Coffee & Cigarettes: The Tape Never Lies reads

Great blog written by Alen Dumonjic. Add it to your bookmarks - here are a few posts from this past season:

The Tape Never Lies: Flacco’s pre-snap field vision was crucial last night | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
In this season of pistol offenses, spread formations, and mobile quarterbacks, it was hard not to get caught up in the offensive evolution of the NFL. After all, the league doesn’t have many seasons like the one we just witnessed, as most coaches are rather close-minded when it comes to evolving.

The Tape Never Lies: Ed Reed is the master at baiting quarterbacks into questionable throws | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Out of all the positions in football, it’s the safety whose DNA matches his coach’s the most. The name of the position screams risk aversion, a trait that is ingrained into the minds of coaches who always fear one mistake could cost them their career. Mistakes are avoided by using a proper approach, which for a safety is to play with discipline and, like coaches, only attack when given the green light. And also like coaches, safeties stand on their heels when pressured.

The Tape Never Lies: Explaining the pistol offense, and how to stop it | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Behind a few dozen computers, Jon Gruden sits in his chair with neatly organized stacks of paper to each side of him. The former Super Bowl-winning head coach is sitting in between an esteemed draft guru, Mel Kiper Jr., and a legendary ESPN sports show host, Chris Berman. He probably has more football knowledge than the two combined, but he’s been forced to pare it down to only a dozen words for his viewers (and colleagues) to understand during the 2011 draft.

The Tape Never Lies: Baltimore’s linebackers could struggle against the 49ers’ tight ends | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
If Bill Walsh was alive today, he’d be proud of the San Francisco 49ers being in the Super Bowl. He’d probably be pissed too.

The Tape Never Lies: How does the Patriots’ offense change without Gronkowski? | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
After only a handful of snaps, Rob Gronkowski’s forearm snapped — again. He was done for the game against the Texans, and four days later, done for the year after being put on injured reserve.

The Tape Never Lies: Breaking down Harry Douglas’ 22-yard reception | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
He finally did it. He won a playoff game. A round of applause should be given to Matt Ryan for his gutsy performance on Sunday. It wasn’t without mistakes, as he threw two interceptions, but he fought back and put his team in a position to win with two big throws in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter.

The Tape Never Lies: There are weaknesses the Falcons’ WRs need to expose | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
They’re too tall, too physical and they talk too damn much. That’s three ways to define the starting Seattle Seahawks’ defensive backs, who have become, arguably, the league’s best group of pass defenders. Once considered too tall and slow, now they’re simply viewed as being too damn good as they have shut down a countless number of supposed pass-catching threats. This weekend’s task: quiet the three-headed combination of Julio Jones, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez.

The Tape Never Lies: Russell Wilson is much more than just a mobile quarterback | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
The words uttered from the mouth of the Cardinals’ respected blitz-happy defensive coordinator were a sign of the utmost respect towards the young man the football world calls "DangeRuss," a heavily scrutinized athlete prior to being selected 75th overall in the 2012 draft who has now gained full backing from rabid football fanatics and support league wide. Gil Brandt perhaps gave the biggest endorsement through the eyes of a personnel man when he said, "You go broke looking for those guys. For every guy that you draft, that’s three inches and four inches below the accepted minimum, 99 of 100 are going to fail. He’s a real exception."

The Tape Never Lies: Looking at the Browns’ offense, and its surprising creativity | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Don’t look now, but the Cleveland Browns have won two straight games and they appear to be making strides as a young team. They had five plays of 20 or more yards against the Oakland Raiders in Week 13 and they forced another turnover, their ninth in two weeks. I know what you’re thinking: "they beat the Raiders," but a win is a win is a win. During this most recent win, the Browns were able to dismantle the Raiders’ pass coverage with multiple big plays, including one that really intrigued me: a 22-yard reception by tight end Ben Watson.

The Tape Never Lies: Colin Kaepernick is the complete quarterback | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
Colin Kaepernick is the reason why I don’t call myself a scout, guru, or expert. I’m a mere pleb writing about football, sometimes logically and rationally, and on occasion, illogically and irrationally; I like to think that’s human nature.

The Tape Never Lies: Looking at the Cardinals and their inability to protect a quarterback | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
There are only appalling words that can be used to describe the Arizona Cardinals’ 2012 offensive line. Atrocious, abominable, rough, criminal, stinky, faulty, inadequate, and inferior are just a few of them. A total of 44 sacks have been allowed by the Arizona blockers and an additional 64 hits on not one, not two, but three quarterbacks. Ouch! And WOW!

The Tape Never Lies: The best has yet to come for Aldon Smith, and that’s scary | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
He stands at a towering 6’4″ and a heavy 260 pounds, but he moves lightly like a tight end. He has endless length, with his thick boa constrictor-like arms checking in at nearly 36 inches, and an impressive get-up off the line of scrimmage regardless of his stance; a tilted two-point stance or a coiled three-point stance — it simply doesn’t matter. He’s a very fluid athlete, moving through interior gaps on the famous T-E (tackle-end) stunt that he and the other San Francisco Smith — Justin — have popularized. All these traits are exactly what you look for in a pass rusher, especially an outside linebacker in the multiple 3-4 defense, but they’re not even the best in Aldon Smith’s arsenal.

The Tape Never Lies: Looking at Andrew Luck and the Colts’ vertical passing game | 100 Yards and Running | Blogs | theScore.com
They lived in the city of Baltimore, they live in the city of Indianapolis, they had Tony Dungy, they have Chuck Pagano/Bruce Arians, they had Dallas Clark, they have Dwayne Allen, they had Jacob Tamme, they have Coby Fleener, they had the 4-3 defense, they have the 3-4 defense, they had Johnny Unitas, they had Peyton Manning, and now they have Andrew Luck.