Antonio Gates Reminding NFL Fans, Defenses He's Not Done Yet

At 34 years old, Antonio Gates doesn’t have the vertical speed to consistently stretch the middle of the field or the same lateral movement that we associated with the tight end earlier in his career.

However, after watching the tape of Gates putting it on the Seahawks this past Sunday, the 12-year vet still has the ability to create separation, establish leverage and win one-on-one matchups because of his old-school skill set as a route-runner.

Today, let’s break down how the Chargers isolated Gates in specific matchups and focus on the route schemes that allowed quarterback Philip Rivers to target the tight end versus the world champs.

Isolating the Tight End

Before we get into the film, let’s start with the alignment the Chargers used out of Posse/11 personnel (3WR-1TE-1RB) to create those matchups for Gates.

I call this a “Dakota” alignment (or an X Iso) out of a Doubles Slot formation with Gates removed from the core as the backside X receiver. This allows the Chargers to align trips (three wide receivers) to the open side of the field.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

With this pre-snap look, the Chargers can create the matchup they want to the backside of the formation with Gates aligned versus a strong safety or linebacker versus the Seahawks Cover 1 and Cover 1 “Robber” defenses.

And by holding/occupying the free safety in the middle of the field with the route combination to the open side (i.e., Double-Smash 7), Gates can work the one-on-one matchup with limited help (or late help) over the top.

Gates did make plays in the passing game outside of the “Dakota” alignment versus the Seahawks (i.e., deep over route versus zone pressure), but I want to focus on his ability as the backside X today to break down his route-running skills.

Setting Up the Curl Route

The intermediate curl (breaks at a depth of 12 to 15 yards) is a concept we see on Friday nights in high school ball, but the key here is the stem, break point and ability of Gates to create separation at the top of the route versus safety Kam Chancellor.

Here’s a look at the route with Chancellor playing off-man from an outside leverage position (Cover 1 technique) as Gates takes a straight, vertical release up the field.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Chancellor sits on this route and allows Gates to eat up his initial cushion. However, check out the quick, outside stem from the tight end at the top of the route.

That forces Chancellor to open his hips (instead of staying square) to play for a possible 7 (corner) route (baseball turn technique) with Gates now in a position to chop the feet, sink and create some separation back to the football on the inside breaking curl.

Using the All-22 tape, we can see the break point with Chancellor now in an open position and Gates under control (footwork/hips).

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

This might seem like a small detail, but if defensive backs are going to squat/sit at the break, then it is on the receiver/tight end to create room to work at the top of the route.

With Gates, it was the slight stem to the corner route, the controlled footwork and the ability to sink the hips through the break that allowed him to win this matchup.

That’s a veteran route.

Red Zone Fade

Gates had another opportunity to match up versus Chancellor inside of the red zone on the quick fade route, with the Seahawks safety now walked down in a press position (outside shade at the line of scrimmage).

Keep an eye on Gates’ initial release (widens Chancellor) and the quick footwork to create leverage on the stem.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Chancellor slides (mirrors) versus the release of Gates at the snap of the ball.

However, the quick stutter move from Gates forces Chancellor to stop his feet (and grab) while falling into a “trail” position versus the fade.

And with Gates now able to stack on top of the safety, Rivers can target the tight end for six points.

Going back to the 3x1 “Dakota” alignment—and the Double Smash-Seam to the open side of the formation—Chancellor has no help over the top with the free safety occupied in the middle of the field.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

Look at the room Gates has to work with on the outside release and the distance the free safety has to cover.

This was a true one-on-one matchup that was created off the pre-snap alignment and the route-running ability of Gates.

The “Dino” Stem

Gates’ third touchdown catch versus the Seahawks is the last route I want to look at because of the “dino” stem that allowed the tight end to separate versus linebacker K.J. Wright.

In the “dino” stem, the receiver/tight end will stem to the corner and then break back to the post/fade. This forces the defender to play for the 7 cut while sitting low on the hip (roll with an outside breaking route to maintain leverage).

However, once the receiver breaks back to the post/fade, the defender will be stuck in a “trail” position.

Let’s take a look at this route from the end-zone angle to get a better feel for how Gates initiated contact on the “dino” stem to produce another score.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

As you can see here, Gates leans into Wright as he stems this route up the field to press the linebacker’s leverage to the sideline.

And with Wright now playing hard to the outside hip, Gates is in a position to separate and stem up the field (after a veteran push-off).

This is a classic route from a 12-year vet who understands route stems and how to set up a defender based on the leverage position.

By initiating the contact off the release (and selling the “dino” stem), Gates created another opportunity inside of the red zone to finish with a highlight catch after Rivers climbed the pocket and dropped this throw into the bucket.

Will the Production Continue?

As we talked about above, Gates doesn’t have the same speed or lateral movement that we saw from the tight end earlier in his career. 

Gregory Bull/Associated Press

But in his 12th pro season, this is more about experience and the technique required to win at the point of attack. That’s what we saw versus the Seahawks with his route-running ability and the quick set-up moves that allowed Gates to establish position versus man coverage.

And given the production Rivers has shown to start the season (plus his ability to manage the pocket), there will be opportunities for Gates to win one-on-one situations when the Chargers use formation and alignment to put him in positive matchups.

Remember, the tape doesn’t lie in the NFL. Gates can still play. 

Seven-year NFL veteran Matt Bowen is an NFL National Lead Writer for Bleacher Report.

Follow @MattBowen41