All 22 vs Falcons

[Nobody]

Why does JTS need more snaps?

Pass Rush juice.

27 Pressures (6 more than JPP) in almost half of JPP’s snaps. 14.6 % Win Rate (contrast with JPP’s league low 6.2 %).

Winning on the inside and a weapon on Stunts.

He needs to finish better, but he’s absolutely been a weapon coming off the ball whether outside or inside, whether pure pass rush or running a game.

[Cheb]

I don’t get all the clamoring for more JTS. Misses tackles, is out of his gap, doesn’t play with a lot of discipline.

Definitely things that are all correctable for a very young player. But to say having him in there is a huge upgrade is far-fetched.

JPP has been god awful this year, he is in there for energy and leadership. Other players on defense always bring up how he brings a spark and an energy that is contagious.

Same can be said for Suh. His stats haven’t always been good but his toughness and leadership is what helped us win a Super Bowl.

The reasons I for one advocate for JTS to take more snaps and JPP taking less are simple. JPP is an on-field liability against both the run and the pass. While he may be inspirational and a great teammate, if you can't get it done on the field you should rest until you can.

JTS has plenty of issues, first and foremost having difficulty finishing plays. He's left at least a half-dozen sacks on the field if not more. I agree that he's not a finished product.

But JTS is flashing elite traits, which is exactly what you want your first round rookie to do. He has excellent speed and timing and explosiveness, and when he does everything right on the same rep he shows Pro Bowl ability. Does JTS need to improve his technique, absolutely. Does he not always make every play, duh. But the best way to teach him and iron those things out is by getting him actual reps against NFL linemen who don't care about being polite to him in practice.

Pass rushers need pass rushing reps, imo. Most defenders do. It takes time and reps to train your eyes and your hands and your technique under fire, and practice can only get you so far.

JTS needs more reps to move down the road to long-term success, and putting him in over the injured-and-showing-it starter in front of him is an easy call.

[PanhandleBuc]

He gets elite pressures but at time it looks like he gets out of his gap to do it. Kinda like Gaines Adams use to.

His run rating has to be low or misleading. It seems a number of huge run plays have gone right at him with him being completely lost

Last year when D White would blaze up on the quarterback and miss, people were livid. It’s definitely a young overexcited trait.


Suh has played well this year but there was times last year he was in there more as just the glue.

I’m guessing JPP wouldn’t improve his condition or that would have been mentioned by BA. His snap count is going down each week though.

[MJW]

He gets elite pressures but at time it looks like he gets out of his gap to do it. Kinda like Gaines Adams use to.

His run rating has to be low or misleading. It seems a number of huge run plays have gone right at him with him being completely lost

Last year when D White would blaze up on the quarterback and miss, people were livid. It’s definitely a young overexcited trait.


Suh has played well this year but there was times last year he was in there more as just the glue.

I’m guessing JPP wouldn’t improve his condition or that would have been mentioned by BA. His snap count is going down each week though.

I mean, it's simple. You have two players who are liabilities in different ways. Except JTS's mental game will improve, JPP's age will not. JTS will be on this team in 2022, JPP will not. If one of them is going to play, JTS is the guy you play.

[Nobody]

NFL Gamepass has dropped its (now routinely utterly crappy and difficult to use) tape...partially at least. Most Endzone angle snaps aren't up.

I'm just going through it for Vea and I want to share this snap.

Want to know why JTS needs more snaps? Think JPP can do this from 3 tech? Nope!

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Bursts upfield into B forcing a 45 set > Slaps LG's outside hand to keep his pads untouched > explosive and efficient lateral move toward C and he's immediately back north south (and GONE like a phantom). Pads completely clean of Guard's hands. Upfield and in the QB's lap without any inefficient movement.

This is freakish stuff here. Modern JPP can't dream of doing this as explosively and efficiently (and efficiency is so important when you're talking .15 seconds is the difference between a nothingburger and moving the QB off his spot/forcing a ball out off-schedule and/or getting a Sack).

This is why JTS needs snaps. This isn't a one-off. He puts a lot of these sorts of WOW snaps on tape.

[Nobody]

Here is a solid snap by Vea (one of his 7 Pressures) showing maturation of hand use and Pass Rush suite (the sort of suite that he should be using given his ridiculous strength).

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The RG tries to Quick-Set Vea (good luck with that). Vea immediately forces a retreat into a 45 Set w/ a Shock (that is something he has historically struggled with in Pass Rush; getting his hands on the numbers and extending to (a) force a re-anchor and (b) free his own pads). He immediately transitions to Stab the outside hand and then Arm Over. That doesn't fully work so he basically turns it into a Long Arm Rush and keeps his feet moving and resets the apex of the pocket 3 yards deep immediately forcing the ball out.

This is the kind of 1v1 rep he should win (like he did) and how he should win it. If this ball wasn't out immediately it was going to be a very_bad_day for Ryan (it was that later). Sign of things to come.

This shows (a) plan + execution and (b) the ability to transition if the first plan wasn't optimally effective. Good stuff.

[Nobody]

Well-designed Tackle Twist Blitz here where all constituent parts of Falcon's protection except the Center derpburgle their way to their QB's near early demise. Basically Bowles designed this to get 3 guys on 2 players (while the RG chases Vea); Suh, Vea, White on C and LG. If they don't pass off the Twist correctly + the RG doesn't read the Twist and stay home and/or the RB doesn't read White's A gap blitz scraping off Vea's move over top of Suh...they're in trouble. Its really schemed to get White clean (it works) but it gets both White and Vea clean to the QB.

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Literally everything goes wrong here for the Falcons. This is clown shoes. The RG comically chases Vea leaving White free. The LG doesn't anticipate someone (either DT Twist or ILB) coming off of Suh's move across the guard's face from B to A. The RB doesn't see the blitz. This is -2 (in PFF terms) for both Guards. Terrible Tackle Twist/ILB blitz handling. Two guys are clean (Suh and White).

So, yeah...mostly Bowles winning here, shit play by a bad Falcon's iOL. But you get to see a 350 lb man move very well which enables Bowles to even call this. Most Nose Tackles can't change direction and accelerate like this.

[Primeminister]

Well-designed Tackle Twist Blitz here where all constituent parts of Falcon's protection except the Center derpburgle their way to their QB's near early demise. Basically Bowles designed this to get 3 guys on 2 players (while the RG chases Vea); Suh, Vea, White on C and LG. If they don't pass off the Twist correctly + the RG doesn't read the Twist and stay home and/or the RB doesn't read White's A gap blitz scraping off Vea's move over top of Suh...they're in trouble. Its really schemed to get White clean (it works) but it gets both White and Vea clean to the QB.


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Literally everything goes wrong here for the Falcons. This is clown shoes. The RG comically chases Vea leaving White free. The LG doesn't anticipate someone (either DT Twist or ILB) coming off of Suh's move across the guard's face from B to A. The RB doesn't see the blitz. This is -2 (in PFF terms) for both Guards. Terrible Tackle Twist/ILB blitz handling. Two guys are clean (Suh and White).

So, yeah...mostly Bowles winning here, shit play by a bad Falcon's iOL. But you get to see a 350 lb man move very well which enables Bowles to even call this. Most Nose Tackles can't change direction and accelerate like this.

I literally laughed out loud watching that guard chase Vea. I love these breakdowns so thank you.

[Grahamburn]

Derpburgle lol

[Grahamburn]

I don’t imagine NFL football players, especially linemen, get scared too often, but upcoming opponents can’t be thrilled when the put Vea’s tape on.

He was in that center’s headspace quickly on Sunday. That botched snap early was a huge play leading to a goal line stop.

[Nobody]

This one is pretty funny. No finesse here. This is just Puny Human Hulk Smash. Inside Zone play-fake and the guard has to bucket step and get over to Vita. How about no. Vita just runs through him and forces a retreat and checkdown.

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This is where you'd like to see Vita get better at consistently shedding and finishing. But this utter ruination of the apex of the pocket pays huge dividends because any sort of intermediate throw over the middle is basically donezo and vertical pocket escapes are compromised. Not to mention how demoralizing a snap like this is to an iOL. Popping wheelies are for motorcycles, not Offensive Guards.

[Nobody]

Guard does a much better job here on another Inside Zone fake. He wins briefly against the Bull Rush but can't anchor and sustain. Vita just resets the LoS, walks him back, and a little Pull > Swim and he's clean to the QB, forcing another checkdown.

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[Buc2]

Vea has a high motor for sure. If he's not on the ground, he's after your ass.

[MJW]

This one is pretty funny. No finesse here. This is just Puny Human Hulk Smash. Inside Zone play-fake and the guard has to bucket step and get over to Vita. How about no. Vita just runs through him and forces a retreat and checkdown.


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This is where you'd like to see Vita get better at consistently shedding and finishing. But this utter ruination of the apex of the pocket pays huge dividends because any sort of intermediate throw over the middle is basically donezo and vertical pocket escapes are compromised. Not to mention how demoralizing a snap like this is to an iOL. Popping wheelies are for motorcycles, not Offensive Guards.

This play reminds me a TON of the Dungy teams. Interior DL collapses the pocket in a heartbeat. QB has to checkdown before his receivers can clear their zones. Speed zone D comes up and makes the tackle.

[Primeminister]

This one is pretty funny. No finesse here. This is just Puny Human Hulk Smash. Inside Zone play-fake and the guard has to bucket step and get over to Vita. How about no. Vita just runs through him and forces a retreat and checkdown.


chrome-capture (15).gif


This is where you'd like to see Vita get better at consistently shedding and finishing. But this utter ruination of the apex of the pocket pays huge dividends because any sort of intermediate throw over the middle is basically donezo and vertical pocket escapes are compromised. Not to mention how demoralizing a snap like this is to an iOL. Popping wheelies are for motorcycles, not Offensive Guards.

This play reminds me a TON of the Dungy teams. Interior DL collapses the pocket in a heartbeat. QB has to checkdown before his receivers can clear their zones. Speed zone D comes up and makes the tackle.

Imagine if Vea was on those Dungy teams next to Sapp. My god.

[MJW]

This play reminds me a TON of the Dungy teams. Interior DL collapses the pocket in a heartbeat. QB has to checkdown before his receivers can clear their zones. Speed zone D comes up and makes the tackle.

Imagine if Vea was on those Dungy teams next to Sapp. My god.

Healthy prime Vea? We'd have had the greatest defense in NFL history.

As it was, we had guys like Pep and Tyoka Jackson and Booger in that spot, and we were still dominant.

BTW, as good a spot as any to mention: Vea is special. He's a guy who, 20 years from now, we'll be saying, "This guy is good, but he's no Vita Vea." He's as much of a unicorn as guys like Evans and Gronk and White. You're not supposed to push double and triple teams backwards. And you're definitely not supposed to do that one snap, then beat the center with agility and technique the next snap. Watching him when he's healthy is as much a treat as watching Brady for me.

IMHO, he's the best interior defensive lineman in the league whose name doesn't rhyme with "Barron Gonnald."

[Primeminister]

Imagine if Vea was on those Dungy teams next to Sapp. My god.

Healthy prime Vea? We'd have had the greatest defense in NFL history.

As it was, we had guys like Pep and Tyoka Jackson and Booger in that spot, and we were still dominant.

BTW, as good a spot as any to mention: Vea is special. He's a guy who, 20 years from now, we'll be saying, "This guy is good, but he's no Vita Vea." He's as much of a unicorn as guys like Evans and Gronk and White. You're not supposed to push double and triple teams backwards. And you're definitely not supposed to do that one snap, then beat the center with agility and technique the next snap. Watching him when he's healthy is as much a treat as watching Brady for me.

IMHO, he's the best interior defensive lineman in the league whose name doesn't rhyme with "Barron Gonnald."

Agreed on all points. I’m glad that he is getting the national attention his play deserves. Think about how young he is and how many seasons he could have left. And Licht traded DOWN to get him!