Defensive Strategies Used in the NFL
Cecil Taylor
Often we're asked, "What defensive schemes do NFL teams run?" We answer that
in a companion piece on NFL Defensive Alignments used this year. But it's really
simplistic to confine a defense to just one alignment (unless you're Bill Parcells and just run the same conservative alignment play after play after
play...)
Take the Chicago Bears circa 2006, for example. The Super Bowl Bears were
known as a Cover 2 defense. In reality, they only ran the Cover 2 about 60% of
the time. The other 40% came out of a 4-3 alignment but included multiple looks,
blitzes and coverages. Their Super Bowl opponent, Indianapolis, is led by the
biggest Tampa 2 advocate, Tony Dungy. Yet even the Colts don't run it every
play.
In fact, let's tackle the whole Cover 2 idea for a moment. The Cover 2, as a
pass coverage, has been around for decades: Split the back of the defense so
each safety covers half of the field, and play zone coverage (usually) in front of them.
What turned the Cover 2 into the Tampa 2 was other features of the defense, such
as the philosophy that has defensive ends playing the pass first, then the run. Or as
they're instructed, "Play the run on the way to the QB."
As a result, we'll try to discipline ourselves in future articles and columns
to use the term "Tampa 2" instead of "Cover 2," because the Cover 2 can actually
be run in any 4-3 or 3-4 defense.
OK, I dived in pretty deep at the start of the article. Let's back up and get
to the basics.
3-4 vs. 4-3
When I was growing up, you used a longer notation: 3-4-4 or 4-3-4. This
indicated 3 levels of the defense:
- The number of down linemen, in other words, defenders who put their hands
on the ground and lined up closest to the line of scrimmage. Linemen either
use a 3-point stance (1 hand on the ground + 2 feet) or 4-point stance (2
hands on the ground + 2 feet, usually used on the goalline or other
short-yardage situations).
- The linebackers, who stand up (in what's called a 2-point stance, because
they are standing on 2 feet) behind the defensive line.
- The defensive backs, who play even deeper, anywhere from 2 to 20 yards
behind the line of scrimmage, primarily deployed to defend the pass.
But in recent decades (ahem!), this notation has been shortened to 3-4 or
4-3, assuming everybody can figure out how many of the 11 defenders remain to be
accounted for.
Other defensive systems I used to see back in my high school days were the
5-2, the 4-4 (occasionally used in colleges today, most recently by North Texas)
and the 6-2. Oklahoma was famous for its 5-2 defense, and that's what we ran in
high school, although it was really a hybrid 3-4 / 4-3 (there were all sorts of
rules for when the defensive end stood up to look like an outside linebacker, or
when the defensive end would put a hand on the ground.)
Most NFL teams today favor either the 3-4 or 4-3, although a few (most
notably Baltimore) shift between the two schemes depending on the situation.
Read-and-React vs. Pressure
In the world of former Cowboys HC Bill Parcells, read-and-react is the only
way to go. It's a way to prevent big plays. Usually, the front 7 (linemen and
linebackers) are assigned 2 gaps to cover (gaps between offensive linemen, that
is). They watch the flow of the play and then decide how best to protect the
gaps to avoid giving up long runs. In a read-and-react scheme, the linemen are
slower to rush the passer because they must watch for running plays first. (The
opposite, you'll note, of the Tampa 2 assignment for defensive ends).
Pressure is more of a 1-gap scheme. The front 7 have only 1 gap to protect.
Since they know what it is, they can be more aggressive about blasting into that
area and trying to stop the rusher or make their way to the QB.
Whether a read-and-react defense or a pressure defense, the scheme can also
call for blitzes, stunts, and slants - all ways to penetrate the offensive gaps
and create havoc for the offense.
Impact on Individual Defensive Players
To continue this thread for paid members only, please see my Impact of Defensive Strategies on
Individual Players column.
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