Eagles Movie Room: Idea of the Week – RPO Counter

Along with writing the All-22 offense and protection critiques after every Eagles recreation this yr, I will even write this one known as ‘Concept of the Week.’ I’ll break down a selected idea or play on offense and protection and clarify the play in additional element. Hopefully, this can let you look out for that play in future weeks. This week, we’ll have a look at the Eagles use of a Counter RPO.

Counter RPO

So, this week goes to be a bit bit totally different. I wish to focus on an Eagles idea that I’ve already mentioned variations of twice this yr (Counter and QB Counter Bash), however I wish to focus on how the Eagles can construct on this.

One in all my complaints is that the Eagles’ passing recreation doesn’t make the most of their dominant dashing assault. As I mentioned final week, the Eagles’ passing recreation doesn’t appear to construct on the run recreation. So, I assumed I’d go into some extra element about what I imply.

A reminder of what Counter is…

The Eagles virtually all the time run ‘counter read,’ a variation of the basic counter play that they’ll run as a result of they’ve a cellular quarterback. The ‘read’ ingredient permits the quarterback to maintain the ball if the top comes crashing down.

Counter entails two gamers pulling throughout the formation. The run play is known as after who’s pulling. For instance, GH Counter (the guard and H-back pull) is basically the identical as GT Counter (the guard and deal with pull). When taking a look at a counter run, I all the time give attention to the 2 pullers first. One of many pullers (often the primary) will attempt to transfer one of many defensive linemen towards the sideline to create a niche the place the opposite puller can run by means of. The operating again will then comply with the second puller. The remainder of the linemen will all be down blocking and subsequently, the 2 pullers can be shifting in the other way to them, therefore the time period ‘counter’.

The operating again often has to take gradual steps (typically known as counter steps) as a result of they can not beat the second-pulling lineman to the outlet, or the play received’t work. Additionally they need to comply with their blocks rigorously and never bounce it exterior. Counter is commonly a fantastic play in opposition to groups that prefer to run a variety of 5-man fronts as a result of there may be much less of a necessity for offensive linemen to get to the second stage.

We’ve gone over this earlier than. The Eagles wrecked the Panthers this previous week with Counter. It was borderline ridiculous how a lot success that they had when operating counter.

11) My goodness, the Eagles wrecked the Panthers with variations of counter. This is QB counter bash once more the mobility of Hurts opening issues up.

Id love the Eagles to construct extra RPO appears off of counter. I have been calling for this for years. pic.twitter.com/pfiZoK0foR

— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2024

So, why not construct on that success and begin operating some Counter RPOs?! The Eagles didn’t run one till late within the recreation, and it labored! That is what I’m speaking about. I need the Eagles to determine the run and marry these run ideas into the play-action/RPO scheme. There may be a lot extra the Eagles might do. Right here is the play from this previous week.

15) OMG, they did it! An RPO with a slant off of counter! There’s a lot extra the Eagles might do to make the most of the success that they had with counter.

Extra of this please! The Eagles want to repair the OL downfield concern as a result of they can not cease operating RPOs. That is simple… pic.twitter.com/sYhFT0hUaD

— Jonny Web page (@JonnyPage9) December 9, 2024

Nevertheless, the Eagles’ RPO recreation continues to be very fundamental. It’s often only a bottom slant. It doesn’t take a variety of analysis (shoutout to this Reddit submit) to discover a bunch of performs on-line that the Eagles might rep to make the most of their dominant run recreation. I want to see the Eagles begin making these simple for Hurts and attempt to make their passing recreation complement the run recreation.

Listed below are some examples beneath…

A bottom display (you would run this with Johnny Wilson because the Z).

You possibly can run a RB swing reverse of QB Counter Bash.

The Eagles have run this one a number of instances this season.

I’ll be watching the Eagles’ passing recreation this week to see if they begin making issues simpler for Hurts and linking the passing recreation to the run recreation’s success. It needs to be a simple approach of bettering the effectivity of the passing recreation.

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