Bengals Training Camp Report: Burrow Rules the Scrimmage Slugfest

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Imagine being a defensive back in a professional football training camp.
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Oh man, right, Like, for over a week, you have
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been living in this completely controlled universe. You know exactly
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what the offense is going to do before the ball
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is even.
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Snapped, because you've literally seen the practice scripts exactly.
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You know the formations, you know the tendencies. And for
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ten straight days you have been absolutely dominating. I mean
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you are making the offense look completely.
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Helpless, which is pretty standard for early camp.
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Yeah, but then Sunday hits. You jog out onto the field,
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but this time the coaches they've just ripped up the script.
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There is zero safety net es. Yeah, you are staring
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down Joe Burrow in an empty backfield. The play clock
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is ticking, and suddenly you have absolutely no idea what
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is coming. That shift, you know, from a highly predictable,
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choreographed environment into absolute unscripted chaos. That is what we're
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exploring today.
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It's a completely different game, it really is.
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So we are looking at a single chaotic Sunday scrimmage
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in Cincinnati to understand the anatomy of a modern NFL
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offense trying to reclaim its dominance. And we're pulling all
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our Insights Today from Jeff Hobson's August tenth, twenty twenty six,
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training camp report on Bengals dot com.
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It is. It's a remarkable piece of reporting precisely because
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it captures that panic. I mean, in early training camp,
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defenses always looked like world beaters because they are playing
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with the answers to the test, right, but taking the
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test line. That's a completely different sport entirely.
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Okay, let's unpack this because the moment those scripts vanished
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at the Kettering Health practice fields, the offense stripped back
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with an absolute vengeance.
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Oh, they definitely did.
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And it all started with one singular force refusing to
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accept the narrative that the defense was running the show.
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We are talking about, you know, the mindset of a
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franchise quarterback.
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Joe Burrow, Yeah Burrow.
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Hobson paints this really vivid picture of Burrow as a
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quote unquote moment guy. He's the kind of player who
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just intuitively understands the theatrical timing of leadership.
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You see that theatrical timing the night before the Sunday scrimmage,
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actually Friday night practice, Yeah, Friday night at pay Corpse Stadium,
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thousands of fans are in the stands, Burrows stalks onto
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the field and almost immediately launches this massive explosive pass
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to Jamar Chase.
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Oh wow.
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It wasn't just a good play, you know, it was
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a physical declaration. He was basically signaling to the entire
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building that he was ready for the preseason opener against
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the Lions. He was setting a psychological baseline.
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Then we get to Sunday, the conditions are entirely unscripted,
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no training wheels whatsoever, and Burrow completely takes over. I mean,
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in a practice setting. The numbers he put up are just.
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Staggering, unbelievable numbers.
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He ran five drives totally, about thirty five plays. He
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orchestrated two massive eighty yard touchdown drives, and he capped
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both of them off with third down strikes in the
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red zone. He was absolute surgical when it mattered most
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he was.
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But his reaction to the aftermath of that scrimmage is
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where you truly understand what makes a franchise quarterback tick well.
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He orchestrated two flawless eighty r drive, sure, but out
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of the five total drives, three were stopped, and Hobson
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notes that Burrow was visibly unhappy.
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Yeah, I want to look at why those three specific
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drives failed because they tell us a lot about the
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standard he sets.
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They really do.
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One drive was a free and out that started with
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a false start penalty that is a pure unforced mental
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error by the offensive line. Another drive died because of
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a drop pass hitting a receiver right in the hands ouch,
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and the third ended in what's called a jail breaksack.
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And we should probably clarify what a jail breaksack actually
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looks like on the field, just for the listener.
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Yeah, please do so.
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It usually happens when the defensive line sets up what
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amount two picks. Instead of rushing straight ahead, the defensive
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linemen intentionally cross each other's paths right at the snap.
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Just creating total chaos.
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Exactly. The goal is to confuse the offensive blockers, create
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a massive traffic jam, and instantly free up one rusher
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to sprint completely untouched right at the quarterback. Yeah. When
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it works, the quarterback has defensive linemen in his face
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before he has even finished his drop.
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Back, which is terrifying. But here's the thing to a
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quarterback like Burrow. A false start, a drop and a
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missed blocking assignment. On a stunt aren't just like football
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things that happen. There are structural flaws.
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Yep, completely unacceptable.
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Think about it like a stress test on a bridge.
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Scripted practice is like testing a bridge by placing a
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mathematically perfectly distributed load on it. Everything holds up fine, right.
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But unscripted practice is driving a freight train across that
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bridge at ninety miles an hour to see which bolt
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snaps first. Burrow got his two eighty yard touchdowns, but
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it's like watching a master chef who is furious that
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a single carrot was chopped slightly wrong, even though the
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overall meal was a Michelin star success. That perfectionism is
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what drives the whole machine.
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And that relentless pursuit of the perfect rep is contigious right.
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It trickles all the way up to the head coach.
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Burrow's demand for perfection forces Zach Taylor to continually evolve
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his playbook.
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Right, Zach Taylor.
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Heading into year eight, Taylor isn't just relying on Burrow
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to throw lasers. He is introducing entirely new offensive architecture
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to create persistent headaches for the defense.
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And Hobson outlines these new stressors. In the report, the
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offense is utilizing a steady diet of multiple tight end formations,
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but they are constantly mixing those heavy formations with three
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and four receiver.
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Sets, keeps him guessing exactly.
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And on top of that, they are running plays fifty
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to fifty under center versus out of the shotgun.
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What's fascinating here is how the removal of the practice
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script turns these tactical shifts into psychological weapons.
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Oh.
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For sure, in a normal scripted practice, the defensive backs
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have an itinerary. They know a heavy tight end formation
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is coming on play four. But listen to the quote
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Hobbs and Gun from safety Jordan Battle about this unscripted setting. Oh,
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it's what is great, Battle said, The dbs never see
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the scripts, and if we do see the scripts, all
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we know are the formations. But nobody knew anything today.
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Hearing a professional NFL safety admit that nobody knew anything
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today is wild. I mean, it sounds like a total
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systemic failure on defense.
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But that is the intended design of a modern offense.
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They are intentionally trying to induce mental paralysis. Yeah, Battle
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explains the exact math problem the defense faces when the
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offense rolls out three tight ends. He specifically mentions Mike
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Gasicki number eighty eight, and pairs them with a physical
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running back like Chase Brown number thirty. That's a lot
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of size, right. The defense has to do frantic mental
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calculations in a matter of seconds.
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Because the defense has to process down distance and personnel
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in real time. Like if you are a linebacker and
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you see three huge tight ends jog onto the field,
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your brain immediately screams, heavy package. They're going to run
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the ball right out of stack the box, of course.
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But then you look to the outside and jim Ar
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Chase and T. Higgins are still out there on the perimeter.
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And that conflict is where the offense wins. Battle explicitly
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points out that these heavy tight end packages force the
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linebackers in safeties to adjust their alignment inward to respect
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the run. When the defense condenses into the middle of
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the field, what happens, Jamar Chase, who they call one,
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and T Higgins five are suddenly isolated downfield.
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Completely on an island exactly.
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The offense is essentially using big bodies in the middle
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of the field to create vast oceans of empty space
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on the outside. It is a brilliant spatial manipulation.
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Okay, wait, I'm stuck on something here that we just
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spent all this time talking about how this evolving motion
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heavy scheme requires insane mental processing, right, and the ability
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to manipulate the defense in real time. We usually assume
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these modern motion heavy NFL offenses require a hyper mobile,
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young quarter to function.
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That's the stereotype.
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Yeah, like a guy who can run a four point
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four to forty and throw across his body on a
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dead sprint. So how does a forty year old veteran
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backup like Joe Flacco step into that exact same unscripted
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chaos and thrive? Because Hobson points out that Flacco also
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threw two touchdown passes in this scrimmage. But here you
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have a forty year old veteran thriving just by understanding
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the geometry of the field.
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It's amazing. It proves that a truly elite scheme isn't
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just reliant on superhuman physical traits. Hobson calls Zach Taylor's
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system a scheme for all seasons.
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A scheme for all seasons.
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I like that, Yeah, Flacco isn't succeeding because he can
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outrun a linebacker. He is succeeding because he understands the
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fundamental geometry of the football field way better than the
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defense does.
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And people are noticing, right oh.
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Absolutely, Ken Anderson, the Bengals Ring of Honor member, who
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was arguably the prettiest passer of his era, was watching camp.
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High praise coming from him, extremely high praise. Anderson noted
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how beautifully Flacco is throwing the ball in person. Hobson
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even made a great historical callback, writing that Flacco looks
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better now than he did during his NFL debut against
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the Bengals, all the way back in two thousand and eight.
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Oh Man, on Paul Brown's one hundredth birthday. Right now,
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that's the one which is just crazy to think about.
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But explain this geometry to me. Let's look at Flacco's
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first touchdown in the scrimmage. They are in the red zone.
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Flacco slices a pass right between two safeties PJ. Jewels
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and die Jhon Anthony to hit tight end Tanner Hudson
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for a touchdown.
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Yep, thread the needle.
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How is a forty year old making that play?
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Well, he is making that play before the ball is
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even snapped. We get Tanner Hudson's perspective in the report,
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and he says he read the defensive coverage perfectly.
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At the line of scrimmage, Hudson saw safety PJ. Jewels
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coming down to press him.
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Exactly, and press simply means the defender is walking right
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up to the line of scrimmage to get physical and
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disrupt the receiver's route the moment the ball.
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Is snapped right get in his face.
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But while Jewles was coming down, Hudson also noticed that
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the cornerback on the outside was playing off in space,
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giving a huge cushion. Because of that specific spacing, Hudson
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knew the ball was coming down.
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And Flacco is reading that exact same spatial relationship, isn't
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he You bet he is. Flacco admitted after the play
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that the play call actually wasn't the absolute best designed
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to beat man to man coverage, but he didn't can
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it and try to scramble. He knew Hudson was running
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a corner route, meaning Hudson's going to run deep and
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then break sharply outward toward the back pylon of the
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end zone. So Flacco looked at the leverage of the
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defenders saw the cushion from the outside corner and trusted
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that Hudson's route would naturally shield the safety away from
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the ball. He just threw it to a spot where
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only his guy could get it.
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That is pure veteran processing speed. He solved the geometric
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equation faster than the defense could close the gap.
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But wait, Flacco wasn't completely stationary. His second touchdown was
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a running catch to wide receiver Charlie Jones.
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All that play was fun.
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Yeah, And Flacco actually scrambled step st up in the
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pocket and threw off his back foot at the very
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last second. Hobson called it a Joey b off platform.
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Special, which is hilarious for a forty year old, right.
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And to clarify, when we say off platform, we mean
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a quarterback throwing the ball without his feet properly set,
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usually while moving or falling away from the target. It
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relies entirely on arm strength and torque rather than a
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solid lower body foundation.
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Flacco even joked about it afterward.
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What did he say?
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He's like, I don't know if I got sacked, but
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that was a cool throw. Huh.
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That's great.
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It just highlights that when the offensive system creates the
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right spacing, and the quarterback understands the why behind the routes.
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Age can take a back seat to anticipation and timing.
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This complexity from Zach Taylor and the veteran processing of
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Flacco are incredible, but they only matter if the guy
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at the end of the throw actually comes down with
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the ball. That is the hard truth, right that brings
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theory into brutal reality. Ultimately, the success of all these
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chess moves boil down to a one on one physical
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matchup on the perimeter. The play of the day that
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Hobson highlights illustrates this perfectly.
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This sequence might be the most revealing part of the
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entire report, honestly so.
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It is third down, the balls on the eighteen yard line.
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Burrow drops back and throws a fade to t Higgins.
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That's classic fade and a.
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Fade route for you listening, is when the receiver runs
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straight toward the back corner of the end zone and
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the quarterback arcs the ball high into the air, completely
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away from the defender, so only the tall receiver has
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a chance to catch it.
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It's all about placement exactly.
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Burrow lays it up and the six foot four Higgins
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grabs it at its absolute highest point. Hobson describes it
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as a Bill Russell Game seven rebound with Higgins extending
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his inspector gadget arms over the goal line.
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Visually, it is just a spectacular athletic feat, but the
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goal mine here is getting the breakdown from the defender's perspective.
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Cornerback DJ Ivy was the one covering Higgins.
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On this play, and Ivy is a solid player he is.
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Ivy is a highly regarded six foot one corner who
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is filling in with the starters because Dax Hill is
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currently out with an undisclosed ailment.
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Right, So, Ivy is an NFL caliber athlete, and the
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mental checklist he runs through in a fraction of a
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second is astounding. First, Ivy knows it is a man.
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Call, which means no zone coverage.
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Yep, he is on an absolute island one on one
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with Higgins. Second, based on the fact that they are
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at the eighteen yard line, Ivy's brain immediately eliminates certain routes.
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He knows Higgins can't run a deep vertical road because
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you just run out of the back of the end zone.
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The field shrinks, right, So Ivy expects Higgins to run
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a deep dig, which is running fifteen yards and cutting
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sharply across the middle, or a shallow route or something
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straight to the goal line. As soon as Higgins comes
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off the line of scrimmage, Ivy diagnoses it flawlessly. He
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knows they are going for the end zone.
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If we connect this to the bigger picture, this single
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sequence encapsulates the brutal, unforgiving reality of playing cornerback in
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the National Football League.
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It really does.
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Ivy did everything right. He diagnosed the situation, he knew
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the coverage, he anticipated the route tree based on field position.
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He read the receiver's released perfectly. But Joe Burrow put
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the ball precisely on Higgins's outside shoulder, turning a standard
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vertical route into a completely undefendable fade.
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Ivy even provided his own self critique. He said he
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should have played more underneath and challenged Higgins right at
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the leni scrimmage, which might have forced Burrow to throw
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the ball even higher and further out of bounds. He
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was right there, He was right there in position to
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make a play. But in his own words, Higgins just
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had elastic arms.
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You can have perfect mental processing and textbook technique. But
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an elite physical anomaly like Higgins combined with perfect ball
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placement will still beat you every time. And the psychological
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toll of that is heavy. What does IV say at
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the end, You have to go on to the next play.
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If you let a perfect throw break your confidence, you
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simply won't survive the next series.
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It is such a harsh way to make a living.
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But you know, those incredible physics defying throws by Burrow
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and Flacco, and those leaping catches by Higgins.
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None of it happens if the quarterback is lying on
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his back exactly.
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That perfect perimeter execution is entirely dependent on what happens
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in the trenches, and our guide for understanding that trench
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warfare is a piece of living franchise history.
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Anthony Munos the legend, the absolute gold standard of offensive
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line play. Heading into his twenty eighth season as a
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preseason TV analyst for the team.
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Hobson spotted Munho's having a highly animated pre practice greeting
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with the Bengals current offensive tackles, Orlando Brown Junior and
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rookie Emarius.
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Mims, two very large human beings.
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Both of these guys are towering six foot eight mountains
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of humanity.
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And it is worth remembering that Munyo's was really the
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first great agile big man in the league at that position.
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He wasn't just a two hundred and seventy five pound blocker.
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He was an elite athlete who happened to play tackle.
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Here's where it gets really interesting. Munyos shared a philosophy
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about playing the offensive line and has absolutely nothing to do
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with hitting a blocking sled or lifting weights in the gym.
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Oh I love this part, right, he said.
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The one thing he absolutely despises is a big man
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who cannot get low. Pad level is everything, but he
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didn't learn to get low from football drills. Munyo said,
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in baseball, I played third base at two hundred and
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seventy five pounds. In basketball, I guarded guys one hundred
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and seventy pounds.
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That is a profound insight into the mechanics of the position.
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But explain how playing third base helps a three hundred
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and forty pound tackle stop a pass rusher today? Like,
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how does that translate?
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It comes down to biomechanics and center of gravity. Think
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about a third baseman fielding a bunt or a basketball
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player defending a quick crossover dribble, they cannot just bend
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at the waist. If a massive human bends at the waist,
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they become top heavy and their momentum carries them forward,
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making them incredibly easy to pull off balance.
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Right, you just tip over exactly.
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To move laterally, they have to drop their hips, bend
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at the knees, and engage their glutes to create a low,
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wide anchor. Munyo's that exact same hip drop is what
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allows an offensive lineman to absorb a full speed bullrush
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without getting knocked backward. Oh he had to learn to
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mirror one hundred and seventy pound point guard so he
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could eventually mirror a two hundred and sixty pound defensive end.
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When you take that elite cross trained biomechanical control and
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put it into a modern three hundred and forty pound
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frame like Amarus Mims, you got a brick wall that
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can dance.
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It is an incredible masterclass for a rookie like Mims
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to get directly from a Hall of Famer, and Munyo's
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is not just focused on the technique of the current roster.
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You know, he is looking out for franchise legacy too.
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Oh yeah, he had the quote of the day.
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He really did. He's strongly advocated for Ken Anderson to
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be inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton by
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next year, saying he hopes they're both giving quotes about
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his induction right here at Camp next summer.
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It is a powerful endorsement, But that interaction between Munno's
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Brown and Mimes is just one node in a massive,
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interdependent ecosystem. We've talked about the superstar quarterback in the
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veteran backup. We've talked about the elite receivers and the
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massive tackles, but a modern offense is built like a
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Jenga tower.
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Right, and Hobson gives us a look at how delicate
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that tower really is. We mentioned earlier that Dax Hill
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is resting an unknown ailment that seems like a minor detail,
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but trace the ripple effect. Because Hill is out, dj
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Ivy is thrust into a starting role where he has
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to figure out how to stop t Higgins from catching
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fade routes. Good luck with that, right And because Ivy
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moves up, Rooky Takario Davis bumps up the depth chart
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behind Hell, You've got Jossier Taylor stepping up behind dj
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Turner the second at corner.
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And that defensive shifting bleeds right into special teams exactly.
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Suddenly, players like Keishan Williams and CFL stand out Dante
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Myers are bearing way more weight backing up Charlie Jones
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on punt returns. You have veteran running backs samaj Peren
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backing up Jones on kick returns.
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Everything shifts.
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If one single player shifts or gets a cramp, the
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entire structure has to adapt instantly. The coordinators have to
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do frantic math on the sideline just to make sure
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the right personnel are on the.
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Field, which brings us full circle to the sheer complexity
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of managing all this talent under fire.
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So what does this all mean? If you take a
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step back and look at the anatomy of this team
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through the lens of one unscripted Sunday scrimmage, you realize
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that dominance is not just about drawing up a clever
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play on a whiteboard. No, it relies on a fragile,
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incredible mixture of moving parts. It requires the obsessive, demanding
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perfectionism of a quarterback like Burrow. It demands adaptable veterans
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like Flacco, who can diagnose defensive geometry in real time.
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It needs physical anomalies like Higgins who can override perfect coverage.
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And it is entirely dependent on the biomechanical mastery in
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the trenches passed down by Hall of famers, all supported
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by a depth chart where every single backup is a
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load bearing pillar.
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It is a breathtaking machine when it is firing properly,
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but you know it's exploring this unscripted practice leaves me
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with a lingering.
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Let's hear it.
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We saw the defense look completely dominant during highly structured,
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scripted practices, but the second the script was thrown out,
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the second they didn't know the exact scenario in advance,
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the offense carved them.
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Up, cut them to pieces.
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Yeah, so this raises an important question for you to
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mel over. In an era of hyper analyzed, heavily choreographed,
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data driven preparation, are these highly scripted practices actually giving
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modern defenses a false sense of security?
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Oh that's a great point.
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When the real games begin and the chaos takes over,
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it does all that scripted preparation even matter or does
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the offense ability to improvise always win out?
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Are they practicing to play football or are they just
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practicing how to read the script. It is a fascinating
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question to chew on as the preseason kicks off. We'll
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leave you with that to think about. Thanks for taking
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the deep dive with us today