Eagles Hurry Up

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Patriots, Eagles among NFL teams picking

up pace on offense

By Bucky Brooks Analyst, NFL.com and NFL Network Published: Aug. 26, 2013 at 09:42 a.m. Updated: Aug. 26, 2013 at 01:57 p.m. 119 Likes | 49 Comments

Preseason football is not an accurate predictor of regular-season success, but you certainly can

track trends that will appear on the field when the real action commences. In the 2013 preseason,

I see more and more teams turning to no-huddle offense and up-tempo tactics to jump-startproduction.

While this isn't an entirely new development -- just prior to my arrival in the 1994 NFL Draft,

the Buffalo Bills rode the K-Gun to four straight Super Bowl appearances -- the recent success

of the no-huddle/spread offense on the collegiate level has more NFL offensive coordinatorsflirting with up-tempo schemes.

Here are four reasons why NFL offenses are picking up the pace:

1) A faster pace leads to more plays and scoring opportunities.

It seems like an elementary explanation for playing faster offensively, but it's really just that

simple: Proponents of up-tempo football say the quickened approach leads to more offensive

plays and possessions, which eventually results in more points. One thing I found interesting wasthat, at Pac-12 Media Day, Arizona head coach Rich Rodriguez told me that the emphasis is

really on collecting first downs. He talked about tallying 30-plus first downs when the offense is

really clicking.

Of course, the college game is more conducive to playing at a breakneck pace, given the shorter

play clock and wider hash marks. But NFL teams are starting to see the benefits, as well. The

New England Patriots led the NFL last season with an average of 74.4 plays per game (nearly 10

plays more than the average team), and reached as many as 92 plays in a contest. Part of theirsuccess can be attributed to running the no-huddle on over 31 percent of their snaps. Although

other teams like the Denver Broncos spent more time using the no-huddle attack, the Patriotstypically played at a faster pace by routinely snapping the ball within 15 seconds of it being set

by officials. Consequently, the Patriots routinely get off three or four plays in a minute when

operating at warp speed.
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Now, this might not seem like much of an advantage on the surface, with a number of teams

placing an emphasis on the time of possession battle, but the fact that the Pats led the NFL in

scoringby almost five points per game unquestionably has led other teams to study the no-huddle approach and adopt it into their game plans.

2) No-huddle offense limits defensive substitutions.

To play sound defensive football in today's NFL, defensive coordinators must be able to handle

the myriad of personnel groupings, formations and shifts offensive coaches use to create an

advantage at the point of attack. As the league has shifted to a more pass-oriented game,defensive coaches have begun countering this transition by sending in designated specialists to

rush or cover as part of exotic nickel or dime packages. Additionally, defensive play callers have

been rotating in seven and eight defensive linemen to keep a fresh set of pass rushers on the field

at all times.

Offensive coordinators, however, have thwarted those tactics by extensively utilizing the no-

huddle offense to keep opponents from substituting personnel. By eschewing the huddle, theoffense forces the defense to stay alert and ready, while also restricting the defensive coordinator

from sneaking in replacements and specialists to get after the passer. This is especially

problematic when the offense rips off six or more plays in a rapid sequence. Defensive linemenexert a ton of energy battling through blockers and hunting quarterbacks, which makes the

prospect of lining up over and over again without sufficient rest a daunting task. Additionally,

the fatigue brought on by the up-tempo pace makes defenders vulnerable to running plays late indrives.

From a schematic standpoint, the formational flexibility of "11" (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR) and "12"(1 RB, 2 TE, 2 WR) personnel packages makes it easy for offensive coordinators to cleverly

create mismatches in the run and passing games. For instance, the Patriots have extensively useddouble tight end sets in recent years with a conventional tight end and a "move" tight end

aligning in a variety of spots to create matchup problems for the defense. When coupled with ano-huddle tempo, the formational flexibility puts the defense in a bind: The defensive

coordinator must determine whether to stay in base defense to defend against the run or trot on

the nickel package to match up better against the pass.

This preseason, I've seen more teams take advantage of the diversity of "11" and "12" groupings.

Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles, in particular, have seamlessly transitioned between thepackages in their no-huddle offense. The screengrabs below display a sequence of plays from the

Eagles' opening drive against the Carolina Panthers in Week 2 of the preseason. As you can see,

the Eagles stay in their "12" personnel package, with rookie Zach Ertz aligning in various spotsas the "move" tight end:
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With more teams utilizing hybrid tight ends, the use of the no-huddle offense creates a decidedadvantage for teams willing to play fast.

3) Young quarterbacks can thrive against simplified fronts and coverages.

Proponents of no-huddle and up-tempo offenses point out that the rapid pace of play forcesopposing defensive coordinators to simplify their game plans. Fear of miscommunication from

the sideline to the field tends to make defensive play callers scale back on blitzing, while theinability to freely substitute defenders eliminates most of the exotic fronts and coverages utilizedon passing situations. Additionally, the quickened tempo forces defenders to abandon the pre-

snap disguises that can create indecision in the quarterback's mind at the line of scrimmage.

As a result, quarterbacks of up-tempo offenses play with more confidence and decisiveness from

the pocket. This results in more completions and first downs -- and fewer costly miscues. Of

course, some of the effectiveness is the byproduct of the quick-rhythm throws that are keycomponents of no-huddle game plans, due to the need to string together positive plays and retain

possession of the ball.

Examining the preseason success enjoyed by Buffalo Bills rookie EJ Manuel -- before his injury,of course -- I noticed that most of his throws were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.

Manuel, the only quarterback taken in Round 1 of the 2013 NFL Draft, piled up completions on

slants, quick outs and stick routes from a variety of three-by-one (trips) formations. Although itis easier to identify vulnerable areas of coverage with trips alignments, I believe the rapid pace of

the offense kept defenders from honing in on Manuel's tendencies, allowing the rookie to get in a

rhythm, gain confidence and make effective plays from the pocket.
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Everyone wants to put their quarterback in the best possible position to succeed, so advantages

gained from up-tempo pacing/no-huddle schemes will continue to influence teams across the

league.

4) Blending tempo with read-option/packaged plays creates chaos on a D.

The influence of the college game definitely has played a part in more offensive coordinators

using up-tempo tactics. NFL play callers are seeing the positive effects of fast-paced football

when coupled with the spread offense, which has led to more experimentation with other college

concepts like the read option and packaged plays.

Last season, the read option took the NFL by storm, as athletic quarterbacks tormented

opponents with deft ball-handling and running skills. While defensive coordinators havedescended upon college campuses in search of counter-tactics, offensive play callers have

continued to build on the concept to create more chaos in 2013. Looking at the first few weeks of

the preseason, I've seen more teams add the wide receiver screen package to the read option,

giving quarterbacks an additional option on the perimeter. This is particularly problematic fordefenses because it gives the quarterback three choices on each play: handoff, keep or throw.

Factor in the use of a quickened pace, and a team could run the same play in succession with

multiple players touching the ball.

Michael Vick officially landed the starting job for the Eagles after a pair of flawless preseasonoutings, and it's easy to imagine how he'll capitalize on all of these tactics. In the tape that I

reviewed, though, Nick Folesjust so happened to be in the game for a number of packaged plays

that beg to be diagrammed in this column. So, no, I'm most definitely not trying to make any

type of statement below in breaking down plays with Foles -- not Vick -- at QB. Conceptually,it's all the same.

In the following screengrab, the Eagles are lined up to execute the read-option with an outsidebubble screen against the Panthers:
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Foles sticks the ball in the running back's belly and reads the reactions of the defensive end andnickel corner:

When the defensive end crashes on the running back, Foles pulls the ball and races around theend while reading the reaction of the nickel cornerback. When the defender steps up to meet him

in the alley, Foles has Jason Avant open for a completion on the outside:
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Here is another example of the Eagles executing the read option with a bubble screen. Foles putsthe ball in the belly of the running back on an inside zone run and reads the reactions of thedefensive end and play-side linebacker:

When the defensive end and linebacker both hesitate on the fake, Foles quickly pulls up and fires

the ball out to Avant on the screen for an easy completion and positive gain:
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Click here for fu ll video of the play.

Offensive coordinators are also utilizing run-pass combination plays -- the offensive line blocks

the run play called by the quarterback, while receivers run designated routes on the perimeter --

to expand the effectiveness of the no-huddle offense. Now, the concept of adding a quick routeon the backside of a run is not a new one. In fact, as a member of both the Green Bay Packers

and Oakland Raiders in the mid-1990s, I watched Brett Favre and Rich Gannon repeatedly throw

smoke or dart routes to the split end on the backside of isolation or power plays. But today'steams are increasingly utilizing the tactic with the advent of the fast-paced, no-huddle offense.Ripping off big plays at a rapid rate, teams can employ the same run-pass play multiple times in

succession.

In the following screengrab, the Eagles are lined up in a trips formation, with the receivers

assigned to execute a draw-stick concept. Foles is tasked with reading the reaction of the

linebacker and making the decision to hand the ball off or throw to exploit a weakness of thedefense:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/philadelphia-eagles/0ap2000000233191/Foles-to-Avant-for-10-yardshttp://www.nfl.com/videos/philadelphia-eagles/0ap2000000233191/Foles-to-Avant-for-10-yardshttp://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GBhttp://www.nfl.com/teams/oaklandraiders/profile?team=OAKhttp://www.nfl.com/teams/philadelphiaeagles/profile?team=PHIhttp://www.nfl.com/teams/philadelphiaeagles/profile?team=PHIhttp://www.nfl.com/teams/oaklandraiders/profile?team=OAKhttp://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GBhttp://www.nfl.com/videos/philadelphia-eagles/0ap2000000233191/Foles-to-Avant-for-10-yards


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When the linebacker drops back to defend the route, Foles hands the ball to the running back onthe draw play:

While the play only gains two yards -- due to a fine open-field tackle by Thomas Davis -- it's anice illustration of this concept.
http://www.nfl.com/player/thomasdavis/2506352/profilehttp://www.nfl.com/player/thomasdavis/2506352/profile


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