Football Outsiders: Film Room - CJ Anderson

[VonDoom]

A good look at CJ and the Kubiak scheme in action, complete with a bunch of great gifs from the Panthers game. I'm hype all over again!



On the very next play, Anderson got the ball again. This time there was no fullback in front of him, but his quarterback was again under center. A tight end took the fullback's place. This tight end motioned across the formation before the snap before working back across the field again after the snap. He moved behind the offensive line and drew the attention of Kuechly in the middle of the Panthers front seven. The Broncos left a backside defender unblocked again -- in fact, two were ultimately unblocked, as left tackle Russell Okung missed his cut block. As we saw with the center on the first play, the error of one lineman isn't as likely to destroy these types of run designs as it is in man or power designs. While Kuechly is drawn out of position by the tight end's movement, center Matt Paradis executes an impressive reach block on the defensive tackle, who had lined up in the right A-Gap. Paradis concedes ground, but stiffens in time to give Anderson an opportunity to run behind him.

Because Paradis handles the defensive tackle without help, the right guard and right tackle can combine to double-team the defensive end before the right guard advances downfield to pick up Davis. Anderson again shows off impressive balance and quickness to find the space his offensive line creates for him. This is the perfect scheme for a running back with Anderson's skill set.


Any suggestion that the Broncos were going to fall off completely this year was premature. Even with major quarterback questions this team is built to compete in the AFC West. With games against the AFC South and NFC South this year, Anderson and the defense could conceivably carry Denver to a top seed in the AFC once again. Once Lynch is ready to play, the offense should only get better. Trevor Siemian, along with an untimely Devontae Booker fumble and some questionable officiating, was a major reason the Panthers were in position to win this game at the end. Thankfully for the Broncos, Graham Gano missed that kick.

It has only been a week, but this offense looks set to be very similar to the ones Kubiak had success with in Houston. Only now his team as a whole has got a lot more talent.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/film-room/2016/film-room-cj-anderson

[BroncoJoe]

The Kubiak system WILL work. Despite what MO says.

[TXBRONC]

The Kubiak system WILL work. Despite what MO says.

He just doesn't think running ball is efficient. I disagree but that is what he thinks.

[Joel]

The stats may not have been dramatically different in Week 1 compared to Denver's last game against Carolina, when he ran for 90 yards on 23 carries. But it's clear that this running game is built to last, when that wasn't the case last year. Anderson enjoyed wider, cleaner running lanes in the season opener than he did at any point last year.​
That 90 yds on 23 carries in the SB may not sound like much, but almost 4 yds/att against that 6th-best run D was pretty amazing in itself, especially in a hybrid offense whose starting Gs were limping shadows of their former All Pro selves. CJ was LITERALLY our WHOLE RUSHING OFFENSE in the SB: Hillman had all five of our other carries, for exactly ZERO yards.

If our blocking truly is as much improved as a single week tentatively suggests, it's exciting to see what CJ will do in an offense designed to run (but then, I said that when we extended him, which may turn out to be a better value than giving him a mere single-year second round tender that was no long term solution.)

[sneakers]

That 90 yds on 23 carries in the SB may not sound like much, but almost 4 yds/att against that 6th-best run D was pretty amazing in itself, especially in a hybrid offense whose starting Gs were limping shadows of their former All Pro selves. CJ was LITERALLY our WHOLE RUSHING OFFENSE in the SB: Hillman had all five of our other carries, for exactly ZERO yards.

If our blocking truly is as much improved as a single week tentatively suggests, it's exciting to see what CJ will do in an offense designed to run (but then, I said that when we extended him, which may turn out to be a better value than giving him a mere single-year second round tender that was no long term solution.)

That guy on the Jest tonight got 100 yards on 30 carries. But if you keep churning up those first downs those 30 carries are hella effective.

[Joel]

That guy on the Jest tonight got 100 yards on 30 carries. But if you keep churning up those first downs those 30 carries are hella effective.
This IS the team that went to three SBs under a coach of whom a teammate once said, "If you need 3 yds, he'll get you 3 yds; if you need 5 yds, he'll get you 3 yds."

For what it's worth, MO actually has a valid (if stolen :tongue:) point that passing's the best path to first downs—IF you're doing it all at once and in a hurry. HOWEVER, if you're just trying to "matriculate the ball" to 2nd/3rd and manageable to SET UP a first down, pick the play that coughs it up 4 times a year, not 20.

Especially since consistent success draws LBs and safeties to the line so DT and Sanders get single coverage (or guys like Fowler and Taylor get NONE) with a lone(ly) safety deep. Play action only works with a CREDIBLE run threat; good defenses ignore play fakes by inept running teams, because even if it's NOT a fake: So what? They don't lose sleep over 2nd and 8, and certainly won't risk a TD bomb to stop it. But watching good RBs fake makes even top blitzers pause.

All that goes double for when your D needs a breather and/or you're trying for the final possession. The best way to beat guys like Brady and Rodgers is to give them VERY few possessions that all start inside their 20. Everyone who grew up in Houston knows about The Comeback, but why did it happen? Because a team up 32 pts in the with 20:00 left against a backup QB and backup RB couldn't run out the clock and keep the bad guys on the sideline. Revolutionary passing: Awful OFFENSE.

Then when they finally came back to force OT (you read that right: A team up 32 pts in the second half had to COME BACK to force OT) they got the ball first in sudden death—and immediately lost by throwing an Int inside their own 30, because the D knew they couldn't run. If that sounds eerily like how another team got to the SB by beating US in DOUBLE OT, it should. I go back to Rivera's post-game last week: We had our whole playbook most of the time, so he had to guess what was coming most of the time. So the only thing that kept the Panthers good D and solid offense in the game was our two Ints and fumble in their red zone.

[Northman]

Running on the Panthers wasnt that surprising to me. The week before despite being blown out the Cardinals carved up the Panther defense as well.

[Simple Jaded]

Throw moar.

[Joel]

Throw moar.
Needs moar bellcow. ;)

[Simple Jaded]

Needs moar bellcow. ;)

I see what you did there.

[Simple Jaded]

Stephenson actually is the "great athlete" that everyone insists the rest of their ZBS lineman are/were/have to be.

[Joel]

Stephenson actually is the "great athlete" that everyone insists the rest of their ZBS lineman are/were/have to be.
"I want to believe," but can't help recalling this same guy couldn't get on the field in ANYWHERE in KC, because outperformed by OTs Eric Fisher, Ryan Harris and Gs Geoff Schwartz and Jon Asamoah. The only reason he started HALF of last year was Harris' return to Denver and Schwartz and Asamoahs departure to NY and Atlanta.

Ironically, Asamoah's still available: He didn't play a down last year and the Falcons cut him last December. I'd like to look into that, because I don't know how a guy goes from a hotly pursued FA G in to unemployment in a single season. I do know our line depth is virtually nonexistent though.

[Simple Jaded]

Asamoah and Schwartz are both available, life's trying to tell you something Joel. You say you "want to believe" but it literally ALWAYS takes a backseat to being right. My guess is that's a byproduct of being wrong so often.

Btw, if anyone watched Stephenson against Ware in last seasons game knows the dude can play. It also proves you don't actually watch the games.

[Simple Jaded]

Anyhoo, it's only one game, I suppose there's always a chance that Asamoah and Schwartz both sign with Denver and go on to prove you right.

Regardless, I simply said Stephenson is a great athlete, he is.

[Joel]

Asamoah and Schwartz are both available, life's trying to tell you something Joel. You say you "want to believe" but it literally ALWAYS takes a backseat to being right. My guess is that's a byproduct of being wrong so often.
No, it "often" trumps any "need" to be right. Being pessimistic but wrong is fine by me, but until it happens for more than a SINGLE season it can't happen "often." If you weren't paying attention, my favorite coach just took my favorite team to its first championship in 17 years by running my favorite offense: Define "often wrong."

Remember back in 2013 when everyone said I was nuts to bash the line because our low sack total "proved" it elite? Remember how I pointed out Mannings quick reads and release kept his sack totals just as low virtually EVERY season he was a Colt with a completely different line? Notice how everyone disputing that in 2013 started REPEATING it—two years LATER. Just like the same line criticisms that were crazy when I made them from 2011-2013 suddenly became "obvious" to the whole NFL in 2014 and 2015 (somehow "I told you so" became "stating the obvious;" that was CLASSIC ;))

PRAY I'm not "often wrong," because Kubiak's doing exactly as I begged for a decade, which (combined with our first Lombardi since '98) is why I'm loving it so much. I may question (some) particular personnel decisions, but that's a matter of execution, not strategy nor philosophy. The proof's in the pudding, and so far pessimism's providing pleasant surprises. FAR more pleasant than watching perennial playoff implosions prove my predictions "often right."

To invert Henry Clay, I'd rather be champions than right. ;)


Btw, if anyone watched Stephenson against Ware in last seasons game knows the dude can play. It also proves you don't actually watch the games.
Ah, yes, no conversation would be complete without that last bit.

[Joel]

Anyhoo, it's only one game, I suppose there's always a chance that Asamoah and Schwartz both sign with Denver and go on to prove you right.

Regardless, I simply said Stephenson is a great athlete, he is.
Fair enough; all that matters is results, and ours remain as good as against Camolinas solid D, I'll be happy to be "wrong" about which personnel should implement the very RIGHT offense. And not just because FO says it's right (though that's a very compelling argument in itself: We read the same books. ;))