As Rob Gronkowski works back from his ACL & MCL tear, his snap count has steadily risen in every game for the Patriots. The area of the field he is most valuable for the Patriots is unquestionably the Red Zone. This was highlighted in last week’s match-up with the Raiders. The Patriots used a “Mesh” concept from inside the 10-yard line for a Touchdown. A Mesh concept refers to two Receivers crossing in close proximity to create a “rub”, or as defenses call, a pick. Mesh concepts work better against Man-to-Man coverage compared to Zone because zone defenders can see what is going on around them as opposed to chasing Receivers in Man-to-Man. Given this, how can the Patriots ensure they are running a Mesh concept against the defense they’d like? The Patriots have a built in mechanism: Motioning Shane Vereen.

In the picture below, Shane Vereen (#34) starts as the outside most Wide Receiver and motions in to the backfield. A Raiders Linebacker (#50) chases him all the way across the formation; this is a tell-tale sign of Man-to-Man coverage. This is highlighted by the squares in the freeze frame.

If the defense did not reveal Man Coverage, Tom Brady would likely audible the play or focus on his zone coverage read, which is the right side of the field (Edelman and Amendola) in this picture. Once Vereen sets in the backfield, here is Vereen and Gronkowski’s (#87) mesh combination. Oakland is playing Man-to-Man on all other Receivers, with Charles Woodson as the Free Safety in Cover 1.

We already know the Linebacker that has followed Vereen’s motion will be covering him in Man-to-Man, which leaves Rob Gronkowski. No Raider Defensive Back is lined up directly on Gronkowski, but there is one on his outside shoulder. This leaves one Raider Linebacker unaccounted for (#50). His assignment is to “bracket” or double-cover Rob Gronkowski. More specifically, he is supposed to “wall-off” any inside breaking route by Gronkowski and help the outside shade Defensive Back. These defensive assignments are seen below:

However, as the play unfolds, Gronkowski is able to beat the Bracket Coverage Linebacker across his face. This happens for multiple reasons:

First, Gronkowski is able to have a completely free release off the line. Defensive End Justin Tuck has the opportunity to hit Gronkowski off the line, but Gronk quickly dips inside and avoids any contact, getting a clean release. Second, the Mesh concept creates traffic between Vereen, Gronkowski, and the 3 Oakland defenders. This traffic is exactly the purpose of the Mesh Concept and is difficult to cover. Finally, Gronkowski is a special talent: There are only a handful of Tight Ends that can get off the line clean and have the speed to beat a Defensive Back across the field while avoiding a Linebacker.

The result of the Motion & Mesh Concept is seen below first in slow motion, and then standard speed: