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By Bucky Brooks Analyst, NFL.com and NFL Network Published: Aug. 26, 2013 at 09:42 a.m. Updated: Aug. 26, 2013 at 01:57 p.m. 119 Likes | 49 Comments
Preseason football is not an accurate predictor of regular-season success, but you certainly can track trends that will appear on the field when the real action commences. In the 2013 preseason, I see more and more teams turning to no-huddle offense and up-tempo tactics to jump-start production. While this isn't an entirely new development -- just prior to my arrival in the 1994 NFL Draft, the Buffalo Bills rode the K-Gun to four straight Super Bowl appearances -- the recent success of the no-huddle/spread offense on the collegiate level has more NFL offensive coordinators flirting with up-tempo schemes. Here are four reasons why NFL offenses are picking up the pace:
Now, this might not seem like much of an advantage on the surface, with a number of teams placing an emphasis on the time of possession battle, but the fact that the Pats led the NFL in scoring by almost five points per game unquestionably has led other teams to study the nohuddle approach and adopt it into their game plans.
With more teams utilizing hybrid tight ends, the use of the no-huddle offense creates a decided advantage for teams willing to play fast.
Everyone wants to put their quarterback in the best possible position to succeed, so advantages gained from up-tempo pacing/no-huddle schemes will continue to influence teams across the league.
Foles sticks the ball in the running back's belly and reads the reactions of the defensive end and nickel corner:
When the defensive end crashes on the running back, Foles pulls the ball and races around the end while reading the reaction of the nickel cornerback. When the defender steps up to meet him in the alley, Foles has Jason Avant open for a completion on the outside:
Here is another example of the Eagles executing the read option with a bubble screen. Foles puts the ball in the belly of the running back on an inside zone run and reads the reactions of the defensive end and play-side linebacker:
When the defensive end and linebacker both hesitate on the fake, Foles quickly pulls up and fires the ball out to Avant on the screen for an easy completion and positive gain:
Click here for full video of the play. Offensive coordinators are also utilizing run-pass combination plays -- the offensive line blocks the run play called by the quarterback, while receivers run designated routes on the perimeter -to expand the effectiveness of the no-huddle offense. Now, the concept of adding a quick route on the backside of a run is not a new one. In fact, as a member of both the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in the mid-1990s, I watched Brett Favre and Rich Gannon repeatedly throw smoke or dart routes to the split end on the backside of isolation or power plays. But today's teams are increasingly utilizing the tactic with the advent of the fast-paced, no-huddle offense. Ripping off big plays at a rapid rate, teams can employ the same run-pass play multiple times in succession. In the following screengrab, the Eagles are lined up in a trips formation, with the receivers assigned to execute a draw-stick concept. Foles is tasked with reading the reaction of the linebacker and making the decision to hand the ball off or throw to exploit a weakness of the defense:
When the linebacker drops back to defend the route, Foles hands the ball to the running back on the draw play:
While the play only gains two yards -- due to a fine open-field tackle by Thomas Davis -- it's a nice illustration of this concept.