H-Back

All posts tagged H-Back

#6: JACK STOLL FOR H-BACK

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/06/04
Posted in: Coaching, Crazy Talk, Offense, Players, Roster, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

HEAD Coach Nick Sirianni needs to develop TE Jack Stoll into a weapon. Relax, I’m not suggesting that we try to make him into TE Zach Ertz. Stoll probably couldn’t gain 1,000 yards on 1,000 catches. What he can do is block. What he did do, was contribute mightily to the Eagles 2,715 rushing yards last year. What he didn’t do was help other players get open.

Last year, on 331 offensive snaps, Stoll saw just 5 passes come his way, catching 4 of them for 22 yards (5.5ypc). That can’t happen in 2022. We need to make opponents respect Stoll as a threat, to stop them from doubling our other weapons. Playing him at H-Back would be a subtle way to help get the ball in his hands a little (or a lot) more.

For those who don’t know, an H-Back is essentially a TE/FB hybrid. Where as an in-line (regular) TE lines up on the line of scrimmage next to the Offensive Tackle, an H-Back lines up behind the line of scrimmage (like a FB). Often a yard or so behind the Tackle, but he can be lined up anywhere back there. And that’s the point.

The ‘H’ in this diagram is the H-Back. See how he’s behind the Offensive Line? This puts him technically in the backfield. He can shift to “in-line” TE, as long as one one of the WR’s comes off the line of scrimmage. He can also go into motion, and end up pre-snap anywhere in the backfield.

Keep in mind, our run game still NEEDS him out there. As an H-Back, Stoll’s TE blocking is still in play, because he can line up outside of the Tackle. Lined up inside the Tackle, he can be used more like a FB. That means he can lead-block for RB Miles Sanders, or be in a better position to push QB Jalen Hurts from behind, on QB Sneaks.

Drawing up a TE Screen for him coming out of the backfield, can have more wrinkles than a Screen where he starts out as an in-line TE. Plus, if he receives a hand-off here and there, opponents also have to respect him on play-action. Right now we do none of these things with him. None of them.

Oh, and here’s the best part of playing him at H-Back. That FB aspect? The Dallas Cowboys are looking to pull the FB position out of mothballs. The Ravens have FB Patrick Ricard, but he has just 32 touches in five years. Rumor has the Cowboys using their new FB in the Daryl Johnston mold. (FYI: Johnston averaged about 47 touches per year. And won two Super Bowls.)

Given that the NFL has made the FB irrelevant for a little over a decade, it’s fair to say that most defenders don’t know how to approach it. If we use Stoll at H-Back and have him practice there, our Defense will have familiarity with it when they see it. Thus a division rival has no surprise or secret weapon against us. Plus it’ll help our other weapons get open! Ta-daaa!

On 331 snaps, he was practically ignored, and we never capitalized on it. Seriously. How many times did we let opponents off the hook in the red zone? That lack of vision can’t happen again in 2022. We have a 100% off the radar, surprise weapon lurking on our roster. Let’s make the guy dangerous!

If you’re confused: YES. He did wear #47 in the pre-season, but he switched to 89 later.

#5 GIVE MAILATA THE BALL

Posted by The BEAST on 2019/04/06
Posted in: Coaching, NFL, Offense, Players, The 12, Uncategorized, X's and O's. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

5-GIVE MAILATA THE BALL.jpg

WHEN you have a weapon that nobody else has, you’re almost obligated to cram it down your rival’s throats. It’s almost a requirement to put on vulgar displays of power, and abuse the privilege of the small window that exists until the arms race equalizes. Or maybe that’s just me.

Such is the case with OT Jordan Mailata. No other team in the NFL has anything like Mailata. So we need to be about the business of letting the other 31 teams know that we have him, they don’t, and then educate them on exactly what that means.

Ostensibly, Mailata was brought here to play Offensive Tackle, but that’s not what got him noticed. Prior to being drafted by the Eagles in 2018, he’d never played a down of pro, college, or even high school AMERICAN style, football. In his entire rookie season last year, he never stepped foot on the field. Even on Special Teams.

In 2017 He caught the Front Office’s eye as a rugby player in Australia. (Which lets you know how thorough the Eagles Scouting department is.) He was damned near unstoppable with the ball in his hands, displaying a level of athleticism that is unheard of in 346 pound men who don’t play in the NFL.

To be fair, I can’t say I’ve seen it in the NFL either. Which is why I say give him the ball. Adopt and adapt the tactic of using, practically abusing, all of our unfair advantages. I’d like to see him report as tackle-eligible for a few plays, lining up as an H-Back. Then get the ball into his hands, in short yardage situations.

There’s no need to do anything crazy. Short pass here, a Toss Run there. There’s that Middle Shovel Pass that Chiefs TE Travis Kelce made popular a couple years ago.

And of course we could just motion him into the backfield and hand the damned thing off to him.

Oh yeah, and let’s not forget, he’s actually a blocker! If he lines up at H-back, things like the H-Back Iso are there for the taking.

It would be a way to get Mailata into live action, while LT Jason Peters is still here to mentor him.

And you know what the best part would be? When teams didn’t know if they needed to fight off his block or cover him. Spread out, to account for him. Or pack in, to cause a pile-up? It would be hard for opponents to be effective in short yardage defense, if they were second guessing themselves the whole time before the ball is snapped.

We can do that to them. We already have the player. All we have to do, is do it. We have an unfair advantage here. We need to use it.