BDL 2019 Week 4 - Portland Horned Owls @ Gotham Gashslayers

[Whicker]

BDL 2019 Week 4

Match:  Portland Horned Owls @ Gotham Gashslayers

Away Owner: @SwoleXmad

Home Owner: @pheltzbahr

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Good luck to you both

[Whicker]

Portland GameDay Lineup:

QB1: Patrick "MVP" Mahomes II
RB1: Christian McCaffrey
WR1: Davante Adams
WR2: Marvin Jones 
WR3: John Ross 
TE1: Will Disly
LT: Laremy Tunsil
LG: Will Hernandez
C:  Matt Paradis
RG: Andrew Norwell
RT: Alejandro Villanueva

Reserves:

QB2: Jacoby Brisset.
RB2: Peyton Barber
RB3: Gus Edwards
WR4: KeeSean Johnson
TE2: Drew Sample
OL6: Ben Jones
OL7: Kelvin Beachum

Portland's 4-2-5 Defense:

DE: Dee Ford
3T: Kawann Short - (Q) *INACTIVE*
DT: Michael Pierce 
DE: Whitney Mercilus
WLB: Jayon Brown    
MLB: Blake Martinez
CB1: Desmond Trufant
CB2: Logan Ryan
SCB: Eli Apple
FS: Reshad Jones - (Q)
SS: Malcolm Jenkins

Reserves:

SLB: Zach Brown 
RLB: Clay Matthews
CB4: Mackensie Alexander
CB5: Brandon Facyson    
S3: Marcus Maye
DE3: Vic Beasley
DT: DaQuan Jones
DL: Hassan Ridgeway

 

 

Gotham Gashslayers

QB - Carson Wentz

RB - Derrick Henry

RB - Josh Jacobs

WR - Jarvis Landry

WR- Devante Parker

TE - Hayden Hurst

LT - Jake Matthews

LG - Andrus Peat

C - Maurkice Pouncey

RG - Shaq Mason

RT - Mitchell Schwartz

 

RB - Kerryon Johnson

WR - Deon Cain

WR - Geronimo Allison

TE - Kyle Rudolph

OL - Mike McGlinchey

OL - Kaleb McGary

 

DE - JJ Watt

NT - Dontari Poe

DE/DT- Chris Jones

EDGE- Leonard Floyd

MLB - Benardrick McKinney

SPY - Minkah Fitzpatrick

CB - Xavier Rhodes

CB - Xavien Howard

CB - Josh Norman

S - Damarious Randall

S - Justin Simmons

 

LB - Zach Cunningham

LB - Vontaze Burfcit

EDGE - Robert Quinn

INT - Austin Johnson

INT - Henry Anderson

S - Damarious Randall

SS/Buck - Clayton Geathers

CB - Jourdan Lewis

 

Edited September 30, 2019 by Whicker

[Whicker]

Portland Horned Owls

Motivation: It's week 4 of the BDL season and we're coming off our first loss we look to rebound this week against one of the wisest/oldest teams in BDL and while they may be old they still have a fierce defense. We've had a pretty good start to this season and we're looking to rebound against a tough opponent this week. 

Portland Offensive Gameplan: Attack Gotham's LBs in coverage, run the ball to keep the offense balanced, focus on getting our WRs in single coverage and in favorable situations, use McCaffrey as the engine of our offense, target Adams relentlessly no matter who covers him, use Dissly in the redzone, keep Gotham off the field with long drives and create favorable situations for our defense etc. 

Formations: Shotgun, I-Form, 3 wide, 4 wide, 2 TE etc. We'll use a variety of formations. | Scheme:  Pass 60% to run 40%

The Passing Game: 

Patrick Mahomes will be given full command to make audibles along with making adjustments as required to effectively use our players to the best of their talents, as well as adjust protection if it is required. Now let's get to the match ups, I expect Adams will draw Rhodes coverage and he should be able to win that match up given his ability to make plays regardless of who covers him and his ability to make ridiculous catches. That leaves Howard to cover Marvin Jones who will be a pretty big factor in this game since he's more than likely going to get the most looks in between the 20s. John Ross steps up to man the 3rd WR position and while he cooled off after a hot start to the season there's no denying he's found his groove finally and will be a big play threat in this game, he'll receive a few deep targets and some intermediate targets along with a screen or two to try and get him moving. 

McCaffrey of course will be used as a pass catcher and will command somewhere between 5-10 targets depending on game flow, Barber will mix in here and there to keep him fresh and we'll try to keep a balanced offense so Gotham doesn't get blitz happy, we'll also try and get him matched up on Gotham's LBs as much as possible. 

With Njoku out due to a wrist injury we'll be using our WRs/RBs more often as well as Dissly who has proven to be a functional pass catching TE with some solid stat lines the past 2 weeks, thus Jones+Ross will command more targets and will be used more often. We'll obviously try and pick apart Gotham's back end since we feel their CBs are quite good but their safeties and LBs leave a lot to be desired.

No denying Gotham has a damn good defense with some of the best defenders in BDL along with one of the best players period in J.J Watt, but we feel our O-line is up to the task and should be able to win their match ups in the running game and pass blocking. As mentioned earlier Mahomes will adjust protection as needed and we will make sure J.J Watt is given the extra attention he deserves and will be given the appropriate attention whether that's via guard help, a RB/TE chip or them helping to block. 

The Running Game: 

McCaffrey will of course be receiving the majority of the carries but to keep him fresh expect an 80:20-ish split, we will not go as run heavy as the last 2 weeks but we'll use our RBs/TEs to help chip/block. more often. 

The Blocking Unit: 

We'll execute blocking assignments as necessary, while our o-line has a tough task this week we are confident in their ability to block. In a pinch Ben Jones will plays C, Beachum plays OT etc. 

TDLR; 

Control the LOS, Win against DBs, make plays, no penalties, long drives, execute our assignments, finish in the redzone, score points etc. 

Portland Defensive Game plan: Cover 1 man, Cover 3 zone with the focus of keeping Gotham's running game in check. Dominate the LOS and control the game from there, we expect our d-line to win and get after Wentz. 

Formations:  4-3 [Base Defense] / 4-2-5 [Nickel] along with other various formations that depend on down&distance&situation| Scheme: 40% man to 60% Zone coverage, Cover 1, Cover 3, Cover 2 etc. 

Pass Coverage: 

With some returning players and hopefully a full bill of health and some new CBs making their debut we hope our defense will be at full strength for the first time this season and this will allow us to finally have our secondary lock down Gotham's weapons, we'll mostly be playing zone similarly to last week along with mixing in some man. 

Desmond Trufant will line up on the left side of the field in zone, he'll cover Landry in man coverage and will occasionally cover the slot if Landry is used there, Logan Ryan will man the right side in zone and will cover Parker in man. We feel confident Trufant can keep Landry in check and keep him from making plays and given he is pretty much their only play maker on offense outside of their RBs we feel Gotham won't make many plays in this one. Eli Apple will man the 3rd CB spot and the slot after joining the team this week in a trade from Hungary, Alexander will man the 4th CB slot and come in for Brown in dime packages. Reshad Jones will hopefully return this week and will man his usual FS spot and will make adjustments to the coverage if need be, he'll fill whatever role the coverage asks him to and if he can't suit up Marcus Maye will take his spot. Malcolm Jenkins will be tasked with being the SS who plays whatever role is allotted to him depending on the coverage, Jenkins will also occasionally cover Hurst who has proven to be a disappointment so far. 

There is no denying Gotham has some very talented RBs and a good o-line we feel our pass rush can still get after Wentz, I expect they'll use Henry/Jacobs/Johnson in a committee or will specify they'll use whoever has the best IRL performance. I expect Gotham to run the ball a lot because of their lack of weapons in the passing game and the style of offense they've run this season, so we'll make sure to commit to putting some extra resources in the box in key situations. There's no denying Gotham's offense will have issues moving the chains through the air and but they're going to try to have success through running the ball so they'll be forced right into what we predicted. 

In dime packages Blake Martinez remains on the field he will also be the defensive signal caller for this game and make adjustments if needed, we'll also use more run defense heavy packages when possible to help defend against Gotham. 

Front Seven/Run Defense: 

This is where this game will be determined, it all depends on winning at the LOS and controlling the trenches on both sides of the ball here. We trust our front seven to be able to handle their RBs in the running game, it sucks we lost Jackson/Short to an injury in the previous weeks but Pierce and our other d-line should be able to handle the run game quite easily especially if Short suits up this week. Ford+Short+Pierce+Mercilus form one of the best d-lines in BDL and should be able to handle Gotham's o-line, as well as free up our LBs to make the plays they need to. 

Their RBs are pretty talented but they all have specialized roles and we'll be ready for that, Javon Brown draws the start at WLB and has quickly proven himself to be one of the Titan's best young LBs, we'll get after the QB as well but we won't be blitzing often but we will play disciplined football and stay in our lanes. Wentz will obviously be the main chain source of offense for them given I expect their running game to struggle this week. We'll rotate our DL+LBs+DBs etc as necessary to keep them fresh and change person ell for overages/schemes/situations as needed. 

The Pass Rush: 

Wentz is a veteran QB at this point in his career and while injury prone he has proven he can put up yards with the best of them but like all QBs he is susceptible to being harassed by the pass rush. We'll take advantage of that by hitting him when possible (Obviously legal hits when he's a runner and when he holds onto the ball looking for the perfect play) I expect our edge rushers will be able to get some pass rush going against Gotham's o-line. 

TDLR;

Play good defense, control the LOS, dominate the running lanes, force turnovers, get after the QB, don't blitz often, contain Gotham and the running game, play smart football, mind the down&distance etc. 

 

 

Gotham Gashslayers

OFFENSE - 2WR/2RB/TE (60 pass 40 run)

 

On offense we are looking for Wentz to operate the offense to keep the ball away from Mahomes by eating up clock, looking for mismatches and sustaining long drives to wear out the Portland defense.

 

With out 2 RB shell, we will have Henry as our primary carrier.  Jacobs will start as well, with Johnson rotating in to keep everyone fresh.  We will motion Jacobs/Johnson out of the backfield to clear the box of an additional defender and provide another option for Wentz to hit as an outlet.  This will also help Wentz diagnose coverages pre snap.

 

While we will run the ball to move the chains, we want to open up the offense through the passing game.  We will run a plethora of double moves early and hope to catch Portlands DBs off guard for a big play or 2 early.  Once they hav burned and need to respect intermediate and deep routes, we can turn back to safer short/intermediate routes to move the chains as well.

 

DEFENSE - Cover 2 Shell

 

Portland features the best player in the NFL right now in Pat Mahomes along with a bevy of weapons at his disposal.  We are not intimidated as we feel we have an elite defense that can limit the success and scoring of Portland’s unit.  We come out in a Cover 2 shell with the objective of preventing chunk plays and momentum shifting long scores.

 

Aside from Mahomes, we will look to limit McAffrey’s production and have Minkah Fitz serve as SPY on him throughout the game.  We expect Portland to come out in spread formations and will counter with man cover coverage on their wideouts; Rhodes on Adams, Howard on Williams, Norman on Jones in 3 wide sets.  Against 4 wide, we take McKinney off and insert Joudan Lewis as CD 4 to cover their 4th wideout.

 

With a 4 man front, McKinney manning the middle of the field and Minkah shadowing McCaffrey, we feel Portland’s running game will have trouble finding enough room to consistently move the chains.  We will mostly rush 4 throughout the game and feel they can get pressure on Pat without having to blitz too often.

 

[Scoundrel]

Portland really getting some extra dimension from Dissly makes the offense even scarier. Even with Mahomes looking more human today.

[Xmad]

50 minutes ago, Counselor said:

Portland really getting some extra dimension from Dissly makes the offense even scarier. Even with Mahomes looking more human today.

Mahomes isn't human. 

[Scoundrel]

26 minutes ago, SwoleXmad said:

Mahomes isn't human. 

He was today against a defense without Slay and Diggs

[Xmad]

9 minutes ago, Counselor said:

He was today against a defense without Slay and Diggs

He's still not human. Clearly just a robot the NFL perfected to play QB. 

[Whicker]

Kawaan Short once again inactive 

[VigilantZombie]

I mean... when you have an alien life form as your QB, it's hard to lose. I have got to go Portland here and not just because of Mahomes. I like the Portland roster overall more and I think both teams did a good job on their gameplan. I think Portland hangs in there to close this one out in a shootout.

35-31 Portland

[TedLavie]

Going 6 DBs with 2 deep safeties is a risky tactics, but the fact that Portland opted to go with a heavier passing gameplan this week works out in Gotham favour. I think Gotham has the quality to actually slow down Mahomes and these weapons. I like McCaff a lot here and, to a lesser extent, Dissly underneath here, but given the quality of that offense, I think Gotham slows down Portland enough to give themselves a chance.

On the other end not sure about Portland choice to go zone 60% here. Gotham OL isn't as dominant as last year, but it's still a unit which is superior than Portland DL, especially without Short. Really the only matchup I like for them is either Mercilus or Ford vs Matthews. I don't think Gotham fully benefit from it because the deep area of the field, which they target, is well covered, but it can matter in the end. 8 defenders in the box will limit Gotham RB but, again, I think they do have an advantage upfront so I see them getting some decent yardage.

In the end, I think Gotham defense helps them keeping it close, but they do lack some that can take over that game on offense. Portland wins 23-20

[Jlash]

For all the words in the Portland game plans, there isn't a ton of actual game plan. I don't think it needs to be stated that Mahomes will have full control to adjust protection, yet get into no real specifics on how it really plans to attack Gothams defense. "Adams will get covered by Rhodes, but he still makes ridiculous catches". Ok? So is there a plan for run routes or different formations or is everyone just lining up and running straight? "Howard will cover Marvin Jones who is going to be a pretty big factor in this game in between the 20's" If he's going to be a big factor, then tell me how please. What are you doing to get him open between the 20's? There's a vague plague going around BDL lately. Somehow it's gotten wordier than ever with no actual specifics and people are just left to read all this and then manufacture a game plan on their own. 

In the end, I think the only real way to take Mahomes down is to keep him off the field. Gotham has a stable of running backs as deep as anyone in this league and chewing up clock is the one thing they can do consistently. 

Being able to be physical and man up on defense after having chewed up clock is another good way to drag Mahomes production down. 

Gotham 21-20.

[SirA1]

Lineup - Gotham; Performance - Gotham; Gameplan - TL:DR

Gotham 24-21

[Whicker]

I agree with Lash about Portland's gameplan being more fluff than anything.

Short going on IR hurts a lot, and Dee Ford played 16 (30%) snaps last week and 25 (36%) the week before (and they're on bye this week so I'm treating him the same as last week). He's clearly not 100% healthy and Portland will have to rely on their only other edge often (although Beasley has been okay). Not a fan of Jones or Ridgeway and I think they get pushed around. I think Gotham's O-line has a considerable advantage in the trenches and Martinez and Brown are solid but not great.

On the other side I think Mahomes does make a few things work. I think Ross has the ability to burn Norman pretty badly although Cover-2 helps a lot with that. Rhodes has been not-elite this year and Davante will get his production. McCaffrey is matchup-proof for the most part and one guy on him likely isn't going to keep him contained (side note: McCaffrey has played all but 5 snaps this year so I think it's safe for Portland to trot him out there 100% of the time and ignore Barber). Gotham's D-line is talented enough to beat the Portland O-line although once again... MVP QB.

I think Gotham controls this game on the ground quite well. I think their 2 RB offense confuses Portland a bit and messes with their zone defense. They jump out to an early lead and control the clock. Mahomes makes a couple of brilliant plays but so does Gotham's defense. Gotham is able to hold on in the end.

[bcb1213]

Wow, polar opposite write ups 

 

Anyhow.. Gotham wants to run some double moves but that doesn't effect zone d as much while playing man defense the whole game.  I get the motioning out a RB bit but I feel you were hoping for mismatches you probably won't get often here 

 

On the flip side I think Portland can get one or two catch and run type of bigger plays from Ross 

 

I think both teams lines have some holes (Gotham left tackle /guard) (Portland c )  so both teams should have some success based on the strength of their d line 

Xmad, I would suggest Mathews early down Ford passing down rotation using what they both do well somewhere in your eleventy billion words 

Think Portland bends bit doesn't break while Gotham breaks one or twice 

Portland 17 13

[Pickle Rick]

Top end offense vs top end defense here. 

The backup skill position players on offense for Portland seem like they may actually hinder the flow of their offense, ultimately putting them behind the chains at key times in the game.  Fitzpatrick will be able to cause problems for Mahomes.  

On the flip side I think things will shape up very similar with not a lot of offense happening here.  

18-15 in ot with Gotham kicking a fg and their d stepping up to stop Mahomes.