This all starts with Daunte Culpepper selling the play-action to get the flow of the defense going left. The defense has to respect Robert Smith. That will succeed in getting Chris Carter and tight end Johnny McWilliams off the line easier.
Culpepper will then roll right, but he has to get his shoulders squared early because he will immediately peek to the outside on this play and see if Randy Moss has beaten his man on the go route. Moss takes an outside release on the cornerback to prevent that man from being able to cover both him and Carter. So, the shoulders need to be turned because if Moss has beaten his man off the line, Culpepper has a small window before the safety recovers.
If Culpepper doesn't like how Moss looks, he has the tight end in the flat who he can dump the ball to. That has the potential to turn into a 20-yard play. Then Moss and Carter become blockers. If cornerback Todd Lyght jumps the tight end and the safety comes over the top to cover Moss, that leaves Carter working on a linebacker. If they're in zone coverage, he sits in the hole and waits, and if the linebacker is on him one-on-one, Carter beats him to the sideline.
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ALSO SEE
Inside the Playbook: Week 15
Game of the Week: Vikings at Rams
Focal Point: Daunte Culpepper vs. Kurt Warner
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