Last week, I took a look at a couple of plays from the season that seemed to be setting up for a trick play as a counter. At the end of that article, I said, “Hoping for an eventual payoff to at least
one of these at some point this season.”
The idea behind both of those plays was generally the same, even if the overall movement was different. The Green Bay Packers got the ball in the hands of Savion Williams, and Jordan Love would put himself in a position for a lateral from Williams. On one of those plays, it was Williams moving left with Love releasing behind him for a potential pitch going the other way.
On the other, Love was aligned outside and took a step back at the snap with his hands up, ready for a cross-field lateral.
The Packers ran a play against the Cowboys that kind of worked off both of those ideas, while being somewhat different.
This play finds the Packers in 11 personnel (1 RB, 1 TE, 3 WR), with Love in shotgun. Williams is initially aligned wide to the left, as the under man in a stack. He comes in motion pre-snap, angling behind Love. The ball is snapped just as Williams is reaching the line and Love spins back to hand the ball off on what looks to be a run to the right. Chris Brooks [30] releases as the lead blocker from the backfield and everything.
After Love completes the handoff, he fades back, as if his job is done. But it’s not, my friends.
Williams pulls up just short of the numbers and throws the ball back to Love across the field. Romeo Doubs [87] and Dontayvion Wicks [13] – initially selling themselves as blockers for the run and just jogging out the rest of the play – suddenly shift into high gear, running parallel to Love.
Unfortunately for the Packers, the Cowboys had dropped back into a spot-drop zone at the second level. Reddy Steward [27] is fading with the run but hasn’t completely abandoned his post, so he’s in a good position when Love gets the ball in his hands.
The deep defenders aren’t fooled by Doubs, but Wicks has an angle on his man on the crosser from the other side of the field. Love is looking to throw to Wicks, but Steward retreats to help with Wicks.
Love pulls the ball down and scrambles, picking up a scant 4 yards on 1st & 10.
I love Savion Williams as a big, fast gadget guy, and I love that they’re showing these looks so early in the season. It didn’t pay off in a big way this time, but it’s coming.
Albums listened to: HY-FY – The Bloody Pit: Original Soundtrack; Radiohead – A Moon Shaped Pool
