BDL 2024 Week 4: Anchorage Aliens @ Lancaster Werewolves

[RedGold]

BDL 2024 Week  4

Match:  Anchorage Aliens @ Lancaster Werewolves

Away Owner:   @Scoundrel

Home Owner:    @rackcs @MikeT14

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]

Anchorage Week 4

 

Offense:

QB- Joe Burrow 
RB- Breece Hall
X- Rome Odunze
Z- Tre Tucker
Slot- Malik Nabers
TE- Brock Bowers 
LT- Andrew Thomas 
LG- Graham Glasgow 
C- Graham Barton 
RG- Austin Corbett  
RT- Spencer Brown 

Bench:

RB- Tyjae Spears
RB- Roschon Johnson 
WR- Jaxon Smith-Njigba 
WR- Tim Patrick
TE- Tommy Tremble 
TE- Ben Sinnott
OT- Amarius Mims
IOL- Jamaree Salyer

 

Defense:

Edge- Micah Parsons      
DT- Poona Ford
DT- Ed Oliver 
Edge- Aidan Hutchinson    
MLB- Micah McFadden 
SLB- Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah
CB- Patrick Surtain ll
CB- Sauce Gardner 
Nickel- Christian Gonzalez 
FS- Jessie Bates lll
SS- Talanoa Hufanga  

Bench:

Edge- Jonathon Cooper 
Edge- Patrick Jones ll 
DT- Jordan Davis
DT- Elijah Chatman 
LB- Kenneth Murray Jr 
CB- Derek Stingley Jr  
CB- Paulson Adebo
S- Javon Bullard 

 

 

 

 

 

Lancaster

QB: Jalen Hurts
RB: Jahmyr Gibbs
RB: David Montgomery
WR: Ja’Marr Chase
WR: Josh Reynolds
TE: Tucker Kraft
LT: Braxton Jones
LG: Cody Whitehair
C : Creed Humphrey
RG: Sam Cosmi
RT: Jawaan Taylor

RB: Tyler Allgeier
WR: Tyler Johnson
WR: Keon Coleman
WR: Dyami Brown
WR: Malachi Corley
TE: Chig Okonkwo
OL: Ikem Ekwonu
OL: Dan Moore Jr.

DE: T.J. Watt
DT: Kenny Clark
DT: Nnamdi Madubuike
DE: Keion White
LB: Fred Warner
LB: Frankie Luvu
CB: Jalen Ramsey
CB: Tyrique Stevenson
CB: Mike Hilton
FS: Minkah Fitzpatrick
SS: Ji'Ayir Brown

DL: Dre’Mont Jones
EDGE: Jared Verse
INT: Tedarrell Slaton
LB: Willie Gay Jr.
CB: Brandon Stephens
CB: Kool-Aid McKinstry
S: Vonn Bell
S: Quandre Diggs

Edited September 29 by RedGold

[RedGold]

Anchorage

Offense: Lancaster has one of the best Defenses in the league so this week is all about execution and discipline. We play ball our way and dictate the flow of the game. We’ve had an exciting emergence of young skill talent and intend to attack the Lancaster defense with our blossoming weapons.

Formations: Ideal usage (Goaline heavy set is more situational and will cut into percentages depending on amount of times/downs on goaline)

3 Wide Base (50%)

3 Wide Bunch (15%)

4 Wide Big Slot (15%)

21 H-Back (15%) 

Jumbo Package (5%)

Attack the C Gaps: This week we really want to kick out their edges or pin them down inside depending on their alignment and gash them in the C gaps. They have a stout front and we believe if we can get into those C gaps we will open up possible cutbacks as they have some quick gap shooters. 

Zone Rushing Attack: We will get the line moving with zone and allow the cuts inside or outside with both inside and outside zone. Some misdirection will be utilized to take advantage of the aggressiveness of their down hill run defense. We will always look to get a blocker on Fred Warner to keep him from wrecking our rushing attack. We will really utilize our zone scheme as a chess match against their front if we see certain alignments. If they become crafty and hit us with a 6-1 front we will audible to inside zone. If they pinch tight with their alignment we will audible to outside zone and beat them to our spots.

Jumbo Package and Back Usage: We are going to introduce a jumbo package on non goaline plays this week where we bring in Mims as a 6th OL taking the slot out of the game moving Nabers to Z. This will allow us to get a massive additional blocker to control the line of scrimmage. Hall leads the backfield again with Spears the main backup. Roschon will get a some touches in this one to help keep them all fresh. Looking at a 55/25/20 snap distribution between them.

Quick Passing Game: We face an intense pass rush so we will counter that in the following ways. We will utilize more quick passing concepts with rub routes to get guys free early as well as some Z/Slot motion and some quick screens. We will also look to move the pocket with roll outs and boot legs. We will give our playmakers opportunities for YAC and turning shallow plays into big gains. We will help against Watt with some chipping as well.

Set up the deep shots: While we want to use a more heavy quick passing attack we will still set up our deep shots as we have some very capable deep threats in Nabers, Tucker and Rome. As the defense keys on more quick routes we will set them up with some double moves looking to give Burrow some big play opportunities down the field.

Trust our guys: Nabers and Bowers will be fed targets regardless of coverage because we believe in their ability to make plays when we need them. We are excited about the emergence of Rome and Tucker and they bring diverse elements to our attack. Odunze had a good game last week and we look to utilize his size from the X and build on his progress. With Nabers starting out in the slot Tucker gets the Z start and his speed is a true weapon for us. JSN will see some run and is a trusted safety net and when he is in the game we know we can count on him as a possession target. When JSN is in at the slot Nabers will move to Z. Bowers is our mismatch weapon at TE and will give us those versatile 4 Wide/H-Back sets. All of our backs will get some looks as well as they have shown plus receiving ability. Burrow has a full arsenal at his disposal to pick apart the Lancaster defense. 

 

Defense:

•”Invasion” Base Nickel against 11/12/21 personnel

•”Mothership” 5-2 against Heavy extra OL sets 22/23 personnel

•”Annihilation” Dime against 4 Wide

DL: This week we will allow some matchup flipping with Parsons and Hutchinson. We think they can give either of the tackles for Lancaster fits and if they want to chip or bring extra help we still entrust our guys to get after it. We start this game with Ford and Oliver but Jordan Davis will see an expanded role especially on early run downs next to Ford. In clear passing situations we introduce rookie Elijah Chatman as an interior rusher next to Oliver while we also still bring in Cooper/Jones ll on the edge and move Hutchinson inside some next to Oliver in those situations. With Damien Lewis out for Lancaster we believe we can really work his replacement and get pressures and stops. We will run some stunts and twists to provide pass rush variance. Cooper and Jones ll provide depth on the outside and will get some snaps to help keep our starters fresh. 

LBers: Our other Micah has really turned his game up so far this season so he gets the start at MLB. McFadden will play the role of middle zone disruptor with the ability to fire down and key on Hurts scrambles, man on Kraft/TE, or Cover 3 Zone drop. JOK has Gibbs/RB and Zone drops. In Dime JOK is the MLB and McFadden comes off the field. We want our backers to stay disciplined as they have a tough challenge with a strong running game and Hurts ability to pick up chunks with his legs. Both have a great ability to fire downhill and fill running lanes and we look to be able to stifle plenty of runs in the backfield. Hurts has really improved this year against the blitz and has been more successful when blitzed than when more bodies are dropped into coverage. Therefore we won’t be much of a blitzing team with a JOK blitz here and there when in zone. In this one we will be really entrusting our Dline to get the pressure and believe they are more than capable.

DBs: If Hufanga is ready to go on his ankle he will get the start at SS. If not Bullard continues to be our starter. Our SS will be primarily in the box in this one to help support the run and to alternate roles with McFadden. He will have spy on Hurts/middle zone disruptor when McFadden has man/zone drop, and man TE/zone drop when McFadden is spy on Hurts/middle zone disruptor. This will help us disguise our attack by having them alternate roles throughout the game. We will play predominately Single High Man and Cover 3 this week. Bates is our deep middle field roamer. Even with Chase looking more like his old self we entrust all of our DBs to matchup with their receivers. Gonzo has the slot and Stingley is Dime. In Dime Huf/Bullard is in the box with JOK. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lancaster

Lancaster Notes and Motivation:

After a tough start to the season, the Werewolves come back home after getting their first win on the road. We don’t want to let down this home crowd. Despite comments about our offense’s struggles, we believe that they can play well enough and make enough plays to get the job done. Ultimately we want our defense to do for our offense what the Steelers defense does for their offense. Keep them in the game and make enough splash plays to give the offense a chance to get the job done. And we think we can do that to get ourselves to .500 and keep our playoff chances alive. 

Lancaster Offense:

R/P and Formations expectations:
50% Pass to 50% run (35-40% inside to 60-65% outside)
20 pers - 0%
21 pers - 25%
22 pers - 30%
11 pers - 30%
12 pers - 10%
10 pers - 5%

*****

Gibbs - 70%/Montgomery 70%/Alleghier spot remaining

*****

This week is all about continuing to do what we do well - Time of Possession, grind out yards, limit defensive opportunities - all the while bringing new wrinkles to our system to try and throw Anchorage off guard. Don’t expect too many changes from previous weeks on how we operate our base offense…

• Control the clock with our run game and limit any turnovers. Force them to sub.
• Feed into the the three headed monster of Gibbs, Montgomery, and Hurts with RPOs, zone reads, and draws
• Cause disruption and confusion among their defenders, ideally with multiple run options and stack offense sets.
• Kraft lining up at FB again in certain sets for blocking assistance and late check down help. 

The biggest wrinkle we are adding is going to a decent chunk of 22 personnel, full knowing Anchorage is bringing its “Mothership” defense against us for it when it’s in. From the “22” - which will feature Kraft and Chiggy out there in the 2TE sets - we will play a lot of PA, quick passes, screens, and misdirection/draw plays. This will limit the opportunities for them to get to the QB while we grind out yards. This also keeps extra blockers on the field at all times, whether to counter Aidan as best we can or pick up any blitzes/Parsons. 

From the 22 personnel though, we want to add chaos occasionally. This means from the set up adding motion and moving Chiggy and Gibbs out wide creating impromptu 4 wide sets. The ball still needs to come out quickly, but by doing this we can see their man/zone set up and create confusion. It will still have to move quickly with screens, quick slants, and curls if they’re playing off, but grind away. Does it create an outside run opportunity?  Is there a mismatch on Gibbs now? Does this leave Chase in a better 1 on 1 situation? Exploit it. That’s the ultimate goal. 

Our line is good. The interior is strong. If we can correctly utilize our pass-offs from their stunts and twists, with the incorporation of our extra TE and/or RB, we can hope that we can bend not break. Taking our time to recognize their scheme while utilizing motion as mentioned should help with this - especially identifying what Parsons or JOK might be doing. 

From beginning in a bunch and moving out wide more, we’re hoping we can stretch their defense out and create necessary gaps to exploit.Spreading the field ideally forces their defense, especially the Mothership, to cover more ground and possibly create more mismatches.

This play puts the TE in motion to the outside who will eventually serve as a blocker. Option 1 is Gibbs on a quick screen. Option 2 is the RB up the middle. 

Similar ideas. Option 1 off the RPO is to go to Gibbs off the line, but Kraft is coming from the left to right to not only have a chance to pick up any free rushers, but be the underneath 2nd option. 

Lancaster Defense:

We’re looking at a lot of tough matchups in this game with a young but talented skill position group from Anchorage along with a strong OL. We think the way to beat Burrow in this game will be to get after him, pressure him in the pocket, and rattle him. We want our pass rush to go after Burrow relentlessly. On the backend, expect our usual nickel cover 2 shell where we go to different looks post snap throughout the game.

A common theme for this season is relying on our DL to wreck plays throughout the game, which they’re very capable of. We’ve got a deep group of defensive lineman that we want to rotate throughout the game to keep everyone fresh and rested so they can go all out in the pass rush. We’ll also run some stunts as usual to get Watt inside going against the interior OL. We will bring blitzers several times during the game to get extra bodies going after Burrow. We think if we can force him to have to react to pressure throughout the game, we can stop him from getting in rhythm and getting the ball out quickly. We know that having our DL pass rush relentlessly will open up some running lanes but we trust our linebackers to contain Hall. With us also running a lot of cover 2 zone this game, we’ll have plenty of defenders close to the line.

In coverage we’re going to be doing about 65% zone to about 35% man coverage. We’ll be doing a lot of cover 2 zone this week to help clog up the intermediate areas of the field where Anchorage’s weapons like to operate. This doesn’t preclude us from running some variations on cover 2, with for example Ji’Ayir Brown coming up and a CB covering a deep zone. We’ll be mixing in some cover 3 zone looks as well, especially if Anchorage starts to attack us more vertically. Again, we also will be doing some man mixed in. In this we’ll largely be running cover 2 man, sometimes with a safety coming up as a robber. In man coverages, assignments will be Ramsey on Nabers, Stevenson on Odunze, Hilton on JSN, Warner on Bowers, and Luvu on Hall. In man, we want to jam up the receivers and be physical with them. They’re young so we think they could be susceptible to this and it’ll also throw off the timing of the play and give our DL more time to get after the QB.

Edited September 29 by RedGold

[Scoundrel]

6 hours ago, RedGold said:

If Hufanga is ready to go on his ankle he will get the start at SS. If not Bullard continues to be our starter.

Hufanga was in fact out. So as mentioned Bullard back starting. 

[Malfatron]

Lancaster will have a great running game, but they simply cant match the firepower

28-17

[InjuredReserve]

Lancaster is a team that is well built to attack this Anchorage defense, since throwing on them is a nightmare. While Anchorage has elite defenders all over the field, this plan is good and I think they do grind out yards and points in this contest. On Anchorage's side I like their focus on the quick passing attack given their personnel and how they have excelled at that irl. My confidence in Joe Burrows has increased week by week (from severe doubt early tbh) and we have Malik Nabers looking like an Elite BDL #1 already, plus Brock Bowers being already a weapon in his rookie season.

This is a well gameplanned match-up on both sides and my vote comes down to at the moment a complete lack of trust in Jalen Hurts. Hurts is not protecting the ball this season and in a close hard fought match-up I am giving the vote to Anchorage who with their defense is going to allow Hurts even less leeway and I currently am not seeing a player who has that level of execution available to him in 2024.

[Blue]

Two preseason BizzBowl contenders who have both struggled out the gates for different reasons, and this might be a turning point in the season for each of them.

I really like the Lancaster plan of attack on offense here. I do not feel like this is a strong Anchorage run defense, and while I am not high at all on the Lancaster tackles in pass pro, I do think they're good run blockers and the Montgomery-Gibbs duo is too much for Anchorage to handle.

On the other side, Lancaster's defense is looking great and have a big veteran advantage over the young Anchorage skill players. With the emphasis on pressuring Burrow, I don't think he has the rapport with them to make plays outside of structure consistently enough to score on longer drives. Lancaster is going to pick up a turnover or two here, and that's tough for a young offense to overcome.

[bcb1213]

I think going 22 more was he right move for Lancaster this week as it gives them the best chance of helping out it's Oline against the Anchorage front 4 which keeps them in the game.  I just trust the Anchorage line to hold up more than the Lancaster one over the course of the ball game as these two teams are evenly matched and I don't expect a ton of points

Give me Anchorage 17-13

[TL-TwoWinsAway]

Some juggernaut defenders in a tightly contested match-up. Hurts is the biggest discrepancy of the group, as his early struggles are hard to ignore. Normally, a 50/50 split would do well to mask this deficiency, but, against that absurd Anchorage defense, I just don't think it's enough. 28-17 Aliens.

[Blue]

I am very surprised at the vote count for this one. Congrats to Scoundrel for fighting through a ton of injuries for the (presumptive) win.

[Scoundrel]

32 minutes ago, Blue said:

I am very surprised at the vote count for this one. Congrats to Scoundrel for fighting through a ton of injuries for the (presumptive) win.

 

I know you’re setting up a narrative here… I’ll see you in two weeks butter cheeks 

[Blue]

Just now, Scoundrel said:

 

I know you’re setting up a narrative here… I’ll see you in two weeks butter cheeks 

[Scoundrel]

1 minute ago, Blue said:

[Blue]

1 minute ago, Scoundrel said:

[Scoundrel]

Just now, Blue said: