One of the most exciting developments for the Bucs this season is the rapid growth of their niche talent package of two running backs and a tight end. This “pony package,” or 21-man personnel as it is commonly referred to, is one of the most explosive and effective offenses in the entire NFL.
I’ve enjoyed it document This package will evolve throughout this season. And last week, Bucs offensive coordinator Liam Cohen introduced a new wrinkle to take this innovative part of his offense to the next level.
Bucs Pony Package – Efficiency and Explosiveness
Bucks RB Rathard White – Photo courtesy of USA Today
Liam Cohen asked for a pony package six times on Sunday. The Bucs offense gained 83 yards on those plays. That’s 13.8 yards per play.
They had a 100% success rate with 21 and a 17% explosion rate, generating new first downs in half the time. The Bucks’ epa/play in this grouping was an incredible 0.92. That’s 4.5 times more efficient than the Buffalo Bills. best attack power He’s in the NFL now.
The lowest total yards on six plays was 5. Three of the plays gained 10 yards or more, including a 34-yard run that ultimately put the Bucs out of control.
It was a counter run that Sean Tucker ran to the Raiders 3-yard line and scored a touchdown on the next play. Counters are the most common call Cohen makes with his back two on the field. Of the 54 plays they ran on the Pony this year, 14 were counter runs. This represented 47% of the 30 run plays and just over a quarter of the total calls. And true to this trend, Mr. Cohen counter-called three of the six calls on Sunday.
Setting up Sean Tucker’s run
Bucks RB Sean Tucker – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
Sean Tucker’s run was a counter run with left tackle Tristan Wirfs and center Graham Burton wrapping to the right side. With Graham Burton shutting down middle linebacker Robert Spillane, Wirfs was able to bring Tucker to the third level as he barreled down toward the third-level safety. But that play was set up two quarters ago when the Bucs pulled Wirfs and right guard Ben Bredeson for a guard tackle counter.
In the previous run, Wirfs fell behind on the lap as tight end Cade Otton was stripped from a double team to climb up Spillane. Otton did it because right tackle Luke Goedeke didn’t need help and Otton was trying to find a job. Nevertheless, it threw off the timing of the play and ultimately slowed down Tucker. simply 9 yard gain. Additionally, Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby nearly gave up a run on Wirfs’ double pull after chasing Tucker from behind, but Ben Bredeson gave Crosby enough space to run the play.
So on a fourth-quarter run, Cohen tweaked his counter call to account for the Raiders’ actions. Instead of pulling both endmen on the offensive line, he kept Bredeson on the down block, condensing the space available for Crosby to chase. He also adjusted the call to have Otto base block the Raiders’ playside edge defender and Goedeke solo block the defensive end.
With this, Barton only had to make sure Otton was sealing the edges, which Otton did well. This allowed Burton to continue lapping Spillane and not second place to Wirfs. third Rebel with Tucker in tow.
For Cohen and his company, small adjustments can lead to big gains.
Creativity leads to breakthroughs Baker Mayfield
Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR
At this point, Liam Cohen has become a completely crazy wizard. His most wicked play from this unique group resulted in one of his most modest gains: just 7 yards. However, this design was nearly unstoppable due to how many options it gave the offense. To start the second quarter, Cohen launched a triple-option RPO that incorporated one of football’s newest trends.
From an offset pistol formation, the Bucks ran a run-pass option, with Bucky Irving being the first call on an inside zone run from the pistol. Quarterback Baker Mayfield chose to hold onto the ball to find the throw in a three-level flood concept on the right side. The swing-flat option in that concept was Rashard White behind tight end Payne Durham, an escorting motion intended to give White a screen blocker and significantly increase his yards after the catch.
To the Raiders’ credit, they spread their edge rushers across the flats to thwart the guard movement and cover up the remaining flood wells.
That was supposed to blow the play away, right?
Now, we’ve only covered two-thirds of the triple option here.
The final tag of the play is quarterback option Mayfield dialed his number as he rolled out of his pocket toward the escort. Once covered, the ball could easily be poured into the gap created by the floodwaters. And Baker did just that, achieving yet another success.
Watch the BUCS ALL-22 BREAKDOWN video in the Bucs Film Room on the PewterReport TV YouTube channel. here This is totally a banana play.
