BDL 2022 Week 1 - Ivory Coast Black Rhinos @ Berlin Blitzkrieg

[RedGold]

BDL 2022 Week 1

Match:  Ivory Coast Black Rhinos @ Berlin Blitzkrieg

 Away Owner:  @RuskieTitan

Home Owner:  @Ragnarok

 Vote for who you think would win the game.

Rules:
One vote per person, duplicate accounts will be banned and action taken against those attempting to rig the results.

One vote per team involved in the match. Co-owners may vote in every match up except their own.

For members, who have been following along, and wish to vote.  Please join the conversation and maybe give a reason you voted as you did. This will alleviate any suspicions of unusual voting and will promote discussion.

Note: 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.

Good luck to you both

Edited September 12, 2022 by RedGold

[RedGold]

Ivory Coast

QB- Aaron Rodgers
RB- Nick Chubb
WR- Terry McLaurin
WR- Chase Claypool
WR- Amon-Ra St. Brown
TE- Noah Fant
LT- Trent Williams
LG- Danny Pinter
C- Jason Kelce
RG- Zack Martin
RT- Kelvin Beachum

--------------------------------------------------

QB- Davis Mills
RB- Ezekiel Elliott
WR- Curtis Samuel
WR- Randall Cobb
TE- Albert Okwuegbunam
TE- Evan Engram
OL- Josh Jones
OL- Quinn Meinerz

--------------------------------------------------
DE- Khalil Mack
DT- Christian Barmore
DT- Da'Ron Payne
DE- Myles Garrett
WLB- Devin White
MLB- Bobby Okereke
SCB- Trevon Diggs
CB- A.J. Terrell
CB- Greg Newsome II
FS- Eddie Jackson
SS- Jamal Adams
--------------------------------------------------
DE- Josh Sweat
DE- Darrell Taylor
DT- Teair Tart
DT- Jarran Reed
DT- Milton Williams
LB- Patrick Queen
CB- Samuel Womack
S- Lewis Cine (Q)

 

 

 

 

Berlin Blitzkrieg
QB – Matt Ryan
RB – Tony Pollard
WR – Brandon Aiyuk
WR – Marquise Brown
TE – Hunter Henry
TE – Dallas Goedert
LT – Kolton Miller
LG – Nate Davis
C – Corey Linsley
RG – Ryan Bates
RT – Tristan Wirfs

BE – Michael Carter
BE – Kenneth Gainwell
BE – Drake London (Q)
BE – Garrett Wilson
BE – Romeo Doubs
BE – Irv Smith
BE – Royce Newman
BE – Robert Hainsey

DE – Trey Hendrickson
DT – Quinnen Williams
DT – Derrick Brown
DE – Za’Darius Smith
LB – Tremaine Edmunds
LB – Jordyn Brooks
CB – Donte Jackson
CB – Ahkello Witherspoon
CB – Eric Stokes
S - Antoine Winfield Jr
S - Juan Thornhill

BE – Baron Browning
BE – Trevis Gipson
BE – Harrison Phillips
BE – Tommy Togiai
BE – Kyzir White
BE – Troy Hill
BE – Benjamin St-Juste
BE – Camryn Bynum

Edited September 11, 2022 by RedGold

[RedGold]

Ivory Coast

Motivation: Beat Berlin. Have Rodgers stick it to his former team.

Offense
Primary Formation: 11 Personnel Single Back:

We will primarily operate out of 11 personnel for this game, but will also have a healthy dose of 12 personnel, kicking out a receiver and bringing in another TE. Noah Fant is starting but we’ll use all three tight ends extensively. Josh Jones is our swing lineman, operating as a 6^th offensive lineman on goal line, and we’ll have Noah Fant line up in the backfield as the fullback in the I formation a few times. We’re going to focus on sustaining lengthy time-consuming drives, focusing 55-45 balance of pass to run.

Running Game Focus:

Nick Chubb is going to get the bulk of the carries for this game, aiming for approximately a 75-25 split in touches between Chubb and Elliot. We’re spreading the field out a bit with our 11 personnel, and are going to rely on our offensive line to pave the way up front. Majority of the snaps will be based out of single back sets, though we’ll sprinkle a few snaps with both Elliott and Chubb lined up alongside Rodgers in shotgun with RPO. We have a couple of new faces on our offensive line, welcoming Pinter and Beachem, but playing alongside all-pros in Williams, Martin, and Kelce we are confident they will hold up.

Passing Game Focus:

Rodgers will be unleashed this game, showcasing why he’s the reigning NFL MVP. We’re going to use our three primary receivers frequently, allowing Rodgers to dissect the defense using crossing routes and rub routes against man coverage, with flood concepts when we’re seeing lots of zones. We’ll frequently send a receiver in motion to try and tip the defense pre-snap, with all receivers getting snaps throughout the game. St. Brown will be the primary operator out of the slot, though as mentioned motion and depth players will also perform the role.

X-Factor on Offense: Aaron Rodgers:

Does anyone truly believe he’s not going to play brilliant to stick it to his former squad?

 

Defense
Defensive Formation: 4-2-5 Defense:

Anticipating 3 receiver sets, we will come out in a 4-2-5 formation. Payne and Barmore will man the middle, with Garrett and Mack on the edges. We’re going to have Devin White and Bobby Okereke as the off-ball linebackers, and run a trio of AJ Terrell, Greg Newsome II, and Trevon Diggs. We’re going to use Newsome II and Terrell as our boundary corners, with Diggs manning the slot. We’re not shadowing any other receiver with a specific matchup. If Berlin wants to go with 2 receivers or fewer, Trevon Diggs will come out, and Patrick Queen will come on to take the weakside linebacker spot, with Bobby Okereke taking the strong side and Devin White holding the middle. Jackson and Adams will operate at the safety spots, with Jackson being the primary deep safety. For dime situations (4 receivers) we’ll have Bobby Okereke come out and bring in Samuel Womack. If they ever go 5 wide, we’ll play a mixture of zone coverages rather than take out one of the four down linemen with a 4-1-6 personnel.

Against the Pass: 30 Zone 70 Man Cover 1:

We plan on using mostly Cover 1 shell over the top with Eddie Jackson playing deep, and having Jamal Adams closer to the line of scrimmage, and chipping in by either covering the back and coming in to pass rush if he sees he’s blocking, or playing zone in the middle to take away the middle of the field. Our cornerbacks are skilled enough to primarily leave in man coverage, though we’ll still sprinkle in some elements of cover 3 zones to mix it up. If Ryan is getting time to throw it deep (unlikely), we’ll throw in some cover 2 with our safeties.

Against the Run:

The defensive line will be focused on getting to Ryan, so we’re going to rely on the speed and athleticism of our linebackers to help plug up any holes in the running game. Jamal Adams will be playing closer to the line of scrimmage to help out in the box, helping offset some of the aggressive penetration that the defensive line will be focused on. We want to put Ryan into a 28-3 kind of mindset where he’s going to make mistakes and get sacked frequently.

X-Factor on Defense: Penetration:

Disrupt Matt Ryan and get him on the ground. We’re coming in with 5 additional defensive linemen, and plan on rotating them to keep them fresh and pursuing Matt Ryan.

 

 

 

 

Berlin

Offense
TL;DR – Force the LBers and Safeties to cover, have a balanced attack, let Ryan make easy decisions.

2 TE – 35% - We want to force the IC linebackers and safeties to cover in space.  We don’t really think any of them can cover particularly well, so we want to play to Ryan’s strengths and let him target TEs and the RB plenty.  We will split out one or both TEs on a regular basis to isolate the defender and show coverage presnap.  Goedert will typically push down the field while Henry serves as a security blanket.  Hollywood and Aiyuk will be the 2 WRs in this set with both running a full route tree, but we will take a couple deep shots to Hollywood.  Look for us to use double-moves multiple times against Diggs.

We will run roughly half the time from this set as we want to allow for playaction to suck up the defense and allow our pass catchers to get into lanes.  We will rotate our backs to keep them fresh with Pollard getting the most work, then Carter, then Gainwell.

2 RB – 20% - We want to get both Pollard and Carter on the field at the same time to use their explosiveness and ability in the passing game to isolate a linebacker in coverage.  One of them will typically go in motion, moving in or out of the backfield, to tip coverage and force a linebacker to cover the slot.  We will run from here on a regular basis as well with the RB remaining in the backfield getting the carry.

Goedert, Aiyuk, and Hollywood will also be targeted with regularity from this set, with one running a crosser/slant/in route to take advantage of the second level of the box being a little lighter with the LB following the 2nd RB.  Look for some quick screens to the RB to give them the chance to make a guy miss in space.

3 WR – 20% - Aiyuk, Hollywood, and a rookie WR with Goedert and a RB.  We will more commonly be in shotgun here, but maintain a balanced run-pass ratio.  We are going to give all 3 of our rookie WRs a chance to get in on this set and make a few plays for us.

4 WR – 15% - Aiyuk, Hollywood, and two rookie WRs.  Ryan will be in shotgun.  Our run game will be mostly draws with some screens mixed in to keep the pass rush honest, but we will be more pass heavy here.  We want to go after some of the young CBs for IC and see how well they hold up.

5 WR – 5% - Doubs, Aiyuk, Hollywood, Drake, Garrett.  Ryan will be in shotgun and this will be used mostly in hurry up/2 minute situations.

2 TE/2 RB – 5% - We want to force IC to put more LBers and safeties on the field.  We will split out whichever one of the RBs that has a linebacker on him in coverage to isolate that player away from the formation.  We will run heavily from this set.  Hollywood will be our only WR on the field in this set and he will be split out wide.  If he gets a pure one-on-one matchup with them loading up the box, we will give him a couple chances to grab a deep ball by keeping guys in for a max protect look.

Defense
TL;DR – Flush Rodgers left, limit Chubb, play man.

We are going to play a fair amount of Cover 1 Man this week as that will allow us to put Winfield up in the box to limit the damage Chubb can do.  We will mix in Cover 3 zone as that will look the same presnap and at least force Rodgers to hold the ball a little longer.

Defensive Line
Trent Williams is as good as there is in the league, but we think Hendrickson will have a distinct advantage against the other OT.  We want to have Hendrickson constantly flushing Rodgers to his left which he generally dislikes.  We will rotate our INT to keep guys fresh with Phillips playing more early downs to clog up the interior.  On some passing downs, Z will move inside with Quinnen for more pass rush.  Browning and Trevis will rotate in to keep the other guys fresh.

Linebackers
Brooks will have the TE in man coverage.  Tremaine is going to be keyed into Chubb and the run game.  If it is a passing play, Tremaine is going to sit in a zone that mirrors Rodgers wherever he goes.  He will keep Rodgers from scrambling and use his length to minimize passing lanes.

If they go 2 RB or 2 TE, Kyzir will come in and have the 2nd RB or TE in man coverage.

Corners
Donte takes McLaurin.  Stokes takes Amon-Ra.  Ahkello takes Claypool.  Hill takes the 4th WR.  St-Juste takes the 5th WR.  Where those WRs line up doesn’t really matter to us. 

Safeties
Thornhill has deep middle in man and zone.  Winfield is going to be playing up in the box and will also be keyed in on Chubb with Tremaine to limit the run game.  He will have the RB in the passing game in man.

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by RedGold

[EaglesPeteC]

ICR is just the superior roster 

[VigilantZombie]

Both of these teams have good defenses. One of them has a good offense. Gotta go ICBR here. 

A bit head scratching that Berlin chose not to play Robinson after all that hyping. 

[Ragnarok]

8 minutes ago, wwhickok said:

Both of these teams have good defenses. One of them has a good offense. Gotta go ICBR here. 

A bit head scratching that Berlin chose not to play Robinson after all that hyping. 

1.  When did I hype Robinson?

2.  Did you see Robinson Thursday night?

Every WR I played out-performed him.

[VigilantZombie]

1 minute ago, Ragnarok said:

1.  When did I hype Robinson?

2.  Did you see Robinson Thursday night?

Every WR I played out-performed him.

1. When dont you hype your players?

2. So only stats matter?

[Ragnarok]

1 minute ago, wwhickok said:

1. When dont you hype your players?

2. So only stats matter?

1.  Frequently. 

2.  Not at all what I said, but ARob looked worse than all the guys I played. 

[Blue]

Going 40% with 3 WRs out of the shotgun with Matt Ryan's arm being what it is doesn't fill me with a ton of confidence. ICBR and Rodgers win the Week 1 revenge game.

[Ragnarok]

19 minutes ago, Blue said:

Going 40% with 3 WRs out of the shotgun with Matt Ryan's arm being what it is doesn't fill me with a ton of confidence. ICBR and Rodgers win the Week 1 revenge game.

Shrug, let's be honest...there's no write up that was winning this week.

[Scoundrel]

6 minutes ago, Ragnarok said:

Shrug, let's be honest...there's no write up that was winning this week.

Last time you said this you went on to win a Bizz bowl baby!

[Ragnarok]

10 hours ago, Scoundrel said:

Last time you said this you went on to win a Bizz bowl baby!

Top to bottom, I feel very good about my roster after week 1.

Just need Ryan to rise up to the rest of the team.

[RedGold]

I really like the gameplan from Berlin, and think he would do a good job limiting the Ivory Coast offense.    Two very talented D’s.  I think Rodgers pulls more plays than Rodgers in the end.      Going with ICBR in a game that, I think, is much closer than the voting rn.  

[bcb1213]

I don't think these teams are too far off but unfortunately I just watched Khalil Mack own Kolton Miller and feel he is going to disrupt a lot of the passing gane with Ryan's limited mobility these days.  Rags did the right thing keying on Chubb and trying to attack the IC LB, i just don't think he has the corner talent to achieve the goals of putting them mostly on islands

 

IC 20-13

[Ragnarok]

24 minutes ago, bcb1213 said:

I don't think these teams are too far off but unfortunately I just watched Khalil Mack own Kolton Miller and feel he is going to disrupt a lot of the passing gane with Ryan's limited mobility these days.  Rags did the right thing keying on Chubb and trying to attack the IC LB, i just don't think he has the corner talent to achieve the goals of putting them mostly on islands

 

IC 20-13

Mack definitely beat Kolton a couple times, but a lot of the Raiders issues Sunday came from Carr holding the ball forever.  Not Kolton's best day, but far from getting owned.

I think my corners are quite up to the task thank you very much.