What Vince does for the Running Game

by SuperHorn on Nov 1, 2009 7:46 PM CST Comment 56 comments

89 yards play for Chris Johnson (via AmiableJason)

The play above is a microcosm of what Vince does for the running game. It appears to be a zone read, though to be completely honest, it's possible this could just be a designed run for Chris Johnson. Either way, it's not especially important.

Vince takes the snap out of the shotgun. Daryl Smith (#52) recognizes this play, and hesitates in anticipation of Vince keeping the ball. You'll also notice just a slight hesitation out of Scott Starks (#31) and Justin Durant (#56). The pauses by these two isn't nearly as noticeable as Daryl Smith, but it is equally significant.

Daryl Smith is now immediately out of position and now dealt the impossible task of tracking down Chris Johnson from behind. The split second that Durant waits gives Mawae enough time to get up field and engage him, eliminating his chance of pursuit. Similarly, the Starks gets engaged while he's identifying who has the ball, as opposed to immediately beginning going after CJ. This becomes even more important at the end of the play because this fraction of a second kills his chance of stopping Johnson from breaking off the huge run as he runs up field.

Obviously, this run probably doesn't happen with anyone else in the NFL other than CJ. He finds a crease, makes one defender miss, and breaks another tackle. Then his track star speed does the rest. But, it's important to notice that Vince's threat of a run does have an impact. And, with a guy as explosive as CJ, even just a half of a step can mean the difference between an 8 yard gain and a touchdown.

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I

agree completely SuperHorn, thank you for your feedback

by RhiNo6705 on Nov 1, 2009 8:08 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Agree 100%

With Vince as our QB the defense basically has another runner to account for on every play on top of CJ. The problem is can he consistantly be an accurate passer and limit his turnovers? If he can do that he and CJ form an extremely formidable duo, but if he can’t perform through the air like he did today we will have problems.

damn we suck this year

by Sheriff McLawdog on Nov 1, 2009 8:13 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I agree somewhat.

Although, it’s important to note that CJ had huge success on those types of draws even when Kerry was a quarterback. (See Texans game, Pats too i think.)

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on Nov 1, 2009 8:15 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

funny how....

CJ breaks the franchise record while VY was under center, would it have happened with KC under center? i dont think so. come on, superhorn didnt write this for it to just be ignored.

"Waiting for the return of the Mac"
"Let VY loose, give him the chance to play his heart out. for himself, for the titans...and for mcnair"
"Titans & Texans fan, dont bug me w/your petty b.s., life's confusing enough."

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 2:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm not saying VY had no effect.

But, CJ has been hugely effective on draws ALL year. Our blocking on them has been outstanding for whatever reason.

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on Nov 2, 2009 7:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

true....

but, defenses are almost forced to see what is going to happen with the ball, whether its CJ getting it or VY they know both are able to take it up field any given moment. and when VY is showing run, defenses are going to think twice, and in that thought our receivers are looking for space to get the ball. the perfect example was the conversion to britt when it looked as if VY was going down, but since he didnt (there goes the playmaking ability), britt new to get to the open space. wasnt it pretty though. both the escape and the grab on the sidelines. none of that happens in that situation, or similar situations, if KC is in the ball game. even in that same position someone like manning takes the sack and blames everybody else before he even thought of maybe moving around the pocket some more. not saying VY is manning, but im just stating the plus side of having a mobile qb.

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 7:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes, Vince did great.

And he is certainly far more valuable on 3rd down and pressure situations than KC. I’m not denying any of this. I was just pointing out that in addition to VY helping, Cj has broken draws for huge runs all year, and i wish we would just run it every play.

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on Nov 2, 2009 7:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

CJ is a monster.....

and a diamond in the rough, its mind blowing how many teams passed him up, but grateful hes wearing a titans jersey. and i hope he dresses that way for a long time to come. yeah we have a nice one two punch, but VY is not THAT BAD of a passer, not just from today. let him sling it sometimes. lol

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 8:01 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

good point

vy adds a huge dimension to the run game. but can he manage the game without many turnovers? i’m rooting for you vy, here’s to hope.

by TitansFanForever on Nov 1, 2009 8:28 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The blimp view of that run is awesome

I told you we would beat Georgia!! Now, as for those 9 wins in '09......
I got bored and made a blog!! SCS

by VolBrian on Nov 1, 2009 8:33 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Correct

Vince adds another dimension to our offense.

by Change on Nov 1, 2009 8:47 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Awesome analysis SuperHorn

It’s easy to see the effecto n Daryl Smith, but I missed the other two, and you’re right. It’s just as significant.

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by T--Rac's Posse on Nov 2, 2009 12:03 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

i should also add it looks like through one game, you were right about Vince

Please accept my apologies

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My personal Tribute to Air McNair

by T--Rac's Posse on Nov 2, 2009 12:04 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I pointed this out in the live game thread

Joy Kat thought I was trying to rob Chris Johnson of credit, oddly enough.

by TheElusiveShadow on Nov 2, 2009 12:45 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

If you remember Joy Kat circa 2007,

This should come as no surprise.

by ctex80 on Nov 2, 2009 7:55 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

As noted above, Johnson had BIG games with KC at qb, and you were misplacing the

credit due to Johnson. The Jag defense is not great by any means. VY has not convinced me of anything yet, he had a decent game yesterday, we will see what happens against a real opponent. The defense played outstanding yesterday, best effort since the first two games this season.

by Joy kat on Nov 2, 2009 7:58 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

No, I wasn't

Chris Johnson made a fantastic play by breaking a couple of tackles and finishing the run. All this post, and I, were pointing out was that Vince Young’s threat as a runner gave him a better opportunity to do that. It’s not about the Jags being a great defense or the fact that CJ has had great games with Kerry Collins (duh). It’s a specific, real observation on a football play. Try it sometime.

by TheElusiveShadow on Nov 2, 2009 8:22 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

And I suppose that better defensive effort had nothing to do with them being off the field for the majority of the game, right?

by SuperHorn on Nov 2, 2009 8:48 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Agree big time!

This is where Vince had his biggest impact on the game. He and CJ both kept drives alive, and we murdered the Jags on time of possession. Our D only had to play 20 minutes in this game. That is huge! And, a significant change from the first 6 games with so many 3-and-outs.

by JimR on Nov 2, 2009 9:20 AM CST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

Didn't you notice the defense came to life with Finnegan back?

How about that? I think the defense really made the day yesterday by keeping Garrard off the field.

by Joy kat on Nov 2, 2009 9:32 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I was just commenting on Superhorn's point

in this post. If you look at my commentary on the whole game that is in post-game thread, you’ll see that credited the whole D and Finny in particular before I said anything about VY. But, I do think VY made a solid contribution to the overall effort along with many others.

by JimR on Nov 2, 2009 9:57 AM CST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

I think it may have been Fuller that boosted the D

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by Aditya T (smashville) on Nov 2, 2009 10:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

even if....

by chance we were to go great lengths with VY as our QB, you would find something to knit pick about.

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 3:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That was a good breakdown.

We used to see this kind of thing all the time back when Norm Chow was here. First game of the 2007, also against Jax, is a prime example. That was Chris Brown’s famous 180-yard game. However, I think ‘Dinger understands how to use this facet of VY’s game even better than Chow did, especially given how many bootlegs he ran last night.

Also, CJ >>> LDW + Chris Brown. That’s a big difference.

DannoE

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one."

by DannoE on Nov 2, 2009 7:04 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

I think your point is valid, but don't overstate

the case. VY and a couple of blockers helped to spring CJ, but 99.9% of the credit for this marvelous run goes to CJ himself. I think both Vince and Dinger would tell you the same thing.

by JimR on Nov 2, 2009 8:28 AM CST via mobile reply actions 0 recs

No question.

This is almost completely due to CJ. As noted above, I’m not sure anyone else in the NFL has his kind of big play ability.

All I’m pointing out is that I think in this play the result would have been different if Kerry was handing the ball off. There is obviously no way to know that. But, I think the hesitation that Vince provided from Starks and Durant made the difference between a big gain of 8-15 yards and a touchdown.

by SuperHorn on Nov 2, 2009 8:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you on this post.

by Joy kat on Nov 2, 2009 9:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I was responding to JIM R not to superhorn

by Joy kat on Nov 2, 2009 9:33 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Just to ask, is the reason Maurice Jones Drew scored twice on huge runs because Garrard

is a running threat? Or was it lack of proper defense on our part?

by Joy kat on Nov 2, 2009 9:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Neither

It was because we didn’t put Vince in on defense.

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by Jimmy on Nov 2, 2009 9:48 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

LOL, yeah I though so. Maybe they should play him two ways.

by Joy kat on Nov 2, 2009 10:03 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

good analysis.....

he probably could have tackled alot better than some of the efforts i saw on MJD. i cant blame griff for that “missed tackle”, i just think he didnt want to horse collar him at the last min. but it led to the TD anyway.

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 3:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Right, Joy Kat.

That’s exactly what I said, that no running back would ever break off a long run unless they were running a read option with a mobile quarterback. You’re ignorance is astounding. Nothing I’ve said here is controversial, watch the clip.

Vince’s presence on the field forces them to give pause. With a running back as talented as Chris Johnson, that split second can make a huge difference.

We had 305 yards rushing this game and only 95 last game. The only difference on offense was Vince. Last game, we only had the ball for 25 minutes. This game, 40.

by SuperHorn on Nov 2, 2009 11:43 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I agree, Superhorn

However, part of the reason the defense was on the field so little was because of two gigantic one play drives by the ~~Jaguars~~ Jones-Drew.

by TheElusiveShadow on Nov 2, 2009 11:46 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

SuperHorn

thanks for posting this clip. Anybody hating after yesterday is only doing so to defend their entrenched mindset.

With a RB as quick as CJ, VY threatening with his legs & really any third threat off of that (WR or TE screen) we’ll see many more long plays like that. It’s amazing the difference one false step makes in the NFL.

by T the D on Nov 2, 2009 12:35 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

good....

stuff. your analysis are correct about the dual threat and forcing defenses to focus on two playmakers in the same play. some ppl just cant take being proved wrong, if only for one game (hope and think it can continue), and they just wait for him to screw up so they can be right later on. its really sad, b/c in between that its almost as if they are rooting for the titans to fail just so VY does.

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 3:18 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m with you,if KC was in the game the D could hone in on Chris J because there is no way KC would scramble anything to worry about .Its just a whole new dimension that the D has to account for.Chris J is such a athlete he just needs a little bit of a jump and then he’s gone.

by cpabis on Nov 2, 2009 9:14 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

On a different point about this play.

Kenny Britt came up with a HUGE block at the end of the run that might have prevented the touchdown.

This was also not the only play I saw today that Britt had major involvement in blocking for somebody else.

How awesome is Kenny Britt? Rookie WRs almost never have blocking skills this developed. Even once they develop them, some WRs never want to block. Britt appears to not only be able to block, but enjoy it.

Britt is the perfect WR for Fisherball.

by hartley on Nov 2, 2009 11:18 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

People have done breakdowns on RB averages with VY vs. the previoius QB

at Texas and KC Vol. 1 and the RB average was over a yard higher with VY. That’s one of the reasons so many people support what VY does to a team.

by T the D on Nov 2, 2009 11:22 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

is it me

or is britt always blocking for cj on those long run

Que Where?!?!

by SouthTexasTitan on Nov 2, 2009 11:37 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

runs*

Que Where?!?!

by SouthTexasTitan on Nov 2, 2009 11:38 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Britt is legit

T-Rac's Posse - T-Rac is one boss raccoon.
My personal Tribute to Air McNair

by T--Rac's Posse on Nov 2, 2009 1:50 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

How legit is he?

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles even though gramsey hates it.

by Jimmy on Nov 2, 2009 2:05 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

to legit to quit

Que Where?!?!

by SouthTexasTitan on Nov 2, 2009 3:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

stop...

hammertime

by mattd97 on Nov 2, 2009 3:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Thank you

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles even though gramsey hates it.

by Jimmy on Nov 2, 2009 3:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two light feet

by mattd97 on Nov 2, 2009 4:26 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Excellent work

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles even though gramsey hates it.

by Jimmy on Nov 2, 2009 10:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

it feels good

"I finished the game. In my mind, if I finished the game, I can play next week." - Steve McNair RIP

by Pinoy Titan on Nov 3, 2009 8:23 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

2 legit 2 quit?

Official MCM Hater!

Retire #9!

by gramsey712 on Nov 2, 2009 3:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Obvioualy, you two are still tipsy from last night's

wild victory party. Maybe you shouldn’t post anymore until you dry out. :-). Hammertime, indeed!

by JimR on Nov 2, 2009 3:50 PM CST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

The MCM corporate jet

was rockin’ fo sho.

Official MCM Hater!

Retire #9!

by gramsey712 on Nov 2, 2009 3:56 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I really hate that I missed that

but I knew you guys were flying high!

by JimR on Nov 2, 2009 4:58 PM CST via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

britt.....

is a monster that looks for the contact. good pick that i feel will work out for us.

by kg_2005 on Nov 2, 2009 3:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I Think...

The most impressive thing or most promising thing Fish said about Vince is that he is preparing well. And it showed on Sunday he looked much more decisive then in the past and was actually very accurate yesterday. I hope he studies the 49ers and prepares more and more to improve on this performance(83.3% comp is not bad at all)…..one more thing is that he only was allowed to throw 18 times so 125 yds on 18 attempts isn’t that bad(that is like one half of passing for other QBs)…..Good luck VY, #9 would be proud!

by cj-beastmode on Nov 2, 2009 4:48 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I am glad to see

the double threat VY & CJ pose for defenses. A qb that can get first downs when there is no open man is indispensable. A rb like CJ is few and far between. It was fun to watch this game.

by Trasee on Nov 2, 2009 6:05 PM CST reply actions 0 recs