10-02-2020, 04:57 PM
(10-02-2020, 04:20 PM)sandwedge Wrote: So what do you guys look at when studying film of the o-line? Honest question, as I was busy scoring TDs!
I'm not an expert and there are more educated posters on this board than me, but I like doing it for fun. I look at the gap setup of the defensive line and then I run through the play several times, watching each individual lineman in their assignment. On a pass play, I look for how well they do hand fighting or anticipating the rushers moves. Are they handling the bull rush well, or do they get pushed back into the QB? If the rusher is able to get the edge on a lineman, how well do they recover? Can they get his side and flush him out of the play? I also like to look for stunts and how well the interior line handles them (for instance, early in the game, Fred Johnson gave up pressure on a play where the Eagles stunted the defensive end to the inside. He committed too aggressively early on and allowed the end nearly untouched right past him. To his credit, they tried this again in the second quarter and he learned, and picked it up.) Also, checking out blitzes and how well they are picked up.
The run game is a little more basic. Basically, how well does the lineman move his assignment and open running lanes. Does he get movement down the field, or is he being pushed back into the backfield? The Bengals run quite a bit of zone, so I try to look for how well defenders are being moved and how well the line can get to the second level. There hasn't been much to be excited about here, the Bengals really stink at running the ball and that's because the line isn't opening very many running lanes. It is pretty common for Mixon to be evading in the backfield, so he loses momentum and ends up crashing forward for a yard or two.
