Beating Marinelli's Scheme

[Ranched]

I'm sure it's not quite so simple, but I do think this is the basic strategy to use against Marinelli. Use the attempt get upfield past the oline to your advantage.

The "F" bomb.... You're FIRED!

 

[buybuydandavis]

Sam Darnold, who is a god awful QB even when healthy, came back from mono and torched this defense and crapped all over our scheme in public. That tells you all you need to know about Rod's defense. I despise him and Garrett. They are the root problems of our scheme and why we get outplayed so often.

Coaching matters much more in the NFL than the lower levels because the talent discrepancy is very minimal.

The week after Darnold torched us for a 113.8 QB rating, Belichick held him to a 3.6 QB rating. Not a typo.

Coaching matters.

 

[Haimerej]

Crawford, Taco, Ross, and Reid. Those are the guys we're missing from last year. You think they're the secret sauce? I don't.

Last year doesn't matter.

 

[JayFord]

Its beating itself right now

 

[xwalker]

I thought I'd run a strategy by you all for beating Marinelli.

His whole shtick is getting his defense upfield through a gap and run defending "on the way to the QB". Ok. Use that against him.

Either a defender is in a gap you plan to hit with the RB, or not.
If yes, block.
If not, usher the dlineman upfield *where he's trying to go* and go block a LB.

Unlike a two gap which holds a line of defense across the LOS, Marinelli's one gap rush is vacating the LOS if they can manage to get upfield. So let them. Help them. Help the *right* ones.

Teams seem to abuse us in the run game by getting up on our LBs. Eberflus simply spanked us that way. How? Should be one defender trying to get upfield somewhere the play ain't going. That's one blocker who can go looking for a LB.

There was talk about the Rams having "tells" on our dline. Do you really need tells? Just react on where the dlineman lines up and tries to go. If the dlineman is going somewhere the ball ain't, help him get there, and go block a LB. Or just another lineman.

I'm sure it's not quite so simple, but I do think this is the basic strategy to use against Marinelli. Use the attempt get upfield past the oline to your advantage.

I've explained many times how the Rams exploited the Cowboys scheme.

I made the videos to go with the explanations.

Most of the Cowboys run defense problems are against Zone Blocking.

The DL flows to the play-side on Zone Runs. Jumping up-field has not been a big issue on zone runs.

The issues are about lateral movement and blocking assignments.

Zone runs start to the outside and then often cut back inside.

Defenses have to balance how much they move outside (play-side) vs how much they stay put to defend the cut back.

The Rams literally always (all but a couple of plays) to the side where the 1-tech was aligned.

They did that because the open gap on that side is the B gap (OG - OT).

If the 1-tech has to move across the extra gap as compared to when the run is to the side with the 3-tech.

The Cowboys 1-tech was making a mad-dash to get outside (i.e. He took himself out of the middle area).

That made it easy to block for the inside cut back.

They just needed a good double-team on the backside DT which was the 3-tech.

With the 1-tech taking himself out of the area, it was easy for an OL on that side to kick out and block a LB.

One of the two OL doubling the 3-tech could kick out and block the other LB because the timing of cut back plays means a delayed block works perfectly.

It was a similar concept with the backside LB. If he stays in place looking for the cut back or often looking for some backside misdirection including a QB keep and roll out backside, then the OL kicks out and pins him to that side. If that backside LB moves hard to the play-side, then the OL will box him out on that side which is even better because it boxes out box LBs to that side basically with 1 block.

Patriots vs Rams
Belichick changed his defensive alignment to play the Rams.
He moved a LB outside and up on the line.
That allowed the DE on that side to play the gap inside the OT instead of outside the OT because the LB would play the gap outside the OT.
With the DE playing the otherwise "open" B gap, the need for the 1-tech to move quickly to the outside was limited.
The trade-off was that it put that LB on the outside in coverage where the Nickel CB would normally be located (they flipped the Nickel "slot" CB to the opposite side to balance things out). The LB would play a short zone and a Safety would cover over the top. The CB on that side would cover the outside WR as normal.

Summary:
Zone Blocking teams are gashing the Cowboys by boxing out their players (especially the LBs) laterally (side to side).
Rams: Primarily by showing outside zone run then cutting back inside.
Vikings: Primarily by outside zone runs but then an occasion inside cut back if the Cowboys started to cheat to the outside.

Belichick made a simple change in this defensive alignment moving a LB to the outside.
That LB on the outside was responsible for area. He didn't need to move far laterally.
The remaining LB on the inside didn't need to move hard to the outside because there was already a LB there.

Your (buybuy) concept of letting the defender go where he is going was true, but it's more about letting the DT move laterally which takes him out defending the inside cut back or if he does not move laterally quickly, then and outside gap will be open.

The RB "reads" the backside LB and the play-side DT then either stay to the outside or cuts back inside based on their movement.

The Belichick alignment mucked up the "read" for the Rams RB and without their run game working, it was easy to attack their passing game.

 

[CF74]

I thought I'd run a strategy by you all for beating Marinelli.

His whole shtick is getting his defense upfield through a gap and run defending "on the way to the QB". Ok. Use that against him.

Either a defender is in a gap you plan to hit with the RB, or not.
If yes, block.
If not, usher the dlineman upfield *where he's trying to go* and go block a LB.

Unlike a two gap which holds a line of defense across the LOS, Marinelli's one gap rush is vacating the LOS if they can manage to get upfield. So let them. Help them. Help the *right* ones.

Teams seem to abuse us in the run game by getting up on our LBs. Eberflus simply spanked us that way. How? Should be one defender trying to get upfield somewhere the play ain't going. That's one blocker who can go looking for a LB.

There was talk about the Rams having "tells" on our dline. Do you really need tells? Just react on where the dlineman lines up and tries to go. If the dlineman is going somewhere the ball ain't, help him get there, and go block a LB. Or just another lineman.

I'm sure it's not quite so simple, but I do think this is the basic strategy to use against Marinelli. Use the attempt get upfield past the oline to your advantage.

Pretty much. It was more obvious when we had a guy 6’7” in the middle being “Trapped” out of the run play, Big David Irving...

Seems we all forgot about that...

 

[buybuydandavis]

Last year doesn't matter.

"Facts which contradict The Narrative will be ignored."

 

[DuncanIso]

Marinelli is just a title this year. He is a glorifed DL coach. Richards is running the defense and doing the positioning and play calling. He's got LVE and Jaylon all screwed up, and that is the future foundation of the defense.

I think Marinelli is just going to retire. He's 70 years old.

No.

KR is not running the D.

Does Dallas look anything like the SHawks Legion of Boom?

Legion of Boom doesnt play Bend But Don't Break.

 

[atlantacowboy]

No.

KR is not running the D.

Does Dallas look anything like the SHawks Legion of Boom?

Legion of Boom doesnt play Bend But Don't Break.

Actually KR IS running the defense and calling all the defensive plays and alignments. This doesn't look like the legion of boom b/c we don't have their personnel and Pete Carrol isn't coaching them.

 

[DuncanIso]

this organization just loves and adores Marinelli, they think he's old school and unique, and they've went on record as saying they are " so lucky to have him "

Leads me to think they want Marinelli to handle the DL coach role as long as he wants.

and those old dinosaurs tend to hang on and around for years and years after. they have to be pushed to retirement or push off the team as not re-signing them .

Marinelli is going to get Jason fired.

 

[DuncanIso]

Actually KR IS running the defense and calling all the defensive plays and alignments. This doesn't look like the legion of boom b/c we don't have their personnel and Pete Carrol isn't coaching them.

Actually, KR is not the DC and Marinelli is.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Actually, KR is not the DC and Marinelli is.

Do you follow the cowboys? KR is doing most of the game day functions of a DC.

 

[ItzKelz]

Before Kris we ran hybrid version of the Seahawks defense. Since Kris we run the Seahawks defense. Rod had flexibility to change depending on who we were playing. Kris does not. With that said players got to tackle. For example in the Vikings game the coaches put players in position to make plays and they didnt. Specifically our LBs to include Lee which is not the norm.

 

[ghst187]

How to beat Marinellis scheme..
(Insert image of original techno bowl play options)


He went 10-38 including the first perfect season (perfectly winless) since the 16 game schedule.
Not sure why anyone would think it’s hard to figure his plans out.
Sure glad we hired him, winning just follows him...

 

[rnr_honeybadger]

The week after Darnold torched us for a 113.8 QB rating, Belichick held him to a 3.6 QB rating. Not a typo.

Coaching matters.

Not according to Jerry. He is still trying to prove that he can throw together a bunch of dudes and it should all work and be successful.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

we get gashed by teams that run up the middle. just a consequence of being weak at the tackle spots. year after year after year. but rod doesn't seem to think they're necessary.

it can't be just the DTs, because there are 13 teams ahead of us and most of them don't have any big name DTs.....we Jaylon, LVE, Lawrence, Quinn, we should have enough to be better against the run, and most of the runs we give up are to the outside...

 

[DuncanIso]

Do you follow the cowboys? KR is doing most of the game day functions of a DC.

Marinelli is the DC, unless Dallas updated the coaches titles on their website last night.

Poor Marinelli, he just stands their while KR takes over everything. Poor guy.

Not happening. Blame Hot Rod for the mess, not KR.

 

[DuncanIso]

Before Kris we ran hybrid version of the Seahawks defense. Since Kris we run the Seahawks defense. Rod had flexibility to change depending on who we were playing. Kris does not. With that said players got to tackle. For example in the Vikings game the coaches put players in position to make plays and they didnt. Specifically our LBs to include Lee which is not the norm.

Legion of Boom don't play BBDB.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Not according to Jerry. He is still trying to prove that he can throw together a bunch of dudes and it should all work and be successful.

"501"

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

This part isn't true. They are good when they know it will be a passing down. However, they struggle against the pass if the opposing team are on 1st down or down and distance where a run could be called.

Proof is Aaron Rodgers. He torched the Cowboys without his number 1 target in the first half and they weren't even running the ball much this year. In fact, he did the same thing in 2016 playoffs.

If your only proof is Aaron Rodgers, that's not saying much. He's made many good defenses look bad (not that I'm calling ours good at the moment).