Knapp's Offense: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, the #1 possession receiver

by John Morgan on Sep 8, 2009 2:55 PM PDT

2-8-SEA 43 (13:54) (Shotgun) 8-M.Hasselbeck pass short middle to 84-T.Houshmandzadeh to SEA 49 for 6 yards (54-A.Davis).

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Seattle again puts speed on the outside but the target receiver towards the middle. Deon Butler is right. Deion Branch is outside left and T.J. Houshmandzadeh is in the left slot. T.J. Duckett and Owen Schmitt are respectively left and right of Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck is in the shotgun.

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Branch and Butler streak deep. Schmitt and Duckett curl into the flats. Houshmandzadeh challenges Davis and then curls opposite Sean Locklear. The line holds. Hasselbeck reads, double clutches and finds Houshmandzadeh on his inside shoulder for six.

Essential details: Speed on the outside possession on the inside.

Backs running routes that could convert to blocking in case of a blitz.

Hasselbeck is indecisive.

Tackler Davis hovers over Houshmandzadeh prior to the pass.

Hasselbeck passes to Housh's inside shoulder, away from Davis.

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I'm seeing a pattern

Where the outside receivers run “Go” routes.

It’s becoming an interesting look at how to set up a Defense.

by Groundhog on Sep 8, 2009 3:44 PM PDT reply actions

It works, as long as your WR's can actually threaten deep.

With Butler in there, I think his presence at least strikes a little fear into opposing safeties. We haven’t had much of a deep threat for a while, so you’d see defenses choke way up into the box and not only kill off all Holmy’s patented slants and ins but whatever running game we had.

You can see that Knapp is force-feeding the go-routes in the preseason to get the “idea” out there that we’re going to go deep. I’ve also noticed a fair amount of playaction.

by djafrot on Sep 8, 2009 4:58 PM PDT up reply actions

Now that I think about it

JM could just be throwing assumed long routes out there, as they’re not necessarily in the picture, figuratively and literally.

by Groundhog on Sep 8, 2009 8:18 PM PDT up reply actions

In a way, it makes some sense that Hasselbeck would be indecisive

It has seemed to me, purely subjectively, that Holmgren’s offense led to QBs heavily relying on a substantial cut to make a read for any given route, except of course for those fly routes, which in Seattle weren’t called, weren’t read, weren’t attempted with any real frequency. I could see on a play like that, on 2nd & 8 where to bigger guys in the flat wouldn’t be too appealing, with a moment’s time, not sure where to go, if anywhere, without Housh getting more confidently open. Seemed like more often than not, nay downfield shots we took were by design. Just an observation.

by jacobstevens on Sep 8, 2009 7:32 PM PDT reply actions