not to regurgitate this
, but this is to good not to share, I keep forgetting the pay wall, here you go Scott.
The Athletic Wisconsin examines the Packers’ offense through the “All-22” camera angle. That camera is positioned high above the NFL playing field and shows a view that includes all 22 players at the same time. This view can be used to analyze all plays in an NFL game.
What’s all the commotion
The 2019 season was a transitional year for the Packers offense, leaving the long-tenured Mike McCarthy era and into the uncharted world of young play-caller Matt LaFleur. This season it’s been all systems go for LaFleur and his offense. “All gas, no brakes” as the coach likes to proclaim.
And perhaps the biggest change isn’t the perceived resurgence of Aaron Rodgers, but rather what LaFleur is adding to his offensive scheme to make it more efficient and productive.
Look no further than the usage of pre-snap motions and shifts. Green Bay is currently using motions and shifts on 60.9 percent of its offensive plays (fourth-most in the NFL).
Even more impressive is where this offense came from just two years ago. In McCarthy’s final season in Green Bay in 2018, the Packers finished 30th in using motion at a 30.2 percent rate. The offense made the slow climb back to the middle of the pack in LaFleur’s first season by using motion 47.3 percent, which ranked 14th in the NFL.
Now that we know the Packers are using it at a much higher frequency, let’s take a look under the hood and dissect it. Are motion and shifts more effective or is it a useless element with minimal impact?
Make opponents think
Pre-snap movement at its simplest form forces defenders to think. It makes them communicate and process moving parts of the offense. And these thoughts and communication must happen fast, especially when the motion is tied to the snap of the ball.
If the defensive checks aren’t polished, the moving parts of the offense put them a step ahead in the execution of their play.
Not all offensive play callers, designers or quarterbacks want pre-snap motion. One of the cons of running it is that it creates a cloudy picture of the defense. Peyton Manning preferred less pre-snap motion because he wanted a stale, static picture of the defense.
If the offense is moving and the defense is moving, it was difficult for Manning to pick up clear information about coverage or pressure. There is a reason the Jets are dead last in using motions or shifts. Their head coach Adam Gase was with Manning for many years. That philosophy seems to have bled into what the Jets are trying to do offensively with young QB Sam Darnold.
Acquire information
While Manning wasn’t a fan, offenses can use certain motions to acquire information about the defense’s intent.
The most common: Is a defense playing man or zone coverage? Traditionally, if a defender follows the pre-snap motion, it’s likely man-to-man coverage. If no defenders follow, it’s probably zone coverage. This is something subtle and simple that can be identified while watching a game on TV. If you see motion, try to determine what the defense is playing.
But be careful. The defense knows this is the intent so it attempts to give false information too:
Biggest impact
Motion has proven to be an advantageous tool across the Packers’ entire offensive platform. Green Bay leads the NFL with .255 EPA (Expected Points Added) when using motion. EPA is an analytical metric to measure a play’s impact on the score of the game.
But the use of motion by the Packers has had a ripple effect on the run game.
Let’s move
Yards per carry
6.3 (1st)
3.3 (29th)
Explosive runs (10-plus yards)
13 (3rd)
5 (28th)
Yards before contact
2.6 (1st)
0.6 (27th)
Show it, respect It
There clearly is something aiding and assisting the run game through these motions. Let’s see exactly how it can help produce a more effective rushing attack.
Decoys are only as good as their believability. Offenses can’t manipulate defenses with decoys if it isn’t a true threat.
In Week 1 against the Vikings, LaFleur used his jet motion often throughout the game, but he made an aggressive commitment by using it to run the ball.
Hybrid RB/WR Tyler Ervin has been tasked with jet motions this season, and he got his number called twice in Week 1. He has good speed to make this concept effective by getting to the perimeter.
Showing heavy usage in Week 1 was a great strategy to keep Minnesota’s defense honest. The jet sweep “give” can be run as a sweep play when Rodgers is under center or as a quick pass if he’s in the shotgun:
Influence and stretch defenders
The jet-motion element can create bigger running lanes for backs. It forces a defense to stretch laterally or horizontally. This widens defenders, and by default, widens gaps in the run game.
In Week 4, several unblocked Falcons defenders removed themselves from the run action because of the jet-motion threat of Ervin. And with a running back like Aaron Jones, who excels in cutback lanes, the defense is perfectly split down the middle:
Eye-candy confusion
Causing defenders to process and assess a moving picture before the snap inevitably creates hesitation in their movements and reactions. This split second is all a blocker may need to leverage their blocking assignment.
Adding jet motions opposite of the intended action can create eye violations and conflicts for defenders. A subtle fake to the jet motion going one way can confuse defenders when the run occurs in the opposite direction.
LaFleur loves using the “Jet Flip” misdirection run play. This features a fake to the jet motion (opposite of the run action) and then a flip to the running back as the offensive tackle pulls to the perimeter.
In Week 2 against the Lions, the Packers executed a jet flip to near perfection. Because the Lions were in man-to-man coverage, the jet motion from Ervin removed his defender from the side that the run took place. Watch LB Jahlani Tavai on the second level. He clearly hesitates to look at the misdirection and that gives RG Lucas Patrick great positioning for the cut-block.
Once again, Ervin’s jet motion opened up a gaping hole for a Jamaal Williams rushing TD in the red zone. You can see the delay in both play-side defenders, allowing LT David Bakhtiari and TE Robert Tonyan to cleanly get to their blocking targets.
QB buying in
The quarterback also can use the motion element of play design to make his own influential fakes to influence defenders. Against the Lions and Falcons, watch Rodgers use a subtle throwing motion after the handoff to hold defenders. Whether a jet motion or orbit motion, the threat is present to the defense. The Packers will occasionally throw a screen pass to that jet-motion player, but for now, the fake is proving to be enough:
Boot camp
Having a scheme and adding wrinkles is what Fleur, Sean McVay, and Kyle Shanahan are all about.
Getting Rodgers on the edge of the defense by using a bootleg is an excellent complementary concept to the jet action. It gets a defense flowing one direction laterally, the downhill-run action gets the defense to suck up and the bootleg works against the grain.
LaFleur likes using Rodgers against the flow of the jet motion, often using flood or three-level stretch concepts downfield:
This season, Rodgers is 29 of 41 (70.7 percent) on play-action schemes with four touchdowns and zero interceptions.
