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Some quick thoughts about Alabama O before I get started tonight. Obviously heavily RPO based. Mix of run schemes, gap and zone gives them a lot of options within RPO and PAP. That and personnel puts a lot of pressure on defenses to stop the run or get run over. The problem:
To get numbers up front you either need to play single high, or cheat safeties down or play cloud on the outside. All present major problems.
C3 leaves you very vulnerable to RPO pass attack. Lots of open grass underneath and off coverage on outside.
C3 leaves you very vulnerable to RPO pass attack. Lots of open grass underneath and off coverage on outside.
Bama utilizes motion and condensed splits well. Condensed is new norm, everyone does it. In terms of spacing, condensed provides abundant grass for sweeps, and ability to threaten full field on crossing routes. It also sets up lots of rubs making sticking in coverage tough
Plus an ability to add numbers in run game and force CBs to make plays in run game. All this is tough in C1. It’s why there is a shift back to more 2 high in the NFL. What Bama does better than most from condensed in attack leverage with their WR stems
Leverage is a tricky thing vs condensed, typically have to play outside for various reasons, but how far. Makes man more difficult, but even shuffle technique in C3 is harder, bc you’re less protected by the sideline. Bama attacks that really well
So even in condensed, they maintain RPO threat really well. They get to the outs with room to catch on the run, then set up the glance back inside when CBs widen too much. It’s great use of their athletes to utilize spacing from these splits.
So 2-high...
So 2-high...
Safeties down in order to sit in underneath windows are now vulnerable to being set up by RPO threat with PAP. Glance and go, post, etc. And that gets Bama into their explosives. Same with Cloud CB: out and up, etc. sit back, Bama is so good up front that they’ll find run success
So not a lot of great options. At the end of the day you need to mix it up so you aren’t predictable and find ways to get them off schedule, but you probably need to survive in man a lot of the day. Vs Bama athletes, that’s the huge challenge (/end)
