Anatomy of a Play: The Big Hitter Breaks Down the Cruz 99 Yard Touchdown Catch

[bighitterdalama]

In an earlier thread, I wrote an analysis of the Manning-to-Manningham 38 yard completion that drove the Giants to their Super Bowl victory over the Patriots. I had so much fun doing so that I have decided to follow it up with a breakdown of the Victor Cruz 99 yard touchdown catch against the Jets. As before, I am attaching two videos with which readers can use to help follow the play. One video is an HD game version from Fox Sports. The second is a homemade utube version which, although of much poorer quality, better shows the defensive coverage. I hope that you all enjoy it. 

The Situation

The date is Christmas Eve, December 24, 2011. The Giants, as the visiting team, are playing the Jets at MetLife Stadium. With a 7-7 record, the Giants, with a loss, will be eliminated from the playoffs. With 2:27 left in the half, the Giants trail the Jets, 7-3. The Giants have the ball, third and ten, on their own one yard line. The ball sits on the left hash mark.

The Personnel: Giants

Line: LT David Diehl (66) LG Kevin Boothe (77) C Kevin Baas (64) RG Chris Snee (76) RT Kareem MacKenzie (67)
Receivers: Hakeem Nicks (88) Travis Beckum (47) Victor Cruz (80) Ramses Barden (13)
Single Back: Ahmad Bradshaw (44)
Quarterback: Eli Manning (10)

The Personnel: Jets

Line: Marcus Dixon (94) Calvin Pace (97)
Linebackers: Aaron Maybin (51) David Harris (52) Josh Muaga (53)
Defensive Backs: Darrelle Rivas (24) Antonio Cromartie (31) Donald Strickland (30) Kyle Wilson (20) Brodney Pool (22) Eric Smith (33)

Pre-Snap Strategy: Giants

The Giants are pinned back against their own goal line with a third and ten. They could opt for a run play to give Pro Bowl level punter Steve Weatherford more breathing room, but they do not. Instead they decide on a pass play that hopefully will pick up a first down. If successful, the Giants, with three timeouts remaining, could go into their two minute drill and perhaps move down the field for a score. At the least, a successful pass would allow the Giants to control the clock and prevent the Jets from scoring before the half.

Pre-Snap Strategy: Jets 

The Jets

[MightyGiants]

Nice write up Brian.  I hadn't realized the full extent of Eli's role.  The look off was critical to the full success of the play.

[vette5573]

 

[LennG]

Magnificent job Brian. Glad you are on our side 

[jimv]

GREAT!!!!!

[nb587]

Great post. This was really sweet to look at again.  I've read in places that the play won the game for the Giants and maybe that's true. For sure, it totally changed the momentum of the game.  But, I believe that even if Cruz didn't take it to the house, the Giants would have found a way to win. 

[tomeee]

Great stuff thanks.

[MightyGiants]

I would add that was a season saving play.  Had the Giants been forced to punt, I think the Jets go on to win and the Giants never win the Super Bowl

[zephirus]

I think there were several of these "season saving" plays over the last 4 weeks of the season.  Obviously the JPP blocked field goal would be the first (chronologically).  While technically that field goal could only have tied the game, it prevented the Giants from having to go into overtime.  Totally agree about the 99 yard Cruz touchdown.  Was totally deflating to the Jets.  They had a four point lead and were about to get the ball back with plenty of time to score and great field position.  The Giants TD totally flipped the script.  In a game the Jets were physically dominating until that point, they were now losing.  While they got into field goal range before the end of the half, the FG was missed.  In the final game of the season I think it was again Cruz to the rescue.  The Giants had come screaming out to a 21 point lead, but were faltering through the second half.  The Giants' lead dwindled to 21-14 and the Cowboys had all the momentum.  With about 11 minutes left the Giants had a 3rd and 7 and were facing yet another failed drive.  Manning spun out of a would be sack, heaved up a prayer downfield that Cruz somehow came up with.  44 yards.  The Giants now had field position, with a lead.  They ended up kicking a field goal to go up 2 possessions and gave the Cowboys the ball back with under 6 minutes.

[Shoelessjoe]

You could say that the play was not only the most important play of the season for the Giants but also in a negative way that it was the same for the Jets.  The Jets went on to and 8 and 8 record and would also chalk up a loss in the last game of the season.

[bighitterdalama]

Richie/MG put up in a separate thread Brian Billick explaining the importance of identifying either man or zone coverage as relates to the success of a play. This play supports this thesis. Eli has several factors that indicates the Jets are in a man coverage. First off, the Jets play quite a bit of man coverage, particularly when they are in a cover one. Nothing new here; Rex is a big proponent of his father Buddy's defensive schemes that play a single deep safety with the second safety closer to the line where he can participate in the play. Second, the corner positioning does well to indicate either man or zone. An outside technique is indicative to man coverage. If Antonio Cromartie intends to rotate out of his tight m-2-m into a zone, he should be playing an inside technique. This would allow him to jam the receiver to the outside and drop back to the sidelines. If he did the same from an outside technique, the receiver could simply run away from him on a simple slant with no inside help. It is true that Rivas, who first shows an outside technique on Nicks, drops off and plays an inside technique. No problem here for Eli. He quickly sees that Rivas, who normally mans up on his opponent regardless of the coverage scheme, has zero underneath help and must stay in man coverage. Lastly, the Jets have no less than nine players within four yards of the line of scrimmage. With both Strickland and Wilson up so tight up to the line, and all three Jet linebackers involved in the pass rush and/or shadowing Bradshaw, there is no way the Jets can drop off to properly play a cover zone.   

Eli quickly makes this read. He looks off both high-hat safety Brodney Pool and roll up under safety Eric Smith to the left of the field, then hits Cruz on the ten yard square out to the right. As stated above, Wilson, expecting outside help from Smith, gets too far inside. Smith, who gets too deep and too far inside, compounds his mistake by doubling up on Beckum. The result is described above.

It was a great read and look off by Eli, bad safety play by the Jets, and terrific athleticism by Cruz that makes this play.

[St Marys]

That's a lot of work there, thanks.   For some odd reason, in my head it read like the narrative from an episode of Seconds From Disaster.

[rob_mtl]

bighitter,

The Jets expected a simple draw. It took some big balls to call a pass play.

[Uni]

That's the long and short of it. A brilliantly executed play that was not what the Jets were expecting. Sometimes your conservative reputation helps you when you do the unexpected.

[bighitterdalama]

Rob,

Rex Ryan makes some curious selections in player alignments, but putting the untried rookie FA Kyle Wilson on the ultra-dangerous Victor Cruz in a press man defense was flat out stupid. And Eric Smith not rolling up to help on Cruz and instead doubling up on Beckum was inexcusably bad safety play.   

Big Hitter