Coaches who refuse to use pre-snap motion to give their quarterbacks man/zone indicators and to displace defensive players are basically coaching with one hand tied behind their backs, and your intrepid analyst has written about this before.
Emotions in Motion: Why almost everything in the NFL happens before the snap
The Packers have been one of the more prolific and creative teams with motion through their two seasons with head coach Matt LaFleur, and they showed that with Davante Adams’ one-yard touchdown catch from Aaron Rodgers with 11:37 left in the first half.
.@tae15adams doing what he does best.
TOUCHDOWN! 🙌
#LARvsGB | #GoPackGo📺 FOX
Watch live 📱 https://t.co/giBXfSZTa0 pic.twitter.com/hqVI7GDeNp— Green Bay Packers (@packers) January 16, 2021
Cornerback Jalen Ramsey got a nightmare look from Adams, as the star receiver motioned from right to left, revealing the Rams’ coverage plan and setting Ramsey up for a bad look as he tried to navigate through his own teammates.
This was a great play design, and it reminded me of another great play design, when Alabama offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian beat Ohio State to death with all kinds of concepts in the Crimson Tide’s 52-24 beatdown of the Buckeyes in the CFP National Championship. One of the sneakiest calls came on this five-yard touchdown to receiver DeVonta Smith with 3:19 left in the first half. Smith nuked Ohio State’s defense with 12 catches, 215 yards, and three touchdowns, and this particular speed motion from left to right was quite nifty.
You can see that cornerback Sevyn Banks, much like Ramsey, was put in an impossible position if the motion receiver isn’t passed off. Defenses will struggle to make these calls from time to time, which is why this kind of motion works more often than not. Bonus points to Smith for adding the quick look-back before going through with the full motion. That’s just nasty.
Did LaFleur cop an idea after watching the College Football Championship? It’d be cool to find out.
More teams should avail themselves of creative pre-snap motion, because the teams that do generally enjoy a major tactical advantage. Go, Pack, Go, and Roll Tide.
