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We Love The Stars But We Love The Game More

CNNSI lists the top paid athletes from the US and overseas.

Only one NFL player, Peyton Manning, makes the domestic top 20.

Golfers, auto racers, baseball and basketball players dominate the list. Some ready made reasons:

1. Golf is an individual sport. There’s no money to be shared with teammates. What’s more, advertising and golf have held a special relationship since at least the ’20s. Roland Marchand noted in Advertising the American Dream, that golfing became an early trait of the advertising class; this explains why Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson make far more in endorsements than any other athlete makes in salary. Only Michael Jordan has crashed golf’s hold on endorsement purses in recent years.

2. The other sports are smaller team sports. NBA superstars can carve up bigger slices of their pies since they play five-on-five and have rosters thirteen deep. Baseball is a team game, but relies on one-on-one duels between pitchers and batters. A pitchers stats are far less reliant on his defense than a quarterback is on his linemen and skill position teammates. Hence, it’s easier to single out the star in those sports and elevate him in the same manner as movie stars.

3. Golf, soccer, baseball and basketball allow for longer careers. Football’s brutality limits the average player’s career. Contrast Troy Aikman to a Jack Nicklaus, who can play on with the seniors.

No matter. The big money and the biggest ratings still flow to football. Our stars may not have the best Q-ratings, but they play in the best team game. If the big endorsement money goes elsewhere, so what?

The ‘BB Over San Antonio, Fund Drive, Day Two

Thanks to the early contributors to our Training Camp fund. Your continued generosity humbles us and drives us to bring you the best camp coverage anywhere, net or otherwise.

Raul has some information about PayPal and Amazon sites:

PayPal takes a small percentage, but you can use your own PayPal account if you have one, or you can use a credit card.

Amazon only uses credit cards, but it does not take a percentage. The problem with PayPal is that if you don’t email me or save the confirmation page, we have no way of knowing which contribution is yours.

I know someone has already done this, but I think there is a link on the confirmation page to email the owner (us) about the contribution. I suggest ANYONE using Amazon to make sure you select that email option so we know who made the contribution. If you don’t tell us, then we don’t know who contributed since Amazon keeps email addresses confidential for privacy purposes.

Thanks again for your continued support.

‘07 Linebacker Play a Weighty Issue

Cowboys’ linebackers swear they’ll be better, individually and as a unit, because they’ll play lighter this season. A DMN story finds that all played roughly eight to fifteen pounds above their comfortable weights in 2006.

I have to question the wisdom of the linebackers’ strategy. As the story points out,

The leaner look was not a mandate by the coaches, but rather a case of the players doing it on their own after seeing the changes in scheme.

If so, the players led themselves astray. Ayodele was new to the system and his ILB position, having played SOLB in Jacksonville’s 34. Carpenter was new and probably followed the veterans’ lead. But what of Ware and James? Ware had a good season, recording 11.5 sacks and made the Pro Bowl. Yet, by his own admission:

Ware said he felt bulky last season at the higher weight, which affected his take-off on his pass rush. At the end of the season, weighing closer to 250 pounds, he felt like he had his edge back and recorded 5 ½ sacks over the last four games.

And what of James, who played so well in 2005’s second half? His scheme didn’t change last season; he played the same role he had in ‘05, yet looked sluggish on wide running plays and lost in coverage. It appears he and Ware ate themselves out of better play.

Lesson learned, we hope. An old college friend who’s now a doctor told me of a study on hockey players (he’s a Canuck) done in the ’80s which found that just four pounds of excess weight robbed 10% of a skater’s speed. Ware’s anecdote offers some support for the study.

Leaner should be meaner for the ‘07 Cowboys LBs. Too bad we still have two months before we get to see with our own eyes.

New League Faces Long Odds

Word broke to day of a proposed new league that would challenge the NFL in the near future.

Like all rival leagues to the NFL, this one, currently named the UFL, will attempt to steal away talent, targeting players drafted in the second round and later. The UFL hopes to get later rounders to defect and form the core of its talent base. There’s a possibility it could succeed in that regard. However, the new league needs several key events to take place in order to thrive:

1. It needs a TV contract. The league has billionaire Mark Cuban and is soliciting more moneymen. That said, the NFL thrives because of television. It currently received $3.735 billion per year from the four major networks.

The failed XFL tried to exploit an opening among the networks when it debuted in 2001. Back then CBS, Fox and ABC all had parts of NFL programming and rotated the Super Bowl. NBC hoped to create low cost/high ratings football with World Wresting Federation. The experiment failed but the NFL nevertheless moved to include NBC in its next contract, giving the network Sunday Night Football and adding it to the Super Bowl rotation.

It’s hard to envision any of the big four opening space in their prime time lineups, despite the fact that Friday nights, the UFL’s chosen stage, is the lowest rated of the five weekdays, and is ripe for a fresh new product.

The AFL was able to contest the NFL for talent in the ’60s because it got a major contract from NBC.
Absent that, the bonus money needed to lure talent from the NFL will have to come out of ownerships’ collective pockets. I doubt this would continue for long without television support.

2. The UFL will need major markets. The NFL left the L.A. market to the proposed league, having failed to add or more a franchise to the second largest U.S. market. The league will attempt to build on franchises in San Antonio and Las Vegas. If the league cannot get viewers into the stands and in front of television sets quickly, it won’t last long.

3. It will need discipline. The WFL had huge crowds its inaugural season. The USFL was slowly building a fan base during its spring games. In each case, owners divided over money; some wanted to spend wildly to steal NFL stars, rather than grooming their own. Some USFL owners, most notably New Jersey Generals’ Donald Trump, tried a hostile merger, suing the NFL for illegal restraint of trade, hoping the older league would absorb USFL franchises rather that pay damages.

The tactic failed when a jury ruled in favor of the USFL but awarded it just $1 in damages, which was trebled by law to $3.

The UFL may be able to last in the long term if it limits salaries. However, I don’t see how the league can attempt to raid the NFL’s mid-level draftees and operate on a cap.

Time will tell, but I think the UFL’s current plan is too close to the NFL’s operating system, and lacks enough major revenue streams to survive.

Going Campin’: ‘07 Over San Antonio

Yes, the ‘Boys Blog’s Training Camp Tour will be back for year three.

We’re going to be bigger and badder this year, but it will take a bigger and badder contribution from you. For that reason, we’re starting now, and will raise funds though June.

In ‘05 and ‘06 I attended the second week of camp and filed morning and afternoon reports every day. It was fun and from the comments, productive.

This year, we would like to cover all fifteen days of the abbreviated camp. That means double the coverage for you. That also means double the expenses for me. And it also means I need to cover lost work time, so my monthly expenses don’t go wanting.

You were more than generous last summer, raising $2,000 for cover costs. This year, my budget says I need about $4,500 to pay my home and road bills.

The challenge has been issued. I know all you big-money survey takers are good for it, right?

You can use the PayPal link or the snail address Raul has listed in the left hand column. Thanks in advance. This is going to be another great camp.

Brady Overkill

I’ve seen some coverage of Brady Quinn accompanied by predictions that he’ll be a bust.

This strikes me as excessive. It’s not a necessary condition for Quinn to be the next Ryan Leaf. It’s perfectly fine if he turns into a quality NFL QB, from Dallas’ perspective — SO LONG AS IT DOESN’T HAPPEN IN 2007.

Troy Aikman’s rookie campaign ended with him 0-11 as a starter. Peyton Manning, while impressing everyone, posted a rookie QB rating of 71. His ‘98 Colts finished 3-13 with him starting every game. Aikman entered Canton last year. Manning’s a lock whenever he chooses to retire.

All I ask is for a typical rookie year. Take your lumps Mr. Quinn, hand over the top-5 pick and then move on to greatness. Avoid the rookie Dan Marino or the rookie Vince Young impersonations and from my perspective it’s a win-win for everybody.

Meet Your Draft Picks: Deon Anderson

Deon Anderson, FB, University of Connecticut, 6th round draft pick

Measurables: 5′10″, 243 pounds, 4.73 forty-yard dash, 403 pound bench press, 600 pound squat, 27/31 Wonderlic score

Positives: Possesses good size for an NFL fullback. Rarely goes down on the first hit and is a weapon as a short-yardage runner. Displays good physical toughness and seems to enjoy contact. Possesses above average hands and does not drop many passes. Fairly good speed for his size. Has special teams experience and excels on coverage duty; he tackles well (originally recruited to play linebacker) and can be an immediate contributor for an NFL team in that area. Despite pedestrian rushing and receiving numbers his senior year, Anderson was awarded the Huskies; Most Valuable Player award due to his attitude, leadership, and the enthusiasm with which he practiced and played.

Negatives: Demonstrates average to below-average blocking ability. Has poor balance, fails to lock onto defenders at times and has some problems sustaining blocks. Is not fundamentally sound as a blocker; displays poor technique and does not hit with much explosion, despite his strength and speed. Appears hesitant at times and has problems getting into position at the second level. Doesn’t have the burst to get to the corner. Is not a big play threat. Has some character concerns regarding his academics and off-field issues while at UConn; missed the 2005 season for unspecified reasons and looked into transferring before returning to the team as a walk-on in January of 2006.

Outlook: Anderson is a bit of a “tweener” when it comes to the fullback position, in that he does not excel at any one particular thing. He is a decent short-yardage runner but displays very little elusiveness and is not a threat to do anything on the second level. He has adequate hands as a check-down receiver, but cannot do much after the catch. And perhaps most importantly for a Cowboys team which already has two above average running backs, Anderson is not a naturally talented blocker. Despite his zeal for contact and physical toughness, he does not excel at delivering the blow at the point of attack, and he has trouble locking onto defenders.

So while Anderson is not particularly good at any of the typical things upon which a fullback is evaluated, he is not horrible at any of them either. Combine this with his excellent special teams coverage experience at Connecticut, and it is reasonable that an NFL team would have taken a chance on him. Anderson is capable of contributing on special teams right away. He was originally recruited by the Huskies to play linebacker, and took to his role as wedge-buster during the 2004 and 2006 seasons. He has the speed to get downfield in a hurry and he tackles well. If he makes the Dallas opening day roster, it would be reasonable to expect him to be on the field as a special teamer right from Week 1. The question remains as to whether or not he can improve his fullback play, particularly his blocking ability, enough to warrant that roster spot.

Anderson also comes with some minor but not insignificant character concerns. He missed the 2005 season due to unspecified problems with the law related to disorderly conduct. However, Anderson walked on to the 2006 UConn team and paid his own way in tuition his entire senior year so that he could be a part of the team and graduate. Anderson was a favorite of teammates and seems to have partially alleviated any concern that he would be a liability in the locker room.

Make A List Monday

I’m not as manic as High Fidelity’s Rob Gordon when it comes to lists, but I love making them and rating others lists, be they about music, football or anything I know fairly well.

I was therefore intrigued by this list of the “Five Worst Things in Sports.”

Mostly, I find myself agreeing with points two, about the media’s piling on Barry Bonds and point one, about the cost of games.

Let’s stick with two for the moment, because it led to an interesting point in the comments thread, which I recommend you read. Jimmy Traina chastises the sports press for their three year — yes, three year — stalking of Bonds and the question of whether he did or did not use steroids.

If I may run on a tangent for a second, let me say I don’t care. Yes, this is a legitimate story, and to me its clear that Bonds used. But baseball and the press lose the plot by focusing exclusively on Bonds.

I used to be an Astros fan and when I followed the game, I followed it just as hard as I do football. I wasn’t a card-carrying member of SABR, but I was into Moneyball stats before they became cool. And one of the heuristics back in the day (meaning the mid ’90s) was that players peaked somewhere around age 28.

This was used as a shorthand to slam teams that lavished big money contracts on players in their 30s. it’s wasn’t good business. Good players declined more slowly than average ones but history showed that they nevertheless declined once their 20s were over.

But something changed in baseball in the year 1996. 33 year old Ken Caminiti, a talented but troubled 3rd baseman who had never hit more than 26 homers in a season, banged out 40 and won the MVP. Later, after drugs and alcohol wiped out his career, he admitted he used steroids to boost his performance.

That same year, his 31 year old teammate Steve Finley rapped 30 dingers. He had never hit more than 11 in a season. Also that year, 32 year old CF Brady Anderson whacked 50 homers, 29 more than his career best, set four years before.

Is it just coincidence that so many 30 somethings were confounding performance arcs by doubling their HR totals? We likely were seeing the first year of the steroids era; in ‘95 only four players had 40 or more homers. In ‘96 that number jumped to 17. In ‘98 we had the crazy Sammy Sosa/Mark McGwire HR race “that saved baseball.”

Yet where in the hours of bloviating and acres of column inches is this covered? Nowhere that I’ve seen. I recall questions about juiced baseballs, but nothing about juiced players.

Today we have feuding between Bonds and Commish Bud Selig over the proper response to Bonds breaking Hank Aaron’s record.

Cover all the steroid abuse and baseball’s complicity in it, or don’t cover it at all. Don’t single out one player, however detestable he may be and blame him for all of baseball’s sins. By doing so, you accomplish the amazing feat, to me anyway, of making Bonds somewhat sympathetic. Oh, and you make it infinitely easier for me to give up the sport altogether. Nice work.

Which brings me back to the thread. Do you notice how many people cite ESPN as one of sports biggest problems? I guess people don’t really care for Chris Berman’s or Stephen A. Smith’s presentations of the games. They just want sports.

Which brings me to my last list of the day. Pundits are already tossing around timetables and numbers of games for a possible Michael Vick suspension. John Clayton predicted Vick would not be suspended this year, this on the heels of his network’s interview with a dog trainer who fingered Vick as a “major figure” in the sport. Matt Mosely quotes Falcons officials as “bracing for a six game suspension.”

Folks, there is a long-standing precedent for gambling and its far more than six games. In 1963 Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Packers HB Paul Hornung and Lions DT Alex Karras a full season for betting on games and associating with gamblers.

Betting on NFL games is pretty serious business. Gambling is illegal and betting by players on games compromises the integrity of the league’s product. (Neither player was found to have bet against his team, which may explain why they were reinstated for 1964.)

Dog fighting is a felony. I don’t know the legal penalty for betting on fights, but it’s probably not trivial.

IF — and let me stress that no chargers have yet been leveled against Vick, only an ESPN gotcha interview — the quarterback is proved to have participated in gambling, which itself is illegal, and gambling on illegal acts, I think Rozelle’s ruling will become a reference point. Whether Roger Goodell follows it to the letter or not remains unclear, since he’s far from having to consult it at this point.

Where do these incidents rate with you?

Building the Romobot, Part II

My claim that Jason Garrett will try to make Tony Romo more Troy Aikman-like drew some strong responses. Some readers opined that Romo lacked Aikman’s arm strength. Others claimed Garrett might be trying to make Romo something that he’s not because Aikman was a master of accuracy and Romo could not measure up.

Bunk. I was watching tape of Romo riddling the Colts defense in his 19 for 23 day (football withdrawl strikes hard) and felt strong deja vu. I saw the ball coming out quickly on timing patters. I saw Romo fire darts inside tiny coverage boxes to Jason Witten. I saw Romo deliver three perfect slants to Terry Glenn, which set up a pump and go on Dallas’ winning TD drive.

I saw a guy who looked every bit as accurate at old number eight. Then I decided to see if this was a one-game fluke.

Let’s look at the greater numbers. Here’s Tony’s ‘06 line:

Only once in his legendary career did Aikman top the 65.3 completion percentage Romo posted last year. And he never approached Romo’s 8.61 yard per attempt. In fact, Aikman never topped 8.0 YPA in any season.

Let’s look more closely at Romo’s season and see how his performances broke down. 2006 can be split into halves.

That’s an otherworldly five games. Romo stayed within the program, built on his training camp habits of reading and releasing the ball quickly and kept his head. Amazing plays seemed to come in course, but they all appeared natural. He would have been and should have been 5-0 had the Cowboys not committed a dozen penalties and botched a field goal block in Washington.

Then, Romo seemed to buy into his own hype. After his five TD coming out party on Thanksgiving Day, the Romo cool began eroding:

Romo’s dazzling bomb to Witten in the Meadowlands obscured a poor performance. For the first time, blitzes got into his head. He missed open receivers. He tried forcing passes into covered ones and his fundamentals became inconsistent. Bill Parcells told the press post game that QB coach Chris Palmer warned him in the first quarter that Romo was “off the reservation” that day.

Teams began defensing him differently from that point, keeping their ends wide to prevent Romo from rolling out and devastating them with deep balls.

He was also done in by lack of support. Note the rush totals for the three December losses. (I put the Saints total in parenthesis because this is what the Cowboys produced after Julius Jones’ 77 yard rush on the first play from scrimmage.) In every instance the Cowboys could not muster 50 yards against three defenses (the Saints, Eagles and Lions) who struggled stopping the run.

Romo showed his mortality. I doubt many QBs could compensate for such anemic rushing attacks, much less his team’s suddenly porous secondary. Nevertheless, Romo deserves some blame. He undermined a sterling 111 QB rating against Detroit by fumbling three times, twice inside his own 20.

That said, the new system offers the possibilty of reclaiming the early Romo. It will emphasize speed, timing and quick releases. And Romo has demonstated without question that he has the accuracy and arm strength to make it work.

What nobody knows, not even Romo himself, is whether he can match Aikman’s maturity and consistency; Troy put six consecutive seasons together at Romo’s ‘06 level, never mind his Pantheon-quality postseason play.

If you doubt Romo, raise emotional and cognitive questions. He’s got the physical skills to make Troy’s old playbook work.

It’s So Quiet Around Here

Commissioner Roger Goodell probably thought he was curbing the league’s off-the-field legal problems when he suspended Pacman Jones and Chris Henry.

Au contraire, Mr. Commissioner. In the past week Michael Vick’s possible involvement in dog fighting dominated the news. Redskins Clinton Portis and Chris Samuels embarrassed themselves and their team when they dismissed dogfighting as commonplace.

Mike Ditka and Gene Upshaw are arguing over retired veterans salaries, a Bronco faces assault charges and even Hall of Famer Bart Starr survived a shakedown attempt by an 81 year-old con woman.

Makes you glad that the Cowboys are no longer the ones with hordes of press in the Valley Ranch parking lot asking questions about failed drug tests, false rape charges, cocaine on plates, bent cops and strippers in hotel rooms, no?

So long as Keith Davis and his Amazing Bullet-Attracting Backsideâ„¢ lie low, we may make it to San Antonio with nothing but football to discuss.

Now, run to the biggest piece of wood you can find and rap it with your hands and knees. Don’t want to jinx anybody.

And T.O., make sure you label all your meds, okay?

Advertise With Us

Wanted: Blogads advertisers in search of a Grade-A male demographic.

Offered: said demographic.

I’ve closed the Blogads survey a few days early, since traffic there had stopped. The results speak for themselves. Of note:

– 99% of our readers are male;
– 76.6% of them are in the 21-45 age demographic;
– over 92% are in college or have finished; over 67% have degrees in hand and over 24% have advanced degrees;
– The largest percentage of readers boast a household income between $90,000 and $120,000;
– Roughly half describe themselves as suburban;
– Over 90% are in a couple or a family;

TV executives would give their first born, their mothers and several digits for a viewership like this. And while our community members read many sites a day, over 38% percent of them read just one blog a day — this one.

We’re the biggest, non-network-affiliated NFL team blog in the American blogosphere. We’re steadily growing. March was our biggest month, with over 111,000 visitors and 210,000 page views.

Let’s do business.

Henry Looking For a Quieter ‘07

The change from heavy cover two looks could ease some of Anthony Henry’s burden in ‘07. K.C. Joyner has an interesting article out at ESPNet (protected) that chronicles the attempts NFL cornerbacks faced last year. I’ve cribbed the top four from that list:

1. Anthony Henry, Dallas Cowboys — 100
2. Chris McAlister, Baltimore Ravens — 97
3. Charles Tillman, Chicago Bears — 96
4. Carlos Rogers, Washington Redskins — 96

Anthony Henry was the most-thrown-at cornerback last season. Joyner makes the point that attempts is not directly related to quality. McAllister, Asante Samuel, Ronde Barber and Antoine Winfield were other big name corners who were among the top 20 targeted.

I have not seen Henry’s end of the year numbers, but after 10 games he and Terence Newman both ranked in the top quartile in yards-per-attempt, Joyner’s top metric for assessing coverage effectiveness. Henry was already getting heavy attention even then though I suspect several factors caused him to get even more attention in late November and December.

1. He played the second half a on a bum knee. I don’t know the full extent of his injury but was told late in the year that he was one example of a player working through an injury to satisfy Bill Parcells. The Tuna’s teams led the league in games played but in some cases the player may have benefitted from a short rest.

Teams knew Henry was hobbling and decided to attack him even more.

2. He lacked effective deep help. When the Cowboys played cover two, more often than not the Pat Watkins/Keith Davis platoon had deep responsibility on Henry’s side. Think of Hank Baskett’s TD catch in Philly; Plaxico Burress’ 50+ yard TD grab on the opening series in Texas Stadium; the 43 yard bomb to Anquan Boldin in Arizona; the 42 yard TD bomb to Devery Henderson in the Saints blowout and the 52 yard TD bomb to Roddy White in Atlanta. Every one of those plays resulted from poor or nonexistent safety play behind Henry. I’ve documented that Davis was the worst cover FS in football during his ‘05 debut. I saw nothing to suggest he improved very much last year.

3. Greg Ellis’ injury caused Dallas to take more blitzing risks the last six games that were not very effective. The gambling gave Henry less coverage support than he had prior to Ellis’ loss.

Dallas played down the stretch with a one-legged corner and a brainless FS hydra backing him up. That made for a deadly combination.

The beefed up rush, the addition of Ken Hamlin and a healthy knee might not take the target off Henry’s back this year, but the confluence of factors should make deep plays less frequent.

We hope so anyway.

‘07 Cowboys Have Fewer Depth Perception Problems

The NFL Network’s Pat Kirwan offers a guide for ranking teams according to depth. How many can weather injuries at key positions like QB, WR, OT, DE and CB?

Kirwin has six offensive and five defensive depth slots. The Cowboys rate highly on offensive skill positions but have question marks on the line, particularly at center. If Pat McQuistan can play, Dallas has options at tackle and guard.

On defense, the Cowboys look deeper than most, though an injury at safety would lead to a run on Rolaids among the Cowboys’ nation. On the other hand, Anthony Spencer’s addition gives Dallas relief at the rush end position, especially if Greg Ellis returns.

Look at Kirwin’s list and then go one level farther; how does the NFC rate on this chart? The Cowboys don’t play in a vacuum. How do they stack up with their divisional and conference rivals?

2011 Super Bowl Comes to the Metroplex

The league’s owners voted today to play the 2011 Super Bowl in the Cowboys’ new stadium.

Jerry now has four years to make this a home game.

And following up on readers comments we now have four years to buy a blog box in the new stadium, so we can watch the game in person.

Phillips 34 Calls for Faster ILBs

Wade Phillips moved Bobby Carpenter and Kevin Burnett, outside linebackers in Bill Parcells’ system inside during the first camp. While the move revived the familiar debate of whether Carpenter is a bust, a closer look at Phillips’ scheme shows these are in no way demotions.

For a quick X & Os review of Phillips’ coverage, look at Bob Davie’s illustrated lecture on zone blitzing. Note his first diagram, where he shows a standard two deep coverage scheme with a four man rush.

Even though Davie diagrams this for a 4-3, this was Dallas’ standard package in the 3-4. The Cowboys rushed four men most of the time. Think of the weakside end “E” in the diagram, as Demarcus Ware and the “SB” or strong backer as Greg Ellis.

Dallas would most frequently rush the weakside end, so if the tight end lined up across from Ellis, he would drop and Ware would come. Conversely, if the TE faced Ware, he would cover and Ellis would rush.

You can see the problems caused by this scheme when Ellis tore his Achilles tendon. Unless the Cowboys flopped their ends, the offense could dictate which end rushed by flopping their TE. When both OLBs were healthy, either could pressure the QB. When Ware was the only big-time OLB rush option, teams would overshift to his side and push him into coverage.

Look at the back half of the zone, where each safety has responsibility over a deep half. This was the source of so many problems, as both Keith Davis and Pat Watkins had trouble rotating to their side and tracking deep balls in the air.

DC Brian Stewart told ESPN Radio in Dallas last week that the team would no longer employ this deep coverage, also freeing SS Roy Williams from deep patrol. What we can expect are more cover three looks (see Davie’s second diagram) where you have a free safety in the deep middle and the corners taking care of the sidelines of the deep thirds.

Note also that you now have four defenders responsble for the short zones, rather than five in the standard cover two looks.

Phillips will probably gamble even more with the short zones. He’s admitted he will zone blitz a lot of the time, bringing at least five men at the QB. When the Cowboys do, they’ll have only three short zone defenders, as opposed to five in the cover two Dallas played so much in ‘06. This will place a greater premium on recognition and speed.

Take a look at the last two diagrams in Davie’s piece for an idea of how this will work. In each case the defense rushes five and sets in a 3-3 look behind it. For a look at Phillips’ zone blitz in the flesh, refer to this video of the ‘06 Chargers against Pittsburgh.

Pay particular attention to the first blitz on the reel, labeled “OLB stunt.” Use the pause button in the lower left to stop the action as the play unfolds.

This is a classic weakside overload. The Chargers line up in a base 3-4 look prior to the snap, with NT Jamal Williams shading to the strong side. The first key to the play is San Diego’s late blitz deployment. ILB Donnie Edwards waits until just before the snap before hustling to the line and blitzing in the A gap between the center and left guard. His late deployment gave the Steelers’ linemen little time to recognize the blitz and adjust their blocking accordingly.

Contrast this to Dallas’ blitzes last year, which tipped off their intentions well before the snap and allowed opposing QBs to audible to nullifying plays. Think of Jeff Garcia’s many such adjustments in the second Eagles’ game.

Back to the Chargers’ blitz. At the snap they have four rushers deployed against three Pittsburgh blockers on Ben Roethlisberger’s blind side. Williams rushes between the C and RG, tying them up. Edwards draws the LG and DRE Igor Olshansky loops wide to his right, taking the Steelers’ LT with him.

As a result, there is nobody to block OLB Shawne Merriman, who loops inside Olshansky and has an open lane to the QB. He bears down on Roethlisberger and forces a hurried, off-balance throw that is picked off.

Move the video forwards a second or so and look at the Chargers’ coverage. You have a 3-3 deployment in the secondary. This looks like a 5-1 at first, because the CBs are crowding the line, but each has responsibility for receivers cutting deep through their areas while the FS takes the lone receiver running a deep route through the middle.

The shorter coverage raises several points about Dallas’ ‘07 schemes. First, note that on this play the SS has responsibility for the short zone on the defense’s right. This would be Roy Williams’ in a Cowboys’ package. When Stewart said Roy Williams would no longer be in deep cover two as he was last year, this is what he’s referring to. Williams will either blitz or work on short zones, waiting for flaring RBs or receivers running short crossing routes in front of him. This plays much better to his skills than trying to turn and run with TEs and receivers in space.

Next, note that if both OLBs are blitzing or if Williams is blitzing that the flats will be the ILBs responsibility. Who do you trust more to man these expanded short zones, James and Ayodele or guys like Burnett, who played in the nickel, and Carpenter, who demonstrated cover skills in the Seattle game, where he defensed three passes?

That’s why nobody should look upon the ILB moves as demotions. Burnett’s and Carpenter’s cover skills will probably have as much to do with Phillips’ blitzing success as Ware’s, Ellis’ and Spencers’ rush skills.

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