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First TD to Kirkwood (pics inside)
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:28 pm
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:28 pm
Wanted to give this play some love. Obviously that 3rd quarter drive was incredible and the game-ending INT was memorable, but without this one, this game likely plays out a lot differently.
So this play scared the crap out of me as it was unfolding. We were finally getting some momentum after Lattimore's 1st INT and the Taysom Hill fake punt to keep this drive alive. If we come out of this with no points then it would've been really de-moralizing and possibly would've resulted in us going into halftime with 0 points. The TD goes to Kirkwood running a shallow corner route from the 2 yard line on 4th down. I usually hate going to these types of routes this close to the endzone because there's just not much room to work that route. Same as goal line fade routes...just so low percentage compared to other options. But I went and re-watched and it is really a thing of beauty.
So MT13 comes in motion here, which tells Drew the defense is in zone. The DB on the bottom (#48) is who is supposed to stop the Kirkwood route.
Immediately after the snap, Drew pump-fakes (he was too fast for me to capture in a screen-shot haha) to MT13 and absolutely freezes 48 in his tracks, allowing the easy release for Kirkwood. (Ignore the marking on the far side..thought Kamara was running a route over here, but he just stays in and chips Michael Bennett's weird shoulderpad-wearing arse)
Here we see 48 really taking the bait. Drew immediately takes advantage. This is where it's really impressive that he reads and reacts so fast. I think this play is designed to go to either Kirkwood in the corner, or MT13 in the flat, all depending on how the defense reacts to the pump-fake.
Another angle of how badly 48 got duped
Here's a shot just to show that MT13 might've been open for a TD as well. Watching it live I thought Drew was going Kirkwood no matter what and I stopped breathing for a second, but I see now he had 2 options here and was just incredible at identifying the coverage and pulling the trigger so fast after 48 bit
Ball was in the air for what felt like forever. If 48 had positioned himself a bit better or didn't bite quite as hard he could have easily undercut this.
Last one just to show where Kirkwood comes down with the ball. Plenty of space to get the feet down, but far enough to the outside to keep out of the DB's reach. Great placement.
Great play all around. Good blocking, good design, great job by Kirkwood coming up clutch in a huge situation.
So this play scared the crap out of me as it was unfolding. We were finally getting some momentum after Lattimore's 1st INT and the Taysom Hill fake punt to keep this drive alive. If we come out of this with no points then it would've been really de-moralizing and possibly would've resulted in us going into halftime with 0 points. The TD goes to Kirkwood running a shallow corner route from the 2 yard line on 4th down. I usually hate going to these types of routes this close to the endzone because there's just not much room to work that route. Same as goal line fade routes...just so low percentage compared to other options. But I went and re-watched and it is really a thing of beauty.
So MT13 comes in motion here, which tells Drew the defense is in zone. The DB on the bottom (#48) is who is supposed to stop the Kirkwood route.
Immediately after the snap, Drew pump-fakes (he was too fast for me to capture in a screen-shot haha) to MT13 and absolutely freezes 48 in his tracks, allowing the easy release for Kirkwood. (Ignore the marking on the far side..thought Kamara was running a route over here, but he just stays in and chips Michael Bennett's weird shoulderpad-wearing arse)
Here we see 48 really taking the bait. Drew immediately takes advantage. This is where it's really impressive that he reads and reacts so fast. I think this play is designed to go to either Kirkwood in the corner, or MT13 in the flat, all depending on how the defense reacts to the pump-fake.
Another angle of how badly 48 got duped
Here's a shot just to show that MT13 might've been open for a TD as well. Watching it live I thought Drew was going Kirkwood no matter what and I stopped breathing for a second, but I see now he had 2 options here and was just incredible at identifying the coverage and pulling the trigger so fast after 48 bit
Ball was in the air for what felt like forever. If 48 had positioned himself a bit better or didn't bite quite as hard he could have easily undercut this.
Last one just to show where Kirkwood comes down with the ball. Plenty of space to get the feet down, but far enough to the outside to keep out of the DB's reach. Great placement.
Great play all around. Good blocking, good design, great job by Kirkwood coming up clutch in a huge situation.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:33 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
Play was meant for Kirkwood. MT was a decoy on the Little slip screen. That’s why Brees pump fakes. Dan Orvlosky had a great video on Twitter about it
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:33 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
That's good stuff. Every play has a series of events taking place that produce or negate success.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:34 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
I was so nervous on that play.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:35 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
Kirkwood is another gem found by CSP and the FO
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:36 pm to LosLobos111
I'm kind of interested in how this wr group progresses next year.
Trequan looked phenomenal (Washington and philly) before he got hurt.
Kirkwood comes up with solid catches, occasional drop.
Cameron meredith showed he could be a true #2 in this league when healthy.
Ted Ginn is still fast af.
Lots of potential.
Trequan looked phenomenal (Washington and philly) before he got hurt.
Kirkwood comes up with solid catches, occasional drop.
Cameron meredith showed he could be a true #2 in this league when healthy.
Ted Ginn is still fast af.
Lots of potential.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:38 pm to htran90
I really think we just need a TE
Cook or a healthy Eifert would be dope
Cook or a healthy Eifert would be dope
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:41 pm to Lester Earl
quote:
Dan Orvlosky had a great video on Twitter about it
Yea, that guy needs to be on more stuff. That was a great breakdown.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:46 pm to LosLobos111
(no message)
This post was edited on 10/19/21 at 3:52 pm
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:49 pm to Lester Earl
Yeah I saw him break it down. It was a great play.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:50 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
quote:
If 48 had positioned himself a bit better or didn't bite quite as hard he could have easily undercut this.
k
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:55 pm to Lester Earl
quote:
Play was meant for Kirkwood. MT was a decoy on the Little slip screen. That’s why Brees pump fakes.
Yep. It was an excellent play design by Payton using a concept that MT has scored TDs with several times. The Eagles saw that on tape & took the bait which left Kirkwood open for the easy TD.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:56 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
I actually just watched analysis of this play on YT (I think PFF) who said this is a copycat league and every single team has run this play with success this year, only as a screen to the WR in motion and the other WRs blocking or running interference.
They said every defense has seen this screen so their eyes were on the man in motion.
They said it was a brilliant variation by the Saints to have Brees pump to Thomas in motion and have Kirkwood (and Thomas) slip out in the opposite direction.
They said every defense has seen this screen so their eyes were on the man in motion.
They said it was a brilliant variation by the Saints to have Brees pump to Thomas in motion and have Kirkwood (and Thomas) slip out in the opposite direction.
Posted on 1/16/19 at 12:57 pm to CocoLoco
quote:
That was a great breakdown.
Link for non-Twitterers?
Posted on 1/16/19 at 1:10 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
Awesome breakdown, had been looking for a shot/video to see how Kirkwood got so open.
Something I really liked about this play, would be a great last pic if you can find it, was how Kirkwood positioned his body and the ball. As soon as he secured the ball and his footing he turned his body and held the ball away from the defender to ensure it couldn’t be knocked loose and there would be no doubt. Very smart move by Kirkwood
Something I really liked about this play, would be a great last pic if you can find it, was how Kirkwood positioned his body and the ball. As soon as he secured the ball and his footing he turned his body and held the ball away from the defender to ensure it couldn’t be knocked loose and there would be no doubt. Very smart move by Kirkwood
Posted on 1/16/19 at 1:17 pm to s-man
quote:
Link for non-Twitterers?
Twitter Link to Orlovsky's video
basically his main point is that the Saints ran this same play several times this season, and the ball ALWAYS went to MT13
it was on video this way and CSP knew the Eagles would expect it... why this time it went to KK18
Posted on 1/16/19 at 1:20 pm to Weekend Warrior79
If Smith and Kirkwood get it together, and we can keep Thomas, the future =
Posted on 1/16/19 at 1:22 pm to Neauxla_Tiger
quote:
Here we see 48 really taking the bait. Drew immediately takes advantage. This is where it's really impressive that he reads and reacts so fast. I think this play is designed to go to either Kirkwood in the corner, or MT13 in the flat, all depending on how the defense reacts to the pump-fake.
Wrong. Payton, Brees & MT said the play was designed to go to Kirkwood & that Thomas was just a decoy on the play.
quote:
You’ve got to call Doobie Pump.
And sometimes, when you’ve caught more passes than anyone in the league, and you’re near the end of a long season, and you are just dying to put your team on your back and prove to America and to your home crowd—which, by the way, lost its collective vocal cords in a high-decibel performance for the ages at the Superdome on Sunday—that there’s no better receiver in the NFL, you have to take one for the team. You have to be a decoy.
“At a crucial point of our season,” Drew Breestold me later, “Michael Thomas was a big piece of cheese.”
quote:
Eagles 14, Saints 0, midway through the second quarter, fourth-and-goal at the Eagles’ 2-yard line. All eyes on Thomas, one of three Saints receivers to the left of the formation. The Saints, in a very Doug Pederson call, were going for it, and two Eagle defenders cheated toward Thomas as Brees called the cadence. Thomas came in motion from outside the numbers to the slot.
“Plays like this are the cool plays,” Thomas said in a quiet moment by his locker later, after the media herd thinned out. “It’s the kind of play the real coaches and the real players appreciate.”
Brees took the snap, stared at Thomas and pumped his arm forward. Everyone in the place, and Eagles defensive backs Cre’Von LeBlanc and Josh Hawkins, focused on Thomas.
Doobie Pump, remember.
quote:
After the game, Sean Payton stood in his office and drew it up on his whiteboard. Three receivers to the left, and the widest, Thomas, motions inside. “Looks like Mike’s gonna get it,” Payton said, stopping the blue marker behind the left guard, “but all of a sudden, it’s a pump. See, most times this season people would see that motion and we’d stick it in there to Mike, but in this case, Drew pumps. Everything about this play was Mike Thomas, till it wasn’t.”
“So,” Brees picks up the story, “I pump to Mike and they’re reacting to it, and that leaves [rookie receiver Keith] Kirkwood with a step on his guy over the top in the end zone, just the way we hoped, and just what happened in practice.”
The key was getting one of the corners, LeBlanc, who was on Kirkwood, to tend to Thomas in the same neighborhood. He did. And Kirkwood got a step on LeBlanc, and Brees’ throw was true. Easy touchdown to Kirkwood. One of the toughest TD drives of the year, from start to finish, for New Orleans, but also one of the most rewarding.
quote:
“I really wanted that play to work,” said Thomas. “It’s strange, but sometimes, when I’m getting all these targets from Drew—I caught the most passes in the league this year and didn’t drop many—people don’t really get to know exactly what kind of player I am. You know, I’m kind of selfish, but selfish in a way that I want to see the other guys I play with succeed too.”
Thomas said these “real plays” are the one receivers would talk about away from the field. “That’s the kind of play that the Larry Fitzgeralds and the Anquan Boldins, the great receivers, the guys who go to the Hall of Fame, they do. I’m happy to build my résumé by putting that one out there for people to see.”
"Doobie Pump"
Posted on 1/16/19 at 1:22 pm to BigBrod81
quote:
Yep. It was an excellent play design by Payton using a concept that MT has scored TDs with several times.
I still dont know why MT turned back to the sideline. Seems like that brings an extra defender back out there.
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