MatchQuarters ICYMI - Week of 4/29/24
Here's what you missed from MatchQuarters. Plus, a clinic on how the Arizona Wildcats ran a TE Alert from their Closed Post defense, a note on the scheme, and a look at the NFL's 5th Year Option CBs.
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Coach’s Note on Arizona
Who’s a sleeper in the newly refigured Big 12? Look no further than the Arizona Wildcats. Yes, their Head Coach, Jed Fisch, is now in Washington, and their Defensive Coordinator (Johnny Nansen) is on the sidelines in Austin, but this team is still loaded. Another reason I am so high on them is that their newly appointed Head Coach, Brent Brennan, is a proven program builder.
Brennan is coming from San Jose State, where he spent most of his career, except a six-year stint at Oregon State, working for Mike Riley and Gary Anderson. In the past four years, he’s had the Spartans bowl eligible three times and went 7-1 during the Covid-shortened season in ‘20. That’s a mighty feat if you understand SJSU’s football history.
He’s also assembled quite a good staff. Dino Babers (former Syracuse Head Coach) will lead an already electric offense, while Duane Akina (former Texas, Stanford, and Wildcat DB coach) will lead the defense. Both have had multiple stints in Tuscon.
At any level, you need a QB in order to be successful, and the Wildcats have one of the best in the country. Noah Fifita exploded onto the college stage last year as a Redshirt Freshman, winning the Pac-12 and FWAA Freshman Offensive Player of the Year. Though only 5-10, he packs a punch and should be even better this year in Babers’ QB-friendly offense. The system stems from the Briles tree (he was on the same staff with me in ‘11) and is a similar offense to what San Diego State Head Coach Sean Lewis ran at Kent State and Colorado.
Last year, the Wildcats’ offense finished 12th in OFEI, with the defense finishing in the top 25 (BCFToys). Combined, the team had a 10-win season, its first since 2014 under Rich Rodriguez and only the third since 1993 (Tomey). Ironically, Akina was the OC in ‘93 when the Wildcats won the Fiesta Bowl 29-0 over Miami. I’ll have an article covering their defense out in early June.
Weekly Free Clinic
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*Clinic will be available tomorrow in the Clinic Archive & on MatchQuarters’ YouTube channel
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» Related Content:
CoachTube Clinic: Defending 21 Personnel form a 3-Safety Structure
2021 NFL 1st Round CBs HAVOC Scores
Jaycee Horn’s option was picked up by the Panthers, but there is no guarantee he will be back post-’24. Horn was the highest-selected CB in the ‘21 draft and has not matched the top-10 selection. He needs a big year to justify an extension and a larger contract.
Part of the issue with Horn is that the CB selected after him as being an absolute star. Pat Surtain II was instantly one of the best CBs in the NFL and has been a stalwart for the Denver Broncos; his DB HAVOC score illustrates this. Surtain is elite in man coverage, having a top-15 ranking in Cover 0, Cover 1, and Quarters. There was a circulation that Denver may move on from him this offseason, but when you have one of the best pure CBs in the game, you don’t let him walk.
The Browns ran the most Cover 1 in the NFL last year, and a big part of that was Greg Newsome II. His #3 ranking in Cover 1 illustrates his man coverage prowess. Cleveland didn’t run much Cover 0 or Quarters, which is why those scores are higher than the league average for CBs. In the three primary coverages the Browns ran, Newsome excelled. He’s a perfect fit for the Browns defense.
The Packers did not pick up the option on Eric Stokes, and his DB HAVOC rate illustrates why. Though much can be said about the defense under Joe Barry, the pivot to more man coverage and Quarters under new DC Jeff Hafely doesn’t align with Stokes’ play. The young CB was at the bottom of Cover 1 and Cover 3 HAVOC rates. When looking at it analytically, you can see why Green Bay is asking him to ‘prove it.’
The one CB not featured is Titans’ Caleb Farley, who has struggled to see the field in his brief time in the league. With no playing time last year, he doesn’t have enough stats for a chart. All but Stokes and Farley had their fifth-year options picked up, and no safeties were taken in the first Round.
» Look for more analytics like this in the coming months.
This week from MatchQuarters
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This week from the Archive
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