How to Hit the Backside Dig with Matthew Stafford
Against MOFC. Over and outside leverage from the cornerback. Flat defender getting outside the stem of the route. QB delivering the ball on time.
NFL QBs are on another level when it comes to getting the ball out on rhythm, on time. Watching Matthew Stafford play in the Rams’ well-designed offense is an absolute joy to watch. He is always playing with a great base and seems to know exactly where to go with the ball on every play.
One of his trademark throws is the backside dig. I wanted to take a look at it to see how he is able to get to it so consistently. Before watching, I though the backside dig was on the back half of a pure progression. The Rams, however, seem to get to it super quick.
Within the first 12 plays in their game against the Bengals last year, the Rams hit the backside dig three different times on three different plays. There were commonalities between the three that reveal how the play works. That is what we’ll cover today.
Number One
Facing MOFC, the Rams have a snag concept called to the three receiver side with a dig and (maybe) option route from the RB on the backside.
Something from the pre-snap look gave the QB the go-ahead to skip the play-side concept and move to the backside immediately. The defense had a cornerback playing over and outside the solo WR which is advantageous for the dig. The down safety was playing under and inside which is disadvantageous for the dig. So for the play to work that down safety must move horizontally out of the dig window. Pre-snap the only way to guarantee that is to know he would go with the back. The QB could look to that flat to try and pull him, but he doesn’t do this.
You can’t see his eyes in the clip, but you can see his helmet which doesn’t move too much to the flat. The down safety makes a move to the flat but quickly tries to move under the dig turning his hips inside. That movement is his downfall because it takes him too long to get his feet under him to move underneath the dig. It’s all the window the QB needed. As expected by the pre-snap look the cornerback maintained over and outside leverage and was not a factor on the play.
Number Two
Again the defense is playing a MOFC structure. Now the Rams are running an All Go concept to the field with a crosser and a dig on the backside. Once again, it looks like Stafford doesn’t even consider the play-side. After the play fake, it looks like he looked to the crosser to the dig.
Two commonalities between this play and the last. First, the cornerback is playing with over and outside leverage so he is a non-factor on the play. Second, the down safety makes a move outside to cover the RB and loses any chance to defend the dig window. The weak inside linebacker isn’t an immediate issue because he starts to cover the crosser. He becomes a secondary issue when he sees the ball come out and delivers a big hit though too late to disrupt the catch.
Number Three
MOFC again. This time the dig is coming from an in-line TE alone on the backside. This backside dig concept is the same as the first play with the option from the RB to get the underneath player occupied.
This play has no threat from an inside linebacker because he blitzes. So the commonalities are the flat defender gets outside and the cornerback is playing with over and outside leverage.
The Principles of the Route
Against MOFC. Over and outside leverage from the cornerback. Flat defender getting outside the stem of the route. QB delivering the ball on time.
All three of these examples have the QB getting to the backside almost immediately. So though this could be a backside concept that the QB works to after working through the play-side, it appears that the Rams are running these concepts as “pick-a-side” plays. I’d be curious to know what the factors are that get Stafford to the backside so consistently and successfully. The play-side for all three concepts had opportunities — the corner on play one, the slot seam on play two, and the corner on play three.
However, Stafford doesn’t seem to have considered any of them. Maybe he’s just looking for MOFC with a cornerback with over and outside leverage, and then he knows he has a cannon to rip it in that tight window.
Until tomorrow,
Emory Wilhite
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