Eagles Film Room: Concept of the Week – Toss

In addition to writing the All-22 offense and defense reviews after each Eagles game this year, I will also write this one called ‘Concept of the Week.’ I will break down a specific concept or play on offense and defense and explain the play in more detail. Hopefully, this will allow you to look out for that play in future weeks. This week, we will look at the Eagles’ use of toss plays against the Browns. The Eagles better build on this!

Toss

This week, I have to talk about the Eagles use of outside zone toss from under center. The toss play is blocked similarly to outside zone. Outside zone is pretty easy to spot because all offensive linemen will flow to the same side. Everyone always assumes that outside zone is supposed to hit outside but actually, you want the running back to find a lane to cut upfield. Outside zone has been a staple of almost any good offense because it forces the defense to run horizontally and defenses need linebackers who can run sideline-to-sideline to help stop it. All zone runs will look different because it depends on the front you are facing, making these runs extremely versatile and effective against various fronts.

However, the outside zone toss play is pretty different because you are trying to get outside the EDGE defender. The back can cut it upfield, but ideally, you would like him to beat the EDGE defender to the outside. It’s a hard play for the defense to stop on the EDGE because the running back could go either side due to lining up under center. The toss play can create bigger lanes as the defense usually attempts to get to the outside quickly when they see the toss. The defense doesn’t have to worry about the quarterback keeping it and running play-action bootleg so that they can get horizontal quicker.

The first time the Eagles run this play, Saquon Barkley gets outside because the Browns do not set the EDGE well, as you can see below. The toss threatens the perimeter faster than a standard handoff does, which means the running back has a chance to get outside the defense.

The second time, the Browns set the EDGE better, so Barkley looks for a cutback upfield. Both these runs go in different directions, and by being under center, the Browns’ defense doesn’t really have any idea what way the run will go.

The Eagles run a similar play later on in the game where the Browns expect them to run to the strong side as they have done twice already. Instead of this, the Eagles fake the outside zone toss and run it to the opposite side, taking advantage of Myles Garrett’s aggressiveness. This was a really cool design and it takes advantage of the Browns’ aggressive style.

This is also why under center runs are often successful. It’s harder for a defense to defend because the running back can go to either side, and the offense can easily run to either side. This is one of the big benefits that under center running has from the shotgun. Speaking of which…

So, why is this play not as frequently used as standard outside zone around the league if it’s so good? Well, as I mentioned earlier, the big issue is that the standard handoff threatens the defense a little more, as the quarterback has the potential to keep it. I’ve been calling for more outside zone from under center because I want to see more play action bootlegs. You can’t run play action bootlegs as effectively with the toss play as the defense can see quickly that the quarterback has kept the ball. It’s much harder to sell the fake.

Every play has positives and negatives. This allows the defense to get to the perimeter quickly so these plays can easily result in negative yardage if not run correctly. The other issue is that it puts more pressure on the running back. The back has to watch and catch the football before he can check his blocks and get upfield. This can result in fumbles too.

I liked seeing this play, and it was so cool to see the Eagles do it on Sunday. Let’s hope we see it more, as there’s lots of stuff you can build off of this.

Lastly, I will be doing the same segment on my podcast weekly, so if you want to check out a video explanation in addition to the article, you can do so here!