BDL 2018 Week 1: Camden Hood Rats @ Long Beach Leprechauns

[Whicker]

BDL 2018 Week 1

Vote for who you think would win the game.

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Players that have a (D) next to their name indicate that they are doubtful or unlikely to play. Players with (Q) are game-time decisions.

[Whicker]

Camden Hood Rats

QB- Alex Smith
RB- Devonta Freeman
WR- Odell Beckham Jr
WR- Josh Gordon
Slot- Nelson Agholor
TE- Evan Engram
LT- Cordy Glenn
LG- Ron Leary
C- Chase Roullier
RG- Trai Turner
RT- Taylor Decker
___________________

RB- Carlos Hyde
RB- Duke Johnson Jr
WR- DeDe Westbrook
WR- Courtland Sutton
WR- Cole Beasley
TE- David Njoku
OL- Larry Warford
OL- Ethan Pocic

 

DE- Chandler Jones
DT- Grady Jarrett
DT- Akiem Hicks
DE- Yannick Ngakoue
LB- Jamie Collins
LB- Reggie Ragland
CB- Chidobe Awuzie
CB- Denzel Ward
Slot- Aaron Colvin
FS- Kevin Byard
SS- Jamal Adams
__________________
DE- Cam Wake
DL- Solomon Thomas
DL- Star Lotulelei
CB- Kevin Johnson
CB- Ahkello Witherspoon
LB- Darius Leonard
S- Bradley McDougald
S- Kenny Vacarro

 

 

Long Beach Leprechauns

Offense

QB- Aaron Rodgers
RB- Christian McCaffrey
WR- DeAndre Hopkins
WR- Marvin Jones
WR- Devin Funchess
WR- Cooper Kupp
LT- Terron Armstead
LG- Andrew Norwell
C- Max Unger
RG- Joe Thuney
RT- Bryan Bulaga

Reserves

RB- Isaiah Crowell
FB- Andy Janovich
TE- Luke Wilson
TE- George Kittle
WR-Keelan Cole
OL- Charles Leno Jr
OL- Quinton Spain
OL- JC Tretter

 

Defense

LE- Cam Jordan
NT- DJ Reader
UT- Javon Hargrave
RE- Trey Flowers
SLB- De’Vondre Campbell
WLB- Jarrad Davis
CB- Trumaine Johnson
CB- Bradley Roby
Nickel- Budda Baker
FS- Tyrann Mathieu
SS- Landon Collins

Reserves

DE- Preston Smith
DT- Taven Bryan
DE- Rasheem Green
DT- Deadrin Senat
LB- Shaquem Griffin
LB- Avery Williamson
CB- Artie Burns
CB- Patrick Robinson

[Whicker]

Camden Hood Rats

Offense
This week on offense vs Long Beach we'll look to spread the ball around, have Alex Smith be charged with getting the ball into his variety of playmakers hands quickly and letting them do the work. LB has some good players on defense but we feel like we're going to bring too much firepower for them in this one. Here are a few key gameplan points/matchups we'd like to focus on:
- OBJ's return: Beckham makes his long awaited return today. We'll focus him heavy today, no easing anyone in. We don't believe LB has anyone that can cover him 1 on 1, so we'll feature Beckham on lots of quick throws, slants, bubble screens, quick outs, crossing patterns and curls just to get the ball in his hands as fast as possible. A bracket coverage won't matter if we're running lots of quick stuff so if LB decides to literally double team him that will free up one of the other weapons.
- TE matchups: We bring two of the more athletic young TE's in the league to the line up today. They'll line up in line, which usually means a LB is over top and that's a speed advantage for us. If/when we flex them out into the slot or out wide and they put a S/CB on them, that gives us a significant size advantage as well (and in Engrams case, his 4.41 speed is still an issue for DB's). We think our TE's are far more than safety valves, they are legitimate match up problems and weapons. If LB wants to run cover 2 to stay over the top of our WR's, you'll see Engram and Njoku running seem busters all day long. 
- Safety valves/quick passing options: In the unlikely even that LB finds a way to jam up all our big playmakers and/or pressure is great, we've got a bunch of guys Smith can look to quickly in Nelson Agholor, Duke Johnson Jr and Devonta Freeman. All 3 are proven capable of giving a QB relief in a game and Agholor and Johnson Jr especially have shown the ability to be able to get open in the short/intermediate area.
- Run game: We bring a duo of solid rushing options into this game with Carlos Hyde and Devonta Freeman. Both guys offer differing skillsets, but are able to be on the field all 3 downs if needed so there's no predictability issue with them on the field. Duke Johnson Jr will be our primary 3rd down back though due to his elite pass catching ability at the position. 

Defense (cover 1 robber shell)
Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the game, even with his recent injury troubles. You can't really stop him, but what we plan to do is limit his ability to get the ball to his playmakers early and often, because with our pass rush we know he won't have time to sit back and wait for plays to develop. Here are a few ways we plan to make Rodgers work harder than he wants to.
- Pass rush: We think we bring the elite pass rushing unit to the BDL, and we bring depth with it as well. Last years sack king Chandler Jones can win against anyone, and last years leader in forced fumbles sits across the line from him in Yannick Ngakoue. We expect Ngakoue's blinding speed to be a very big issue for LB's right tackle in this game and that extra help is going to be needed. This extra help do a couple things: 1. Take away attention from our other rushers 2. Take away another player Rodgers may have used. Grady Jarrett and Akiem Hicks can get pressure on their own on the inside, but with elite rushers bookending them we expect them to do some serious pocket pushing today.
- Cover 1 Robber: This was a popular shell of ours last year. We have two of the best young safeties in football, and this coverage maximizes their ability. Last years INT leader Byard plays the single high deep safety. Since we don't really fear a deep passing game from Hopkins because his ability lies in the short/intermediate field, Byard plays centerfield and does what he does best. The key here is Jamal Adams, he is our "Robber". This player is generally free from a strict coverage responsibility, so he's able to blitz or drop into a zone to confuse the QB. Adams role in this spot will be the McCaffery stopper. LB is going to move him all over the field, and where he goes, Adams goes. McCaffery comes off the field, Adams is free to blitz or drop into zone. Chidobe Awuzie is our most physical corner, so he'll be tasked with doing most of his work against DeAndre Hopkins. We feel we limit a lot of free releases and easy catches for him. Like Rodgers, we're going to make Hop work. 
- LB's: Long Beach can bring a varied rushing attack, but our two base down LB's are both strong run game players, and Collins is also athletic enough to handle the Leprechaun TE's in the intermediate part of the field. 

 

 

 

Long Beach Leprechauns

Keys on Offense:

Welcome back Aaron Rodgers, it’s been too long. Take advantage of a young inexperienced injured CB group, utilizing the man Rodgers and his arsenal of receiving weapons as well as McCaffrey out of the backfield. McCaffrey has bulked up and looks to have some effectiveness inside behind some great guards in the zone running game.

 

Pass Game Quick and Decisive:

 

Skill Player Matchups:

Our base offense this week will be a four wide set with one back.  We will be playing Hopkins primarily in the slot to take advantage of the middle of the field with his amazing route running ability. No corner or safety on Camden can cover Hopkins and we will take advantage of this. We are going to attack shallow zones and weak man coverage using slants, arrows, and other short to intermediate routes with our inside slot receivers in combo routes with the outside receivers to create confusion in the young secondary. Their deep safety Byard will become useless if they keep him in deep coverage. Funchess can win any jump balls against their defensive backs and the cunning route running of Marvin Jones Jr will take advantage of the inexperience of the Camden corners. Awuzie is coming off a back injury and is listed as questionable. If he plays he won’t be as effective and gives my receivers an added advantage. Kupp will play the other slot to take advantage of a thin and inexperienced Camden corner group. McCaffrey will also see action coming out of the backfield on quick routes, and we like our matchup with him in space on any Camden linebacker or safety including Jamal Adams. We will be getting rid of the ball before the edge rushers can get to Rodgers. Rodgers will be moved around in the pocket often on roll outs taking advantage of his athletic ability and shallow crossing and out routes affecting the arc of the pass rushers. When Kittle is in the game in three wide sets or two wide sets he will see time as an added pass blocker, but also as a weapon in the middle of the field.

 

Oline on Passing Downs:

Terron Armstead is healthier than he has ever been in his career which is great for my offense, and he will man the LT position. Bryan Bulaga is the starter at RT. The all pro Andrew Norwell gets the start at LG and Joe Thuney gets the start at RG. Max Unger resumes his start at C as he is backed up by free agent acquisition JC Tretter. The back up G will be Quinton Spain and the backup T will be Charles Leno Jr. I like my offensive line matchup against their Dline and I finally have a healthy unit. Knock on wood.

 

Running Game Attack the Open Lane:

We will be using McCaffrey heavily in a zone running offense. By stretching out the defense with four and three wide sets McCaffrey will have many lanes to use his patience and pick a hole and go. We will be seeing stretch runs with cutback lanes underneath for him to pick and choose in the zone. We will also be running inside as McCaffrey has gained muscle and looks like a stronger inside runner heading into his second season. Isaiah Crowell will be the backup RB. The Linebackers for Camden are either unproven or not very impressive. I like our chances of getting McCaffrey free past the oline and abusing the linebackers for Camden with his speed.  When Kittle is in the game he is one of the best run blocking tight ends in football and will help seal the edge on outside runs or get out and neutralize safeties. Fullback Andy Janovich is on our active roster this week and he will also provide a battering run on short yardage situations.

We believe our offense is more talented than the Camden defense and that Aaron Rodgers will be hungry in his first game back after some time.

 

Keys on Defense:

We will play fast and furious getting after Alex Smith and shutting down the Camden run game.

Front 6:

Our base D is 4-2-5 under this week. We will play nickel even against their two tight end sets as neither Engram or Njoku are very good blockers we can sacrifice an extra linebacker to keep Budda Baker in the game as a nickel/safety/linebacker which he is actually doing work with the Cardinals linebackers as we will use him similarly on Long Beach. We are going to start Javon Hargrave at UT this week as he can get up field in his gap and wreak havoc while also being a very solid run defender like he is at Nose in Pittsburgh’s 3-4. DJ Reader gets the start at NT and he is a hog. He will clog running games and help control the interior of the field. Two rookies will play behind Reader and Hargrave in Taven Bryan and Deadrin Senat. Bryan will be the backup UT and Senat the backup NT. Trey Flowers gets the start at RE he is a well balanced end who can get after Alex Smith but is also stout against the run. Cam Jordan will be the LE and is a stud against both the run and pass. Rasheem Green will back up Cam Jordan and Preston Smith will back up Flowers and will be in on rush packages. The Dline on clear passing downs and situations will be Preston Smith at RE, Trey Flowers at LE, Cam Jordan at UT, and Hargrave or Bryan at NT. De’Vondre Campbell will be the SLB. Campbell has one of the most underrated all around games at LB in the NFL. He can play the run well, matchup one on one on TE’s and rush the passer. Jarrad Davis who is very athletic and just an all around dog will play the WLB. There is no MLB in our base defense as both of these linebackers are hovering near the middle of the field and we are in nickel. If Camden tries to get cute and play Lamar Jackson in a running role we will play zone, Jarrad Davis will spy him and as he spies Lamar he sits as a robber as well for any crossing patterns, screens, or draws. De’Vondre Campbell in zone will play the curl to flats to the side opposite of Baker, and in man in two tight sets he will man on a tight end. Davis will matchup on the RB in man and play the other hook to curl zone. On clear passing downs Shaquem Griffin will come in for Davis. When in a two tight end set Campbell will jam the tight end on his side.  If the Camden team goes to an empty backfield Griffin and Campbell will have the TE’s, when in man or if a RB is split out Campbell will go with RB. If we go to a 4-3 defense due to goaline or short yard to go situations Avery Williamson will come in at MLB and Budda will come off the field. Our speedy run defense will be attacking the running game and our run defenders on the dline will allow free flowing to the football by our second level.

Secondary:

Trumaine Johnson and Bradley Roby are the starting CB’s with Artie Burns the main backup outside Corner. Budda Baker is playing in the nickel and is backed up by Patrick Robinson. Strong Safety is Landon Collins with Tyrann Mathieu playing Free Safety.

 

Zone Coverage:

Trumaine will shadow OBJ even in zone as long as he lines up outside. Roby will shadow Gordon. Our zone defense will be a cover three. With Trumaine and Roby jamming outside receivers and having cover three responsibilities on the outside. Tyrann Mathieu will have deep third in the middle of the field but will favor towards OBJ’s side. Landon Collins will play the hook to curl on the strong side where Campbell is playing the flats. Davis or Griffin has hook to curl on the other side favoring more of the middle of the field, as Baker plays curl to flat.

 

Man Coverage:

In man Tyrann will double with Trumaine on OBJ. With Tyrann playing over the top. Landon Collins will play over the top in doubling Gordon. Baker will take the slot receiver or the TE to his side. If Jarrad Davis is in the game he has the RB, and Campbell has the TE to his side. If Shaq Griffin is in on obvious passing downs he will man the TE and Campbell will take the RB. If it is a two RB formation. The Linebackers have the RB and Baker has the TE or slot WR.

 

We believe our defense should neutralize the Camden offense and Alex Smith won’t be able to beat us.

 

I am excited to be back at it!

 

[Jlash]

How can 1 player shadow another in zone coverage? In zone you have a zone, not a player. 

[bcb1213]

51 minutes ago, Jlash said:

How can 1 player shadow another in zone coverage? In zone you have a zone, not a player. 

I'm assuming he means lines up on the same side 

[Scoundrel]

5 minutes ago, bcb1213 said:

I'm assuming he means lines up on the same side 

Yes that is what I meant 

[Scoundrel]

Fun matchup

[ny92mike]

Hood Rats Game Plan Vs. Long Beach

Long Beach plans to spread their offense which imo is leaving the pass rush from the Rats unchecked.  Aaron Rodgers typically takes a lot of sacks as is, and with the Hood Rats pass rushing defensive front I believe they’ll keep Rodgers second guessing the coverages, ultimately taking sacks and/or interceptions.  I don’t believe Aaron will have the time to play a 4 wide set as effectively as Long Beach would like.  I think Long Beach has underestimated the young talented secondary of Camden.

I do like the game plan that Long Beach created for Christian McCaffrey, unfortunately it looks as though their offensive game plan is more focused on passing than establishing the run game, as they are starting 4 wide outs with 2 bench tight ends.  I think a more balanced offense would have been more effective against this defense where it’s weakness imo looks to be at linebacker, not their secondary. 

The Camden Hood Rats offensive game plan is simple; spread it out to their playmakers in Odell Beckham, Josh Gordon, Nelson Agholor and Evan Engram.  All have exceptional speed and/or elusiveness.  Long Beach has some solid corners that have put up impressive pass defending stats that are capable of slowing down this passing attack. 

I believe the edge goes to the Hood Rats, even though both teams have exceptional defensive game plans.  The difference for me is that Long Beach entered this game with a one dimensional offense with putting so much focus on the passing game and not enough attention in protecting Rodgers.

 

[Scoundrel]

2 hours ago, ny92mike said:

Hood Rats Game Plan Vs. Long Beach

Long Beach plans to spread their offense which imo is leaving the pass rush from the Rats unchecked.  Aaron Rodgers typically takes a lot of sacks as is, and with the Hood Rats pass rushing defensive front I believe they’ll keep Rodgers second guessing the coverages, ultimately taking sacks and/or interceptions.  I don’t believe Aaron will have the time to play a 4 wide set as effectively as Long Beach would like.  I think Long Beach has underestimated the young talented secondary of Camden.

I do like the game plan that Long Beach created for Christian McCaffrey, unfortunately it looks as though their offensive game plan is more focused on passing than establishing the run game, as they are starting 4 wide outs with 2 bench tight ends.  I think a more balanced offense would have been more effective against this defense where it’s weakness imo looks to be at linebacker, not their secondary. 

The Camden Hood Rats offensive game plan is simple; spread it out to their playmakers in Odell Beckham, Josh Gordon, Nelson Agholor and Evan Engram.  All have exceptional speed and/or elusiveness.  Long Beach has some solid corners that have put up impressive pass defending stats that are capable of slowing down this passing attack. 

I believe the edge goes to the Hood Rats, even though both teams have exceptional defensive game plans.  The difference for me is that Long Beach entered this game with a one dimensional offense with putting so much focus on the passing game and not enough attention in protecting Rodgers.

 

I have a whole paragraph talking about the run game but okay 

[TedLavie]

@Counselor just a quick feedback on your defensive gameplan. You spend a bunch of time hyping your front 7 individually. I think it's unnecessary but fine. And then you detail the responsabilities of each player in man and zone which is great. What I lack is what is the split between zone and man? 50/50? Primarily man? Zone?

FYI, when I vote, and except if you point out something that I missed in your plan, I will consider it a 50/50 split in man vs zone.

As a voter, I'd rather have less hyping and more gameplanning.

[Jlash]

Are my CB’s that thin?? Chido, Ward, Johnson, Witherspoon and Colvin are all starters in the league. How many of us are 6 deep at starting corners?

[WFLukic]

25 minutes ago, Jlash said:

Are my CB’s that thin?? Chido, Ward, Johnson, Witherspoon and Colvin are all starters in the league. How many of us are 6 deep at starting corners?

Hi

[Scoundrel]

Everyone vote for JLash and be done with it

[Scoundrel]

2 hours ago, TedLavie said:

@Counselor just a quick feedback on your defensive gameplan. You spend a bunch of time hyping your front 7 individually. I think it's unnecessary but fine. And then you detail the responsabilities of each player in man and zone which is great. What I lack is what is the split between zone and man? 50/50? Primarily man? Zone?

FYI, when I vote, and except if you point out something that I missed in your plan, I will consider it a 50/50 split in man vs zone.

As a voter, I'd rather have less hyping and more gameplanning.

Thanks for the advice. Next time I’ll just write Aaron Rodgers throws the ball

[TedLavie]

15 minutes ago, Counselor said:

Thanks for the advice. Next time I’ll just write Aaron Rodgers throws the ball

Don't take this the wrong way. This was just a friendly advice.

You zone coverage and man coverage paragraphs were super clear. This what I'm looking for in gameplans. Not the "Campbell has one of the most underrated all around games at LB in the NFL" which I think pollutes the gameplan.