Quote Originally Posted by Zool View Post
I can't tell which argument you're making here. Martinez and Jones are playing zone while Ryan is looking at and running to cover 1 guy. Maybe I'm a novice but in every scheme I've played and watched, the LBs are responsible for the RBs coming out of the backfield.

This looks like a classic "DO YOU JOB" fuckup by Ryan. Remember the Hawk and Barnett days, we're back there again.
In a man scheme, they might have the RB, but they are playing zone I believe. At the snap, the Bucs play fake and Ryan, Martinez and Jones all step up, when its clear its a fake they all retreat to a zone as the pic shows.

Ryan immediately sees the slot guy (might be the TE) moving to middle on a slant or In. He's running to cover him. Wist could be right, if its not a matchup scheme where he takes first inside route and follows, then he should look like Ponch with one eye on QB.

But there is a worse failure on the play. Burnett is covering the slot and follows no one deep. He retreats a small distance, like he might decide later to follow that inside route OR he is just retreating to help elsewhere since no one is in his zone (outside WR is matched up with outside CB headed deep).

When the screen develops, Burnett is off the LOS. He has a blocker and RB to contend with. At best, he keeps contain and forces the RB to stay inside, but he doesn't tie up the blocker and he gets nowhere near the RB. Burnett has no one to cover and does nothing on a play to his side. At the very least, he could take the legs out on the blocker. That's what ankle-biter would do just before his concussion evaluation.

The success of the play can be put this way, there are two receivers in the area here. Jon has one covered. Burnett, Ponch and Jones aren't anywhere near the other.

If the play call is a true zone, then Jon should not be so concerned with the one guy, he should be side stepping in retreat looking at the backfield.

But at least he is covering someone, Burnett is closest and does nothing from the slot.