In non-George Pickens news, let’s take a look at one rep from Saturday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. An ugly game overall, sure, but there’s always good and bad no matter the result.
Since finally working his way into the starting lineup, CB Joey Porter Jr. has been talked about less. It’s now just a given that he’s an every-down player, often shadowing the opposing top receiver. Penalties have been an issue, still something he’s adjusting to, but there was one rep against the Colts that caught my eye. One that started with some bad but ended with a lot more good.
Red zone. Colts come out in 2×2 with a tight split to the boundary. Indianapolis is essentially running a smash concept, a flat/corner combination designed to stress the corner. If he drives the flat, throw the corner. If he sinks on the corner, throw into the flat.
It appears Pittsburgh’s playing inverted Cover 2. Safety Patrick Peterson rotating and dropping down post-snap to become the middle hole player while the two outside cornerbacks are responsible for the deep halves, replacing the safeties’ normal assignment.
On the snap, Colts QB Gardner Minshew II tries to hold and bait Porter by looking at the tight end in the flat. If he can hold Porter, the corner route will open up and it’ll be another touchdown to Mo Alie-Cox on the corner route after scoring on that route earlier in the game. Initially, Porter begins to break down and react to the flat.
But he doesn’t fully commit and in his zone turn, keeps his eyes on Minshew while realizing the concept the Colts are working. Minshew doesn’t want to throw the flat, wants to hit the corner.
Porter gets depth and uses a speed turn to flip his hips while keeping vision on the ball and driving on the corner route. He’s able to get there in time to impact the catch point and get a piece of the tight end to knock the ball out and prevent the touchdown.
Here’s a look at the entire play. Porter to the bottom, the left corner.
Recovery. That’s the word I would use. Porter probably shouldn’t have bit on the flat route to begin with knowing he’s responsible for the deep half. But once he recognized the concept and that Minshew was trying to bait and hold him, he used great technique to recover and put himself in position make a play on the football. Overall, a solid rep.
