Oakland Raiders Film Room: Week 4 (MIA in London)
By Evan Ball
Credit: NFL Game Rewind
Oakland comes out in a 4-3 under formation (4 DLs shifted toward the weakside, 3 LBs shifted toward the strong side) in man-free coverage against Miami’s 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TEs, 2 WRs) with two TEs on the right side (top of image) and two WRs on the bottom. Miami WR Mike Wallace motions toward the formation, which should be an alert to bootleg considering there’s no one else outside of WR Brian Hartline, but blocks after the snap throwing of the Oakland secondary and selling the play-action. At the snap CB Tarell Brown is expecting to take the first receiver going outside while CB Carlos Rogers would take the first inside breaking route, but since Wallace blocks, Brown backs off into zone. On the other side Usama Young’s assignment also blocks so be does the most awkward backpedal ever into his zone to help underneath. That backpedal actually does hurt the Oakland defense as it translates into very tight hips when he turns to run and challenge the pass, rendering him essentially useless. S Charles Woodson also bites on the play-action and it takes him out of position to make a play. The biggest lapse in coverage however comes from linebacker Bojay Filimoeatu, assigned man coverage over Miami TE Dion Sims. Filimoeatu makes a weak attempt to bump Sims upon release but whiffs hard and lets Sims run entirely by him. In man coverage with just one safety over the top he cannot allow himself to trail (especially that badly) from an inside position – there’s no deep help outside. The result is an easy TD for Tannehill.
These coverage lapses and missed tackles killed the Oakland defense. Confusion in coverage simply does not happen with a team that’s competing for a playoff spot. Unfortunately for Dennis Allen, a lot of that confusion rests on the coaching staff. Oakland just looked lost against Miami – over and over again. It’s a fair point to make that injuries have forced Oakland to have a lot of backups in the game, but even backups should know their responsibilities at all times. Hopefully under interim Head Coach Tony Sparano those mental lapses will be minimized and fans will be able to see improved play from the Raiders.
Next week’s article will be a film room recap of Oakland’s strengths and struggles through the first 4 weeks of the season. Stay tuned!