Twitter to the rescue!Originally Posted by pbmax
Let's just note something up front: we have drifted from the original point.
So we are now onto screens. He is a screenshot of the play in the second quarter with 7:12 or so left in the half.
Ryan peels back straight and does not keep his eyes in the backfield as wist noted and as Martinez and Jones both do. But there is a reason. His zone is immediately threatened by receiver. He's hustling back to cover him.
The Bucs know this is going to happen which is why they leak the RB out to the weak side of the defense. They have occupied the onside ILB. The offside ILB (Ponch) along with the box safety (Jones) have to cross the field to make a play. Its very well designed. Now Ryan would be well served to not buy the run fake as much and retreat with a backpedal, but he knows there is a receiver headed for his zone and wide open. So he takes care of Job #1 (run), then Job #2 (zone space). Eyes forward would help but it would still be his third key.
The real culprit is Morgan Burnett who is at first mesmerized by the receiver crossing into Ryan and then takes a baffling angle around the blocker to leave the RB an unimpeded path down the seam. Now Morgan might have been expecting inside support from Ryan, but that is a hell of a position to be in. More likely, as we saw at other times, another Packer should have been prepared to follow the back in coverage since the weak side was outnumbered.
That would be Martinez likely.
However this has nothing to do with instincts. Its technique for Ryan and recognition for Martinez. Something younger players will get better at. Or Burnett could have stepped forward instead of run around a block.
The problem I have is that since King was sidelined, this is the second game were this type of screen action has been very successful. They have to adjust or it will keep happening. Teams are successfully scheming that zone to death right now. The only upside is that if you aren't named Whitehead, they have kept the damage in front of them.
Going to need to find a replacement for photo bucket. so hold the phones
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