Buccaneers Opponent Film Study: 2017 Atlanta Falcons Pt. 1

FALCONS DEFENSE

Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard has been a catalyst for big plays this season, when utilized to the extent of his abilities.

The Falcons defense has allowed opposing tight ends to catch four or more passes in six of their ten games, and in eight of them they allowed at least three.

What I’m saying is, tight ends can do damage here.

You don’t have to tell Bucs tight end Cameron Brate this fact. In 2016, the Harvard product snagged a total of eight catches for nearly 100-yards and a touchdown in the two meetings between these two teams.

So, this isn’t new, but it is incredibly important. Why? Because of how these tight ends get free.

Circled here is the Buccaneers rookie tight end. He’s inline, and the Bucs put wide receiver Mike Evans in motion to the outside to take the attention of the cornerback in the Dolphins zone coverage.

Howard runs the diagrammed route, and finds himself wide open in a soft spot in the coverage due to the motioning of Evans and his ability to get behind the linebacker coverage quicker than they anticipated. The result is a big gain for the Bucs offense, and puts them near field goal range.

Similarly, the Patriots attacked with Rob Gronkowski against the Falcons earlier this season.

Here, we see Gronkowski standing up instead of down like Howard was. However, from the Falcons coverage you can expect man coverage with the possibility of a deep zone over the top if the safety bails when the ball is snapped. Again, Gronkowski’s route is mapped.

When the ball is snapped, the coverage follows Gronkowski as he makes his way towards the sideline. Because of other interior routes, the Falcons safety was unable to commit early enough on the tight ends route, giving the Patriots an optimal angle for Tom Brady to throw at.

Fortunately for Atlanta, they got some early pressure, and this ball was a little late to it’s target because Brady had to evade pass rushers first. Had this pass come out on time, it would have gone for a much bigger gain, or possibly a score.

Must Read: Knowing the Falcons

This is just one way the Buccaneers can use their athletic tight ends to attack the Falcons secondary.