There are plenty of ways to attack the single high safety coverages the Seahawks love. One concept that Peyton Manning victimized the Seachickens (and Rivers the next week to Jacksonville) on their final drive to send the game to OT caught my eye.
Apologies, there's a ton of pictures.
Donks come out in Empty with Posse (3W1TE1RB). Sherman lines up on Welker, Ball is split wide RT matched up with a LB. Hawks showing 2 deep shell.
Earl Thomas robs, Chancellor responsible for MOF. Both the corners on the boundary side have outside leverage.
Here's where things get fun. Sanders breaks on an out while D. Thomas continues to stretch vertically. Chancellor starts to match.
Zoink! Sanders now on top of the DB and pushing vertical towards the sideline. D. Thomas has now stretched his corner and the safety towards the MOF and away from Sanders, leaving a nice open space. Pass is incomplete but Peyton goes back to it the next play.
Same alignment and personnel from our hoofed friends. Seahawks now align in press (Sherman the exception) with a 2 deep shell.
They be playing that Cover 3 though! Tricky gulls. Once again, Pete Carroll has inexplicably decided to have Bernard Pollard 2.0 as their deep MOF player while Earl Thomas is resorted to playing like 2013 Eric Berry.
Ermahgerhd, deh damn Donks did it agerhn! Sanders runs his out and up while Thomas again draws not only Chancellor and his 1/3 player but Earl "Best Safety Eva" Thomas as well.
Results in completion.
We fast foward the Donks TD. Does Peyton Manning try something new or will he have Jacob ****ing Tamme look like Jason Witten?
If you guessed the latter, congratulations! The Donks once again align empty with trips to the field only Jacob Tamme, destroyer of worlds, is aligned where E. Sanders previously was. Seahawks again show 2 deep shell.
Tamme runs the out and up, Thomas draws 3 players, and Mike Mayock is pounding the table.
Ouch.
Touchdown
The very next week, the Chargers played Jacksonville. Similar defense, not similar players but Phillip Rivers liked what he saw.
Chargers line up with trips to the field and have Gates remain as a blocker. Jags roll a safety down to the field and send the nickel from the field as pressure. Boundary safety is now MOF player.
Chargers run the same concept, safety helps with the deepest vertical threat, and Eddie Royal creates a burn victim.
