Breaking Down Packer Davon House's Performance Against the Carolina Panthers
Davon House is not green by any means. Drafted with the 131st pick of the 2011 draft, the former New Mexico State cornerback had played in 33 games and started 12 games in his career coming into Sunday's game against the Carolina Panthers.
His start the past week was significantly different than his previous two on the year, though. Instead of coming in as a nickel boundary corner, moving base boundary cornerback Tramon Williams into the slot, House replaced an injured Sam Shields as a starting base cornerback.
House, a four-year veteran, didn't seem to lose sleep over the tremendous opportunity to show the league just what kind of talent he had.
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"Davon House on CBs: A lot of teams if two of their starting CBs go down, they’re starting to panic. Here, there’s no panicking
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) October 15, 2014"
He really didn't have a reason to panic. According to Bleacher Report's Zach Kruse the combination of House and slotback Casey Hayward had a combined quarterback rating of 40.2 when being thrown at in 2014 coming into the game.
Against the Carolina Panthers, there was some good and some bad. There is in every game for every player. You just hope you see more impact from the good plays than the poor ones, which is the situation House was in on Sunday.
Play 1: Coverage Sack
On this play, House was lined up in off coverage against Kelvin Benjamin, the Panthers' most recent first-round selection. House, who lined up as the right boundary cornerback for the game, was more often than not assigned to cover Benjamin, their usual X receiver.
As one can see, quarterback Cam Newton's clear first read was to Benjamin, for whom House was waiting at the 31-yard line. While Newton was looking at his target, House was staring into the backfield.
By the time Newton could make a throw, he had to readjust. Nick Perry, coming off the right tackle, was free as a rusher coming right at him. Perry, the 2012 first-rounder, was able to finish the play and net the sack.
Many would call this a coverage sack, a play which wouldn't have been able to happen if House hadn't been able to stick with Benjamin for as long as he did.
Play 2: Short Completion and Tackle
On this play, House's target, again Benjamin, was also the clear first read for Newton. This time in press coverage, House was able to get his hands on the target near the line of scrimmage. Unfortunately, he was not able to jam the big-bodied receiver efficiently, leading to the former Florida State pass-catcher to win inside leverage on House.
As the play progressed, it became clear that Newton was going to be able to get the ball out for a completion. House still stayed in the hip pocket of the receiver, just not the one between him, the target and the quarterback.
While Benjamin did gain yardage, House wrestled the receiver to the ground for a tackle with few yards after the catch added on. Losing against a physical receiver in press early, there could have been much worse results than a short gain. House was able to mask the play with what he did after the jam attempt.
Play 3: Missed Play by Carolina
Here, House was again in off coverage against Benjamin. Green Bay must have been thinking the deep ball was coming, because that would seem to be the only reason to call for cornerbacks to be seven yards off the line of scrimmage in a 2nd-and-1 situation.
Similar to the play in which Perry got a sack, House planted his feet where he began the play and looked into the backfield. Carolina had learned, though, as Benjamin didn't run a vertical route, putting House in a position to make a play. Instead, the Panthers ran a short post route, leaving no defensive back between the passer and the target.
Fortunately for the Packers, linebacker A.J. Hawk was unseen by Newton. Hawk, a seasoned veteran, was able to tip the ball, putting it high enough that not even the 6'5" receiver could make a play on it. Had he not deflected the pass, though, it could have been bad for Green Bay.
Freeing up in space, Benjamin could have gone to the safeties on the 2nd-and-short call. House was just too far off his man to make a break and compete at the catch-point on this play.
Play 4: House Lets His Man Roam Free
On this play, Newton began the snap with some action but kept his eyes on his X receiver. House, unable to make that initial punch at the line of scrimmage again in press, allowed Benjamin to get a free release to the sideline.
Newton wasn't able to make the throw, but he was clearly looking Benjamin's way at one point, and House couldn't do anything but hope to keep up with his feet. In most situations, that's a blown play by the cornerback that's taken advantage of by the offense.
Play 5: A Pass Which Could Have Been Intercepted Twice
This was another action play, but this time, House was in off coverage. He also wasn't assigned to Benjamin on the play, as 32-year-old Jerricho Cotchery played the X spot on the particular snap.
This play was similar to Play 3, in which Carolina misfired due to missing the underneath coverage. In fact, it was likely the same exact same play call. Newton had his man open in the flat again, but his first read was the short post. Seeing potential for a vertical pass, House continued to move deeper downfield.
Assigned to the flat target, though, was Hayward, who gave his man cushion as he read the eyes of the quarterback looking directly behind him.
When Newton didn't acknowledge him, the play became deadly. The interception gave Green Bay the ball up 32 points late in the third quarter, essentially ending the game if one hadn't considered it over already.
What's even more impressive is that House, who was breaking on the ball as Hayward went up for the interception, could have probably had a hand on the pigskin, too, if Hayward wasn't there. In multiple ways, the Packers could have taken advantage of this pass attempt.
Play 6: Winning at the Catch Point
Here, House gave the impression that he was in press coverage, but after Newton audibled the play and looked toward the side of Benjamin, he walked off into an off-coverage look.
Newton wasn't going anywhere else with the ball. Locked in early and for the duration of the play, the quarterback had his sights deep on Benjamin.
The pass being a 50/50 ball, House won at the point of attack, getting a hand on the rock. Being able to make a play on a jump ball against a 6'5" target isn't something that every defensive back in the league can do. House, though, is well above average for a cornerback regarding length.
Green Bay's cornerbacks have been noted for their lengthy play and ability to read into the backfield and break on the ball in off coverage. Against the Bears, the defensive backs had to win several times against the Chicago jump-ball tandem.
Final Thoughts
Davon House is clearly talented enough to show flashes of high performance at the NFL level in his fourth season in the league. The question is what his future is. A free agent along with starting cornerback Tramon Williams in 2015, House's projection with the Packers could lead him anywhere from being let go to being a solidified starter next season.
In his own words, he wants to stay in Green Bay, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
""I'm excited for what the future holds," House said. "Like I tell my wife, I don't want to play nowhere else. We don't want to live nowhere else. We don't really do nothing, so Green Bay is perfect for us. But it's an exciting time."
"
If he's able to continue to flash, the Packers should have no problem handing the keys of the starting role over to him. At this point, the Packers have nothing to complain about. According to ESPN's Ben Fennell, Green Bay has the best opposing-quarterback-rating mark in the league at 74.0.
Moving forward, House's contributions in 2014 are something to keep a close eye on. It could impact the future of the Packers' next three to four seasons.
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