"POWER SURGE" - HOW DAVID MONTGOMERY & THE LIONS OLINE FINISHED OFF THE LA RAMS - WK 1 FILM STUDY

[Music] [Music] this video is going to be a look at the Lions overtime Drive where David Montgomery in the offensive line took over basically punching the ball down field 80 yards to finish off the Rams in a 20 620 overtime win it was it was a fun game to rewatch I think it was a little frustrating for most of us watching the Lions defense get kind of chipped away at by the Rams passing game their quick passing game by Matthew Stafford but this final drive Masterpiece if you ask me in the Run game physical by the offensive line great execution particularly on the Zone Concepts I would I would say two very intricate and extremely well executed run Concepts a little bit of I don't know if I want to say they were playing a different game than the Rams defense but the Rams were were staying in a too high look and at times they were just outnumbered at the point of attack that sounds very simplistic to say all you got to do is get out of your too high look but numbers wise some of the things the lions were doing was creating a little extra a little extra space particularly on short yardage situations I'll go over that it's basically aligning a wide receiver tightly where he shouldn't be and adding him to the to the blocking scheme the corner the outside corner is not added to the blocking scheme commensurate by the Rams defense neither is a safety so they're in a real heap of trouble particularly against 11 personnel I'm going to try to go over this in pretty detailed fashion you guys have to let me know if if it goes on too long number one number two if if I'm late to the game if multiple other people have broken it down at this point we'll go through every play so this first one it's an amazing call their reverse simil absolutely similar conceptually to what they ran with Jameson Williams earlier in the game I broke that down in a film study video I did on Jameson Williams Monday night I'll link that up here in the video at some point so you can see it but you got a lot of things going on to draw the defense to to this side of the field so first of all the left guard is going to pull and go to the field side number one lorta is going to motion across so you've got two factors there number one third to that is the play fake by golf that gives the illusion that mcgomery is going to get the football and he takes an absolute shot from Byron Young on the backside gol after executing the fake handoff is very nonchalant his body language actually changes right around the time the fake handoff with Montgomery occurs I think that's coached I think that's intentional so it looks like he doesn't have the football and then a very cool and smooth flip to khif Raymond why is hman St Brown running down the line here because he's trying to pin down on this defensive end his job is to pin down on that DN make sure that DN doesn't disrupt the reverse because there is some vulnerability in that area there for a reverse maybe I drew that box a little bit too large but the point is Sam Brown is following his man that he's supposed to pin down on young tackles Montgomery and man look at what you have set up here ragnall out on the corner Su is going to Loop and basically look to pin or seal inside couple of other linemen get involved here and yes it's very easy to sit here and say if we get this safety blocked up right here we are in business for a huge play I think that the possibility exists there but look the Rams I don't know Rose boom nor anything about him but watching this game it is very hard to imagine that this isn't a 120 to 140 tackle per season guy now that maybe he loses his starting job in two weeks maybe there's things he's not good at that I didn't see on film but this guy he plays at warp speed sometimes in Pursuit same play End Zone angle 56 is going to be involved here whether the safety is in the window or not because he just runs down from the backside he gets credit for the tackle along with I think it's Lake 37 it's a great design don't get me wrong but I am so impressed with their inside linebackers particularly with them losing Ernest Jones so now second play of The Possession it's 22 personnel and you can see that the Lions have shifted first lorta and then the tail back or excuse me fullback who's in front of the tailback I call this slot eye so fullback and then two tight ends and they're just zoning this with a lead blocker ends up going for 21 yards I thought that ragau and zitler on this possession I mean Su is a given he's played excellent throughout the game minus a couple of snaps where he's a little off balance but he makes a call for first of all Su makes a call to someone probably the fullback letting the fullback know what he's going to do with 91 and then zeitler and him are comboing this D tackle you've got a combo on the nose tackle I believe 95 and rag now stays on him glasow peels off and Montgomery hits that precise Gap you'll see it from the endzone angle here in a moment ends up being 21 yards Dam near went for more I think that as physically dominant as imp impressive as this drive was there's three plays here where you're like they almost could have scored on that play I don't I don't mean they should have but there's there's just a level of dominance here whereby the lions are absolutely in control of this this on this particular drive and this is a Rams defense that played extremely well throughout the game I thought very smartly played Zone kept things in front seem to get in the way of Jarrett gof making quick decisions on this drive this looked like something first possession of the game where you say this team's going to win 45 to nothing additional to this be these other blocks being important is Taylor Decker on the backside being able to cut off the d-tackle Fisk so you've got ragau who comboed with the to the nose tackle you also have the left guard I think Glascow who went up to the inside linebacker 56 and then Decker cut it off you can see the seam that's been created all all the way over on the other hash after the ball started on the left hash so not just strength physicality awareness but agility by the offensive lineman to be able to do all the things they just did on the move so what's Ben Johnson do same play slightly different quote shift or motion lepto went first and then the fullback and a little bit different release by The Tackle to the side that could be related to how the defense aligned here so once we get these guys set up there is a little bit of a of a level of trust here with the left guard and left tackle because the left tackle is going to basically release here to the edge so that the left guard can essentially be left alone to reach this defensive tackle looks like a four ey to me you'll get the end zone angle in a moment so slightly different from the way they handled it on the other side the previous play because on that one zitler and Su comboed it in this case Decker releases outside to go help out with the edge Defender and so Glascow is all alone with that four ey and I think you have a really nice job by I think it's zeitler 71 and ragnell 77 staying on their gu this is the same play Endzone angle staying on their guys staying in the fight here you got their combo on the nose again there's the tackle stepping out to help out with the edge Defender one-on-one with the D tackle is Glascow and watch these two guys watch these two guys stay in it and then kind of fold back and I think that that influences mcgomery to be able to get out of there squirt out of there a little bit I guess more so it was zitler on that one and not ragnell that one went for nine yards at this point I don't know about you it's like how far can they push this envelope in terms of just putting Montgomery back there direct flow giving him the football other than the first play being a reverse a brilliant call this is sick to to have this level of talent at at the Run back position first of all it's 11 personnel and I want you to remember that a little bit later in this drive you got left to right motion by St Brown and that brings the nickel Defender with him St Brown runs a wheel release after the motion and you get an inside release by I believe that's Raymond so what you've done is you've kind of force those Defenders the outside corner of the nickel to carry them and then run Gibbs on a little flare swing whatever you want to call it into the flats basically clear out that part of the Field Force 51 to go defend him just too much room unless 51 expands and if he's going to expand on that motion and that reaction pre- snap then they're probably going to run some type of counter coming back I do think that he should be matching a little bit of this width here ends up being pretty far behind Gibbs if you ask me by the time golf throws the football when you are at a speed disadvantage and and when you're playing inside linebacker against a a talent like jir Gibbs you are certainly at a speed differential sometimes you've got to get moving a little sooner than um then maybe you want to this is a f counter play keep this one in mind as far as two of the plays here in a moment but very similar to the motion that they ran on the reverse the first play of this drive 12 Personnel motion across and then going to kick he's going to kick out this Edge Defender here it's FC counter so the Right Guard and the other tight end are kicking out Right Guard then the tight end going to try to loop I think it's lorta only ends up being three yards but it's related to it's the same motion pretty much the same formation as the reverse to Raymond on the first play so what you've got here is an example of Ben Johnson making multiple play play Concepts look the same post Snap with the movement by the tight end sometimes it's a step by the running back in this case it only goes down as a three yard gain so it seems to be somewhat inconsequential again you've got one of the inside linebackers on the bottom of the pile in fact both of them are there creates a second and seven and a totally different run concept illustrates a little bit of the versatility if you ask me of a Ben Johnson's system and it's a great job by the left side of the offensive line it's what I would call a samide run out of 11 personnel so balls on the left hash and the two receivers are to the field so there's the nickel Defender with the tight end here you're pretty much guaranteed to get a three technique to that side so even without even looking at the field Ben Johnson could tell you you were going to get a three technique that we going to combo here tight end stepping out to this Edge Defender and I would call it a samide run because Montgomery's on the same side his left where the intention of the Run play goes ragnell and zitler working the combo Z I mean excuse me ragnell almost leaving a little earlier than I would have thought Edge Defender tries to fold inside Montgomery Powers through I think for six yards to create a third and one so you're going to see repetitive concept here from the Lions that's related to 11 personnel and the alignment of these two receivers here notice the edge defend defer up to the top he is outside of khif Raymond the Rams are in their 51 front so they've taken out one of the inside linebackers my suspicion is that it was because the lions are an 11 personnel recall the swing pass on this drive to Gibbs out in the right Flats was an out of 11 personnel so my suspicion is is that these whatever the call was these two Edge Defenders here had like a peel call for a running back trying to cross their face and get out into the flats I I believe that the Rams DC among other factors I'm sure was trying to make sure that they didn't get beat by a simple swing pass again and that is not the game Ben Johnson was playing you have I think an illustration of him playing the game at multiple level it almost reminds me of Doctor Strange from the aven Avengers I think it's Doctor Strange who who can like appear in different places at the same time Ben Johnson almost seems to be doing that because of that tight alignment here the wide receiver Raymond is going to release to the inside of the outside linebacker alignment and then St Brown is going to go to the outside they are basically isolating that edge Defender so that the tight end can kick him out and this is a short yardage just third and one so you're not trying to gain eight yards here in fact you do gain eight yards but the point is I think trying to widen that edge Defender up just a little bit more maybe it's another 16 18 in so that on that downhill run concept by Montgomery you have more space to ensure that you get the first down and at that point you'd have four downs from inside the 10 yard line pretty much guaranteed to be able to get a get a first down or excuse me be able to get a touchdown left tackle kind of beat here to the inside I think that's young maybe that's not young my apologies I got the numbers mixed up a minute ago and Montgomery Powers downhill behind a surge at that point you know the the back battle multiple battles had been won by this defense by this offensive line against this defense were they were they tired was the was the lines o line just pissed off were some of these Concepts just you know Ben Johnson's best stuff saved for the right time maybe there a little bit of each of those elements but brutal result Montgomery you know is probably I would say one more Surge from being in the end zone on that player being really really really close same Dynamic exists here after the timeout now it's it's 12 Personnel but look at the alignment of Jameson Williams there is really very little recognition from the standpoint of the Rams defense if you ask me yeah they're in their goal line look they've got four down linemen an edge Defender and Edge Defender one inside linebacker so that's great they've created a seven-man front in a little bit different way but there's no reason for that edge Defender to not be in a flat stance and just kicking jamus and Williams ass to kind of clog up that edge is it going to stop this run play which is essentially ends up being kick I mean no you're so close to the endzone again that the the war has almost been won by so many battles being won to this point but it's the same concept as what I Illustrated a moment ago Jameson Williams is going to step inside of the edge Defender to go get the safety or DB and what that's done is just by Jameson Williams being there that edge Defender lined up 16 to 18 in wider you don't want to put the wide receiver's feet you know you see where jamus Williams foot is here let's say that they lined him up another yard wider well then the edge Defender would probably kick inside and be in a better position to step down and stop stop the run is is a poor choice of words have a better opportunity to clog up that off tackle Gap as opposed to being widened up a little more and then the tight end in motion kicking him out just enough such that Montgomery can fit inside of there yeah monery was physical he's probably going to make it work anyway but the scheme the design excuse me I think probably was one of Ben Johnson's best not just drives from a physicality standpoint but diversification of the Run game you get the reverse you did have two lead Zone Concepts the 22 Personnel Zone Concepts that I showed you first one for 21 yards by Montgomery and the second one I think went for eight or nine the short yardage runs I think are just brilliant and were you a Rams coach or someone involved and you have and you get to look at it again well short yardage at that point they're they're running so downhill on you you're probably not going to stop it but you know having a wide receiver khif Raymond Jameson Williams lined up so tight to the right tackle so I feel like number one is an indicator about where they're going number two is also um something that you could use as a as a defense to say okay we're going to win this matchup and if they do come here which they did both times then we think our Edge Defender is going to be able to overwhelm your guy now he could still get kicked out by the tight end Who's In Motion the point is those brilliant alignment pre- snap and formation and play calls by Ben Johnson great execution by the offensive line I thought zeitler and ragn now played exceptionally well on that particular possession staying with blocks uh showing their athleticism to be honest with you zeitler and ragnell next to each other is an extremely interesting Dynamic last year played next to Tyler Linder bomb one of the most athletic centers in the league from a from a quickness standpoint ragnell is incredibly balanced obviously a lot bigger than Linder bomb in any case man this is my breakdown of the Lions final drive what I would consider to be a fifth round knockout or overtime knockout whatever you want to call it Montgomery took over powered propelled by his offensive line and the play calls that Ben Johnson used only one pass on the drive Gibbs and Montgomery as a Duo is a spectacular asset to have it's um I don't care I don't get into nor care about running back one running back two wide receiver one wide receiver two designations I personally don't think they matter I understand that um that is how people refer to football nowadays probably because of the influence of fantasy football in some cases but I like the fact that you've got Montgomery and Gibbs here for a while at least two more years I believe based on the contract Montgomery signed and depending on the situation depending on what you're trying to get accomplished Ben Johnson can go to either guy and be super effective and dangerous and then even alternate them during the course of the drive like you saw here Gibbs had the swing pass for 12 yards I think out into the right flats and then a three yard run on a f counter play fun drive to watch fun for me to try to break it down and produce a video for you guys to enjoy so so let me know if you enjoyed it first of all if you think I missed any elements of the Run game feel free to let me know in the comments section if you have a suggestion or a video that I could put out further let me know I will be putting out a video on the Lions coverages that'll probably be pushed to Wednesday uh Wednesday evening is my guess just because of time commitment and or other commitments that are going to take up my time between now and then appreciate you guys time man if you think other Lions fans would enjoy this film study look at the Lions final drive really finished off the Rams defense I thought it was a foregone conclusion after four or five plays that the drive three or four plays actually that the drive was over they were going to be able to score then please consider grabbing a link to this video sharing it out on social media to help this content 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