Tag Archives: Route Combination

Patriots Mesh Scheme beats Bracket Coverage for Touchdown

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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.

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Denver’s Improbable 58 Second Drive with the “Post-Wheel” Combo

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Last week’s Super Bowl rematch featured the Seahawks keeping Denver’s potent offense mostly at bay for the first 59 minutes. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Denver pulled off a near miraculous 80-yard drive in 59 seconds with no timeouts. How did this happen against the best defense in football? Amazingly, Denver ran the same type of route combo (The Post-Wheel) 3 times on the drive, twice for huge completions, including the Touchdown.

The Post-Wheel combo involves the outside Wide Receiver running around 10 yards and breaking 45 degrees toward the goal post. The inside, or slot Wide Receiver will break as if he is running an out route, then turn up the field looking for a big play.

On defense, Seattle is playing Cover 1 Robber. Seattle defensive backs are all matched up man-to-man, except Earl Thomas (the robber) and Cam Chancellor (playing deep middle). Another indicator of man coverage is that Denver’s running back (Montee Ball) is lined up on the bottom of the screen closest to the sideline, and Seattle’s Linebacker Bobby Wagner follows him. Richard Sherman then moves inside to line up with Wide Receiver Wes Welker.

Here is a still shot of what Peyton Manning sees pre-snap and what will unfold schematically:

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