BDL 2024 Week 1: Svalbard Miners @ Anchorage Aliens

[RedGold]

BDL 2024 Week  1

Match:  Svalbard Miners @ Anchorage Aliens

Away Owner:    @SirA1

Home Owner:   @Scoundrel

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 8 by RedGold

[RedGold]

Svalbard Miners
QB: Dak Prescott
RB1: Kyren Williams
WR1: Davante Adams
WR2: DeVonta Smith 
TE1: Sam LaPorta
TE2: Dalton Schultz
LT: Orlando Brown Jr.
LG: Tyler Smith
OC: Jake Brendel 
RG: Will Fries 
RT:  Kaleb McGary
--------------------
RB2: James Cook
RB3: Ray Davis
TE3: Colby Parkinson
WR3: Chris Godwin
WR4: Gabe Davis
WR5: KaVontae Turpin
OL6: David Edwards
OL7: Aaron Brewer (Q)

 

4i: Zach Allen
NT: Keeanu Benton
4i: Cameron Heyward

LB: Jonathan Greenard
ILB: Blake Cashman 
LB: Zaven Collins 

CB: Jaylon Johnson
CB: Charvarius Ward 
MS: Kam Curl
S: Jabrill Peppers (Q)
S: Brian Branch
--------------------
STAR: Quentin Lake
ILB2: Kaden Ellis 
LB3: Zack Baun
LB4/MS2: Isaiah Simmons
S3: Alohi Gilman
NT2: Davon Godchaux
DL4: John Franklin-Meyers 
DL5: Milton Williams

 

 

 

 

 

Anchorage

 Offense:

QB- Joe Burrow 
RB- Breece Hall
X- Rome Odunze
Z- Jaxon Smith-Njigba 
Slot- Malik Nabers
TE- David Njoku 
LT- Andrew Thomas 
LG- Graham Glasgow 
C- Frank Ragnow
RG- Wyatt Teller 
RT- Spencer Brown

 

Bench:

RB- Tyjae Spears
RB- Roschon Johnson 
WR- Tre Tucker
WR- AT Perry 
TE- Brock Bowers
TE- Ben Sinnott
OT- Luke Goedeke 
IOL- Graham Barton

 

Defense:

RE- Micah Parsons    
NT- Vita Vea
UT- Ed Oliver
LE- Aidan Hutchinson    
MLB- David Long Jr 
SLB- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
CB- Patrick Surtain ll
CB- Sauce Gardner 
Nickel- Derek Stingley Jr
FS- Jessie Bates lll
SS- Javon Bullard

 

Bench:

Edge- Leonard Floyd 
Edge- Jonathon Cooper
DT- Bobby Brown lll
DT- Jordan Davis
LB- Kenneth Murray Jr 
DB- Christian Gonzalez  
CB- Paulson Adebo
S- Jordan Howden

Edited September 8 by RedGold

[RedGold]

Svalbard Miners

Motivation: Opening on the Road in our new division will be hard, but we match up well with  the fine young Aliens. Our former Anchorage players in Nwosu, Greenard, Koonce, Johnson and Curl will give our defense an insight into their offense. We will keep picking at the Aliens and force Burrow to make mistakes.

Offensive Strategy

Scheme:  Pass (60%) vs Run (40%)
Formations:    2 TE (50%) / 3 WR (40%)/ 4 WR (10%) 

Rayne “Dak” Prescott is a massive upgrade for us and gives us a legit Franchise QB to compete for a Bizzbowl. This is a marathon, not a sprint and we are going to use as much of the play clock as possible. We have the more experienced skill players in this matchup and look to Marry the Run and Pass so the defense will have a hard time deciphering the play.

OL - Returning 4/5ths of the OL will give us consistency this year to keep new Franchise QB Dak upright and clean. Jake Brendel will get the start this week at C with Aaron Brewer still on the mend. All Pro Tyler Smith’s strength matches up well with Vita Vea to limit his penetration. David Edwards was an outstanding 6th OL last season and turned it into a starting gig this year. He will be in our Jumbo short yardage packages this season. We will be using TE’s and RBs to chip Parsons but we aren’t ignoring Hutchinson and Oliver and like our guys one on one against them. 

Rushing - Kyren Williams is back and he will get his 20 touches as a dual threat back. He is electric with the ball in his hand and a threat to score from anywhere. We will use Cook and Davis on about 15 touches so we can grind it out in the 4th quarter. Turpin will get the occasional Jet Sweep and use his shiftiness to get chunk yards.

Passing - Pre snap misdirection and Motion with Attitude (60%) is pretty much a requirement in the Modern era and allows Dak to probe the Alien D for weakness. Dak will use play action and take his shots down the field, but primarily we will use Sail Routes and  play in 12 formation to both get an extra blocker on Parsons and attack the middle of the field. LaPorta would have likely drawn Hufanga but with his injury it’s now likely to be a rookie safety (Bullard) in the box which should leave a LB on Schultz. We love that option for Dak and will target Schultz on quick outs to the flat as the other receivers clear out space. Colby Parkinson (6’7”) is known for being a blocking TE but we will look to tap into his Red Zone potential.

Davante Adams and DaVonta Smith should be able to get some crossing routes and curls into the flat with occasional deep middle shots. Chris Godwin is a huge upgrade this season as our #3 WR and will be a chess piece moving all over the LOS. Welcoming back “Big Play” Gabe Davis to go deep and be our fourth WR when we spread their secondary out. The Aliens boast a very good secondary but Dak is a master of hitting tight windows.

Defensive Strategy

This season we are going to implement a Brian Flores style of attacking defense that uses our players scheme flexibility to combat both the run and pass effectively. Looking to take away the inside zone running lanes and force things outside to our fast chasing LBs and DBs. We will use a lot of simulated pressure with movement along the front so Burrow won’t know where the rush/Blitz will be coming from. 

Formation: 3-3-3 TITE Cover 2

DL - The TITE formation

In the Tite Front, the 4i-techniques are lined up across from the tackles’ inside shoulders. While moving a couple feet might not seem like a big deal, shade techniques make for very uncomfortable blocks for offensive linemen. Traditional blocking schemes struggle to account for them cleanly — are they the tackle or guard’s responsibility? What about the linebackers and EDGE players? The blocks themselves are at an awkward distance and angle. This is a one-gap aggressive defense. It is designed to attack and disrupt offenses.

One of the best ways for a defense to do that is to attack gaps. The Tite Front seeks to attack the gaps through which backs have to run and rushers can find paths into the backfield. It plays to the athleticism of its personnel to disrupt high-powered offenses. We are using this formation to stop running plays, but it is also a versatile front which can be used against the passing game.

Keeanu Benton is a rising star that will look to disrupt their wily vet Ragnow.  Cam Heyward and Zach Allen should match up well against their Guards. JFM, Godchaux and Milton Williams will rotate in heavily to keep everyone fresh. These three positions will likely be on the field for 70% of the game as they are three of our four rushers.

LB - Our LBs are excellent in coverage and will look to take their zones away from Burrow. Cashman is the MIKE backer this week to help be a spy on Breece Hall.  Because the defensive line has occupied most of the gaps, the MIKE linebacker is free to read the running play and flow along with the running back. With our outside linebackers wider, they can act as force players and account for the C-gaps outside the tackles.

Jonathan Greenard will be our primary 4th rusher off the edge looking to confirm another double digit sack year. Zaven Collins will set the edge and contain runs on his side. Baun and Ellis will provide depth along with Isaiah Simmons coming in as the Nickle/Dime to help cover against 2 TE sets giving us another dynamic athlete in the middle of the field who can also cover more ground if they use Spears in 2 RB sets.

Secondary - Tampa 2 Style, 3 Safety Base Hydra

Our secondary starts with two All-Pro CB’s in Jaylon Johnson and Charvarious Ward. They will lock down their sides respectively versus whichever rookie WR they have to defend against, alternating between some press man and zone. Quentin Lake will be the STAR (Nickel/Dime) if the Aliens are in 11 personnel with coverage on underneath routes and prevent any quick crossers in his area. 

Jabrill Peppers and Brian Branch will be the two high safeties to help on deep routes over the top. We think we can limit Burrow this way and keep things in front of the defense. It will look like a middle is open defense but with our athletic players it will be closed for business. We think taking away these options will force a lot of chancy stuff that our coverage should be able to handle and get a turnover or two.  Gilman backs up both deep safety spots and will start if Peppers is out. Simmons and Lake also have S experience.

Kam Curl will be the field general and conductor of our defense. The middle safety is a hybrid who blurs the lines between traditional safety and linebacker. By replacing the linebacker with a speedy coverage player, we are able to cover enough ground to justify keeping our outside linebackers wide. 

The middle safety also allows a great deal of freedom in calling coverages, with his range and athleticism effectively allowing him to be used as a “fireman,” lending help where it’s needed. So in 2TE sets he will cover Njoku while Simmons is on Bowers. Against 3WR he will cover the seam routes and crossers.

The Blitz - Simulated Pressure, Delayed blitz and stunts are the forte of this aggressive defense. If a blitz is warranted it will come from the Nickel, LB or CB spots. Our LBs can drop into coverage with ease allowing us to get unblocked threats into Burrow’s face.

Coverage Assignments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anchorage

Offense: We have some exciting rookies (Nabers, Odunze, Bowers) we will scheme plenty of opportunities for and take advantage of mismatches while also featuring Breece, Njoku and JSN. Zone rushing attack with combo routing in the pass game and some play action is our focus. Ball control offense looking to win the T.O.P. while depending on our elite defense to stifle Dak and friends.

Strategic Elements:

Slot Mismatch: Svalbard has some very talented DBs but we believe we can exploit a mismatch against their nickel defender using Malik Nabers as our slot. If they use Ward or Jaylon to track Nabers we will have them playing a bit out of position in space in the middle of the field. While Brian Branch is talented and played nickel for them last year, Nabers has the route snapping ability and quickness to take advantage of his lack of foot speed if he is their nickel. Routes from the slot attacking all levels including slot fades will allow Burrow plenty of opportunities to utilize the talented rookie in space and complement Odunze and JSN on the outside.

T.O.P: Primarily zone rushing attack to grind down the clock with Breece seeing the majority of touches while Spears subs in for relief duties. Zone stretch/Outside zone plays will be a staple as the strength of this Dline is in the interior, while allowing cutback opportunities inside against over pursuit.

Breece Lightning: We don’t believe any of their linebackers or safeties can match up in coverage against Breece so we will look to attack heavily in the flats and on wheels utilizing his explosiveness and pass catching ability. We will include screens to help neutralize the Svalbard pass rush. 

Double Tight: We will utilize a healthy dose of 12 Personnel with Njoku and Bowers. Nabers moves to X. Njoku is our primary inline weapon while Bowers will see plenty of motion as our move TE (inline, H-Back, Big Slot, Out Wide) allowing us to vary our looks out of this set. Play action will be heavily incorporated feeding off our run game, giving Burrow plenty of opportunities to hit these big weapons. Njoku will be the primary seam stretcher while Bowers will see some quick shallow action to get him the ball in space including a couple screens and an end around or two which he was formidable with in college.

 

Defense: Pressure to get Dak off platform, box support from SS to support the run game, some twisting and stunts to create pass rush variance, gap control defense against the run, entrust our corners to win their matchups.

•”Invasion” Base Nickel against 3 Wide or 2TE

•”Mothership” 5-2 against Heavy extra OL sets or any 3 Tight jumbo package. 

•”Annihilation” Dime against 4 Wide or Empty

• Our base defense is our Nickel which we will align in to counter the two offensive formations we expect to see the most from them in 3 wide and 12 personnel
• Coverage will be predominantly a mix of Single High Man and Cover 3 Zone with some 2 High Shell Man
• Sauce and PS2 man the outside while we leverage Stingley’s athleticism in the nickel. Bullard will spend time in the box on early and short to go downs. Against 4 wide Gonzalez becomes the Dime with JOK and Bullard in the Box.
• We will not be assignment match specific as we entrust all of our corners to win their matchups
• Against their 2TE sets we will have Bullard start in the box giving us extra ability to cover against their talented tight ends and provide run support as we utilize his ability to quick trigger down hill. Bullard will move around quite a bit in this set as he disguises coverage or blitzes.
• We will play mostly zone against the 12 Personnel but when in man in this formation we will have JOK on RB, Long and Bullard double on Schultz/Parkinson, and Stingley on LaPorta. 
• Floyd and Cooper will get some rotation behind Micah and Hutch but we really look to get our two edge starters the most run.
• In some clear passing situations we will utilize Hutchinson as an inside rusher bringing Floyd in on the edge 
• Occasional stunts and twists to provide pressure variance with the front as well as some David Long or JOK blitzes in the A/B gaps
• In short yardage to go situations/goal line and heavy fronts we will look to get Bobby Brown paired with Vita to form a fortress wall and in our 5-2 we add Jordan Davis with these two in the interior. 
• We will key in on LaPorta and ensure he gets no free releases off the line to throw off their timing 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 8 by RedGold

[vikes635]

Svalbard Miners 21   Anchorage Trappers 27

Miners defensive game plan held the trappers receiving corps in check for the most part but a costly pick six from Dak was the game changer.

Key Player Stats for Svalbard 

D. Prescott 409 pass yds 3 TD's 2 INTs

K. Williams 5 rec 65 yds rec TD, 14 carries 56 yds

D. Adams 8 rec 109 yds

D. Smith 7 rec 89 yds 1 TD

S. Laporta 6 rec 77yds 1 TD

Schultz 4 rec 35 yds

C. Heyward and J. Greenard each had 1 sack

B. Cashman 10 solo tkls 3 TFL

B. Branch 4 Pass  broken ups

Key Player Stats for Anchorage

J. Burrow 277yds 1 TD

B. Hall 18 car 75 yds 1 TD 6 rec 47 yds

D. Njoku 7 rec 72 yds 1 TD

M. Parsons 2 sacks

A. Hutchenson 1 sack 3 TFL

S. Gardener 1 INT for TD

D. Stingly Jr. 1 INT

[SirA1]

17 hours ago, vikes635 said:

Svalbard Miners 21   Anchorage Trappers 27

Miners defensive game plan held the trappers receiving corps in check for the most part but a costly pick six from Dak was the game changer.

Key Player Stats for Svalbard 

D. Prescott 409 pass yds 3 TD's 2 INTs

K. Williams 5 rec 65 yds rec TD, 14 carries 56 yds

D. Adams 8 rec 109 yds

D. Smith 7 rec 89 yds 1 TD

S. Laporta 6 rec 77yds 1 TD

Schultz 4 rec 35 yds

C. Heyward and J. Greenard each had 1 sack

B. Cashman 10 solo tkls 3 TFL

B. Branch 4 Pass  broken ups

Key Player Stats for Anchorage

J. Burrow 277yds 1 TD

B. Hall 18 car 75 yds 1 TD 6 rec 47 yds

D. Njoku 7 rec 72 yds 1 TD

M. Parsons 2 sacks

A. Hutchenson 1 sack 3 TFL

S. Gardener 1 INT for TD

D. Stingly Jr. 1 INT

Thank You. I write my game plans with the intent of each voter making their own interpretations of the matchups. Basically, I set the stage, and you can figure it out.

This one will likely be a lot longer than most because I had to install a new defense this year and explain how it works.

 

Edited September 10 by SirA1

[TL-TwoWinsAway]

This one was tough. I love the personnel and explanation of the TITE formation, but I think it's countered well by Breece and a strong Anchorage OLine. It seems to me that Breece would have outside/off-tackle runs available all game, which should keep the down and distance manageable and allow Anchorage to move the ball.

That being said, the offensive struggles on the Anchorage side aren't lost on me here. In real life, Burrow underwhelmed and the rookie pass-catchers were hampered by both injuries and mediocre supporting casts. If not for the strength of the offensive line, this might've been enough to doom Anchorage.

Ultimately, an elite Anchorage defense and Anchorage's mention of a "ball control offense" and "zone stretch/outside zone plays" makes me think that the offense can do just enough to counter Svalbard and scrape by with a narrow win.

20-16 Anchorage.

[Blue]

Is this the upset of the week?? Maybe not, but I love Svalbard’s gameplan on both sides of the ball. They came in prepared with a balanced offense that I think puts points on the board and a defense that should perform well against Anchorage, stifling the run at the line in particular. With Anchorage relying a ton on young receivers who didn’t come out of the gates hot, I’m picking the Miners here.

[InjuredReserve]

This might be my last vote. I am struggling on how to judge Anchorage offense versus Svalbard defense in this game. So many young skill position players and not much time evaluating Burrow yet after he was out last yr. 

[SirA1]

4 hours ago, TL-TwoWinsAway said:

This one was tough. I love the personnel and explanation of the TITE formation, but I think it's countered well by Breece and a strong Anchorage OLine. It seems to me that Breece would have outside/off-tackle runs available all game, which should keep the down and distance manageable and allow Anchorage to move the ball.

 

The Outside/Off tackle runs are countered by having the LB (Edge) wide and able to cover the C Gaps. Cashman is also following Breece. It's a very nuanced defensive front that Flores deployed in Pittsburgh and has concepts of it now for the Vikings. I should have much better players than Collins going forward but Nwosu and Koonce both got injured before game one. I also didn't want to "cheat" by seeing how well Baun performed on Friday night. He will likely be a starter next week.

Always looking for insight. Thanks 

[bcb1213]

Jon Greenard being excellent in coverage is not something I ever expected to read

[Scoundrel]

2 hours ago, SirA1 said:

I also didn't want to "cheat" by seeing how well Baun performed on Friday night.

Meh I don’t think that’s cheating but I respect your honor code. All of us are going to equally get opportunities to see guys perform on Thursdays before games.  

[EaglesPeteC]

I don't know if Anchorage can move the ball enough to top Svalbard in what will likely be a low scoring afair

[Scoundrel]

1 minute ago, EaglesPeteC said:

I don't know if Anchorage can move the ball enough to top Svalbard in what will likely be a low scoring afair

[SirA1]

3 hours ago, bcb1213 said:

Jon Greenard being excellent in coverage is not something I ever expected to read

I did say he would be the 4th rusher the majority of the time. So not dropping too often. 

[Xmad]

Legit couldn't decide both gameplans are really good and counter each other really well. I can see the Anchorage d-line taking over this game if this gets away from Svalbard but I don't see how it does with their gameplan...........27-24 Svalbard with the upset here. Anchorage gives a damn good effort and fantastic gameplan but I'll say Burrow slumping IRL and their weaker skill positions eek this out for Svalbard.