The Packers are copying the Dolphins and it’s awesome
Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel worked together for five seasons — three in Washington, from 2011 to 2013, and two with the Atlanta Falcons, from 2015 to 2016. Their shared background is well known, and they are part of the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree that has dominated the NFL over the last half decade. […]
Matt LaFleur and Mike McDaniel worked together for five seasons — three in Washington, from 2011 to 2013, and two with the Atlanta Falcons, from 2015 to 2016. Their shared background is well known, and they are part of the Kyle Shanahan/Sean McVay coaching tree that has dominated the NFL over the last half decade. Now, both LaFleur and McDaniel are head coaches and offensive playcallers, and it's natural that we end up seeing similar concepts and ideas.
But it's been particularly funny to watch LaFleur utilize concepts that hadn't been so frequent with the Green Bay Packers. McDaniel brought interesting innovations to the Miami Dolphins offense, and more coaches around the league are adapting to include them in their weekly gameplans.
During the Packers win over the Los Angeles Rams last Sunday, for example, there are at least two instances in which Green Bay ran plays very similar to concepts that the Dolphins have used throughout the year. And, to talk more about that, I invited James Foster, A to Z Sports film analyst, to help us understand these concepts.
Outmotion
This one has been probably the most impactful aspect that McDaniel brought to the table this year. Like everything else in the NFL, it's not that the concept has been invented this year, but the Dolphins head coach has used it at a higher rate, and the results with fast players like Tyreek Hill caught the attention of other teams.
"The outmotion is really effective for two reasons. It lets the receiver build up speed before the snap, and it confuses coverage assignments, especially against match coverage," James Foster explained. "Defenses identify receivers by numbering them outside-in, so number 1 is the outside receiver, for example. Using the outmotion to switch the numbers right before the snap forces the DBs to process the change in assignment quickly and can cause more coverage busts."
And Matt LaFleur was intentionally doing it against the Rams. He chose Dontayvion Wicks to run it, as he's been the best Packers wide receiver in creating separation. The ball doesn't go to him, but it stresses the opposing secondary, allowing tight end Luke Musgrave to be open.
Power read option fake
Mike McDaniel's growth in the NFL has been predicated in his ability to scheme run concepts. Even though he was a wide receivers coach in Washington, he was initially hired by Shanahan with the San Francisco 49ers as a run game coordinator, a title he held for four seasons before being promoted to offensive coordinator.
And the run concepts he's run with the Dolphins are truly impressive. This one is particularly confusing for defenses: there is so much movement that it's hard for any defender to keep their eyes disciplined.
It's not the exact same formation for the Packers, because Josiah Deguars isn't that fast. But the concept and what they are trying to achieve is similar.
"They are faking a power read option with the guard pulling," Foster said. "And then they're pulling the center with orbit motion from 81 (Josiah Deguara), so he can build up speed as the lead blocker. Great design."
Shanahan, McVay, LaFleur, and McDaniel are all really connected. And it's natural that they will exchange concepts, even if there's not a direct contact. They know what each other is trying to do and the basic concepts, so it's easier to fit everything into their own gameplans. The Packers have benefitted from the Dolphins offensive success, and there are several reasons to keep copying Miami even with a lesser personnel.
Packers need more out of Matt LaFleur
LaFleur is in his fifth season as Green Bay’s head coach
