How the Patriots Offensive Line Opened the Door for Jonas Gray's Big Day
While Bill Belichick's genius may not approach that of Euclid or Pythagoras, he and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels' offensive scheme is using all the right angles to open up monster holes for their running backs. As Jonas Gray racked up 201 yards against the Indianapolis Colts, the blockers utilized leverage and surprise to dominate defenders.
Here are some plays that show how the New England Patriots were able to take advantage of the Colts' front seven in their 42-20 victory.
In the first quarter, the Patriots were lined up in "22" personnel with offensive lineman Cameron Fleming lining up as an in-line tight end. The Colts match up with their nickel formation, sporting just two linebackers in the frame. The key blocks here will come from right guard Ryan Wendell and fullback James Develin.
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As Develin and Wendell get into position to execute their blocks, Gray takes a counter step to hold the linebackers. Fleming and Nate Solder double team the defensive end, Bryan Stork takes on the nose tackle 1-on-1, while Sebastian Vollmer invites his man up the field and out of the play.
Coming from the middle of the field, Develin has a perfect angle to kick out his man (No. 52), while Wendell is able to flank No. 50 and pin him inside. Gray has plenty of room to fit through for a big 14-yard gain.
Later in the second quarter, the Patriots are able to spring Gray for another chunk of yardage. With the Colts in their base defense, New England is in "12" personnel with Fleming at tight end again. Fleming and left guard Dan Connolly have the key blocks to execute.
Stork and Wendell down block to create some space, while Vollmer works to the second level. Fleming allows his man to gain inside position and then obliterates him out of the play using his own momentum against him. Connolly is pulling across the formation to get into position.
Connolly secures a kick-out block on one linebacker, while Vollmer is able to wall of his linebacker to the inside. Solder and Rob Gronkowski are cleaning things up on the backside.
Gray breaks through the first line of defense into the secondary and has a ton of space in front of him.
The Patriots will need to be working all their angles correctly to deal with the formidable Detroit Lions defense this coming Sunday. The Lions currently rank No. 1 against the run, giving up only 68.8 yards per game. Before you say that Tom Brady will just throw the ball 50 times, the Lions are also No. 5 against the pass.
Ndamukong Suh, Ezekiel Ansah and DeAndre Levy will be the main priorities for Patriot blockers. They have combined for 99 stops—tackles constituting an offensive failure—according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Look for McDaniels to draw up a scheme that uses their aggressiveness and athleticism against them. Traps, pulls, screens and play action should all see some time on the field as the Patriots try and notch win No. 7 in a row.
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