|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Skinny Post |
Written by Erik Kramer
October 23, 2008 |
|
|
There is a distinct difference between a receiver running a post pattern and a skinny post.
On a deep post (or just post, for short), the receiver drives upfield for 15 yards and breaks to the deep middle of the field. The landmark the receiver runs to is usually the near upright. The QB takes a deep, seven-step drop and launches it high and deep. The ball will be caught anywhere from about 50 to 55 yards downfield. The decision the QB makes to throw this ball is based on whether or not the safety has vacated his deep zone, either by “taking the cheese” to cover an underneath route or by having to pick up a man in blitz coverage.
A skinny post is a precise timing route thrown with anticipation to a specific area. The receiver drives upfield and, on his seventh step, breaks inside on a very thin (or “skinny”) angle toward the middle of the field. It's also called a “thin” post. By breaking only slightly he will gain inside position on the corner and still be able to maintain a safe distance from the safety, who will be looking to knock his head off when the ball arrives. This is why range is so a valuable for a safety. A hard-hitting safety with range like Bob Sanders or Troy Polamalu is able to squeeze the zones on these type of timing routes.
The QB takes a quick, five-step drop and throws a dart to an area about 18-20 yards downfield over the linebacker and in between the corner and safety. The other job the QB has is to hold the safety in the middle of the field with his eyes to help preserve the health of his receiver. This is not an easy pass to complete for a young quarterback. Yet, this year on opening day, on the first pass of his first NFL game, Matt Ryan connected on a skinny post with Michael Jenkins for a 62-yard TD. That was a good indication that Ryan might have a pretty good feel for this NFL thing. |
|
|
|
|
| Rodgers or Favre? |
Written by Erik Kramer
September 18, 2008 |
|
|
The loudest argument for the Packers going with Brett Favre was that he gave the Packers the best chance to win the Super Bowl this year. In fact, many experts said that was a given.
But I’ve contended all along that Aaron Rodgers, not Favre, is the QB that can take the Packers the furthest this year—and for years to come. At the end of last season, while Favre was solid statistically, he looked old and withered in the two biggest games of the year: the Dallas game and the NFC Championship game against the Giants.
Against Dallas in Week 13, both teams were 11-1 and the outcome was likely to determine home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. It was the first time in several years that Favre and Green Bay were involved in such a meaningful regular-season game and it happened to be on Monday Night Football. To that point in the season, the Packers were successful in large part because Favre had toned down his gunslinger mentality and started to trust the rest of his team to make enough plays to win games.
On that night in Dallas, however, the old Favre showed up and took chances early and often, resulting in a 5-for-14, two-interception performance and a loss.
In the bitter cold of Lambeau Field, where part of Favre’s legend was built as the best cold weather QB in the game, Favre definitely looked affected by the elements. His timing looked off all day and he repeatedly put the ball up for grabs. And in the end, it was his risky decision making that resulted in the interception that sealed the Packers’ fate and kept the Packers out of the Super Bowl.
Over the summer, Rodgers weathered his first test by solidly and steadily dealing with the Favre comeback storm throughout training camp. And through Week 2, he has performed exactly as those in the organization hoped and expected he would.
Say what you will about the handling of the situation by the Packers, but Mike McCarthy and Ted Thompson knew exactly what they had in Rodgers these last three years. Why else would they have been so quick and confident to move on after Favre’s retirement announcement?
Personally, I felt the Packers should have given Favre his release and let him go to whatever team he wanted. Favre chose to fight the battle publicly and it was dangerously close to dividing the locker room and had already divided the Packer nation he helped to resurrect. The effort it took to battle Favre and keep him from going to another NFC Central team seemed too steep a price to pay for potentially draining the team from concentrating all of its efforts on heading in a new direction and taking another run at the Super Bowl.
Favre will turn 39 this year. How many old superstar QBs change teams this late in their careers and ever do much with the new team? I can’t think of any. See Namath, Unitas, Montana. But the bottom line is, the decision to let Favre go was the right one. We’ve all heard the NFL axiom that it’s better to cut a veteran one year too early than one year too late…even superstar Hall of Fame quarterbacks.
And though the season is only two weeks old, Aaron Rodgers has demonstrated the type of play that has the Packer faithful talking playoffs already. It’s been obvious when you watch him play why he is the 5th-rated QB in the league after two games.
To start the season, Rodgers has shown the athleticism and improvisational skills that marked Favre’s first 10 or 11 years. Twice in two games inside the red zone, he has escaped the rush and hit his receivers for touchdowns. And so far, his escapability has come with solid decision making. He has been sacked only once and has yet to be intercepted. His ability to make the defense cover the entire field has also been evident. He is 2-for-3 on throws where the ball travels 41 or more yards in the air. He will surely hit his share of home runs this year.
Go a little deeper inside the numbers and you’ll see what kind of trust and confidence Rodgers is building with Mike McCarthy. Look at these three areas where a QB has to prove himself: third down, in the red zone, facing the blitz. The Packers have had 24 3rd downs. McCarthy has called 20 passes and Rodgers has completed 14 of them. Three of Rodgers’ four TDs have come in the red zone, with no INTs. In the face of the blitz he is 11-for-15. As a coach, when you get production out of your QB in those areas, the playbook will expand rapidly. And with the weapons the Packers have, this could develop into a very explosive offense.
The Packers were the youngest team in the league last year when they made it to the NFC championship game. They are again this year and have their QB of the future, who will likely lead them through a string of contending years, possibly starting this year.
That’s why Aaron Rodgers at quarterback gives the Packers their best chance for getting to the Super Bowl—not only this year, but for years to come.
Former Bears and Lions quarterback Erik Kramer writes a regular blog for playerpress.com at www.erikkramerpass.com. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
