Illustrating to youth players how strong football fundamentals lead to success on the field, the New England Patriots are featured in USA Football's NFL Films Big Play Breakdown for the team's 19-yard, game-changing run on Oct. 7 against the Denver Broncos.
Throughout the season, USA Football and NFL Films will produce Big Play Breakdown video segments to spotlight the blocking, route-running and field vision that make the big runs, throws, catches and tackles possible.
This week, NFL Films Big Play Breakdown presented by USA Football takes a closer look at a third-quarter run by Patriots running back DANNY WOODHEAD that kept a scoring drive alive by converting a long third-down situation.
In-depth analysis of the fundamentals of this play can be seen for free exclusively at http://videos.usafootball.com/video/Week-5-Patriots-vs-Broncos with new segments posted throughout the NFL season.
Midway through the third quarter, the Patriots faced third-and-17 from their own 43-yard line. Woodhead followed three key blocks on a simple off-tackle run that produced a first down and eventually led to a touchdown that put his team ahead, 24-7. New England would go on to win the game, 31-21.
Diving deeper into the anatomy of the play, it was the execution of left tackle NATE SOLDER, tight end ROB GRONKOWSKI, left guard LOGAN MANKINS and wide receiver WES WELKER, each of whom created the space needed to make this play a success. Attention to these fundamentals is not commonly pointed out on highlight reels but allows big plays to happen.
"USA Football and NFL Films work together to give youth and high school coaches exciting tools to strengthen their players' fundamentals," USA Football Executive Director SCOTT HALLENBECK said. "With help from the New England Patriots in their Week 5 win against Denver, NFL Big Play Breakdown compellingly shows younger players how success in the NFL is attained through fundamentals that they can emulate."
Approximately 3 million children age 6-14 play organized youth tackle football, placing it among the America's most popular youth sports. Nearly 440,000 adults volunteer their time to teach and coach the sport on the grassroots level.
Indianapolis-based USA Football is the official youth football development partner of the NFL, the NFL Players Association and each of the league's 32 teams. USA Football members – which include coaches, players, commissioners, parents and game officials – reside in all 50 states and 49 foreign countries.
About USA Football: USA Football, the sport's national governing body in the United States, hosts dozens of football training events annually offering education for coaches, skill development for players and resources for youth football league commissioners. The independent non-profit is the official football development partner of the NFL and its 32 teams as well as the Atlantic Coast Conference. USA Football manages U.S. national teams within the sport for international competition and provides $1 million annually in equipment grants for youth and high school football programs. Endowed by the NFL and NFLPA in 2002 through the NFL Youth Football Fund, USA Football is chaired by former NFL team executive Carl Peterson.
