(15:00) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right. Play is a drop-back pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the hand-off, momentarily sucking in the two ILBs, then runs through the line and into the right flat. Freeman throws the dumpoff to him. Blount stops his feet as he turns downfield, sees the strongside ILB on him and tries to cut inside past him. The linebacker wraps him up and drags him down. Gain of two.
What could Blount have done better?
He sold the play-action well enough, caught the dump-off and tried to use his power to go for extra yards, even though, in the end, the LB was strong enough to not be dragged. However, I do not like Blount's technique of stopping his feet in order to change direction - he should have continued running to the sideline and turn up field, rather than stop dead to cut up - if he had done so, the momentum might have helped him try fight through the LB for extra yards. Bad technique like Blount, though for what it's worth, it looks to me like he's stopping his feet to turn downfield, not to try and out-dance the LB.
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(14:24) 2nd & 8: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Franklin), left and TE (Winslow), right. Play is a zone-stretch to the left with Zuttah lead-blocking on a pull. Blount takes the handoff and runs to the left of the line, aiming for the point where Zuttah is trying to force open a gap between Penn & Franklin. Blount sees a running lane open between Faine & Trueblood, thanks to Joseph going up to the second level, and cuts downfield through this lane. He then, however, sees a big gap to his right, outside of Trueblood, and looks to lean in that direction; but he continues running towards Trueblood rather than bounce outside. Trueblood leaves his DE alone as he continues zone blocking to the left, leaving the DE free to get a hand to Blount, slightly unsteadying him. The right ILB (from the Bucs' perspective) evades Trueblood's block and trips up Blount, bringing him down for a gain of six.
What could Blount have done better?
I have no problem with Blount making his initial cut when he did - that's how zone blocking works, you chase the B-gap as the line zones to one side until you spot an open cut-back lane, and hit the hole. I do, however, have a problem with Blount's indecision after the cut - it looks like he's seriously considering cutting again to the right, before sticking with his first direction. I believe if he had continued running north-to-south after the first cut, he would have been closer to the line, which could have meant that the right ILB (Bowman) would have not been able to take the same angle to Blount without having to go through, rather than around, Trueblood. His vision was fine in making the first cut but I have to take fault with his indecision afterwards.
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(10:26) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB offset to strongside (right), Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson(!)), right. Play is a drop-back pass (looks like a designed run that was audibled into a smoke route). At the snap, Blount runs up to Freeman, but by the time he gets to him, Freeman has thrown the ball incomplete to Williams. Getting to the LOS with no ball, Blount stops and watches the play.
What could Blount have done better?
Despite claims that Blount is "clueless" in the pass game, which he never appears to have been so far in 2011, the only time he actually looks "clueless" is when plays appear to have been audibled into a smoke route. Since it looks like Blount was expecting the ball, it's hardly his fault if he was unsure what to do with the play audibled to the smoke route.
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(10:22) 2nd & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Stocker), right and H-back (Winslow), right. Pre-snap, Blount motions across formation and sets up at H-back, right. Play is an H-back screen to Benn off of play-action. At the snap, Blount runs up to Freeman, fakes receiving the hand-off, sucking in ten (TEN!) of the defenders - only the corner covering Blount doesn't move towards the running back. After he fakes getting the ball, the strongside DE is on him. Blount puts his hands on him momentarily, but the DE backs off and runs to the play, and Blount stays behind to watch the play develop. (Freeman rolls out, throws the pass to Benn, who runs behind Penn & Zuttah on the screen, then behind Williams blocking at the third level, taking the ball 33 yards.
What could Blount have done better?
First the bad - no question, Blount should have put his hands on the DE and tried to block the dude. That said, Blount did execute his primary assignment in fantastic fashion - selling the PA so well he sucks in all but one of the fearsome 9ers defense, completely clearing out the weakside (left) of the field for Benn.
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(9:36) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Play is a simple FB-lead dive. Blount takes the hand-off and follows Lorig up the middle of the line. Lorig ploughs into a tiny hole between Faine & Joseph, but is unable to force the hole open. Trueblood, however, has locked up the WLB, setting the edge of a massive hole. Blount cuts to the right and through the massive hole. Blount runs downfield until the strongside ILB (Willis) wraps him up about three yards past the LOS, as Zuttah is unable to get in any sort of decent block on the backer. Blount uses his power to drag Willis a few yards, spinning round as he pulls against Willis, before he's brought down for a gain of nine.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing. He made a great decision in cutting to the right rather than following the lead-blocker through a non-existent hole, and if Zuttah had managed to get a block on Willis, the play is easily a first down and possibly going much longer than that.
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(9:01) 2nd & 1: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), right. Play is a roll-out pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the handoff, sucking in eight defenders, thenr uns up through the weakside (left) B-gap. He gets through the hole, looks to his right, and apparently seeing nothing that concerns him, turns round to watch the play. (Freeman way, way overthrows Benn, going for the long touchdown attempt and almost getting picked off in the process, rather than Lorig or Williams, who were both in position to make the catch and get the first down. Naughty Freeman!)
What could Blount have done better?
He successfully sold the PA, and appeared to look for something to his right (potentially checking for a delayed blitz?), but as always, not happy with his standing about watching the play develop when he could have gone to block the weakside DE, who admittedly has also given up on the play, but c'mon man, free shot! Go up and give him a pop.
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(8:53) 3rd & 1: Blount lines up tailback, Graham (yes, Graham) at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Lorig), left and TE (Dotson), right. Play is a QB sneak. At the snap, Blount steps forward a few yards and then watches the play.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really, he was never going to be involved in the play.
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(8:05) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freemand under center. OL lined up offset right (Penn setting up to the right of Trueblood) + TE (Winslow), left. Play is a power-O to the strongside (right) with Lorig & Zuttah on a pull lead-blocking. Blount takes the handoff and follows Zuttah, but Penn is way too slow and fails to get any push on the DL, which causes Zuttah to initially run into the back of him. Zuttah works his way around Penn, blocking the strongside ILB, but Penn completely fails to block the strongside DE, who slips out of Penn's grasp and wraps up Blount around the waist. Two more defenders come down - the NT, who Trueblood releases in order to try and pick up the weakside ILB, apparently believing that Joseph has a block on the NT (he doesn't - he's been knocked to the ground by the weakside DE who Faine fails to block); and the weakside ILB, who Trueblood doesn't get to in time. The three then drag down Blount for a gain of one.
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(8:05) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freemand under center. OL lined up offset right (Penn setting up to the right of Trueblood) + TE (Winslow), left. Play is a power-O to the strongside (right) with Lorig & Zuttah on a pull lead-blocking. Blount takes the handoff and follows Zuttah, but Penn is way too slow and fails to get any push on the DL, which causes Zuttah to initially run into the back of him. Zuttah works his way around Penn, blocking the strongside ILB, but Penn completely fails to block the strongside DE, who slips out of Penn's grasp and wraps up Blount around the waist. Two more defenders come down - the NT, who Trueblood releases in order to try and pick up the weakside ILB, apparently believing that Joseph has a block on the NT (he doesn't - he's been knocked to the ground by the weakside DE who Faine fails to block); and the weakside ILB, who Trueblood doesn't get to in time. The three then drag down Blount for a gain of one.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing. He follows his lead blockers, as he's supposed to - while he later dragged down by the NT and weakside ILB as well, Blount's progress is initially stopped by the strongside DE, and that is ALL on Penn's poor, poor blocking. Penn's poor blocking has the double effect of being unable to shift the DE, which messes up Zuttah's lead-block. Even messing up Zuttah's lead, if Penn had at least stopped the DE slipping past him, Blount might have been able to get more yards - even though the SLB was in position, thanks to a miscue in lead-blocking by Zuttah and Lorig (both go to block the strongside ILB). Still, I think do blame Penn for that too - the SLB would have been Zuttah's responsibility, but if Penn had actually been able to drive his DE, then Zuttah would have had a straighter line and, based on what I've seen Zuttah do in previous games, I fully believe he would have picked up the SLB. People, elite left tackle play this is not.
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(7:33) 2nd & 9: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB offset to the weakside (right), Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Pre-snap, Lorig motions out of the backfield and sets up wide left as a receiver. Play is a drop-back pass. At the snap, Blount looks to the outside, sees the WLB coming on a blitz, and blocks him. Freeman completes to Williams for six yards.
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(7:33) 2nd & 9: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB offset to the weakside (right), Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Pre-snap, Lorig motions out of the backfield and sets up wide left as a receiver. Play is a drop-back pass. At the snap, Blount looks to the outside, sees the WLB coming on a blitz, and blocks him. Freeman completes to Williams for six yards.
What could Blount have done better?
Blount picked up the blitzing linebacker, which was good. As a technique point, though, he did wait for the blitzer to come to him, rather than going to meet the blitzer. Still, Penn's been doing that for years yet somehow is still a Pro Bowler, and Blount did achieve the main objective - blocking the LB and stopping him getting to Freeman - so thumbs up to Blount, even if he did lose a little in the way of style points. As a foot note, while I would prefer for Blount to meet the backer, waiting for the contact is a far, far better option to over-committing to one direction while going up to try hit the backer, making it easy for the LB to get around him, so that's all fair enough really.
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Lumpkin subbed in for Blount on third down. Blount remains on the bench on first down (Bucs line up with an empty backfield). Getting another first down on that play, Blount subbed back in.
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(5:26) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB offset weakside (right), Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Play is a straightforward dive up the middle. Blount takes the hand-off and heads up the middle of the line. Originally he seems to be veering to the weakside (right), but makes a single cut to the strongside B-gap. Blount runs into the strongside DE, who gets through Penn and wraps up Blount at the LOS (I know he's not a Buc, but god I love Justin Smith). Two more defenders thud into the pair and bring Blount down for a gain of one.
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Lumpkin subbed in for Blount on third down. Blount remains on the bench on first down (Bucs line up with an empty backfield). Getting another first down on that play, Blount subbed back in.
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(5:26) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB offset weakside (right), Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Play is a straightforward dive up the middle. Blount takes the hand-off and heads up the middle of the line. Originally he seems to be veering to the weakside (right), but makes a single cut to the strongside B-gap. Blount runs into the strongside DE, who gets through Penn and wraps up Blount at the LOS (I know he's not a Buc, but god I love Justin Smith). Two more defenders thud into the pair and bring Blount down for a gain of one.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing in my eyes. You can clearly see on the replay that if he had continued running up the weakside A-gap, he would have run straight into the weakside ILB (Bowman), who was completely unblocked. On his left, however, he could see Zuttah & Faine doubleteaming the NT, so he (correctly) ran towards where his blockers were. Had Penn managed to contain Smith, Blount could have pretty easily gotten anywhere between three and five yards on the play before he would have made contact with another defender. Now, there was another option for Blount - had he cut to the outside of Penn, Winslow actually had a pretty damn decent block on the SLB, and if Benn had blocked the corner on that side, the play could have been a touchdown (the LOS is at the 13 yard line). Still, I don't think there's anyway Blount would have seen that hole, and he did everything correct in terms of following standard football theory.
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Graham subbed in for Blount on second down. Blount remains off the field on third down.
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2nd Quarter
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(14:03) 2nd & 7: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), left. Pre-snap, Lorig motions across so that he is behind Trueblood when the ball is snapped. Play is a zone-stretch to the weakside (right). Blount takes the hand-off and follows Lorig, who goes to block the WLB. Blount reads the block and cuts inside, but Lorig only pops the Will, never properly locking him in. As Blount runs past, the WLB easily disengages from Lorig and wraps up Blount around the knees, which causes him to crash to the ground, with the NT landing on top of him for good measure. Gain of one.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really. Lorig, you HAVE to hold up better at the point of attack - it's not enough to pop a defender, you have to keep pumping your feet in order to drive the dude back. Lorig instead stops moving his feet after he makes contact, which makes it easy for the backer to disengage. The failure of the play, therefore, falls on Lorig, not Blount.
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Lumpkin subbed in for Blount on third down. Blount subbed back in after the conversion.
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(12:41) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left and TE (Dotson), right. Play looks like it was called as a run but audibled into a quick pass. Blount runs up and moves his arms to take the handoff, but Freeman throws a very quick pass to Benn for a first down.
What could Blount have done better?
I'm convinced this was again audibled into a smoke route (since starting to break down Blount, I've learnt to recognise what it looks like when he's faking a handoff - this was not that, but something different, hence me believing he was actually expecting the ball). So, there's not much you can really ask from Blount when he's expecting the play to be one thing while Freeman changes it to another.
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(12:05) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right and H-back (Lorig), right. Pre-snap, Lorig motions across and sets up H-back, left. Play is a counter-run to the weakside (left) with Joseph lead-blocking on a pull. Lorig completely whiffs on blocking the WLB, who easily gets past Lorig's inside and into the backfield, forcing Blount to run outside of him instead of being able to run up the middle and follow Joseph (who anyway runs into the back of Penn, who is unable to budge the weakside DE at all). Blount runs around the outside of the line but the weakside ILB is completely unblocked (he was Joseph's responsibility), wraps up Blount's ankle and doesn't let go until Blount is on the floor. Gain of three.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really, he couldn't follow his lead blocker thanks to Lorig's failure to block the WLB, so he had no choice but to bounce outside. Even so, he would have been in position to get at least a good six or seven yards on the play if not for the weakside ILB, Willis. As I said above, Willis was Joseph's responsibility, but it is not Joseph's fault that he did not get to him - rather, Penn's. As Penn was again ineffectual in the running game, he did not drive his DE at all, which cut off Joseph's "blocking lane" to Willis. Had Penn be able to shift himself and the DE even a little way backwards, Joseph might have a cleaner path to Willis, thus allowing Blount to run unmolested for a good three-four yards further than he did at the very least. This is the second time this game Penn's failure in the run game has prevented a lead blocker from being able to get a clean shot at his assignment.
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(11:26) 2nd & 7: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Play is called as a run, but Freeman definitely audibles it into a smoke route/bubble screen. As the Bucs line up, Freeman makes a hand signal to Benn, who turns and makes the same hand signal to Williams. At the snap, Blount runs up to Freeman, again preparing his arms to receive the handoff, but Freeman throws to Benn, who is drilled in the backfield by a DB who Williams completely fails to block.
What could Blount have done better?
As with all plays audibled into a smoke route, the question is moot.
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Graham subbed in for Blount on third down.
(7:14) 2nd & 8: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), right and H-back (Winslow), right. Play looks to be a running back screen off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the handoff, then runs up to the NT. Instead of blocking him, Blount runs to the left flat, as all three interior OL run to the left to set up the screen. The NT realises what is going on and chases Blount. Freeman throws a looping pass to get over the NT but it overshoot Blount, falling incomplete.
What could Blount have done better?
I do fault Blount on this. He sold the hand-off fine, but he made two mistakes by my count. Firstly, he never attempted to do anything to the NT, which makes no sense - even if he's suffered on occasion from improper or poor technique, Blount has never actively shirked from making blocks in pass protection. I believe if Blount had done something, just popped the NT or even a quick chip on him, it would have been enough to make the NT hesitate for a second as to whether it was a screen or not - that second would have resulted in enough separation from the NT that Freeman could pass straight to Blount, rather than having to throw a loopy pass over the top which ended up being too high for him. The second was that Blount did slow down as he was anticipating the pass - had he kept going at full speed, he should have been able to outpace the NT enough even without popping him or chipping on him to allow Freeman to make a better throw. Thus, even though the throw was high and loopy, and therefore inaccurate, I blame Blount for not getting into a position where he was open enough that Free didn't have to throw that type of pass - you can forgive Free for not wanting to throw with the NT too near after already being picked off twice this game.
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Graham subbed in for Blount on third down.
(4:23) 2nd & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left and TE (Dotson), right. Play is a straightforward dive up the middle. Blount takes the handoff and runs up the middle, before veering to the left and heading up the left C-gap (i.e. between Penn and Winslow) which has opened wide. As he cuts downfield tight to his blockers, the NT is able to slip off of Faine and get his hand to Blount's legs, causing him to stumble. He is immediately swarmed by five more defenders. In order: Penn's DE; a safety who has blitzed the hole; Trueblood's DE, who has worked his way across the formation; one of the ILBs, who gets off of Zuttah's block; and one of the OLBs, who has gotten off of Winslow's block. Blount's power still leads to a gain of four.
What could Blount have done better?
You kidding me? Read the above description. That is a mass breakdown in blocking - in terms of primary blockers, only Joseph actually sustained his block and engaged the other ILB through the end of the play (the other primary blocker, Dotson, did not sustain his block but as he was on the far side of the formation, that OLB did not get in on the play). If they had all done their blocking, Blount would have been left one-on-one with the safety to contend with; instead, he had to deal with all three DL, an ILB, an OLB, and that safety. Not much anyone could have done in that situation.
Lumpkin subbed in for Blount on third down.
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(9:07) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), right. Play is a power-O run. The play is quickly blown dead. Penalty flags. Unsportsmanlike conducts by Raheem Morris.
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(8:45) 1st & 25: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right. Play is a drop-back pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the hand-off but with the very brief exception of one of the ILBs, it doesn't really suck anyone in. Blount runs up the right hashmarks, turning around about three yards past the LOS and looking for the ball. Freeman throws to Winslow.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really. The lack of sucking-in of the defense by the play-action can no doubt be chiefly attributed to the down & distance. After that, Blount was wide open for the check down, had Freeman decided to dump it off. Not much more you could want.
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(8:36) 2nd & 12: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), left and H-back (Winslow), left. Play is intended as a drop-back pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the handoff, momentarily sucking in two of the linebackers, then runs through the line and into the right flat. Freeman is flushed from the pocket to the right, and Blount begins to turn downfield. As Freeman approaches the LOS, he is about to be hit, so dumps the ball off to Blount. Blount catches it, then spins turns around and runs downfield down the right sideline. As he runs, a DB comes in and dives through his knee, flipping him. Gain of 22. Blount is hurt on the play and does not return, and is held out through the next two games until after the bye-week.
What could Blount have done better?
Not much, he got a 22-yard gain, it's just a shame he was hurt on the play.
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Graham subbed in for Blount on second down. Blount remains off the field on third down.
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(0:11) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB offset strongside (left) (ends up weakside after the pre-snap motion by Winslow), Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Pre-snap, Winslow motions across the formation and sets up TE, right. Play is a stretch-run to the weakside (left). Blount takes the handoff and runs to the left of the line, following Lorig. Lorig his the WLB high, but doesn't engage the block, and as Blount cuts up inside Lorig, the linebacker is able to drape his arms around him, slowing him down for long enough for two more defenders to join in on the gang tackle, dragging him down, pushing him back and to the ground. Forward progress means a gain of two.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really. Lorig got a good initial pop on the WLB but didn't do enough to actually prevent him from making the play. Blount is also failed by Trueblood, who releases his block on the strongside DE early, allowing the DE to come down and wrap up Blount, and Winslow, who completely whiffs on the SLB who chases down Blount from the backside. There was little Blount could have done different.
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2nd Quarter
(15:00) Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), left and TE (Winslow), right. Play is a drop-back pass off of play-action. At the snap, Blount fakes receiving the hand-off, sucking in the front seven momentarily. Blount then runs through the line and to the right flat. Freeman throws to Winslow but the pass is slightly short, and is picked off by a DB. The DB runs across the field to the opposite pylon for a touchdown. (Blount was open in the flat - he then ran as fast as he could to try and get to the DB but he was in no position to make the stop).
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing. He faked the hand-off, sucking in the front seven, then ran his route, on which he was open throughout. Freeman got greedy by throwing to Winslow. It was nice, though, to see Blount not give up on the play, but rather try as hard as he could to chase down the DB.
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(14:39) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right and H-back (Lorig), right. Pre-snap, Lorig motions across formation and sets up H-back, left. Play is a zone-run to the weakside (left). Blount takes the handoff and runs to the weakside of the line until he reaches some blockers who have failed to drive their men - specifically, Lorig & Faine. He cuts inside, where there is a patch of open field. He heads inside but sees the strongside DE coming free (Trueblood attempted to cutblock him but failed), and so cuts back to the left. As he cross the LOS, the weakside ILB comes down and hits him, wrapping him up around the waist. Blount drags him forwards two yards for a gain of three.
What could Blount have done better?
On the one hand, this is a prime example of Blount's "dancing" - on the other, it's a prime example of why he has had to "dance" so often. Firstly, he did the right thing cutting inside when he reached blockers unable to move their targets. Next, he cut back to the left after seeing the DE come free. I cannot fault him for that, especially as more blockers to his left - running backs should always follow their blockers when possible. If you want to complain that Blount made a second cut, then blame Trueblood for failing to connect on the cutblock. As for the strongside ILB coming free, if it is anyone's fault it is Penn's, but I wouldn't particularly fault him for it; Penn peeled off the doubleteam on the weakside DE with Zuttah in order to pick up the LB, but as he did so, the LB shot across him towards Zuttah's side. Either Penn needs to get off that doubleteam quicker, or he should have held off peeling off, so that, once the LB crossed them, it would have been Zuttah who peeled off to pick him up. All in all, Blount did what he could with the blocking unfolding as it did.
What could Blount have done better?
On the one hand, this is a prime example of Blount's "dancing" - on the other, it's a prime example of why he has had to "dance" so often. Firstly, he did the right thing cutting inside when he reached blockers unable to move their targets. Next, he cut back to the left after seeing the DE come free. I cannot fault him for that, especially as more blockers to his left - running backs should always follow their blockers when possible. If you want to complain that Blount made a second cut, then blame Trueblood for failing to connect on the cutblock. As for the strongside ILB coming free, if it is anyone's fault it is Penn's, but I wouldn't particularly fault him for it; Penn peeled off the doubleteam on the weakside DE with Zuttah in order to pick up the LB, but as he did so, the LB shot across him towards Zuttah's side. Either Penn needs to get off that doubleteam quicker, or he should have held off peeling off, so that, once the LB crossed them, it would have been Zuttah who peeled off to pick him up. All in all, Blount did what he could with the blocking unfolding as it did.
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(14:03) 2nd & 7: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), left. Pre-snap, Lorig motions across so that he is behind Trueblood when the ball is snapped. Play is a zone-stretch to the weakside (right). Blount takes the hand-off and follows Lorig, who goes to block the WLB. Blount reads the block and cuts inside, but Lorig only pops the Will, never properly locking him in. As Blount runs past, the WLB easily disengages from Lorig and wraps up Blount around the knees, which causes him to crash to the ground, with the NT landing on top of him for good measure. Gain of one.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really. Lorig, you HAVE to hold up better at the point of attack - it's not enough to pop a defender, you have to keep pumping your feet in order to drive the dude back. Lorig instead stops moving his feet after he makes contact, which makes it easy for the backer to disengage. The failure of the play, therefore, falls on Lorig, not Blount.
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Lumpkin subbed in for Blount on third down. Blount subbed back in after the conversion.
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(12:41) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left and TE (Dotson), right. Play looks like it was called as a run but audibled into a quick pass. Blount runs up and moves his arms to take the handoff, but Freeman throws a very quick pass to Benn for a first down.
What could Blount have done better?
I'm convinced this was again audibled into a smoke route (since starting to break down Blount, I've learnt to recognise what it looks like when he's faking a handoff - this was not that, but something different, hence me believing he was actually expecting the ball). So, there's not much you can really ask from Blount when he's expecting the play to be one thing while Freeman changes it to another.
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(12:05) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right and H-back (Lorig), right. Pre-snap, Lorig motions across and sets up H-back, left. Play is a counter-run to the weakside (left) with Joseph lead-blocking on a pull. Lorig completely whiffs on blocking the WLB, who easily gets past Lorig's inside and into the backfield, forcing Blount to run outside of him instead of being able to run up the middle and follow Joseph (who anyway runs into the back of Penn, who is unable to budge the weakside DE at all). Blount runs around the outside of the line but the weakside ILB is completely unblocked (he was Joseph's responsibility), wraps up Blount's ankle and doesn't let go until Blount is on the floor. Gain of three.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really, he couldn't follow his lead blocker thanks to Lorig's failure to block the WLB, so he had no choice but to bounce outside. Even so, he would have been in position to get at least a good six or seven yards on the play if not for the weakside ILB, Willis. As I said above, Willis was Joseph's responsibility, but it is not Joseph's fault that he did not get to him - rather, Penn's. As Penn was again ineffectual in the running game, he did not drive his DE at all, which cut off Joseph's "blocking lane" to Willis. Had Penn be able to shift himself and the DE even a little way backwards, Joseph might have a cleaner path to Willis, thus allowing Blount to run unmolested for a good three-four yards further than he did at the very least. This is the second time this game Penn's failure in the run game has prevented a lead blocker from being able to get a clean shot at his assignment.
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(11:26) 2nd & 7: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left. Play is called as a run, but Freeman definitely audibles it into a smoke route/bubble screen. As the Bucs line up, Freeman makes a hand signal to Benn, who turns and makes the same hand signal to Williams. At the snap, Blount runs up to Freeman, again preparing his arms to receive the handoff, but Freeman throws to Benn, who is drilled in the backfield by a DB who Williams completely fails to block.
What could Blount have done better?
As with all plays audibled into a smoke route, the question is moot.
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Graham subbed in for Blount on third down.
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(7:52) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left and TE (Dotson), right. Play is a simple stretch run to the right. Blount takes the handoff and runs to the right of the line. Ahead of him, Trueblood and Zuttah are zoneblocking the DE on their side. In a tragically hilarious example of miscommunication, BOTH of them peel off the DE to pick up the same linebacker. As a result, the DE is waiting with open arms for Blount, wrapping up the running back. Blount lowers his shoulder and runs with enough force got go over him, but, hilariously, the ILB who both Trueblood and Joseph peeled off to get avoided being blocked by EITHER and hits into Blount to stop his progress. (The other ILB joins in the gang tackle thanks to a poor block by Zuttah).
What could Blount have done better?
Not much, seeing as both OL left the DE completely alone to have a free run at Blount. Watching the play again, they leave the DE just as Blount is about to reach them, so bouncing one side or the other to try and avoid him was completely out of the question, so there is nothing Blount really should have done differently. The failure is laughably on both Joseph and Trueblood. (For those wondering which of the two was more at fault - i.e. who should have stayed behind to block the DE - the answer is neither. If the LB isn't going clear one side or the other, you should both block the DE up and into the LB - one should only peel off when the LB has clearly declared which side he is going towards. [Knowledge of zone-blocking rules FTW])
What could Blount have done better?
Not much, seeing as both OL left the DE completely alone to have a free run at Blount. Watching the play again, they leave the DE just as Blount is about to reach them, so bouncing one side or the other to try and avoid him was completely out of the question, so there is nothing Blount really should have done differently. The failure is laughably on both Joseph and Trueblood. (For those wondering which of the two was more at fault - i.e. who should have stayed behind to block the DE - the answer is neither. If the LB isn't going clear one side or the other, you should both block the DE up and into the LB - one should only peel off when the LB has clearly declared which side he is going towards. [Knowledge of zone-blocking rules FTW])
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(7:14) 2nd & 8: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), right and H-back (Winslow), right. Play looks to be a running back screen off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the handoff, then runs up to the NT. Instead of blocking him, Blount runs to the left flat, as all three interior OL run to the left to set up the screen. The NT realises what is going on and chases Blount. Freeman throws a looping pass to get over the NT but it overshoot Blount, falling incomplete.
What could Blount have done better?
I do fault Blount on this. He sold the hand-off fine, but he made two mistakes by my count. Firstly, he never attempted to do anything to the NT, which makes no sense - even if he's suffered on occasion from improper or poor technique, Blount has never actively shirked from making blocks in pass protection. I believe if Blount had done something, just popped the NT or even a quick chip on him, it would have been enough to make the NT hesitate for a second as to whether it was a screen or not - that second would have resulted in enough separation from the NT that Freeman could pass straight to Blount, rather than having to throw a loopy pass over the top which ended up being too high for him. The second was that Blount did slow down as he was anticipating the pass - had he kept going at full speed, he should have been able to outpace the NT enough even without popping him or chipping on him to allow Freeman to make a better throw. Thus, even though the throw was high and loopy, and therefore inaccurate, I blame Blount for not getting into a position where he was open enough that Free didn't have to throw that type of pass - you can forgive Free for not wanting to throw with the NT too near after already being picked off twice this game.
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Graham subbed in for Blount on third down.
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(4:29) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig at FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right. Play is a drop-back pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the hand-off, sucking in the front seven momentarily. The WLB has looped around and comes on the delayed blitz. Blount heads up to take him, but Zuttah has washed his DE upfield for Penn to take over, freeing him, and so he goes to block the same LB. Zuttah gets their first, but Blount puts his hands on Zuttah's back and pushes him forward to help drive the WLB back. Freeman throws to Winslow but the pass is deflected.
What could Blount have done better?
Nada, he sold the play-action, then saw a blitzer coming and went to block him. Yes, Zuttah blocked him first, making Blount superfluous, but it was still good to see him going for the block. Remember, this was the WLB who looped around. If it was a straightforward rush, the WLB would have been Penn's responsibility, and the weakside DE would have been Zuttah's, leaving Blount free to pick up any additional blitzers. Instead, Zuttah washes downfield his DE, making him Penn's responsibility, then picks up the WLB, making what would have been Penn's responsibility his responsibility. Still, the LB did come late, making it technically a delayed blitz in a vague sort of way, making it Blount's responsibility too. In other words, Blount did just fine.
What could Blount have done better?
Nada, he sold the play-action, then saw a blitzer coming and went to block him. Yes, Zuttah blocked him first, making Blount superfluous, but it was still good to see him going for the block. Remember, this was the WLB who looped around. If it was a straightforward rush, the WLB would have been Penn's responsibility, and the weakside DE would have been Zuttah's, leaving Blount free to pick up any additional blitzers. Instead, Zuttah washes downfield his DE, making him Penn's responsibility, then picks up the WLB, making what would have been Penn's responsibility his responsibility. Still, the LB did come late, making it technically a delayed blitz in a vague sort of way, making it Blount's responsibility too. In other words, Blount did just fine.
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(4:23) 2nd & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left and TE (Dotson), right. Play is a straightforward dive up the middle. Blount takes the handoff and runs up the middle, before veering to the left and heading up the left C-gap (i.e. between Penn and Winslow) which has opened wide. As he cuts downfield tight to his blockers, the NT is able to slip off of Faine and get his hand to Blount's legs, causing him to stumble. He is immediately swarmed by five more defenders. In order: Penn's DE; a safety who has blitzed the hole; Trueblood's DE, who has worked his way across the formation; one of the ILBs, who gets off of Zuttah's block; and one of the OLBs, who has gotten off of Winslow's block. Blount's power still leads to a gain of four.
What could Blount have done better?
You kidding me? Read the above description. That is a mass breakdown in blocking - in terms of primary blockers, only Joseph actually sustained his block and engaged the other ILB through the end of the play (the other primary blocker, Dotson, did not sustain his block but as he was on the far side of the formation, that OLB did not get in on the play). If they had all done their blocking, Blount would have been left one-on-one with the safety to contend with; instead, he had to deal with all three DL, an ILB, an OLB, and that safety. Not much anyone could have done in that situation.
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Lumpkin subbed in for Blount on third down.
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Blount remains on the sideline throughout the next drive
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3rd Quarter
(9:43) 1st & 10: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), left and TE (Franklin), right. Pre-snap, Benn motions across and sets up H-back, right. Play is a roll-out pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the hand-off from Freeman but only really sucks in one of the ILBs, in addition to the DL and the rushing OLB. Blount runs up the weakside (left) A-gap, then turns around to watch the play, a completion to Winslow.
What could Blount have done better?
Aside from my standard "I don't like players standing around watching the play", there's not much e really could have done different.
What could Blount have done better?
Aside from my standard "I don't like players standing around watching the play", there's not much e really could have done different.
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(9:07) 1st & 10: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), right. Play is a power-O run. The play is quickly blown dead. Penalty flags. Unsportsmanlike conducts by Raheem Morris.
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(8:45) 1st & 25: Blount lines up tailback, Lorig FB, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Winslow), right. Play is a drop-back pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the hand-off but with the very brief exception of one of the ILBs, it doesn't really suck anyone in. Blount runs up the right hashmarks, turning around about three yards past the LOS and looking for the ball. Freeman throws to Winslow.
What could Blount have done better?
Nothing really. The lack of sucking-in of the defense by the play-action can no doubt be chiefly attributed to the down & distance. After that, Blount was wide open for the check down, had Freeman decided to dump it off. Not much more you could want.
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(8:36) 2nd & 12: Blount lines up singleback, Freeman under center. OL + TE (Dotson), left and H-back (Winslow), left. Play is intended as a drop-back pass off of play-action. Blount fakes receiving the handoff, momentarily sucking in two of the linebackers, then runs through the line and into the right flat. Freeman is flushed from the pocket to the right, and Blount begins to turn downfield. As Freeman approaches the LOS, he is about to be hit, so dumps the ball off to Blount. Blount catches it, then spins turns around and runs downfield down the right sideline. As he runs, a DB comes in and dives through his knee, flipping him. Gain of 22. Blount is hurt on the play and does not return, and is held out through the next two games until after the bye-week.
What could Blount have done better?
Not much, he got a 22-yard gain, it's just a shame he was hurt on the play.
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