I know in some respect these are getting as popular as Dak threads, but I had some time this morning and wanted to do a semi deep dive into the guy from the Philly game as he should be getting a bump in snaps this week. This is going to be a simple +/- or no grade scale so it'll be pretty basic like a PFF type of score so take from that what you will.
Eagles Game
Q1
7:18 - Mazi on the field, false start offense, Mazi taken out. No grade
:50 - Lined up at 3T, No issues with the get off, screen play, Mazi reads it and falls back, Philly with a nice design here sending #0 to the right side to make it look like a screen to the right, ends up going to #88 on the left. Mazi a non factor, read the play but to the wrong side. No grade.
:12 - Lined up at 3T, Slightly slow off the ball, gets absolutely destroyed and washed out of the play. -
Q2
3:07 - Lined up at 3T, no issues with the get off, pass play, runs into a C/G double team. Both DTs slanted to the right, Mazi makes a move to go around the C, but overall a pretty weak rush move. No grade
2:33 - 3T, No issues with the get off, Pass play, draws the double team, but no impact on the play. No grade
Q3
14:24 - No issues getting off the ball, Holds ground, zero penetration, draws double team, nice split of the double team but it came too late. Solid gain in Mazi's direction but #1 and #14 were both unblocked because Mazi kept the double team engaged and they should have made the play for a minimal gain. I'll give Mazi a +
13:40 - No issues getting off the ball again, pass play, straight bullrush move and not a very good one, #90 came untouched forcing the ball out quick. No grade
12:02 - Slow get off, pass play, straight bull rush move and a much better one this time. Gets his arms extended on the Olineman and looks to have him off balance. Not a bad play by Mazi but seems to lack a pass rush move off the bull rush, if he had one he was in perfect position to execute on this play but didn't. No grade
11:56 - Slight delay on the get off, trap play by Philly, Mazi gets easily washed down. From the All 22 tape his first step was inside like he was supposed to be A gap which played right into the play Philly had on. I think this is simply right play at the right time by Philly but gotta give Mazi a - as he needs to read that better and at least do a better job of fighting back once the G starts to wash him down like that.
2:52 - No issues with the get off, RPO turned pass, Mazi gets washed out of the play as he plays the run. A non factor in the play but he is playing his responsibilities here. No grade
2:19 - No issues with the get off, 1v1 from either a 2 or 3T, couldn't tell for sure with the G and Mazi does a nice job of holding ground. RB runs right into a wall of players (mazi included) for a loss of 1. +
1:34 - No issues with the get off, pass play, Mazi takes on two players (C/G) with a straight bull rush, falls down when DLaw runs into him from behind - No grade
Q4
9:40 - No issues with the get off, pass play, singled up on the G and just holds ground. Good job getting his hands up, extended, and to the chest of the G but the rip move he uses is pretty weak. No grade
Notes:
* His official snap count was 13, I only found 12
* Strictly a 3T until the Hankins injury
* I gave him 2 +, 2-, and a bunch of nothing
* Him being slow off the ball seems to be overblow. Happens on occasion but not a consistent issue.
* Constantly in a stance with his weight back. This tells me the Cowboys are not asking him to be the explosive player we want him to be, and are letting him be more of a read/react guy, which aligns with his college film. This will be an interesting piece to watch next season with Mazi. If they alter his stance over the offseason it'll be a sign that we are going to see a different style of play from Mazi.
* Small sample size but it seems difficult to move Mazi 1v1, although if you can get him off balance he's basically on wheels.
* Seems to be improving on playing the double team
* The trap play was worrisome to me. Granted it's easy for a 1T to get washed down on those traps he has to fight through it better. Goes back to he's tough to beat straight up, but it seems teams can attack him from an angle easily.
* Excellent bull rush as a pass rusher, did a nice job a times getting extension and his hands in place to make a move, but clearly needs work on his moves that play off the bull rush
Clearly a project player still, but I see what the Cowboys liked in the guy. I haven't really watched Mazi film since early in the year and must say it looks much better right now. As a pass rusher he's clearly got potential but still needs to really develop actual moves. His bull rush will play at this level, and works well with his hands, but he needs something to play off it to actually get pressure on a QB. Right now his best attribute on passing downs is probably as a slow rusher who can move laterally to take away the run lanes for the QB. As a run stuffer I actually didn't hate what I saw. Granted I was expecting the tape to be horrid in this area I didn't notice a huge difference from when Hankins was in the game. The key for Mazi with getting more snaps is really going to be avoiding the ugly plays rather than making more plays. If I'm Buffalo I'm getting some run plays ready where I can throw some traps, reach blocks, etc Mazis way to see if I can move him and open up the middle.
