[J. T. O'Sullivan] Justin Herbert Film Session

[stitches]

Here's a great video by an ex-NFL QB breaking down Justin Herbert game film. Some of the best that's available publicly:

 

 

He said this will be the first of series of breakdowns he will do of the QBs of this draft.

[OffensivelyPC]

I actually just watched this.  Love when guys do these films.  Half the time I dont' even listen to them and I just watch the play for myself.  Though I came to a lot of similar conclusions.  He is hesitant on his throws to the sideline a lot of times.  Like you can visually see him being tempted to throw it and he just doesn't.  I think Sullivan is right on the money when he says that ball flip caused the incompletion in the dirt on the swing pass.

 

My biggest worry is, I don't know how you know a passer is going through multiple progressions or, it's coaches taking the progressions out of your hands and predetermining your look one, look two throw.  But I get the sense that Herbert's reads are very rigid.  I don't know how to explain it.  There was a play or two where I felt it was like that near touch down at the end, no swing pass, then throw screen.  I guess what I'm saying is, is Herbert reading the field like he would in the NFL, or just looking and throwing where the coach tells him.  I don't know how to decipher that, but I get the sense that he doesn't scan the field like he would be in the NFL.

[stitches]

21 minutes ago, OffensivelyPC said:

I actually just watched this.  Love when guys do these films.  Half the time I dont' even listen to them and I just watch the play for myself.  Though I came to a lot of similar conclusions.  He is hesitant on his throws to the sideline a lot of times.  Like you can visually see him being tempted to throw it and he just doesn't.  I think Sullivan is right on the money when he says that ball flip caused the incompletion in the dirt on the swing pass.

 

My biggest worry is, I don't know how you know a passer is going through multiple progressions or, it's coaches taking the progressions out of your hands and predetermining your look one, look two throw.  But I get the sense that Herbert's reads are very rigid.  I don't know how to explain it.  There was a play or two where I felt it was like that near touch down at the end, no swing pass, then throw screen.  I guess what I'm saying is, is Herbert reading the field like he would in the NFL, or just looking and throwing where the coach tells him.  I don't know how to decipher that, but I get the sense that he doesn't scan the field like he would be in the NFL.

 

Yeah, I have to be very upfront here and say that my understanding of QBs progression reads is not anywhere close to the level of people who have played the position(like O'Sullivan) or coaches, etc. I guess it's coached in a specific way for different route concepts and he probably recognizes the route concepts and knows what the QB is doing(or supposed to be doing) in those situations and that's why he's pin pointing situations in which it looks like he's doing the reads. 

 

Unfortunately, I'm a very late fan of football and never grew up playing so my understanding suffers a lot in regards to the details of schemes and Xs and Os. This is part of the reason I enjoy  following analysts that are very in on those things and explain Xs and Os and schematics well(Greg Cosell, O'Sullivan, etc). 

[OffensivelyPC]

2 hours ago, stitches said:

 

Yeah, I have to be very upfront here and say that my understanding of QBs progression reads is not anywhere close to the level of people who have played the position(like O'Sullivan) or coaches, etc. I guess it's coached in a specific way for different route concepts and he probably recognizes the route concepts and knows what the QB is doing(or supposed to be doing) in those situations and that's why he's pin pointing situations in which it looks like he's doing the reads. 

 

Unfortunately, I'm a very late fan of football and never grew up playing so my understanding suffers a lot in regards to the details of schemes and Xs and Os. This is part of the reason I enjoy  following analysts that are very in on those things and explain Xs and Os and schematics well(Greg Cosell, O'Sullivan, etc). 

I played since a child and up into college (walk-on at IU for a year as a TE and then done).  I understood routes and all that, tempo and the like, but not necessarily from a QB perspective (for instance, I didn't understand what throwing receivers open meant or looked like until several years after I played). 

 

I think this is one of those things that you just don't come to know until you spent so much time working with people in the industry.  Even then, it takes an intimate knowledge of the plays called and responsibilities of each player on a give ndown to really break down accurately.  Something us common folk will never really understand since we don't have the time or expertise.