Film Study – Tim Settle’s Rookie Year
June 13, 2019
by Steve Thomas
The Redskins had their mandatory minicamp last week and OTAs this week, but since not much became of them other than the team’s star player skipping the events and refusing to ever play for the team again (oh, yeah, that), it seemed like a perfect time to do another film study. I’d like to thank one of our loyal readers and commenters (you know who you are) for emailing in a bunch of column suggestions, including a request for a look at Washington’s 2018 fifth round draft pick Tim Settle. Tim came to the team with a significant amount of hype for a mid to late round pick, and the fanbase was extremely excited about him, in no small part a result of him being a Virginia Tech product. Considering that, I became curious as to what Settle accomplished in his rookie year and whether or not he appears to be worth all the hubbub. Keep reading to find out.
Background
Settle, who is 6’3” and weighs 330 pounds, played 23 games in three years for Virginia Tech and was a Second Team All-ACC selection in 2017. During his collegiate career, he made 28 solo tackles, 25 assisted tackles, and 4 sacks. He was timed at 5.37 seconds in the 40 yard dash and posted a 23.5 inch vertical leap at the NFL Combine; however, Settle improved his performance at the Virginia Tech pro day in March, running the 40 in 5.22 seconds and jump 25.0 inches in the vertical leap. He did not do the bench press.
The book on Settle heading into the 2018 draft was that he was principally a nose tackle but does have the ability to move outside to the 3 technique as well. He was originally projected by some to be selected as high as the first or second round prior to the NFL Combine. In college, he appeared to analysts to be fairly agile considering his size, with good hips and good balance. His quickness allowed him to provide some pass rush. He played low to the ground and was disruptive and destructive at times.
Settle played in all 16 of the Redskins’ games in 2018, with 8 tackles, including 6 solo and 2 assisted tackles and 1 tackle for loss on the season. Settle played special teams from the beginning of the season, but was not really a part of the defensive line rotation for the first 10 games of year. He only got a handful of defensive snaps at most during those first 9 games, with no defensive snaps at all in three of those contests. It wasn’t until the second Dallas game in week 12 (game 11, the Thanksgiving Day game) that Settle began to get significant playing time. After that point, he was for the most part a regular part of the rotation, with the exception being game 15 against the Titans. All of his stats came in those last 6 games, which puts his numbers in a somewhat more positive light.
What does his film show?
As I always say in these things, I’m not a professional scout. #notascout. I’m just person who loves football. I hopefully do know something about the game, and I spent a significant amount of time watching game film for each of these film columns, but I don’t pretend or claim to be a serious NFL-level scout, particularly when it comes to linemen. Take my observations for what you will.
Settle is a versatile dude
My thought about Tim Settle (number 97 in all plays) since day one has been that Settle is more of a true nose tackle and that would be his NFL destiny. Raise your hands if you have been of the same belief. No, really: raise your hands so I don’t feel alone. In all seriousness, Settle’s body type would lead to the natural conclusion that this player is a nose tackle in the pros. Well, that conclusion is absolutely selling Settle short. He is much, much more versatile than you’d expect for a man of his size. The Redskins used him up and down the entire defensive front last year, with good reason – he’s had success to one extent or the other from everywhere. Check out these film clips:
These plays show Settle playing all along the defensive front, from the inside out. In the first play, from the Redskins’ December 3, 2018 game against the Eagles in Philadelphia, Settle is lined up directly over the center, as a nose tackle at the “0” position in a 3 man defensive front. In the second play, against Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, Settle is still playing nose tackle, but is now lined up slightly offset to the offensive right from the center, at the “1” position, still in a 3 man defensive front. Settle’s assignment was the gap, although it ultimately didn’t matter because the run went to the other side. The third play, from the Redskins season finale at Fed Ex against the Eagles, is just a still shot (because I’m using this play in another series of clips and don’t want to spoil it), but now you can see Settle lined up directly over the left guard (maybe slightly inside), which is the “2” position.
The fourth play, which is from that same week 17 Eagles’ game, shows Tim in what my high school coach would’ve called the “B” gap to the outside of the Philly right guard, in what most NFLers call the “3 tech” position. In the fifth rep (again from week 17 against Philadelphia), Settle is now directly over the right tackle, with the Redskins in their base 3 – 4 defense and Ryan Kerrigan outside of him. Settle doesn’t get to the quarterback in this play, but he does manage to occupy the tackle and allow Kerrigan to put pressure on the quarterback.
Finally, in the last clip, from the Dallas game, Tim is lined up on the strong side, the defensive left directly over the tight end in the “6” technique position, with the Redskins in their short yardage package with four defensive linemen, 4 linebackers, and strong safety DJ Swearinger in the box. Free safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is sneaking up closer to the box as well. A defensive lineman is at the 3 technique position to Settle’s right, (I think Jon Allen; hard to tell), another nose tackle (Stacy McGee?), and Daron Payne on the other side over the left guard. That last formation is rare and was the only instance I could find from the four games I studied where Settle played that far outside.
It’s certainly true that Settle is most often at nose tackle, either at the “0” or “1” slot (you’ll see this in the clips that follow), but the Redskins definitely trust him to play everywhere. The only defensive line position I could not find Settle playing was as the “5” technique outside of the tackle. Settle is far more versatile than I initially gave him credit for – I didn’t have to look very hard to find these plays with the exception of the last one; most are just throwaway extra clips I had after my study that didn’t have much else remarkable to them. Jay Gruden values versatility in a football player more than anything else, and Tim has that. He was definitively not drafted just to be a 3 – 4 nose tackle in the mold of Terrence Knighton.
He knows how to shed blocks
Other than his greater than expected versatility, Settle’s best quality is perhaps his ability to violently shed blocks and defeat double teams, which also happens to be a defensive lineman’s most important skill. He’s a violent player and uses his strength and leverage to break free of blocks and at least put himself in a position to impact the play, even if he doesn’t always make the tackle. He’s not a passive player who waits for the game to come to him. He has a variety of techniques to defeat blocks and is generally at least as successful at it as the other Redskins linemen:
The first play is from the week 17 home game against the Eagles. Settle is the nose tackle and is playing “0” technique. The play is an inside running play to the offensive left. Settle sheds the block of the center by shoving him to the left while moving laterally right, then penetrates and makes the tackle on the running back for a short gain. The second play is from Washington’s week 14 home battle against the Giants. Settle is again the nose tackle (“0” technique). After the snap, he violently tosses the center to the ground and has a free shot at Giants running back Elijhaa Penny in the backfield. Settle unfortunately doesn’t do a great job putting a hit on Penny, but does get enough of his foot to make him stumble so that Mason Foster can make the tackle.
In the third play, again from week 17 against Philly, Settle is playing nose tackle in a three man front with Stacy McGee and Jon Allen. Settle gets double teamed by the center and right guard, sheds both of them to move laterally to his right after Eagles quarterback Nick Foles starts to scramble to Foles’ left. Settle doesn’t get the sack but is able to move to Foles’ outside fast enough that Foles is forced to cut back inside right into the waiting arms of linebacker Shaun Dion-Hamilton.
The fourth play, against the Eagles, shows Settle lined up over the left guard at the “2” technique. He gets immediately double-teamed by the center and the left guard, but splits the double team in time to force the running back to have to cut back inside and get stopped for minimal gain. In the fifth play, once again versus the Eagles, Settle is playing “3” technique to the outside of the right guard. Settle then takes a pre-snap step to his left, moving closer to the tackle, in order to hopefully confuse the Eagles’ protection scheme. Settle is blocked by the guard, but keeps an eye on Foles. Once Foles starts to scramble, Settle sheds his block and moves laterally to his right. When Foles responds by changing direction, Settle then comes back to his left, back across the guard, to get a hit in on Foles. It’s a very impressive play that shows skill and awareness.
The final play is from week 14 against the Giants. He’s the nose tackle again, “0” technique, and gets double-teamed by the center and the left guard. Settle quickly busts through the double team, causing running back Saquon Barkley to bounce outside in very impressive style, although he was ultimately stopped for short gain by Preston Smith and a defensive back.
Settle has significant situational awareness
Settle’s head is usually on a swivel. He exhibited a high level of situational awareness on his Redskins film. Settle is good about paying attention and keeping track of the ball carrier and/or quarterback during the play, which is something that young players sometimes don’t do very well. Check out this series of clips:
The first play is from the week 13 contest against the Eagles in Philadelphia. This play is goal line defense. Settle is lined up in “0” technique over the center, with Daron Payne next to him over the right guard. The Eagles try to run it in, with the running back apparently headed towards the “B” gap. Settle predictably gets caught up in lots of traffic, but keeps his eyes up throughout the play, looking for the running back – notice that Settle adjusts his path once he locates the back after getting somewhat free of his blocks. Tim’s ability to keep the running back in sight and then having the strength to not give ground during the tackle saved a touchdown. This is a great rep. Play two is from the Thanksgiving Day contest against the Cowboys. Settle originally lines up as nose tackle in “1” technique, but then takes two pre-snap steps to his right into “3” technique outside of the right guard. He originally gets driven to his right by the Cowboys guard, but has the awareness to shed the block and move laterally left once he sees the running back make his break back against the grain in what appears to be a zone run left. Settle doesn’t make the play, but its nonetheless a good, easy to see example of this player being observant enough to make a correct decision. The final play in this series is from the week 17 home game against Philadelphia. Settle is lined up in “3” technique outside the right guard, with the Redskins in a 3-man front. Tim easily sheds his block, but the running back heads left away from him. Watch carefully and notice that Settle continues to chase the back and actually adjusts his path three times even though he realistically has no chance of chasing down a running back. This shows both relentless effort and football smarts.
He’s explosive by lineman standards
Settle is the type of guy who has more short-space football speed than track speed. Nobody’s going to mistake him for a speedy edge rusher, but he does have more burst than you might think for a guy who I and others thought of as solely a nose tackle. Watch these reps:
In the first play, from the Dallas game, Settle is lined up in “3” technique outside of the left guard. After the snap, he tosses the guard aside like a wet rag and gets a solid hit in on the quarterback, who to his credit prevented a sack via a quick release. The second play is from the week 13 Eagles game in the City of Hate and Classlessness. The Redskins are in a 4 man defensive front, with Settle playing the defensive right “A” gap in “1” technique. This play is a designed stunt, with Settle leaving his gap to charge around the left edge. He doesn’t quite get there, but he does disrupt the play. It’s a “wow” play. Do you think a traditional nose tackle could be successful in a play like this? Me either. Settle is explosive and relentless.
He has decent tackling ability
Honestly, there isn’t enough pro film on Tim to make a conclusive judgment about his tackling skills, but I saw no real problems in the limited run he got last season, at least in the four games I studied. Watch these two examples:
The first play is from the Redskins’ week 17 home game against the Eagles. Settle is playing the “4” technique over the right guard. The play is a run directly at Settle’s gap. He’s able to shed his blocker and meet the running back head near the line of scrimmage and bring him down for little or no gain. It’s a solid effort and tackle. In the second play, from week 12 at Dallas, Settle is playing “3” technique outside the guard. He slips through untouched thanks to what appears to be a blown protection call and makes a solid hit on the running back, who’s headed away from Settle.
Again, Tim only had 8 tackles for the year, so his tackling ability probably needs to be reevaluated next year due to the small sample size, but I have no reason to suspect we’ll see anything worse after the 2019 season.
It’s not all perfect, of course
If you’ve read my breakdowns before, you know that I make an effort to show both the negative and positive from a player. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t see much negative about Settle. He’s obviously not perfect, and could have posted better objective measurables at the Combine, but at least from a 2018 film perspective, he’s did pretty well. Here are a few clips of plays gone wrong:
The first play in this series is from the Thanksgiving Day game in Dallas. Settle is lined up directly over the nose tackle. Notice that the center and the left guard double-team Settle, and they easily and quickly drive him backwards and right, then put him on the ground. One criticism of Settle heading into the draft was that he ended up on the ground too much, and this is one example of that. To be fair, though, Settle doesn’t pull a Haynesworth and lay there like the rotting carcass of a dead whale – he gets up and keeps pursuing the back.
The next rep is from the week 13 Eagles game. Settle is lined up at nose tackle, slightly offset (“1” technique). The Eagles’ center and left guard double-team him and drive him backwards and right, out of the play.
The third clip is from the same Eagles game. Settle is playing the “0” technique at nose tackle. He’s one on one with the center, but is blocked and controlled and put on the ground again.
The final example is from the week 14 Giants game, and it’s a painful memory for Redskins fans. This is Saquon Barkley‘s 76 yard touchdown run, and I intentionally let the clip run a bit longer so you can watch him break free. You’re welcome. Settle is at nose tackle again, “0” technique, and once again is blocked by the center and thrown to the ground. Barkley bounces outside to his left and takes it to the house.
Is this a pattern? Not really. These are just a few negative plays, and Settle did far more right than wrong. He’s certainly not the perfect player, but nobody is.
One last good play
Finally, because I can, we’ll end this on a good note:
This play is from the Dallas game, and Settle is playing the “4” technique over the left tackle. He takes an inside track on his pass rush and is blocked by the left guard. Settle makes a beautiful swim move to get by the guard and get a run at the quarterback. Unfortunately, Settle slips / is illegally tackled from behind, and the quarterback gets away. Regardless, it’s a great swim move.
Conclusion
Once he finally got a real shot last season, Tim did very well and showed that he has a bright future. He’s an intelligent player who can succeed all along the defensive front. Settle plays with aggression but is smart enough to maintain his situational awareness and make plays. While it’s true that the Redskins have a significant amount of assets invested in the defensive line that will require most of the starting time, namely Jon Allen, Daron Payne, and Matt Ioannidis, there’s no reason why Settle cannot be a solid rotational piece. There’s a reason why the Redskins’ front office was comfortable enough to let Stacy McGee go – Settle and Ioannidis can do everything McGee could do, at least on the field. Ask yourself if you can see somebody like Albert Haynesworth playing with the effort that Settle showed (hint: no). I was pleasantly surprised at Settle’s skills and abilities, and he’s only going to get better with experience.
What do you think of Tim Settle? Let me know in the comment section.