Falcons Rookie James Pearce Jr DOMINATED Tampa Bay | Film Review

Falcons Rookie James Pearce Jr DOMINATED Tampa Bay | Film Review

All right, welcome back to another one of our film reviews. Today we are talking Atlanta Falcons rookie edge defender James Pierce Jr. JPJ has emerged, guys. He had a monster game against the Tampa Buccaneers. He carried this Falcons defense as part of a great come from behind victory for Atlanta. We’ll break down everything he did so well. As always, in the comment section below, give us any feedback you might have. If you’re a fan of these reviews and want to help support us so we can do more of them, consider becoming a member of our channel. There’s a link in the description box below that will take you right there. But without further ado, let’s jump right into the film. All right, let’s get started with some pass rush. And there’s James Pierce Jr. right there on the left side of your screen. This is going to be a standard pass protection concept from the Buccaneers. So, the play side’s going to be these three guys right there. And they’re all going to take the gap to their right. Right tackle is going to take this gap. Right guard’s going to take this gap, and the center’s going to take this gap right here, which means we’re man-on-man on the backside. Manon-man right here, and man-on-man right here. Now, this is a situation. If you’re this guard right here and you’re this tackle, because there’s a three technique lined up, he’s kind of a wide three technique, but still three technique, you have to understand that even though the guard has this gap right here, you as a tackle are basically one-on-one. So, this is essentially a one-on-one opportunity against James Pierce Jr. And listen, the tackle does a pretty good job right here. James Pierce Jr. doesn’t win the rep outright, but he showcases great effort, ends up getting the sack. Let’s check it out. There’s a snap, good protection, starts to break down. Baker Mayfield starts scrambling and there’s JPJ to get him down. Nice job. You know, usually effort plays I save for the end of the film reviews, but I wanted to lead with it today because it speaks to the monster that James Pierce Jr. has become throughout his rookie season. We’ve highlighted in our film reviews plays where he showcased what I’ve called his ability to be a glitch in the matrix. Freakish athleticism because he’s obviously a very special athlete. He’s strong. He’s incredibly quick, very, very explosive. But what we saw against Tampa was something else. We saw him becoming an elite NFL football player. No longer an athletic specimen that has flashes of greatness. An elite NFL football player in a complete way. And you can see it right here. Again, the right tackle one-on-one wins the rep. Listen, that’s a good right tackle. It’s the NFL. You’re going to lose reps as a defensive end. It’s just just going to happen. The best in football, you know, Garrett has 20 sacks and he’s lost hundreds of reps this season, right? It’s going to happen. But what do you do when you lose? You keep fighting. You keep working. You keep hustling. And you make the play. And this is how the Falcons came back against Tampa Bay. They didn’t quit. Their stars didn’t quit. Their big players didn’t quit. Just like you see here again, James Pierringer doesn’t win the rep. He tries to do a little speed to power and the tackle wins. But he keeps working. Does a swim arm over move right there to finish off beating him at the very end and then hustles to the football to make sure Baker Mayfield goes down. And don’t discount the the the huggeeness of this play, so to speak, because Baker Mayfield, he’s a scrambling artist. He’s a guy that can turn situations like this into scrambled drills and touchdowns. Having a guy like James Pierce Jr. to finish the rep and get a sack was absolutely massive. And again, this is what we’re seeing from number 27, taking that next step, becoming a complete football player. All right, for the wide cop, you can see James Pierce Jr. right there at the top of your screen. Again, he doesn’t win the rep. The tackle does a good job. Actually runs him off the screen, but he keeps hustling, keeps working, and gets a sack. Technically, it’s not bad from JPJ. The right tackle just wins. And look, that’s going to happen, like I said, in the NFL. But we’re seeing number 27 again evolve from being a glitch in the matrix, an athletic freak, a physical specimen to a complete productive football player. It’s not just making the plays. It’s not just looking good on film. It’s turning those good-looking plays into sacks, tackles for loss, winning plays for your team. That’s what number 27 is doing. And it’s a sign of his bright future. All right, this next play is 27’s other sack. And there he is right there lined up on the left side of your screen. And it’s going to be a stunt right here between this three technique, a wide three technique over there and number 27 lined up really wide five technique. You could make an argument he’s a seven or a nine, but this is really an HMAC tight end in a passing situation. Regardless, he’s an edge rusher, but we’re going to see a stunt here from the Atlanta Falcons. This defensive tackle is going to work up and then work out. JPJ is going to go forward and then loop around just like this. And he again ends up getting the sack on the quarterback. It’s a really nice rep for number 27 getting the job done here. But it’s the way the Falcons draw this up because normally when it comes to stunts, you want this guy to stay clear of traffic. You want him to take one step and then loop all the way around because the argument shows, listen, if you get involved with one of these offensive linemen, there’s no one nearly athletic enough that can then continue the loop and get to the quarterback. JPJ may break that rule. He actually gets all the way into the lineman before he loops around. And the Buccaneers don’t have an answer. Let’s check it out. There’s a snack. Here comes the pressure. Steps up and there’s 27. Gets a sack. Nice job. Here’s the thing. Watch how 27 gets into 78. He gets caught up right there. I guarantee you 99 times out of 100 most defensive ends, plays done, but he keeps working and actually has the speed and athleticism to keep working around. Look at his bend. Look how he gets involved with the contact, loops around, turns the corner, and gets to the quarterback. You know, it’s one of those things where sometimes scary good athletes, it almost looks too easy, too deceptive. Micah Parsons, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys with Green Bay, is kind of like that, right? You watch him play, you’re like, how is he that fast? He doesn’t, you know, look scary quick. 27 has that same kind of ability. Again, engaged with the left, left tackle right there. Quarterback’s almost at the bottom of his drop, top of his drop, however you want to quantify it. And then two steps later, he’s got a sack on the quarterback. That’s special speed. Let’s give credit to the other rookie, Jaylen Walker, beating the right tackle to help force Baker Mayfield to step up. Nice teamwork there. Again, 2711 dynamic duo doing great things. But here’s the thing with James Pierce Jr. once again, he’s no longer just making really good athletic plays. He’s becoming hyperproductive. All right, for the wide cop, you can see 27 right there near the top of your screen. He’s going to get engaged with the left tackle and then work around and then get the sack. It doesn’t look incredibly fast. Doesn’t look freaky athletic. But guys, this is really hard. Look what he has to do. He has to work through a chip, get engaged with the tackle, and then loop around and then get to the quarterback in like four steps. This is one of those things where length and and skill set and measurables that we talk about at the combine really matter cuz there are some guys, you know, a little shorter, a little stouter. They may be good football players, but they just don’t have the raw athletic ability to fight through two blocks, complete the stun, and get the sack. James Pierce Jr. has that athletic ability, and now we got the production making capacity paired with it. Future star already here for the Atlanta Falcons. All right, sticking with the pass rush, there’s JPJ right there, number 27 on the right side of your screen. It’s going to be a play action pass here for the Tampa Buccaneers. They got a heavy tackle in the game, plus a tight end over here. They’re going to bring 87 in motion pre- snap, and he’s going to have to block JPJ. Everyone else is taking the gap to their left. Tackles working this way. Guard working that way. Center guard, tackle, and heavy tackle all working this direction. Fake this way. Quarterback setting settling up in the middle of the pocket right there. And 27 does a good job. Again, he gets basically one-on-one opportunity against the tight end. And this is a check the box kind of play. If you’re going to be an allp pro, Pro Bowl star edge rusher and you get a tight end blocked on you, you better win that rep. And that’s exactly what 27 does. Forces forces the quarterback, excuse me, to step up in the pocket where his teammates finish the job. Let’s check it out. There’s motion. There’s a snap play action. Here comes the pressure. Steps up and they got him. Nice work. All right, let’s look at 27 right here. Again, he has to play the run initially. I like that. He’s not in full speed pass rush mode right off the rip. Some of these young guys, they’re just reckless abandon going right to the quarterback. And some veterans are that way, too. TJ Watt for the Pittsburgh Steelers is kind of like that. He’s a very, very good player, but he 90% of the time doesn’t care about the run. He’s just going beline straight to the quarterback. And that can cause the Steelers defense to get gashed every now and then. I love how 27, he’s checking his responsibility, playing the run, and now the moment he sees it’s passed, goes to outside lane responsibilities. Remember, he’s the contained rusher. So, right here, he has a chance to maybe beat him inside, but he’s like, “Nope, my job is to be a contained rusher first and foremost. I’m going to do my job, and that’s exactly what he does.” And then he checks the box by beating the tight end at Pass, bro, which you have to be able to do. Really nice. You can see this move right here. Strikes him in the chest, and he gets that rip move right there. You see his right arm rip through, forces the quarterback up, and there his teammate teammate is there to finish the play. Again, good job all around by the Falcons D. This is how you draw it up, right? Pressure from the outside, force the quarterback to step up. Defensive tackle gets him on the ground. Team defense won the day. Team football won the day for the Atlanta Falcons. But you only get that when you have impact players emerging like we see here with number 27. All right, for the wide cop, you can see 27 at the bottom of your screen. There’s the motion again. checks the run, beats the tight end. There’s the rip move, forces the quarterback up, and there he gets sacked. Good football, good team football. You can see right exactly how this all breaks down. So, right here, he’s looking to throw the ball down the field, but he feels the pressure. So, he steps up, has to avoid it, and there’s a teammate. Now, to be fair, this is good coverage. Again, team concept. It’s basically a two-man route with the checkown. One guy falls down, and they got twoon-one right there. They got this pretty well covered. So, give credit to the Falcons secondary. But you look at 27 again, the Buccaneers have Baker Mayfield. He’s a scrambler. He can run. He can do all kinds of crazy things. You got to get him on the ground and you got to keep him contained. And that’s why I love 27 doing his job, guys. He’s not just being productive in terms of making plays. He’s doing doing it in the context of the Falcons defense, which is absolutely critical. Nice work from the rookie. All right, I want to highlight another effort play for number 27. And there’s James Pierce Jr. right there on the right side of your screen. And it’s going to be another pass rush situation. He’s going to come off the edge right there, one-on-one against the right tackle. And once again, James Pierce Jr., he doesn’t beat number 67. 67 does a good job. Now 27, he does a good job doing his responsibility, maintaining the contained rush and getting a, you know, a little bit of pressure, but he does not beat the tackle. The tackle does a good job winning this rep, but I want you guys to watch 27’s effort cuz as Mayfield scrambles and escapes 27, James Spears Jr. does a great job honking him down and being part of the tackle. But it’s the way he finishes this play that I really liked that stood out to me. Let’s check it out. There’s a snap. He’s got time. Steps up into the pocket. scrambling around Sper Mayfield to keep him contained. Finally has to just tuck in and run and get what he can. Minimal gain. I want you guys to watch 27 though at the end of this play. We’ll get to the med play in a second. Watch what he does. Punching the football. Almost gets it out. Love to see it. This is how you get production, guys. Effort going for the football. Smart playmaking. He didn’t get anything on this play. I don’t even know if he got credited for a tackle. I don’t think he did. Obviously, not a credit for the sack, not a credit for a pressure quarterback hit or anything. But the fact that he has this mindset, the hustle, the effort again in the framework of doing his job. Look at this contain rush as we go all the way back to the very beginning. Watch James Pierce Jr. right here again working outside. He doesn’t win the rep. A little bit of pocket push there, but you know, tackle does a great job. Maintains contain the entire time, right? He doesn’t bail. He doesn’t jump inside to try and get a sack, you know, right here or anything. He keeps contained leverage. Goes back outside doing his job the entire time, fighting, scratching, clawing. He’s not winning the rep, but he’s doing his job. and then at the very end here tries to be a playmaker. That’s what we’re seeing from 27. Again, you can be a glitch in the matrix and it looks good five or six plays a game and he had those moments early in the season. And again, it showcased his potential and some of his playmaking ability, but against the Buccaneers, there weren’t a lot of these glitch in the matrix kind of plays, right? It actually, if you look at his film, if I’m being totally honest, guys, on a snap-by-nap basis in terms of impressiveness, wasn’t his best game, but it was most productive game. And it was the most productive game in the framework of being a team player. And that’s what gets me excited because if he can put up three tackles, two loss, uh, two two sacks, and make those kind of plays against a good team on the road in prime time while not playing his best, what’s he going to do in the future? I’ll tell you what he’s going to do. He’s going to become a monster. All right, for the wide cop, you can see 27 right there at the bottom of your screen. Again, doesn’t win the rep, but maintains contain, keeps working, maintains contain, keeps working, keeps working, hustles to the football, tries to punch it out. Again, I love the effort. I love the mentality every step of the way. Doesn’t get cute. The pass rush right off the rip right here. There’s the inside path is open. Does he try and take it that would allow Baker Mayfield to bail? Nope. Maintains contain the entire time. You can see a little holding there potentially, right? You can see the seven right there getting yanked a little bit. Wasn’t called. Look, that’s the way it is. Sometimes you don’t get the calls. Keep working. Keep doing your job. You can’t expect it. Don’t complain. Keep trying to win the game and keep trying to make a play here at the end. Again, it’s third down, right? This is scrambled drill time for Baker Mayfield to throw it to one of the great receivers, but they keep him in the pocket. They play good team defense. And this is James Pierce Jr. Again, not his best rep, not his best game, but he’s doing his job and he’s making plays. And that’s why I think what we saw against Tampa is so good for the future of this rookie. All right, let’s go with a little run defense. And there’s James Pierce Jr. right there. Line up on the right side of your screen. Kind of a wide five technique in this situation. And this is a standard inside zone kind of concept here for the Buccaneers. You’re going to take the tight end H back in here in motion initially this way, but then he’s going to go back out and kick out the inman on the line of scrimmage. We’re going to get kind of his zone double team right here. Working up to the next level. Zone double team right here. Working up to the next level and base block right here. Basically, what the Buccaneers are trying to do is they’re trying to get seals here, double team seal here, pin number zero on that side, right again, right around the hash mark. Basically, get a block out here and have the running back crease it. That’s what they try to do. And that’s kind of how it works out. I want you guys to watch James Pierce Jr. again doing his job. He’s outside contained. When this guy fires out to him, he’s got to make sure his leverage is outside to prevent the running back or anyone else from bouncing it outside of his contained responsibility, but he does a good job constricting the hole and then coming off the block and being part of the tackle. Again, good team run defense. Let’s check it out. There’s motion back out. There’s a snap. There’s a handoff. Zero’s there. And so, it’s James Pierce Jr. to help clean it up. Decent little run for Tampa. Let’s look at 27 right here. See how he constricts this hole? Where was contact initially made, guys? Right there. What happens to this hole? Look how big this hole is right here. Look at this crease. 27 constricts it significantly. Zero’s kind of caught in the trash right there. Now, he gets help from Tampa Bay’s left guard for falling flat on his face right there. But you can see Zero’s kind of caught in the hash. If this running back could have kept it wide, he could have really creased. And you can see the Buccaneer wide receivers. They got a chance downfield. This is why constricting the hole and playing physical matters. Now, you still have to do your job, right? You still have to be there for contain. And I love how he’s pretty much square. Knees, hips, shoulders are a little bit at an angle, but for the most part, pretty square. But you notice how he constricts the hole. Again, right here, you can see how this offensive tackle gets moved further and further in. Forces the running back to stay right up the hash. And who’s there to make the tackle? Zero. Team defense. Now, let’s look at 27. How do you finish the play? That’s the finish. The productivity, playmaking, hustles to the football in his own right. This is what I love about James Pierce Jr. every single one of his reps for the most part. There’ll be something to improve on in just a second. It’s about playing good team defense, doing his job, and doing it well. It’s not about the pretty plays, and the pretty plays are awesome. They make for great film reviews. When James Pierce Jr. does something freaky athletic, I am a fan of him. But when you put on the tape and you watch him playing good football from a team perspective, helping his team win, that’s what really gets me excited for the future. Cuz once he combines freaky athleticism with team football, he’ll be tough to stop. All right, for the wide cop, you can see the motion right there. Back out. There’s the handoff again. Decent little run for Tampa. Number zero there to make the initial tackle. 27 to clean up. You can see 27 constricts the hole. The left tackle, the engagement right there is basically between the two hash marks. Where does it end up? Basically on the other hash again, good physical play, maintaining his leverage, right? You can see right here, he doesn’t jump inside because if he jumps inside, maybe the running back can bounce it. Does a good job maintaining the right leverage, the right responsibility, and then fighting all of it off to be part of the tackle. A+ effort. A+ team defense. Nice job. Again, Zero’s only in a position to make the tackle because number 27 constricts the hole. Great job here by James Pierce Jr. All right, this next play is something James Pierce Jr. needs to work on. And there he is right there on the right side of your screen. So, this is going to be a funky concept from Tampa Bay. They’re going to bring a running back in motion pre- snap and then fake it to him. Work him back out this direction. They’re going to pull the center this way as well. They’re going to pull the backside tackle as well to lead through the hole. We’re going to get basically back blocks everywhere else. Back block here with the double team action. working up to the next level. Center blocking back, tight end scoop blocking right here. The running back’s going to take the hand off and work this way. And again, follow the polars, right? That’s the goal here from Tampa Bay. James Pierce Jr. here, he does something I really hate. And this is something he rarely does, but this is something that happens every once in a while. He jumps around the block, right? He has an offensive lineman coming to him and he jumps around the block, opens up a huge crease for the running back. Something he needs to improve on. Let’s check it out. There’s the motion. There’s a snap. There’s the handoff. Big crease, big run for Tampa. Not great for the Atlanta Falcons. All right, let’s break this down all the way back to the very beginning. James Pierce Jr. sees the Polers. What does he do? Jumps around the blocks. Not ideal. Can’t do this in the NFL. Maybe you could do this in Tennessee. And I get it. There’s a lot of orange on the field. Maybe you’re a little confused. Of course, I’m kidding. But can’t do this in the National Football League, man. And I bet after this play, and certainly in the film room, he would probably admit the exact same thing. You got to take on these blocks. You got to stay square. stay involved with your responsibility. Play good team defense. He did it all game long and then he had this one lapse and I think this is just a mistake. He’s a rookie. They’re still going to happen and I think you’ll correct it. This is where experience will really help out. And listen, this is what teams try to do with motion and shift and funky plays. They’re trying to get people, especially on defense, to lose their responsibilities, lose their focus. And I think that’s what happened here with 27. I think he’ll correct this problem going forward, but this is the kind of play that can’t happen at defensive end. All right, from the wide cop, you can see 27 right there. We’re going to get the pre- snap motion. They’re going to fake it to him inside run. And you see 27 ran up field. Now listen, he almost makes the play. Speaks to his athleticism. The fact that he basically jumped around, blocks, and gets a hand right on the runner. But you can’t do that, right? And this is a lesson he’ll learn. Almost making the play is surrendering a big run and putting yourself in a hole defensively. Do your job. Play good team defense. He did it all night long. And there was so much good from the film right here. Take on the block. Stay square. force him back inside, constrict the hole, right? All the things we talked about before, just doesn’t do it on this play. I think he’ll learn from this mistake and do a lot better on run defense and this situation going forward. All right, let’s end on a really good pass rush. And there’s James Pierce Jr. right there on the right side of your screen. It’s going to be another stunt. You’re going to have this defensive tackle work up, work outside, and James Pierce Junior is going to take one step, then work inside right here. He gets a one-on-one opportunity with the center and sends them basically flying backwards and gets pressure on the quarterback. Phenomenal rep. Again, showcases his incredible talent. This is one of those glitch of the matrix kind of plays. Let’s check it out. There’s a snap. Here comes the pressure. There’s 27. Ball flutters out. Nearly intercepted. You talk about speed and power. Watch James Pierce Jr. One step up around. Boom. The center goes flying back. Look at this guy. Where was contact made? Right there. He’s like completely distracted. He has no idea what happened, right? He’s in a good position. He literally sees it coming the entire way. The center’s like, “I know it. I see him. I see him. I see him.” Boom. What happened? get a hit on the quarterback’s arm, Baker Mayfield’s arm, ball flutters out, could have easily been picked. This is the freaky athleticism. We know the production has arrived. And this is why I think James Pierce Jr. is becoming a monster cuz there are plays like this, right? Didn’t have a lot of them against Tampa, but he has still has these moments where you’re like, “Wow, special special athleticism, special speed, and power.” Now you’re pairing that with productivity, sacks, team defense. Obviously still not perfect like we highlighted, but overall he’s quickly becoming a superstar for this Falcons front. I think he’ll be a great player for many, many years in the

The Atlanta Falcons just got an outstanding performance from James Pearce Jr. This dynamic Falcons rookie has quickly taken the next step to stardom. The Atlanta Falcons have to be really excited by the emergence of Atlanta Falcons.

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