IT’S NOT EASY being a fan of the Oakland Raiders. For nearly a decade now, they’ve been amongst the worst teams in the NFL with expensive draft mistake followed by expensive free agent mistake leading to a franchise that looked in complete disarray a few years ago.
However, with the arrival of general manager Reggie McKenzie, things have slowly started to get better in O-Town and Raiders fans everywhere had a reason to be excited when stud wide receiver Amari Cooper of Alabama fell to Oakland in the this year’s NFL Draft.
Cooper was okay in the Raiders’ opening day loss to the Bengals but on Sunday he finished with seven receptions for over 100 yards and here we break down the first of what is sure to be many NFL touchdowns for the Sliver and Black and one that shows he has phenomenal technique for a rookie.
If you missed the game, here’s how the score looked on TV:
Pre-snap read offence
Oakland are facing a long third down in their own half and, even though running back Latavius Murray is in the backfield, this is almost certainly a passing situation.
The Raiders are in their 11 personnel grouping (one running back, one tight end) with two wide receivers (yellow) and the tight end (blue) in a bunch formation to the right while Cooper (red) is split out on his own to the left.
A bunch formation affords the team on offence a versatile yet simple passing strategy as — when implemented correctly — it allows the quarterback read through his progression faster than a ‘normal’ formation and so can be very effective against the blitz.
Pre-snap read defence
And a blitz is exactly what the defence is showing. Remember, a blitz is when the defence sends five or more players to tackle the quarterback before he throws the football.
On this play the Ravens have all 11 defenders within six yards of the line of scrimmage and are playing their Nickel defence which means they have one more defensive back (black) than normal on the field.
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Read now: The42‘s introduction to NFL defences
This is probably the most common type of Nickel defence employed in the NFL because it allows the defensive team to still protect against any potential run play even though they are set-up as if they are expecting the pass.
After the snap
At the snap the Ravens send five rushers after Carr — though only linebacker C.J. Mosley (#57) off the left edge gets anywhere close to sacking Carr — while the remaining six defenders dropping into cover 1.
On offence, the Raiders use tight end Mychal Rivera (#81 – bottom right) to slow Mosley’s blitz before he releases into the flat which gives Carr an alternative throwing option. His contact with the defender may not seem like a lot, but it gives the Raiders quarterback just the time he needs.
Though he has three other passing options on the play — Michael Crabtree (#15) on a shallow crossing route, Seth Roberts (#10) on a deep in-cut and Rivera into the flat — Carr only has eyes for Cooper who is running a post-corner route.
Roberts’ route holds Baltimore free safety Kendrick Lewis (#23) in the middle of the field which gives Cooper a one-on-one with cornerback Jimmy Smith (#22).
Back in 2011, Smith ran a 4.42 second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. This year, after some confusion, Cooper’s time was adjudged to be 4.35 seconds. In a straight foot-race, it would take Cooper 4.28 seconds to get a full yard clear of Smith.
On this play, Carr releases the ball 2.19 seconds after the snap and it lands in Cooper’s hands 4.30 seconds after the snap.
However, this is not just about straight-line speed.
Knowing that Smith is is press coverage — sdfsdf — Cooper sets up his route perfectly. First, a quick stutter step helps him avoid being jammed (blocked) at the line:
As Cooper gets alonside Smith, he gives a quick look back over his right shoulder at Carr which fools the defender into thinking he’s about to break his run to the inside of the field.
However, the rookie breaks back to his left for the corner route giving Smith no chance:
Conclusion
The throw from Carr here is perfect — and they won’t always be — but Cooper showed technique you don’t expect from a rookie especially against a first round pick defensive back whose exploits — even though it was clearly pass interference — at Super Bowl XLVII helped win his team a Vince Lombardi trophy.
Cooper also showed resiliance on the play as he’d dropped two relatively easy passes earlier in the drive and to come back with a 68-yard touchdown shows he’s unlikely to let the creeping doubts (that must come with playing with a poor team) get the better of him.
