Nick Saban has been the preeminent defensive coach in college football for the better part  of 2 decades. The hallmark of his defense has been the vast array of pattern matching schemes they have available to deal with any situation they may face defensively. Former Florida head coach Will Muschamp is a direct disciple of the Saban coaching tree, having worked for Saban as a defensive coordinator at LSU and an assistant head coach with the Miami Dolphins. So it came as no surprise to me when I started studying film of DJ Durkin’s defense at Florida last year, that Durkin’s scheme was heavily influenced by Saban & Muschamp’s philosophy. In this article I’m going to breakdown how Durkin’s defense adjusted their 3 deep zone to trips formations. This pattern matching scheme is known as 3 Buzz Mable. The Seattle Seahawks also utilize this adjustment to their Cover 3 scheme versus trips.

The concept with 3 Buzz Mable is to push the coverage over towards the trips. By pushing the coverage to the trips, the defense is able to create a 5 over 3 match and take away a lot of the popular route combinations to the trips side.

The defense is able to take their scheme over to the trips because they will play the back side man to man (Mable). Here are some examples of 3 Buzz Mable from last year’s Florida versus LSU game. This is a 2nd & 7 situation with 2:03 left in the 2nd quarter, LSU comes out in a trey formation.

LSU runs a four verticals concept, which is exactly the type of concept this coverage is designed to take away. By having the mike linebacker match #3 vertical (3 up is 3), it allows the free safety to read the quarterback and not have to chase #3 running across the formation.

The quarterback tries to target the back side vertical but the ball sails out of bounds. Many times the quarterback will not even try to challenge the trips side once he reads the coverage rotation. Essentially what the defense is doing is flooding the zones with coverage to the three receiver side, which is typically what the offense is trying to do (flood concepts) when they line up in trips or trey.

With 7:48 left in the 3rd quarter and facing a 3rd & 17 situation, LSU came out in another trey set. Florida once again checks to their 3 Buzz Mable coverage.

This example shows how the coverage responsibilities can change based on the way the routes distribute. Once the #2 receiver is out, the strong side hook defender will pass off that route to the curl-flat defender and work to cut off of the in cut by #1. The rest of the coverage plays out like the previous example. The weak side hook defender matches #3 vertical, and the back side coverage is locked in man to man coverage. The secondary does an outstanding job of disguising the coverage and not rotating until after the snap.

Once again the quarterback stays away from the 5 over 3 match and tries to throw the vertical back side. The ball falls incomplete, but the offense gets a questionable pass interference call.

You can also play the same scheme and give the defense a different look by playing Cover 6 Skate. The structure of the coverage remains the same, but the safety rotation is inverted. The strong safety will play the deep 1/3, and the free safety will rotate down into the box to play the weak side hook.

I’m very intrigued to see where Coach Durkin can take the Michigan defense going forward. He’s inheriting a good unit that finished #7 in the country in total defense in 2014. With the NFL style defensive scheme that he is bringing from Florida (Muschamp/Saban), I expect Michigan to be among the top defensive units in the B1G.

Want to learn the Under Front Defense? Pick up the NEW iBook Coaching the Under Front Defense by Jerry Gordon

The Detroit Lions were one of the most dominant defenses in the NFL last year. One of the reasons I believe they were so successful is their ability to have multiple looks and formation checks that put their personnel in the best position to succeed. In this article I’m going analyze their slot coverage check and some of their 3 deep blitzes.

Versus the Vikings in week 6 last year, Minnesota came out in a 21 personnel twins split formation. The Lions checked to Cover Fist. This is a slot coverage that uses 3 deep coverage principles. The strong safety will carry #2 vertically up to 12 yards, after that he will pass off #2 to the free safety. The strong safety will also pattern match with a Smash rule. What this means is that if #1 runs a hitch and #2 runs a corner route, then the strong safety will pass off the corner route to cornerback and will jump the hitch by #1. The free safety will cheat to the twins side and play the MOF (middle of the field) to #2. The free safety can cheat towards the twins side because of the limited options the offense has to the tight end side. To the tight end side the cornerback will play any vertical route by the tight end and the sam linebacker will play the first to the flat. The mike linebacker will relate to #3 if he releases to the weak side.

As Bridgewater reaches the top of his drop, you can see the coverage concept take shape. The free safety opens up at a 45 degree angle in order to better read the slot route combination. Once there is no possibility of smash concept, the cornerback to the twins side will play all of #1 vertical.

Free safety Glover Quin does a great job or reading the double posts concept, realizing the inside post to #2 is just bait to open up the second post to #1. Bridgewater assumes the first post will occupy Quin and never sees him fly into the passing lane, allowing Quin to make the interception in the end zone using the Fist coverage adjustment.

The next play I’m going to breakdown features the same Fist concept versus a slot formation, but this time it is paired with an overload pressure. The Lions will bring the overload from the twins side. Due to the Fist concept and using the flat defender (strong safety) to pattern match the twins-split formation, the sam linebacker will play a blitz peel technique. A blitz peel means is that if the running back releases to the weak side, the sam linebacker will peel off of his blitz responsibility to cover the running back man to man. To the tight end side, the defensive end will engage upfield before dropping as the flat defender. The three technique will work to cross the face of the right tackle and use a contain rush to replace the defensive end.

The Saints try to release the tailback to the twins side on a swing screen, but the sam linebacker peels off of his blitz to play the running back, forcing Brees to throw incomplete.

The Lions used the same blitz in the playoffs versus the Cowboy that resulted in a sack. The only difference was that they didn’t drop the defensive end to the twins side.

From what I have observed studying the Lions, if you line up in a slot or two back set… look out. Teryl Austin really likes to bring the heat versus these types of formations. Here is another 3 deep overload blitz variation. This time the strong safety is blitzing and will play a peel technique if the tailback releases to the strong side. After dropping into the flat, the weak side defensive end will immediately look to the offset fullback, because that is the only possible outlet to his side (HOT #2)

Even though the Saints are using a 7 man protection scheme, the Lions get quick pressure. Brees has time to look at one read, which is the flanker. With bracket coverage on the flanker, the Lions pressure has time to get home and sack Brees.

I always enjoy studying the Lions defense from 2014 with Teryl Austin at the helm. Not only were they were fundamentally sound, but they always had adjustments, nuances and wrinkles to deal with any scenario the offense could present.

In preparation for this week’s B1G championship game, which this year will serve as a play in game for the College Football Playoff, I decided to study the All-22 film of the last meeting between Michigan State and Iowa from 2013. The Spartans defense did a nice job of using base coverage concepts and some effective wrinkles in order to create turnover opportunities and hold Iowa to only 14 points. While the personnel has obviously changed for both of these teams, the schemes are pretty much the same, so I believe a decent amount of these tactics and strategies will still translate to the 2015 title game.

Let’s start with the Michigan State blitz package. Mark Dantonio and his defensive staff have a large variety of 6 man pressures that feature 3 deep/2 under coverage. While Michigan State will bring the pressure in a number of different ways, one of their favorite blitz schemes is the Mike/Will A gap Cross-Dog. They ran this blitz 6 times versus Iowa, with one leading to an interception early in the first quarter. One of the things that makes the Michigan State blitz package so tough to deal with is that their is almost no indictor that the pressure is coming. Michigan State will align exactly like the same pre-snap as they would in their base defense. Post snap they will rotate to a 3 deep-2 under zone coverage and bring 6 rushers.

The hook defenders responsibility is to wall off any crosser and protect the hashes. They are playing a “Hot” technique. Meaning they will run flat to where the QB is looking. Once the QB’s hand comes off the ball, they’ll turn their head and find an underneath route to cover.  This is a common technique in blitz coverage. Here is an example from Pete Carroll’s Defensive Playbook. 

As long as the hook defenders do not allow a seam route down the hashes and disrupt that type of route, then the Deep 1/3 cornerbacks should be able to play depth & divider Cover 3 principles and defend any vertical route between the hash and the numbers.  Depth and divider is a term for the cornerback with #1 vertical and #2 in the seam. Depth and divider in 3 deep zone is one yard on top of the numbers. The 2/1 read for the cornerback to the trips side means that the cornerback will read the release of the #2 receiver. So versus any type of smash concept, the cornerback will play the corner route by #2 and pass off the hitch route to the hook defender. The MOF 1/3 safety would be responsibility to defend any post route between the hashes.

Here is how Mark Dantonio divides the field in terms of pass defense.

Iowa uses their tight end and running back to max protect. To the field side they are running a smash concept. So the cornerback playing the depth and divider and reading 2/1 will play the corner route from #2. As the pocket collapses the Iowa quarterback tries to target #1 to the weak side on a fade, probably thinking he’s seeing some type of zero coverage, which is typically the case with 6 man blitzes. But the cornerback plays perfect three deep zone technique and makes the interception.

Versus 3×2 empty formations Michigan State’s base coverage adjustment is known as Midpoints. With midpoints Michigan State will match 4 over 3 to the strong side using pattern match Cover 3 principles and 3 over 2 to the weak side with Quarters coverage. Here are the rules for midpoints coverage: The field corner is midpointing #1 and #2, meaning he will lean on the inside shoulder of #1. If #1 runs under, then the field corner will try to work over the top of any vertical route by #2. The technique is the same for the safety midpointing #2 & #3. Lean on the inside shoulder of #2, if #2 runs under, work over the top of #3. The mike linebacker will wall #3 in order to funnel #3 to the safety midpointing #2 & #3. If #2 or #3 runs under, then the mike will play that route man to man. The curl-flat defender will reroute #2 and play any under route from #1 man to man. Here are some examples of the midpoints pattern reads versus various route combinations. Three verticals can be tough on this coverage, but here is the philosophy of former Michigan State defensive coordinator on midpoints coverage, “If they want to throw deep, let them throw deep to number one.  It’s too far of a throw to number one to the field anyway.”

Michigan State had a nice wrinkle with their coverage to the weak side of their midpoints coverage concept. To the weak side Michigan State is playing quarters coverage. A common quarters coverage beater is double slants. The quarterback will read the curl-flat defender with this concept. Typically the first slant will clear out the curl-flat defender, opening up a window to throw the slant to #1.

Michigan State will drop their weak side defensive end right into the window for the 2nd slant with an engage peel technique. What this means is the defensive end will engage the tackle, then drop out right into the window of the 2nd slant. It’s this type of subtle tweak that can make Michigan State so dangerous defensively. They will show you a base look, but add some nuance that can create a takeaway for their defense.

This was the perfect gameplan adjustment versus Iowa. The QB thinks he has a window to throw the slant to #1 after the slant from #2 clears out the curl-flat defender, but he throws it right to the defensive end on the engage-peel technique. Unfortunately for the Spartans the defensive end drops the interception, but this coverage scheme probably should have led to a pick 6.

Michigan State’s base coverage versus Trips or Trey is commonly referred to as Solo. I have written about this concept in detail here. Solo is a 3×1 adjustment that pushes the coverage to the trips 5 over 3, leaving the weak side defenders matched up man to man.

While Michigan State did play plenty of Solo coverage versus Iowa, they also used their midpoints concept versus trips formations. In theory, any coverage you play to the trips side in 3×2 empty can be utilized versus a 3×1 set, as long as you’re not involving any weak side defenders into the coverage. So by playing midpoints and matching 4 over 3 versus 3×1 formations to the trips side, it allowed Michigan State to be creative versus the single receiver to the weak side. Michigan State played man-trail technique with their cornerback to the weak side with a deep 1/2 safety over the top, then used their weak side linebacker to play the running back man to man. They were able to keep Iowa off-balance and force incompletions by mixing up this look along with their Solo coverage.

As I have pointed out in this article, the Spartans will make minor adjustments throughout the game to continue to change the look for the quarterback. Here is the same midpoints/2 man under concept versus Trips Split, except this time they tag the Mike linebacker with man to man coverage on #3. Everything else within the structure of the coverage remains consistent with the last example.

One possible weakness with Solo coverage is that you leave the weak side cornerback man to man with no help. But Michigan State did use a Solo variation versus Iowa that also allowed them to bracket the single side receiver in a trips formation. In their sub-package the Spartans used a 3 man rush, matched 5 over 3 to the trips side using Solo principles, then played Cover 2 on the weak side with a squat cornerback and deep 1/2 safety.

It’s 3rd and long and Michigan State is able to eliminate any vertical threats, force a check down and get a defensive stop deep in Iowa territory.

Michigan State is primarily a zone coverage team. But I did notice against the Hawkeyes that they played a Cover 1 Rat concept a couple of times. Cover 1 Rat is a man coverage with a MOF safety and a rat in the hole. The rat plays the low hole and will read the eyes of the quarterback, looking to rob any underneath throw in the middle of the field. Because Iowa is pretty static with their formations, it allowed Michigan State to look the same on defense pre-snap but continuously change up the coverages and keep the quarterback guessing.

Most likely the Spartans were playing a funnel concept with the mike linebacker and weak side linebacker in their Cover 1 concept. What this means is that if the running back released to the strong side, then the mike linebacker would have covered him man to man and the will linebacker would become the rat in the hole. This is the best way to deal with the running back out of the backfield in Cover 1 in order to disguise the coverage and not get out leveraged no matter which way the back releases.

In terms of elite college football coaches, Mark Dantonio and his staff have to be at or near the top of the list. The job they have done this year in spite of their injury situation and loss of defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi has been remarkable. I thought the win in Columbus versus Ohio State a couple of weeks ago my was the finest coaching job of Dantonio’s career. His defense dominated the Ohio State offense on the road in a way that I did not think was possible. With a win versus Iowa on Saturday, the Spartans will take the next step as a program and have the opportunity to play for a national championship. I expect an aggressive and multiple game plan defensively from Michigan State, similar to what they showed in the 2013 meeting with the Hawkeyes,

I have been trying to put a few posts together lately to combine the various resources on certain topics on my website into one post to make them easier to find. Here is my Cover 3 resources page. The first two links will be Cover 3 rules and responsibilities for the base and sub package. The links following those will be articles that I have written on the topic including 3 deep blitz and fire zone coverage.

Cover 3 Base Package

Cover 3 Sub Package

Seattle Seahawks Cover 3 Pattern Matching: 3 Buzz Mable

Breaking Down the Seattle Seahawks Defense versus the Philadelphia Eagles Offense: Part 1

Breaking Down the Seattle Seahawks Defense vs the Philadelphia Eagles Offense: Part 2

Pete Carroll Defensive Resources

Detroit Lions Cover Fist & 3 Deep Blitzes

Detroit Lions Cover 3 Cone

Alabama Pressure Package: Fire Zones & Zero Blitz

Alabama Pattern Matching Schemes: Rip/Liz Match & Cover 7

DJ Durkin Pattern Matching Scheme: 3 Buzz Mable

DJ Durkin Cover 3 Cloud

DJ Durkin Cover 3 Buzz Pressure

Michigan State Coverage Concepts vs Iowa: Blitz, Midpoints, Solo & 1 Rat

Michigan State 3 Deep Overload Blitzes

Michigan State 2E Zone Pressure

Mark Dantonio Three-Deep Zone Principles

Ohio State Pressure Package Versus Oregon

Cover 3 Cloud Defense

Jeff Reinebold’s 3-4 Defense: Fire Zone Coverages, Blitzes & Run Fits

Effective Blitz & Coverage Checks

Preseason Defensive Breakdown: Seahawks Pick Six & Lions Pressure Scheme

Cover 8 Base Package (Fire Zones)

Cover 8 Sub Package (Fire Zones)

Below are some additional Cover 3 cutups I found on YouTube from FB Coaches Corner. 

After studying the All-22 film of the Detroit Lions Thanksgiving day destruction of the Philadelphia Eagles, I was able to pull an excellent example of Cover 3 pattern matching and a nickel package blitz that resulted in a huge hit and pass breakup. In addition to showing the pattern matching rules of the Lions 3 deep zone, I’m going to detail how a 4-2-5 defense like TCU would call and execute the blitz the Lions ran. Because most nickel defenses in pro football feature the same personnel and principles as the 4-2-5, it’s easy to show how the terminology and concepts translate.

Teryl Austin worked for former Nick Saban defensive coordinator Dean Pees, when Pees was the Ravens defensive coordinator and Austin was the secondary coach in 2012 and 2013. I have noticed several concepts from Saban’s defense that have shown up in Austin’s while researching both of their schemes. One of the most well known and highly utilized pattern read defenses that Saban popularized is known as Rip/Liz Match.

This is a single high safety pattern matching scheme that is used primarily against 2×2 formations. It is a Cover 3 defense that can adapt to Cover 1 versus a 4 verticals concept. What this does is enable the defense to play an 8 man front to suffocate the run, but mitigate the typical problem areas defenses face when they play a 3 deep zone coverage. As Chris Brown wrote in the Art of Smart Football, ” The beauty of pattern match zone coverages, when executed correctly, is they’re the best of all possible worlds. The defense plays zone coverage against pass patterns designed to beat man coverage, and man coverage versus pass patterns designed to beat zone coverage. 

The cornerbacks will still play depth and divider Cover 3 rules.  Depth and divider is a term for the cornerback with #1 vertical and #2 in the seam. Depth and divider in 3 deep zone is one yard on top of the numbers. The cornerback is responsible for all of #1 of vertical. But if #1 runs under, then the cornerback will squeeze #2 to the middle of the field safety and take away any pass between the numbers and the hashes.

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The depth and divider technique for the cornerback is not any different than typical 3 deep zone. The difference and advantage of Rip/Liz match versus traditional 3 deep zone is the responsibility of the flat defender. The flat defender will take all of #2 out and vertical. What this means is that versus a four verticals concept the coverage will turn into Cover 1. But if #1 or #2 runs under, then the coverage will play out like traditional Cover 3. The inside linebackers are dropping into hook zones and will relate to the release of #3.

6:51 3rd quarter, 3rd & 7 at the Eagles 23 yard line:  The Eagles come out in a Deuce formation (2×2), which is exactly the type of set that Rip/Liz is designed to limit when playing Cover 3.

Because #1 runs under to the boundary side, the coverage will turn into Cover 3 to that side. The boundary cornerback will play the depth and divider and squeeze #2 to the MOF safety. The hook defenders will now look to match the crossing route from #1 as well as the release of #3. The flat defender into the boundary will now turn into a zone defender and match #3 to the weak side or a strong to weak crosser. To the field, because both #1 and #2 both run vertical it turns into Cover 1 to that side. This route combination gives you a great look at the hybrid matchup zone that you get with Rip/Liz match. You end up with a man concept on one side, and zone on the other based on the pattern distribution.

The Lions take away all of the Eagles downfield options on this play, forcing Sanchez to hold the ball and ultimately resulting in a strip sack.

In 4-2-5 defenses like TCU the front is divorced from the secondary. When a blitz is called you will get specific terminology that designates the assignment of the front, pressure scheme and coverage. In the TCU/4-2-5 blitz scheme most pressures are either Cover 0 or Cover 1. You can call the blitz based on the formation or the boundary/field. In this case I’m going to call the blitz the Lions ran versus the Eagles based on the formation. The call in this example would be Nose Take/Split Smoke/1 Combo. Nose/Take lets the defensive end and nose guard know that they are going to slant one gap towards the call (front strength). Split Smoke lets the safety to the split end side know that he is the designated blitzer. The 1 combo is the coverage scheme, (Cover 1 Combo).

Here is each call individually:

Nose Take

Split Smoke

Cover 1 Combo

The combo stands for the banjo technique by the Sam and Mike linebackers on the running back and tight end. Banjo is a 2 on 2 man coverage based on the releases.

Here is the entire call put together: Nose Take/Split Smoke/1 Combo.

The running back (#3) releases strong, so the Sam linebacker matches the running back to the flat, leaving the mike linebacker to match the tight end (#2) vertical. The Lions do an outstanding job of holding their disguise until right after the snap. The Nose Take stunt occupies the center, right guard and right tackle, leaving the split smoke to come free. The QB throws hot to #2 to the split end side, replacing the blitzer. But the free safety is rotating down to play #2 man to man and puts a punishing hit on the Eagles slot receiver, forcing an incompletion.

Some offensive coaches will teach an entire passing concept with just one word, such as Mesh. Defenses can do that same thing and teach a blitz by concept, where one word tells everyone what their individual responsibilties are within that concept. One advantage of breaking up the blitz call into the front/pressure/coverage method, is that you can easily change one aspect of the blitz while not having make an entirely different call. Let’s say you had a really dangerous tight end that was a vertical threat and you didn’t want to use the banjo concept by the linebackers in order to account for him. You could just modify the call to Nose Take/Split Smoke/0 Combo. Now the coverage will be zero with the weak safety covering the tight end man to man. The 0 combo is a fiddle concept by the linebackers. Fiddle is a 2 on 1 man coverage based on release.

If the back released strong like in the Eagles example, the Sam would match the running back man to man and the mike would either add on as an additional blitzer or act as a rat in the hole.

In the spirit of 4-2-5 blitzes, here is one of my favorite pressure schemes detailed by Coach Raymond Monica. Coach Monica calls this his Cobra package. This is the exact same concept as TCU’s MOB blitz.

It’s a zero pressure that will rush 8 defenders. The four blitzing second level defenders will execute a 4-way spy on the running backs. If the Mob Blitz  is combined with a Cop call, then free safety will cover one of the running backs man to man. The Cop call also lets the defensive end to the tight end side know he is covering the tight end man to man. This allows the 4 blitzers to only have to account for one of the running backs instead of both of them. MOB is a combination of the Bullets and Double Smoke blitzes.

Whether it’s Cover 3 pattern matching or nickel (4-2-5) blitz packages, I always enjoy studying the Lions defense coordinated by Teryl Austin. Coach Austin varies the looks a lot from week to week and the Lions are able to execute a variety of concepts well. Hopefully I gave you some insight into his scheme as well as the 4-2-5.

The Denver Broncos Defense and Coordinator Wade Phillips made a statement in Super Bowl 50 with a seven sack demolition of the #1 offense in the NFL. The Broncos finished #1 in the NFL in overall defense in the regular season and went through three MVP caliber quarterbacks in the playoffs in Cam Newton, Tom Brady and Ben Roethlisberger. These accomplishments put the Broncos stamp on the NFL as one of the greatest defenses in league history.

The first two articles in this series will give the reader a general overview of Wade Phillips’ base coverage and blitz concepts. In future articles I plan on going through the Broncos All-22 film from their playoff run and finding specific example of these defensive concepts.

Wade Phillips scheme features 10 base coverages. This is from Wade Phillips 2003′ Atlanta Falcons defensive playbook. In part 1 I will detail Cover 1 Dog, Cover 2, Cover 3, Cover 4 & Cover 8. 

Cover 1 Dog base alignments, assignments and formation adjustments: Man to man coverage with a free safety playing a deep 1/3. 5 man rush

Cover 2 base alignments, assignments and formations adjustments: 5 short, 2 deep matchup zone.

Here are a couple of Wade Phillips different Cover 2 adjustments. The first is Cover 2 Buster.

Here are some additional 2 Buster examples and video from a previous article.

With all of Wade Phillips split safety coverages he has a Fax check that he can use versus 3×1 formations.

This is the same as the Clip concept, which is a trips Cover 2 check I wrote about previously.

Cover 3 base alignments, assignments and formations adjustments. 4 short, 3 deep rotation zone.

Here is Wade Phillips Cover 3 Dropkick check. 

This is the same as the Cover 3 Cone concept I wrote about previously.

Cover 4: Combination zone, Quarters coverage strong and Cover 2 weak:

Wade Phillips Cover 4 Fax check is the same Cover 4 Solo/Poach

Cover 8: base alignments, assignments and formations adjustments: Quarters coverage:

Wade Phillips Cover 8 Fax check is the same as Solo/Poach

That will conclude part 1 of Wade Phillips blitz package and coverage concepts. In part 2 I will show the base examples of Blitz coverage, 1 Rover, 2 Man Under, Cover 5 (Red Area and Zorro. 

DEFENSIVE TERMINOLOGY

Over/Eagle Package

43 CLOUD

DALLAS = OVER CROSSFIRE

DBL CAT

DBL SMOKE

EAGLE WK BROWN

EGL PIRATE 5 PALMS

EGL PIRATE TAMPA

EGL ST BROWN

EGL TAMPA

OVER BROWN

OVER 3 ROBBER

OVER 4 PALMS

OVER NICKEL SAINT

OVER SOLID BLITZ

OVER SPEAR 3

OVER WK 3

SMOKE CRASH

SONIC

TUCSON 10-11 SETS

OKIE Package

FIELD OKIE MADDOG PALMS CLOUD

OKIE BOSTON 3 PLAMS

OKIE CHICAGO

OKIE CRASH

OKIE CROSSFIRE SILVER

OKIE GATOR

OKIE OUTSIDE 3

OKIE SAM BLITZ

OKIE SEATTLE

OKIE SPICE 3 PALMS

OKIE SWITCH FRISCO

OKIE VS EMPTY

OKIE WATER 3 PLAMS

OKIE WHISKEY

PACKER

BEAR Front

NICKEL BEAR TWIST 5

NICKEL BEAR BOUNDARY RIP DOGS 3

NICKEL BEAR ALIGN AND TWISTS

*** Cover 8 = Fire Zone Coverage – 3 Deep/3 Under ***

2006 Linebacker Coverage Technique Manual

DEFENSIVE TERMINOLOGY

ANGLE 3

ANGLE STRIKE 3

ANGLE STRIKE 5 OPEN

BOSTON = NICKEL INSIDE FOX DOGS 3

BOUNDRY ANGLE SWAP

CHICAGO = CROSSFIRE

FIELD STRAIT DOGS

FIELD STACK FOX SILVER

FLD WHIP SILVER

FLD WILL WK .3

FLEX ANGLE

FLEX FRISCO

FLEX VEGAS

FRISCO = STR RIP DOGS

G BLOOD CRASH

PHILLY = NICKEL FOX DOGS 3

PHOENIX = STR STONE DOGS

SEATTLE

STACK NASTY RIP DOGS SILVER

STR STONE DOGS

VEGAS = STR SLAM DOGS