BDL 2022 Week 5 - Ivory Coast Black Rhinos @ Rome Eternals

[RedGold]

BDL 2022 Week 5

Match:  Ivory Coast Black Rhinos @ Rome Eternals

 Away Owner: @RuskieTitan

Home Owner:  @bcb1213

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

[RedGold]

Ivory Coast

QB- Aaron Rodgers
RB- Nick Chubb
WR- Terry McLaurin
WR- Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR- Chase Claypool
TE- Albert Okwuegbunam
LT- Josh Jones
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- Noah Fant
TE- Evan Engram
OL- Teven Jenkins
OL- Damien Lewis

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

DE- Khalil Mack
DT- Christian Barmore
DT- Da'Ron Payne
DE- Myles Garrett
WLB- Devin White
MLB- Bobby Okereke
SCB- Greg Newsome II
CB- A.J. Terrell
CB- Trevon Diggs
S- Eddie Jackson
S- Kyle Dugger

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

DE- Josh Sweat
DE- Darrell Taylor
DT- Teair Tart
DT- Jarran Reed
DT- Milton Williams
LB- Patrick Queen
CB- Samuel Womack
S- Ashtyn Davis

 

 

Rome

QB Justin Herbert

RB Najee Harris 

WR Amari Cooper 

WR Jaylen Waddle

WR Juju Smith Schuster 

WR Hunter Renfrow 

LT Garret Bolles

LG Michael Onwenu

C Mason Cole 

RG Chris Lindstrom

RT Ryan Ramcyk 

 

C/G  Luke Fortner 

TE CJ Uzomah

RB Melvin Gordon

WR Devin Duvernay

WR Josh Palmer 

TE Cade Otten 

TE Dan Arnold 

QB Ryan Tannehill 

 

Edge Matt Judon

NT Mike Purcell

UT Dalvin Tomlinton

Edge Marcus Davenport

LB Nick Bolton 

LB Matt Milano

CB Marlon Humphrey

CB Jamel Dean

CB DJ Reed

S Malik Hooker

S Jimmie Ward

 

Edge George Karlafitis

Edge Jaelan Phillips 

INT Denico Autry

INT Logan Halll 

LB De'vondre Campbell 

CB William Jackson 

CB Michael Carter II

S Andre Cisco

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by RedGold

[RedGold]

Ivory Coast

Motivation: Beat Rome. Play sound defensive football, generate turnovers, St. Brown returns so suddenly Rodgers relearns how to throw football and Chubb relearns to run.

Offense
Primary Formation: 11 and 12 Personnel Single Back:

We will split time between 11 and 12 personnel for this game, understanding we need to help out our tackles a bit. Albert Okwuegbunam is starting at TE but we’ll rotate three tight ends. Tevin Jenkins is our swing lineman, operating as a 6^th offensive lineman on goal line, and when we need a fullback in the I formation we’ll drop Albert down, and leverage Noah or Evan as the primary TE. We’re going to focus on smart plays while setting up Rodgers with play-action pass off Chubb, aiming for a balanced run-pass approach if possible (50-50 goal, but likely ends up 55-45 / 60-40 depending on playcalling and situation), but fully prepared to step up one element if it is working well.

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. Ideally, we’re targeting at minimum 18 carries for Chubb, trusting that he’ll exceed 75 yards rushing. Majority of the snaps will be based out of single back sets, though we’ll sprinkle a few snaps lined up alongside Rodgers in shotgun with RPO. Rodgers will have full discretion to change plays at the line if he feels a run or pass will be more suitable. We’ll have a few counters once we set up the defense to commit to rushing the direction the play begins to unfold, and we’ll have the run establish the play-action pass to feature later in the game.

Passing Game Focus:

Rodgers will be focused on getting the ball out quickly, focusing on a short and intermediate aerial attack. We don’t want to have our tackles isolated for long, and so we’re going to have our tight ends more in-line, assisting with chipping the edges and helping block at times. We’re also going to throw in several designed pass plays where the TE chips then quickly goes into the flat / sit on a hook route to allow Rodgers to take advantage of an over-eager defense. Our backs will primarily function as additional blockers, picking up blitzers or providing help, and if the play develops long enough, operate as a safety valve underneath. That said, we’re going to try and sneak a couple of wheel routes with Zeke if Rodgers sees the linebackers lagging. Terry and Amon-Ra are the primary receivers, but we’ll rotate the others and occasionally send one deep to see if Rodgers has time for a deep shot to develop, especially after Chubb has helped establish the run and set up play-action pass. We’ll try to send a player in motion to try and tip the defense pre-snap. If we have the lead in the second half, we’re going to still try and take advantage of the defense creeping up. With St. Brown’s return we’re hopeful that our offense can suddenly remember how to catch passes from Rodgers, and while we don’t have a specific go-to tight end, Rodgers is going to target the open man on passing plays.

X-Factor on Offense: Amon-Ra St. Brown:

St. Brown is active this week, and helps convert this offense from utterly incapable of converting a single first down behind Rodgers and Chubb, to possibly being able to move the football. We’re going to feature other players, especially Chubb in the running game, but ultimately, we just want to highlight that yes, Amon-Ra St. Brown is going to play and we’re not going to look like the Denver Broncos on offense out there.

 

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 Diggs and Terrell as our boundary corners, with Newsome II manning the slot. Terrell will be shadowing their primary receiver, but we’re perfectly satisfied with any of our corner assignments. If Rome 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 Dugger 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: 70-30 Man-Zone with Cover-1 or 2 Over the top:

We plan on using many different coverage schemes, but mostly we’re going to keep our safeties deep and avoid getting torn up by Justin Herbert’s deep ball, always having one back. Our corners are going to be up tight and aggressive, pressing / jamming at times to buy the defensive line time to pass rush, knowing we have help over the top. Devin White will be spying on Herbert, keying on any runs and preventing him from scrambling. The other safety in cover 1 will be taking the back, if he’s blocking he’ll hover in the middle zone and also key on Allen. Okereke being the second LB will take the primary TE. If we feel they are getting too much passing with their backs and tight ends we’ll switch to a 3-3-5 and leverage Queen to cover the running back, taking out an interior DL. Our defensive line will be leveraging stunts on long passing downs, in hopes of being able to free up a rusher looping around. We’ll have Devin White coming in to blitz at times rather than spying, particularly if it is third and 8+ in order to get more pressure on Herbert, and forcing him to get rid of the ball early.

Against the Run:

The defensive line will be focused on stopping Harris and company from gaining yards after contact. We’re going to rely on the speed and athleticism of our linebackers to help plug up any holes in the running game. We won’t be afraid to drop a safety closer to the line of scrimmage post-snap to help out in the box. We will maintain discipline and counter anything Rome throws at us, both prepared and on the fly. Our corners will be ready to make plays on the perimeter.

X-Factor on Defense: Hydra:

While Chase Young is still out, we’re going to roll out our new version of Hydra this year – On third and long (8+), we’re going to kick Mack inside and throw Josh Sweat out there, with Garrett on the other edge (and alternating with Mack inside). We want to have our premier pass rushers on the field on obvious passing downs, and feel confident that our defense will put us in position to leverage this unit throughout the game to make impact plays.

 

 

 

Rome

Offense

This week we go back to our air raid offense against a squad we don't think will be able to score enough to counter the strategy 

We are lining juju and Waddle on the outside with Cooper and Renfrow inside.  Renfrow will be the motion man into trips on most plays so we can get a read on the type of defense we are opposing. 

In man we are going to target the fourth CB from IC mercilessly. Sam Womack has been benched by San Francisco while Caleb Farley has been a hott mess in Tennessee this year.   We are going to see if IC is playing sides, if so we are gonna run this particular play two times.  Cooper is going to run directly at the deep safety to force him into coverage.  Harris will stay in to block.  Waddle is gonna fake a comeback, Herbert pump Fakes it on Diggs who is the most aggressive CB in the league and Waddle leaves him in the dust on a double move go route after the fake comeback

Outside of that we are going to use our WR set to just get open running the full route tree with Mr first down Hunter Renfrow getting looks on third and medium and short. 

If the motion shows us zone we are going too hit WR screens as well as run our zone buster seams and Floods.  Up front we love our o line, especially in the middle so we generally plan on sliding the door left one direction with the RB chipping on the opposite side side before starting his route. This should help against both of IC excellent edges as we don't fear their interior pass rush at all. In shotgun, our runnjng game will be mainly draws and inside zones as we love our guards. 

We will maintain out hurry up tempo. Come the second half we are going to switch to a more balanced attack using both the four wide and bringing in to more power running old school power I formation.  Arnold and .Otton play TE with Uzomah at FB and Waddle out wide. This will force queen and white onto the field for IC and while they are both extremely athletic, neither provides anything in the run game. 

After having hurry up pass attack the first half, our offensive line is going to be licking their chops for run blocking and we'll hit the some big gains and wear down that defense some more. We'll run an occasional play action out of this with Uzomhah and Waddle being the main beneficiaries but we don't think they have the personnel to match this 

 

Defense 

Poor IC has some major problems up front.   The left side of the line that contain two guys who don't start for the own NFL teams let alone bdl (Jones and Pinter)  assuming Ruskie continues to forget he has Kelvin Beachum on his roster. 

To take advantage of this we are going to go blitz heavy this week while playing press coverage on the outside to take away timing routes 

 We like our corners in the matchups they will be assigned as Humphrey gets St Brown to eliminate him with Reed on scary Terry and Dean on whoever the third WR is. In four wide, Carter gets Samuel/Cobb, in five wide Jackson gets Claypool.   Bolton gets the TE while Milano has nick Chubb duty to out of the backfield. In two TE Campbell comes onto the field and grabs that player.  

 We welcome back Jimmie Ward this week as he'll be our 8th man in the box.   Hooker plays his centerfielder role shading early to the McLaurin side as he's the deep threat we worry about most. 

We are gonna be blitzing with Ward often and both the LB as well (with Ward picking up their coverage).  If we see that the TE is an extra Blocker, the defender assigned to him will just become an extra Blitzer who will also fake the blitz and drop into an underneath robber zone. The blitzing allows us to counter what we think IC will do by leaving an extra man in x we neutralize that by sending extra guys ourselves and forcing their o line go block for longer periods of time 

All these guys in the box is going to lead to little running room for Chubb    We have brought in run stuffer extraordinaire Mike Purcell this week to help clog up the middle on early downs teaming with Dalvin Tomlinson to make a massive interior meat wall. Judon and Davenport are both good run stopping edges and our linebackers speak for themselves. Obviously chubb is Fantastic but we feel we can bottle him up 

On long downs Autry replaces Purcell, Davenport moves inside and Jaelan Phillips hits the field. Justin Houston gives any of our edge players a break when needed 

With any great qb you can't show him the same look so we will run some cover three and zone blitz looks just as a way to mix it up. We want to hit Rodgers and get him rattled and frustrated as he's been shown to do early on this season 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2022 by RedGold

[VigilantZombie]

I'm going to come back to this game I have some thoughts but I wanna sleep on them and think about them for a bit before I make a decision on this.

[LAOJoe]

Giving it to Rome. Josh Jones has been a healthy inactive as a backup with 9 snaps all year and I don't think he's any good to begin with. If he plays he is a liability that will get exploited by Rome's gameplan. If for some reason he isn't eligible to play that means that the Jenkins needs to go in and that messes IC's strategy up a bit IMO.

[RuskieTitan]

7 hours ago, LAOJoe said:

Giving it to Rome. Josh Jones has been a healthy inactive as a backup with 9 snaps all year and I don't think he's any good to begin with. If he plays he is a liability that will get exploited by Rome's gameplan. If for some reason he isn't eligible to play that means that the Jenkins needs to go in and that messes IC's strategy up a bit IMO.

To be fair, we're only starting him because Trent Williams is injured. He'd also get the start if either Humphries or Beachum got injured for the Cardinals.

If we're saying backups serve no purpose in BDL if they don't get meaningful snaps, I suspect a quarter of our rosters could be dropped.

[bcb1213]

7 hours ago, LAOJoe said:

Giving it to Rome. Josh Jones has been a healthy inactive as a backup with 9 snaps all year and I don't think he's any good to begin with. If he plays he is a liability that will get exploited by Rome's gameplan. If for some reason he isn't eligible to play that means that the Jenkins needs to go in and that messes IC's strategy up a bit IMO.

he is eligible to be used in this matchup as he was active and dressed for the game,  How you view him as a player is obviously up to you, from my writeup you can tell i don't disagree with your assessment

[MWil23]

Give me Ivory Coast. The due of Rodgers and Chubb is too much for Rome. 

[LAOJoe]

1 hour ago, RuskieTitan said:

To be fair, we're only starting him because Trent Williams is injured. He'd also get the start if either Humphries or Beachum got injured for the Cardinals.

If we're saying backups serve no purpose in BDL if they don't get meaningful snaps, I suspect a quarter of our rosters could be dropped.

Jenkins would have made much more sense. Either way I don't think Jones is much good and he's still a weakness. The part about eligibility was in case he was inactive and I missed it but I'm sure he was active. All in all I feel Rome played into it well and Chubb/Rodgers won't be efficient.

[RuskieTitan]

1 hour ago, LAOJoe said:

Jenkins would have made much more sense. Either way I don't think Jones is much good and he's still a weakness. The part about eligibility was in case he was inactive and I missed it but I'm sure he was active. All in all I feel Rome played into it well and Chubb/Rodgers won't be efficient.

Jenkins was slide inside for Guard with the Bears, no? Don't get me wrong I do think he's better than Jones based on recent weeks, but he's also a guy who didn't win the tackle job so I went with the swing tackle who has played / is the backup at that spot.

I'm certainly open to feedback on that approach though, as Williams is out for a few more weeks. My interior is stout and would allow Rodgers to step up in a clean pocket. Chubb will be efficient, maybe not 5.5 ypc efficient but I'd be pressed to say he goes from 5.5 to sub 4.0 based on one OT injury.

[VigilantZombie]

This game was really really hard for me to decide on, But at the end of the day I decided to go with Ivory Coast and their defense specifically their front 7, And the running game that they have, Harris for Rome is just not getting it done

Edited October 11, 2022 by wwhickok

[Blue]

I like Rome in this one. It's hard to get the image of Rodgers struggling to do anything downfield against a very poor NYG defense Sunday, and a bad offensive line isn't going to make that better.

[RuskieTitan]

I like ICBR in this one. I think they account for injuries, and Rodgers and Chubb still form one of the best air-ground attacks in the game. Amon-Ra St. Brown is also alive.

[Scoundrel]

28 minutes ago, RuskieTitan said:

I like ICBR in this one. I think they account for injuries, and Rodgers and Chubb still form one of the best air-ground attacks in the game. Amon-Ra St. Brown is also alive.

I heard Kenny Pickett was better than a has been hack like Rodgers though...

[rackcs]

I think IC still has some success but ultimately their injuries on the OL cost them since Rome specifically targeted it in the gameplan