AN UNOBSTRUCTED VIEW 

NFL week 7

Presented by Dale Sims

This is an interesting season thus far, several real surprises scattered among the usual suspects in terms of team achievements.  It was hard to foresee that teams like the Saints and Jets would be quite as effective as they have been or that teams like the Dolphins and Buccaneers would be struggling quite so much.  Still every season has such stories, if not quite so many of them, and the season is still young.

One trend that was a little more unexpected though involves defense this season.  The NFL has been opening up the rules in recent seasons in ways that have benefited offenses but this season the defenses are starting to catch up.  It certainly has not been the result of changes in the rules or interpretation to favor defenses.  It appears that defensive schemes and coordinators are simply making good adjustments.

There are two defensive deviations that have been spreading in the NFL for the past several seasons.  These are the three four, a reprise of the defense that was popular in the seventies though with some new twists, and the Tampa cover two.  There are some not entirely obvious reasons why these defenses are good choices these days.

Defensive Theory

The NFL is a copycat league, teams tend to do what other teams do that has proven effective.  In the past, this has resulted in defenses that looked a lot alike.  Offenses were, and still are, where most innovation occurred; defenses reacted to changes in offensive philosophies.  It still is that way and likely always will be as the offense has the advantage of having the initiative.

What appears to be different these days is both the proliferation of defenses and in some cases their increasing flexibility; even the common four-three is getting some new looks.  The three-four defense, popular in the NFL in the seventies has returned but in a different incarnation.  The Tampa cover two is finding more adherents; at least partially because the rules emphasizing reduced contact are easier to handle in a pass defense based on sound zone principles.

The mixing of defenses, the three-four switching into a four-three and the cover two have led to complications in offensive game plans.  Each of these defenses has their own strengths and weaknesses.  Exploiting those requires different offensive approaches and sometimes different personnel packages.  While the three four gives multiple looks constantly the cover two tends to give pretty much the same look play to play but both have to be game planned for in specific fashion.

These two defenses tend toward opposite ends of the spectrum theoretically.  The cover two basically has as an approach that the four down linemen will tie up the five offensive linemen in front of them creating match up advantages at the second level for the defense.  The three four has the approach that the defensive front seven will overwhelm your front five creating their match up advantage at the line.

Both these defenses also tend to be both cap and roster friendly defenses.  The players have specific talents to be sure but with the exception of a couple specific roles the players required can be trained to their roles if they are reasonably intelligent.  Exception athleticism is not always required, for example a shutdown corner is somewhat wasted in a cover two zone.

The Tampa Cover Two

A number of teams have or are adapting the Tampa cover two defense as a base scheme.  Obviously, Tampa Bay has been using it the longest but the Colts have had notable success with it also.  Lovie Smith took it to St Louis (from Tampa) where he had success with it before coming to the Chicago Bears where perhaps He has found ideal personnel to implement it.

The basic scheme is simple in scope; and the Bears play a relatively pure form of the defense.  The defense is defined by the positioning of the safeties, they play a deep zone, each responsible for half of the field.  They are responsible to protect deep and prevent big plays, the Tampa cover two is a bend, don’t break defensive scheme where everything is suppose to happen in front of the safeties.

The Tampa cover-two defense requires speed and discipline over size.  It is a gap defense, which means that on the line players are responsible for their gaps.  To be successful the line must be able to fully occupy the offensive line and put pressure on the quarterback.  Because it is essentially a zone defense, the corners are not required to shut down receivers but must be good tacklers.

The linebackers are first responsible for their gaps but must also be able to cover well.  Typically this is one of the vulnerabilities of the cover two, particularly in the middle.  The middle linebacker has to reliably read the play and then be able to defend a tight end or even a slot receiver in the middle seam of the zone defense.  This means great range and coverage skills are needed.

This might be one of the reasons why the Bears are having such success; Urlacher is the prototypical middle linebacker for this scheme.  A former safety his coverage skills are exceptional and given his speed he can easily recover to defend the pass.  Opponents seldom test him deep because he recovers so quickly.

The discipline required though makes it a difficult defense to implement even with the right personnel.  First of all there can be no free-lancing, going independent is a really bad idea as once an offensive play breaks its gap it is usually good for ten yards minimum, remember the safeties are playing deep and the corners wide.  It also requires that each player trust, and be able to rely that every other player on the defense is taking care of their assignment.  This defense, with its reliance on speed over bulk can be beaten by wearing it down.

The Three Four

The three four requires a lot of players who fit particular roles, large linebackers and/or smaller defensive ends who have good quickness and tackling/coverage skills.  These “tweeners” are also ideal special team players so you can have depth on defense for rotation, to wear down offensive lines, and not hurt the fifty-three man roster limit.  These players are also cheaper in that they do not always fit well in contemporary schemes where they can wear down.

This defense calls for flexibility in most positions but the defensive tackle isn’t one of them.  Here there is a requirement for a true two-gap lineman; a player who demands a double team every time he lines up.  This enables the outside linebackers and defensive ends to be singled and with their speed a mismatch for the blocker.  It also gives flexibility to flood one side or the other of the offensive line with defenders.

It can be very hard to run the offense when the same defensive personnel groups can flex in and out of the three four to a four three. This effectively changes the number of defensive gaps which can change the offensive blocking assignments of plays.  Some defensive changes are well enough concealed that they create misreads by both quarterbacks and linemen resulting in an unblocked defensive lineman.

What is happening behind the front is also flexible; the defensive backs can be running any coverage scheme and disguising them as needed.  What appears to be a seven man rush can suddenly be seven players in coverage with the outside backers moving to the flats and the middle backers dropping to the short zones.  The Patriots have driven Payton Manning nuts with this over the years and if he has troubles figuring it out imagine the difficulty that everyone else has; still you beat this defensive scheme by reading it.

Observations

There are more good defenses out there in the NFL than perhaps ever before in the modern game; the Bears, Broncos, Chargers, and Ravens just to name a few.  A couple of really good defenses have been hammered by injuries but still can be forces; Carolina and Jacksonville have had particularly costly injuries, both losing exceptional middle linebackers, among others.  There are still other defenses that have top talent but have had some inconsistencies to keep them just out of that top tier, pick almost any defense from the NFC East as an example here.

Watching good defense can be as exciting as good offense; you just have to look harder.  It is not the big hit you should be watching for but rather the penetration of the defensive line, what side of the ball is the game being played on.  The sack is a big play but the more qualitative analysis looks at tips at the line and blockers being pushed back into the pocket.  Are receivers being pressed at the line of scrimmage, in zones are they being passed off smoothly, in man is the defender turning smoothly, what does the safety help look like?

Unfortunately television does not give you a very good medium to actually watch the defense, you need a broader view and one much less focused on the ball.  Assuming that you can not actually get the game film going to a game is about the only way to really see the defense consistently; end zone seats are actually an advantage for this.  If you have the opportunity it can be both educational and entertaining.  In any case take some time and appreciate the opportunity to watch the other side of the ball, this season certainly seems to be a great chance to do so.

Dale “at” footballforecasters.com