Kenneth Gainwell may already have the wide-receiver pedigree built-in.
Fellow Memphis running backs Tony Pollard and Antonio Gibson started their college careers as wide receivers. Darrell Henderson and Patrick Taylor were downhill runners but they still posted around 20 catches for 200 receiving yards each year at Memphis.
Gainwell was heavily involved as both a runner and wideout in college and has taken plenty of snaps at wideout for the Birds this season. The Eagles may want to scheme a few more plays that continue to showcase his ability as a wide receiver in addition to specific counter plays they can run off of the same looks. Defenses will eventually find ways to get stops so it’s important to have wrinkles built-in.
The Birds have motioned Gainwell out wide a number of times and then motioned him inline into bunch and stack formations. Bunch and stack often create traffic for defenses in man coverage and offer answers versus other coverages by condensing the formation pre-snap and widening defenses post-snap. S
ince corners can’t play press man against bunch and stack, Gainwell can get a free release and often has a head start on horizontal routes due to those motions. Philly has run the mesh route concept off of those looks a number of times especially when they are anticipating man coverage. An effective counter to this look could be smash return where Gainwell runs a pivot or whip route instead of the drag as Bobby Peters points out:
This next concept looks identical to smash-return, and compliments the route stems perfectly. This play is another pure progression read that gives the quarterback an answer against any coverage. This concept shreds many pattern match bunch checks: pic.twitter.com/fGtToxxlTQ
— Bobby Peters (@b_peters12) January 30, 2019