Fan in Exile
11-20-2008, 08:25 AM
Cover-3: Climbing the Rookie Wall
by Doug Farrar
Denver Broncos Left Tackle Ryan Clady
Denver Broncos 24 at Atlanta Falcons 20
Recruited as a virtually unknown defensive lineman out of high school, Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady headed to the pros after his junior year in college. He amassed a first-round grade despite a pectoral injury that prevented him from working out at the 2008 Scouting Combine (though he did well at his Pro Day). Clady was ranked by most analysts as the second best offensive lineman behind first overall pick Jake Long. The Broncos took him with the 12th overall pick and immediately set him up on the left side of what had been renowned for years as one of the NFL's best offensive lines. After preseason practice struggles with Mario Williams and DeMarcus Ware, Clady got the hang of the pro game, and hasn't looked back since. Denver currently ranks first in Adjusted Line Yards and fourth in Adjusted Sack Rate, and Clady has shown amazing abilities when flaring out against the run and directing defenders away from quarterback Jay Cutler.
Clady showed his mobility outside on Denver's second play from scrimmage against the Falcons, a four-yard run left by halfback Peyton Hillis from the Denver 42. At the snap, tight end Daniel Graham stayed inside to block end Jamaal Anderson, while Clady looped to Graham's left and took on linebacker Keith Brooking at the second level, sealing Brooking inside.
Clady had some neat moves for elite end John Abraham as well, On second-and-6 from the Atlanta 26 on that same first drive, Abraham tried to take Clady straight on. Clady just gave Abraham a sharp punch inside with both hands, sending Abraham back two yards and off his feet for a second. What we saw most of the time was Abraham on the left side, away from Clady. When Abraham did try his killer edge speed, low-to-the-ground moves, and forward power on the rookie, Clady simply tied him up at shoulder height and rode him out of the picture.
On the third play from scrimmage, the Falcons went to their nickel defense, and end Chauncey Davis tried to get around Clady to no avail. Davis simply didn't possess the kind of speed required to edge the rookie out. Clady basically laughed this attempt off; if the Falcons were going to get to Jay Cutler through Clady, they were going to have to bring their best. The Falcons had Davis on the right side for the rest of Denver's first touchdown drive, and he didn't get anywhere near a ballcarrier.
Staked to advantageous field position by return man Eddie Royal, the Broncos went back to work on the Atlanta defense with 12:33 left in the second quarter, and Clady went back to work on Davis. On second-and-10 from the Atlanta 38, he just immobilized Davis as Cutler threw a swing pass directly over his left tackle's head to Hillis for a seven-yard gain. On the next play, a short pass to Brandon Marshall batted away by Chris Houston, Davis tried all the speed and strength he had to get around and outside Clady. He appeared to have an advantage for a split second when he was side-by-side with Cutler, but then Clady dialed it back in and simply mauled Davis to the ground.
I've seen Clady show speed and agility in pass-blocking in other games, but this was a real primer in the physical nature he also brings to the position. He has tackle skills, but he thinks and plays like a guard. He wants to dominate.
The only Clady whiff I saw in the game came with 55 seconds left, and the Broncos at their own 15. Cutler threw a screen left to Brandon Stokley, and Clady shot past the line to the second level to block cornerback Chevis Jackson. He overshot Jackson at the 17, and Jackson was able to get a hand on Stokley to limit the gain to four yards. Clady had the speed to get up to Jackson's level, but his brakes may need some work.
I wanted to see if the Falcons would change their strategy on Clady in the second half. The matchup I hoped for -- Clady on Abraham -- didn't happen often enough early on, and Abraham left the game with what looked like a shoulder stinger on the first play of the second half. Clady was blocking Jamaal Anderson on that play, a four-yard Tatum Bell run, and Abraham got hurt while going for the tackle and tangling with tight end Nate Jackson. Cutler scrambled for a four-yard gain on the next play, and Davis was able to reverse field to help with the downfield tackle after a backfield battle with Clady left the tackle going backward. That was an impressive exhibition of agility by Davis; perhaps his frustration in being completely shut out by Clady was simmering.
On third-and 2 from the Denver 31, the Falcons sent Montana rookie Kroy Biermann after Clady, which led to Biermann getting completely abused on a five-yard screen to Hillis. Again, the strength is amazing. If you take Clady straight on, you're almost guaranteed a complete stop in forward progress. Davis replaced Biermann on the next play, an 18-yard completion to Royal, and all Clady had to do was to push Davis back three times at the line of scrimmage. Davis couldn't even pursue.
It was Groundhog Day for Davis through the third quarter, as the Falcons were limited by Abraham's absence. Time after time, Davis would try a move head-on -- time after time, he was turned back at the point. The only vulnerability I saw from Clady in this game was a tendency to keep slipping back behind the quarterback when pass-blocking, something that Davis exploited a couple of times for pressures by disengaging and using a surprising ability to change direction to get after Cutler. Otherwise, Davis was sunk and he knew it.
Jamaal Anderson wasn't any more effective when he tried Clady with 9:46 left in the game. Clady fanned Anderson out of Cutler's vicinity with textbook technique, and Cutler was able to get a pretty 47-yard pass off to Brandon Marshall on the drive that won the game for Denver. All Cutler had to do was to take one step up, and he had enough time to hit Marshall, who was his third read. Who was the end on the other side? None other than John Abraham, back in the game but a long way from Clady.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, we did finally see a few Clady/Abraham matchups. Abraham would try and slip inside on running plays going the other way, and Clary would just as assuredly slip in and stop him. At this point, Abraham was obviously favoring the stinger on more than one play, and even when he got off the snap with his amazing speed, Clady would once again drive him out of the play and set him on the turf.
I would have loved to see a healthy Abraham taking Clady one-on-one throughout the game, but I was impressed enough with what I saw to call Clady's performance a complete and total victory. Atlanta threw everything they had at him, and he kept just about everything out of his backfield and away from his quarterback.
When I wrote about Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas last year, that was as blown away with a rookie lineman as I have ever been. Truth be told, I like Clady even more. He doesn't have Thomas' smooth, refined pass-blocking technique, but he's much more physical in run-blocking situations. You'll see ends blowing Thomas back from time to time, but that's not going to happen with Clady. NFLDraftScout.com compares him to Chris Samuels, which I think is apt. Like Samuels in his prime, Clady will not blow you away with pure speed. He's an outstanding inline blocker who's quick enough outside, and in what may have been the single greatest draft for tackles in NFL history (SEVEN taken in the first round alone!), many early returns have Clady as the best overall.
I got this here (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/cover-3/cover-3-%E2%80%93-climbing-rookie-wall)
There also a lot more to the article about some of the better rookies.
by Doug Farrar
Denver Broncos Left Tackle Ryan Clady
Denver Broncos 24 at Atlanta Falcons 20
Recruited as a virtually unknown defensive lineman out of high school, Boise State offensive tackle Ryan Clady headed to the pros after his junior year in college. He amassed a first-round grade despite a pectoral injury that prevented him from working out at the 2008 Scouting Combine (though he did well at his Pro Day). Clady was ranked by most analysts as the second best offensive lineman behind first overall pick Jake Long. The Broncos took him with the 12th overall pick and immediately set him up on the left side of what had been renowned for years as one of the NFL's best offensive lines. After preseason practice struggles with Mario Williams and DeMarcus Ware, Clady got the hang of the pro game, and hasn't looked back since. Denver currently ranks first in Adjusted Line Yards and fourth in Adjusted Sack Rate, and Clady has shown amazing abilities when flaring out against the run and directing defenders away from quarterback Jay Cutler.
Clady showed his mobility outside on Denver's second play from scrimmage against the Falcons, a four-yard run left by halfback Peyton Hillis from the Denver 42. At the snap, tight end Daniel Graham stayed inside to block end Jamaal Anderson, while Clady looped to Graham's left and took on linebacker Keith Brooking at the second level, sealing Brooking inside.
Clady had some neat moves for elite end John Abraham as well, On second-and-6 from the Atlanta 26 on that same first drive, Abraham tried to take Clady straight on. Clady just gave Abraham a sharp punch inside with both hands, sending Abraham back two yards and off his feet for a second. What we saw most of the time was Abraham on the left side, away from Clady. When Abraham did try his killer edge speed, low-to-the-ground moves, and forward power on the rookie, Clady simply tied him up at shoulder height and rode him out of the picture.
On the third play from scrimmage, the Falcons went to their nickel defense, and end Chauncey Davis tried to get around Clady to no avail. Davis simply didn't possess the kind of speed required to edge the rookie out. Clady basically laughed this attempt off; if the Falcons were going to get to Jay Cutler through Clady, they were going to have to bring their best. The Falcons had Davis on the right side for the rest of Denver's first touchdown drive, and he didn't get anywhere near a ballcarrier.
Staked to advantageous field position by return man Eddie Royal, the Broncos went back to work on the Atlanta defense with 12:33 left in the second quarter, and Clady went back to work on Davis. On second-and-10 from the Atlanta 38, he just immobilized Davis as Cutler threw a swing pass directly over his left tackle's head to Hillis for a seven-yard gain. On the next play, a short pass to Brandon Marshall batted away by Chris Houston, Davis tried all the speed and strength he had to get around and outside Clady. He appeared to have an advantage for a split second when he was side-by-side with Cutler, but then Clady dialed it back in and simply mauled Davis to the ground.
I've seen Clady show speed and agility in pass-blocking in other games, but this was a real primer in the physical nature he also brings to the position. He has tackle skills, but he thinks and plays like a guard. He wants to dominate.
The only Clady whiff I saw in the game came with 55 seconds left, and the Broncos at their own 15. Cutler threw a screen left to Brandon Stokley, and Clady shot past the line to the second level to block cornerback Chevis Jackson. He overshot Jackson at the 17, and Jackson was able to get a hand on Stokley to limit the gain to four yards. Clady had the speed to get up to Jackson's level, but his brakes may need some work.
I wanted to see if the Falcons would change their strategy on Clady in the second half. The matchup I hoped for -- Clady on Abraham -- didn't happen often enough early on, and Abraham left the game with what looked like a shoulder stinger on the first play of the second half. Clady was blocking Jamaal Anderson on that play, a four-yard Tatum Bell run, and Abraham got hurt while going for the tackle and tangling with tight end Nate Jackson. Cutler scrambled for a four-yard gain on the next play, and Davis was able to reverse field to help with the downfield tackle after a backfield battle with Clady left the tackle going backward. That was an impressive exhibition of agility by Davis; perhaps his frustration in being completely shut out by Clady was simmering.
On third-and 2 from the Denver 31, the Falcons sent Montana rookie Kroy Biermann after Clady, which led to Biermann getting completely abused on a five-yard screen to Hillis. Again, the strength is amazing. If you take Clady straight on, you're almost guaranteed a complete stop in forward progress. Davis replaced Biermann on the next play, an 18-yard completion to Royal, and all Clady had to do was to push Davis back three times at the line of scrimmage. Davis couldn't even pursue.
It was Groundhog Day for Davis through the third quarter, as the Falcons were limited by Abraham's absence. Time after time, Davis would try a move head-on -- time after time, he was turned back at the point. The only vulnerability I saw from Clady in this game was a tendency to keep slipping back behind the quarterback when pass-blocking, something that Davis exploited a couple of times for pressures by disengaging and using a surprising ability to change direction to get after Cutler. Otherwise, Davis was sunk and he knew it.
Jamaal Anderson wasn't any more effective when he tried Clady with 9:46 left in the game. Clady fanned Anderson out of Cutler's vicinity with textbook technique, and Cutler was able to get a pretty 47-yard pass off to Brandon Marshall on the drive that won the game for Denver. All Cutler had to do was to take one step up, and he had enough time to hit Marshall, who was his third read. Who was the end on the other side? None other than John Abraham, back in the game but a long way from Clady.
Halfway through the fourth quarter, we did finally see a few Clady/Abraham matchups. Abraham would try and slip inside on running plays going the other way, and Clary would just as assuredly slip in and stop him. At this point, Abraham was obviously favoring the stinger on more than one play, and even when he got off the snap with his amazing speed, Clady would once again drive him out of the play and set him on the turf.
I would have loved to see a healthy Abraham taking Clady one-on-one throughout the game, but I was impressed enough with what I saw to call Clady's performance a complete and total victory. Atlanta threw everything they had at him, and he kept just about everything out of his backfield and away from his quarterback.
When I wrote about Cleveland left tackle Joe Thomas last year, that was as blown away with a rookie lineman as I have ever been. Truth be told, I like Clady even more. He doesn't have Thomas' smooth, refined pass-blocking technique, but he's much more physical in run-blocking situations. You'll see ends blowing Thomas back from time to time, but that's not going to happen with Clady. NFLDraftScout.com compares him to Chris Samuels, which I think is apt. Like Samuels in his prime, Clady will not blow you away with pure speed. He's an outstanding inline blocker who's quick enough outside, and in what may have been the single greatest draft for tackles in NFL history (SEVEN taken in the first round alone!), many early returns have Clady as the best overall.
I got this here (http://www.footballoutsiders.com/cover-3/cover-3-%E2%80%93-climbing-rookie-wall)
There also a lot more to the article about some of the better rookies.