see adjustments that have come to the front in the last few games during this win streak, I would say that this one comes quickly to mind. 1st and 10, pound the rock, use play-action, and see openings in the secondary with only 1 WR in the game.



This is a 1st Quarter example of showing personnel. This is 22 personnel. The Cowboys show run, then they do run right into the teeth of the Raiders and gash them. Morris does a great job here of waiting on his cutback and completely fools 55-Lee in the hole and then ends up with a 16 yard gain. This is what power football feels like when it is coming right at you.

So, here is the next play.




You are the LB. You tell me if this is a run or pass at first. You are looking at all of the same keys as the last snap. You see the personnel grouping - 12 personnel this time. You are thinking this is now 1st and 10 and they just had success on the ground. We better get ready because they have 7 run blockers up front. And that is when Dak can hit you with the play-action pass to a TE who did not stay to block, but got behind your LBs into a space where he is wide open.

Watch 55-Lee on that video and see how he is sure it is a run again. And that is how you use deception to cross them up. You can't use it on 3rd down, because they aren't stupid. They know you have to pass it there or your drive is over. That is why 1st down deception is how this game is generally won or lost.



Now, let's see why the pass is so much easier from the other angle. If you pass on "run" situations, you accomplish the major goal of getting all the defenders shallow. This allows you to pass into lightly populated secondaries where you are not outnumbered. You have 3 guys running vertically and they have 3 defenders back in a Cover 3. On 3rd down, you often have 3 versus 7. But, on 1st down and in play-action, it can be 3 versus 3. When that happens, there are all sorts of route combinations that will easily free a man up. This time, you have Witten running behind a vertical from the WR Williams that clears out the corner on that side. Now, unless the shallow LBs get a deep drop, the TE is going to have the corner to himself. He does. 18 yards. Easy as you like.



Here is a moment slightly later that fed off that same "run tendency" and a similar route combination to open up a similar opening in the Oakland secondary on yet another 1st and 10.

This time it is 13 personnel and it is James Hanna leaking out - just like he did against the Giants.



Again, watch that run-fake. Watch the Oakland linebackers. See the window open because of the vertical WR clearing out the corner on that side. And see Dak hit that window. Passing is so much easier when they think you are going to run. Football 201.

WEEKLY DATA BOX



Here we see the numbers from Sunday night. The offense needed to put up some numbers to win this thriller and they did just enough. They really needed a touchdown on that final drive and should have done better on the goal-line. They also had a really rough night on 3rd down, but I would remind folks this is a very good 3rd down team this year that is 5th in the whole NFL. They don't go 20% very often. In a league that is 38.9%, the Cowboys - through all this adversity - still sit at 43.4% which only trails the Falcons, Eagles, Vikings, and Steelers. Everyone else looks up at the Cowboys on the money down.

DAK PRESCOTT THROW CHART



Seldom do we see a day where there are 12 passes beyond 10 yards and 6 over 20 yards. The Cowboys saw some downfield opportunities and wanted to force the Raiders to defend them vertically. It caught me a bit off guard given their reputation lately. It wasn't easy, but Prescott and the targets hooked up for some big moments. There were a few others left out there, too.

PERSONNEL GROUPINGS



As you can see, when you are in "run" groupings, you still are running most of the time. That is the concept of deception again. You must convince them you are doing one thing for the ambushes to work. But, right now, you can see the Cowboys are most successful with multiple TE packages. This is where they give their passing game the best chance to work. The trouble is, that means Cole Beasley isn't even on the field since he is almost exclusively a "11 personnel" weapon. This explains his statistical fall-off this year a bit, although in the interest of time, I won't elaborate too much right now on that.
Let's look at some more video.



If 1st down is easy pickings for a QB, then 3rd and long is just the opposite. The defense is ready for your passing concepts and they want to disguise their coverages to fool a QB/WR. This time, it sure looks like there is confusion as Dak wants Dez Bryant on the slant. The pass is too high and Dez looks like he sees a zone (he is right) and that there is no chance on that ball. His effort looks bad here and he could have helped his QB save an interception, but likely knows that the slant is against man coverage and this is a zone so it should be more of a hook into the soft spot. Either way, it is not a great choice by the QB and the drive ends.



Dez does look guilty of self-preservation which never plays well, but if I were to guess on this one, I think he is correct in not expecting that throw. You can see how QB and WR need to be on the same page.



This is Tyron Smith being defeated on a 1st down pass-protection bid against Khalil Mack. Mack is very strong, but I think you will agree that this was our 1st indication that Tyron is playing hurt. Remember that play, because it impacts several others later.



Because of the sack, they face a 3rd and 12 that they actually hit on. Tight window to hit Witten at the sticks, but Dak makes a nice throw. Look at how many Raiders are sitting on these routes, though. It is impossible to make a living on 3rd and long in this league.



3rd Quarter - 3rd and 9 - this is where the game got really interesting. I don't think this play was going to get 9 yards, but it really went wrong when Dak's arm gets hit and Sean Smith ends up with an interception. Beasley gets a touch or it could have been a Pick-6. But, this is the type of play that loses games and ends seasons. Let's check the protection.



See Bruce Irvin fake a stunt on Tyron and Smith can't even move. He tries, but Irvin is too fast and gets to Dak's arm which makes the ball a free interception. Pass protection is a huge part of 3rd down success and the left tackle spot is not right.



Here is the very next drive. I believe this is Tyron's last play. Prescott wants Cole Beasley deep but is again hit as he throws because Smith has no chance against Irvin. Tyron Smith is one of the best in the business, but they properly saw he can't do it right now and had to get him out after this moment.



The very next play was the fake punt. Then, a few moments later, down on the goal-line, Prescott figures out a way into the end zone against a zone. What a great elusive run from the QB to see his best chance is with his legs.



And, finally, a chance to win the game on this throw. If you don't like the Cowboys in empty, you won't like this play. But, if you do like crucial 40-yard gains to set up the winning score, maybe you will make an exception. Good throw and of course a chance for Dez to show you what he is great at - winning battles in the air for the ball down the sideline or in the end zone where the corner has no help.

It was a very fine road win with plenty of talking points.
 
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