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Who to watch:
- Broncos CBs Terrell Buckley (27) and Ray Crockett (39) match up
against Andre Rison (80) and Tim Brown (81).
- Denver pressures QB Rich Gannon (12) by blitzing Bill Romanowski
(53).
- WR Tim Brown (81) motions across the formation, flooding the open
side with Andre Rison (80) and Tyrone Wheatley (47).
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If the Raiders are looking for a completion and a play to get their confidence going, this is the one. The flood route to Tim Brown is as versatile as any play in football because it gives the Raiders an opportunity for a big play on the corner route to Andre Rison or a high-percentage pass to Brown. .
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Salisbury |
Brown, an excellent possession receiver in the mold of Cris Carter, is good at getting into his route off motion. The Raiders run him in motion for two reasons: to get Brown a free release off the line of scrimmage and to define coverage. If no one runs with Brown, it's more than likely zone coverage. If the cornerback is running with Brown, like he does in this play, then it's more than likely man-to-man coverage.
This helps quarterback Rich Gannon, who is excellent at getting through his progressions. Last week against Indianapolis, he went to the third and fourth options a number of times in the second half, and one of those options was him running the ball.
Brown can sit down and work himself open, allowing Gannon to hit him at six yards. If a linebacker is in his way, he will find the hole. If Rison is open on the corner route, Gannon will peek at him first and might go for the big play. In fact, in man-to-man coverage, Brown would likely become the secondary option. If it's zone, he will become the primary option. Gannon also might not pass up Tyrone Wheatley in the flat if he's open right away. If Wheatley breaks containment, Gannon could get him the ball on the third step of his drop. On this route, the quarterback can never pass up the open receiver to get to somebody else.
Brown and Rison are no longer deep threats as they were earlier in their careers. They are more effective running the intermediate and short routes in the Raiders' timing offense. Denver's cornerbacks, Ray Crockett and Terrell Buckley, are solid players and good matchups for Brown and Rison. Regardless of the cornerbacks, however, most offenses have the advantage against single coverage. And I like Brown against nearly every cornerback in the league.
Editor's note: The experts at Sportvision and ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury will provide an in-depth look at NFL teams' playbooks each Friday on ESPN.com. Sportvision will provide the animated play diagram, and Salisbury will detail how the play works and when you can expect to see it.
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ALSO SEE
Game of the Week: Broncos at Raiders
Week 3 injury report
ESPN experts' picks for Week 3
Inside the Playbook: Ravens at Dolphins
Inside the Playbook: Cowboys at Redskins
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