Oakland Raiders Film Room: Week 15 vs GB
By Evan Ball
Amerson on the Deep Route
Cornerback David Amerson’s play in the last six weeks has been nothing short of elite. Not only has he provided a much needed performance lift to a depleted Raiders secondary, but the added coverage has given Khalil Mack and the defensive front more time to get after the quarterback. With Charles Woodson gone next year the Raiders will still need to make moves to bolster their defensive backfield. At least with Amerson at cornerback, Reggie McKenzie can rest assured that one of the positions is handled.
Pinned inside their own 5 yard line, the Packers do the Mike McCarthy-Aaron Rodgers thing and take a big shot downfield when most teams would simply try for a more manageable third down. Green Bay lines up in 20 personnel (2 RBs, 0 TEs, 3 WRs) as Rodgers goes straight for James Jones with the one-on-one matchup against Amerson. Oakland runs Man-Free coverage from the 3-4 defense (3 DLs, 4 LB, 4 DBs) with Carrie in the slot and Woodson as the single deep safety.
Amerson plays his man perfectly. He maintains inside leverage and keeps to a position right on the hip of James Jones. He is careful to not press in so far as to create unnecessary downfield contact. He reads Jones’s eyes and turns around to find the ball as soon as Jones looks up for the pass. To cap it off, Amerson makes a perfect diving pass deflection with his inside hand, keeping the ball far from Jones’s hands. Superb play. Keep on doing you, Amerson.
Next: Locking Down in the End Zone