Rookie Film Review: Panthers Defensive Tackle Derrick Brown

Initial look at the tape of Derrick Brown

Initially, on this, play, Brown is lined up in a 2-technique, but as the motion goes the way he shifts, and aligns in a 3-technique; moving towards the man in motion plays a factor in Brown winning this rep. The Los Angeles Chargers are running what appears to be a wide-zone run play. The job of the offensive line is to capture the outside shoulder of the man they are supposed to block. As a result, Brown aligning with the motion makes it tougher for his man to get on his block.

Now for the good stuff, right out of the gate it’s quite obvious that Brown is going to win this rep; he is one of the first players out of his stance. He does a nice job of keeping his hand and pads low giving him the leverage on his opponent and he uses all of that and his strength to stack, find the ball carrier, shed the block, and make a play behind the line of scrimmage.

Let’s get the bad news out of the way, no Brown didn’t make a play and yes he did exactly what the play design wanted him to do, but boy oh boy is he, one strong dude. Again, Brown maintains a low pad level out of his stance off the snap and can get himself under the center’s pads. Once he gets his meat hooks latched, it’s over for the center and he just walks him back onto the quarterback’s toes. It’s just too bad it wasn’t a pass play.

Let’s move on to a deeper dive into Brown’s tape as the game progressed.