-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: Patriots Secondary Tricking Deshaun Watson
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens examines an excellent coverage technique by the New England Patriots secondary against Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. NFL quarterbacks face far more exotic and complex defenses than they did on Saturdays. Even so, it’s rare to see a cornerback on one side of the field trade-off a crossing route with a…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens RB Austin Ekeler (Chargers): Taking the Defender’s Back
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens shares a touchdown reception by Chargers running back Austin Ekeler that illustrates a fundamental act of good route running that every receiver must recognize and execute. “Take the defender’s back!” It’s a declaration every receiver coach makes—especially when he or she spots a defender giving his back voluntarily to his…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: Winning vs. Stacked Boxes with the Saints Offensive Line
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens examines a successful run by Alvin Kamara and the New Orleans Saints offensive line against an Atlanta defense with nine defenders in the box. Let’s get this out of the way: The Saints offense was one of the best rushing units in the NFL last year. Atlanta had the 25th-ranked…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: The Micro-Movements That Make RB Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas) Great
Matt Waldman’s Rookie Scouting Portfolio examines the tiny details that make a huge difference with Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. The best four running back prospects that I’ve graded during the past 5-6 years are Nick Chubb, Saquon Barkley, Todd Gurley, and Ezekiel Elliott. Despite each having their own style, there was little difference…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens: How TE George Kittle (49ers) Mastered YAC
Matt Waldman’s RSP NFL Lens profiles the league-leading yards-after-the-catch prowess of 49ers tight end George Kittle. Last year, George Kittle broke the NFL record for receiving yards in a season for a tight end with 1,377 yards. More impressively, Kittle led the NFL in yards after the catch (YAC) with 870 yards—205 more than James…
-
Jarret Moyer’s RSP NFL Lens: RB Kerryon Johnson (Lions) And the Difference Between a Pass Catcher And a Receiver
Matt Waldman’s RSP contributor J Moyer profiles two receptions of Detroit Lions RB Kerryon Johnson to underscore the difference between a pass-catcher and a receiver. Decades of draft history show us projecting offensive skill players from college to the pros is difficult. The heterogeneity in offensive schemes between the NCAA and the NFL is one…
-
RSP’s Dwain McFarland: How to Project NFL Offenses
If you think projection of NFL offenses is a fantasy football thing, you’re missing one of the most valuable tools available to learn the game. In this RSP feature, Dwain McFarland shares his process that is rooted in 20 years of success. Forward by Matt Waldman Dwain McFarland is a successful high stakes fantasy player…
-
Mark Schofield’s RSP NFL Lens: QB Kirk Cousins (Vikings)–Baker or Chef?
RSP contributor Mark Schofield examines an ongoing debate about Kirk Cousins between Dan Orlovsky and Kurt Warner and shows us why it’s a conversation between a baker (Orlovsky) and a chef (Warner). From time to time you can read a piece that impacts you profoundly, and usually in two distinct ways. First, when you are…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP Cast Ep.78: Running Backs and New Schemes with J Moyer
Matt Waldman’s RSP Cast features RSP contributor J. Moyer in a conversation about new backs and or new schemes for prominent running back depth charts around the league. RSP contributor J. Moyer has coached at the high school level for several years. Last week, he joined the RSP Cast for a conversation about NFL running…
-
Matt Waldman’s RSP: Yards After Contact (There’s A Better Way)
Matt Waldman examines the Yards After Contact statistic for running backs and concludes there’s a better way to track the data. Yards After Contact is a great statistic in theory. It’s the sum of yardage gained after contact from a defender. This sounds alright until you think about the way we track the data. If…