12-22-2023, 02:18 PM
(12-22-2023, 01:12 PM)KillerGoose Wrote: Minnesota did play middle field open, but that is really referring to just the safety alignment. Middle field closed is a single safety back playing deep, typically starting in the middle of the field. Middle field open means you have a split safety look so there is a gap between them. It doesn't literally mean that the middle of the field is open. Traditionally you will see hook defenders capturing that short/intermediate middle.
Minnesota played risky ball and blitzed a defender out of their zone and didn't replace them, which left a void where Higgins was. You don't often see teams blitz out of zone due to this issue. They may send a guy and then drop an edge player into a replacement zone so they are still only rushing four. This is called a simulated pressure. So, on this play, Minnesota rushed five and voided a zone which left Higgins open on the backside.
For Browning, he is doing a high-low read. It's a smash concept with Hudson going into the flat (low) and Irv running a corner (high). The idea is to put their outside defender under pressure by making him choose where to go. He ended up playing a little deep and I think he was a cloud defender, but that is who Browning is reading. If that defender runs up to the flat, you throw the corner. If he follows the corner deep, you throw the flat. Easy stuff. The defender took a false step towards the flat and Browning threw the corner but it was just a mistake all around. Even if he had crashed down on the flat I think Harrison picks it off. He should have thrown the flat or if he wanted to continue his progression he could have made his way back to Tee, but he was on the backside and not the primary read.
I'm not saying you're wrong, for clarity. Just providing more color. He could have picked up on Minnesota sending five and checked the backside for Higgins, but this is exactly what Minnesota does to QBs, especially inexperienced ones. They are incredibly aggressive, the most aggressive in the league and they are fine taking those risks to get a guy turned around. It was set up to be a really tough game for him. He came alive late, though.
I wasn't saying they are always open or not depending on coverage but it does tell you what should be open or not. Browning will never look away from the area that should be open pre snap if there is a change post snap to what would be the open area. On the play to Higgins I can't remember if they showed the look or rolled into it and yeah it may have been a half field read. But you still have to know if the coverage is allowing your half field read or not. Blitzing out of zone looks may be why we are seeing so many open players down the field. Just seems like both Higgins and Chase had multiple plays running past a flat footed safety that Burrow would rarely get.
