Understanding NFL Football: Defensive Strategies Defined

Having already discussed the Cover 2 defense and the 4-3 and 3-4 defensive formations in this series, it’s time now to look at several more specific defensive strategies that teams will deploy at various appropriate times throughout a game. Coaches are always tinkering with their playbooks, adding page after page of new plays along with new layers and wrinkles to tried and true packages and schemes. However, all coaches will have these basic defensive calls ready at their disposal at all times.

Eight Men in the Box

As mentioned, the two most prevalent defensive alignments in the NFL are the 4-3 and 3-4 defense. In both of these formations the defense presents a seven man front or has seven “men in the box”. This refers to the amount of players that are located close to the line of scrimmage and in the center of the field. Against a strong running team, a weak passing team or on a likely running down (3rd and 1, for instance, when the offense is most likely to call a run) a team may put an eighth man in the box. This is usually one of the safeties. He will leave his deep spot in pass coverage and come closer to the line of scrimmage to help in stopping a running play. Often, running backs on teams with bad quarterbacks will complain about having to face an “eight man front” and therefore having a much more difficult time running the ball.

Nickel Pass Coverage

While on a running down a team will load their defense towards the line and in the center of the field, on a clear passing down (3rd and 15, for example) a team may bring an extra defensive back into their formation for pass coverage. So the term “nickelback” refers to the 3rd cornerback on the depth chart- the guy that will come into the field on nickel packages. A base defense contains four defensive backs, so adding an extra one makes five, hence the term “nickel”. Usually he will take the place of a linebacker, so if the team was in a 4-3 formation, there would now be four linemen, only two linebackers and five defensive backs (4-2-5). However, some teams will replace a lineman rather than a linebacker, creating a three linemen, three linebacker and five defensive back alignment (3-3-5). If an offensive team always uses three or more wide receivers, a defense may turn to a nickel defense for their base package on most plays.

Dime Pass Coverage

A nickel defense has five defensive backs, so a dime defense has ten? Not quite. The dime defense has six defensive backs, or one more than the nickel defense. If a team is far behind in the game and therefore has to pass to try to gain yards and points as quickly as possible, they will often face a dime formation which is set up to defend the pass but is vulnerable to a running attack. In the dime defense, two extra defensive backs come onto the field and replace usually two linebackers, resulting in a 4-1-6 alignment. However, one linebacker and one lineman may be replaced (3-2-6) and even two linemen may be replaced, creating a 2-3-6 formation.

Quarter Pass Coverage

The quarter package is rarely used and usually coincides with what is known as the “prevent defense”. The prevent defense is deployed when a team is far ahead and little time is left, leaving the offense with only one option-throw the ball. Seven defensive backs are on the field, leaving the team usually in a 3-1-7 formation. In the prevent defense specifically, many of the defensive backs will lineup at 20 or more yards behind the line of scrimmage, leaving the middle and shallow portions of the field open while protecting against any deep pass or long gain. This keeps everything in front of the defense and makes the offense gain yards in small portions, using up valuable time as they go. However, this style of defense is often criticized-if a defense has been successful in stopping a team, why suddenly change and leave them a portion of the field open?

Zone Blitz

A blitz is a play where any defensive player besides the down linemen rushes the quarterback. A common example is the cornerback blitz where one of the cornerbacks, on the line of scrimmage and seemingly in pass coverage, rushes the quarterback at the snap. A linebacker or a safety will move over to cover his wide receiver. A good blitz will not just pressure the quarterback, but confuse him. The zone blitz is a specific blitz where one or more linebackers, who seem to be in pass coverage, will rush the quarterback while one or more of the down linemen will drop back off the line of scrimmage to be in a zone passing defense. Therefore the effectiveness of this blitz is twofold, the first layer being to pressure the quarterback and potentially sack him behind the line of scrimmage. The second layer being that, seeing a linebacker leave his place in the field to blitz, a quarterback may consider that portion of the field a safe area to pass or dump off the ball. The lineman, now in a shallow zone, will then have a good chance at breaking up or intercepting the pass. When a replay or highlight is shown of a big, 300 pound lineman having a pass thrown right to him, more often than not that is the result of an effective zone blitz.

Stunts

A stunt is a strategy used to create confusion and pressure the quarterback. The offensive line of a team relies on knowing who to block and where they are coming from. One of the ways a blitz is effective is by rushing with more people than the offensive line can block. However, another way is by creating a mismatch or confusing the offensive line and causing hesitation or missed blocks. On most plays a defensive linemen will rush essentially straight forward-the left defensive end will therefore be rushing on the side of the formation and end up blocked by the right tackle. A stunt has two or more linemen switching their gaps and rushing assignments. (A gap is the space between offensive linemen on the line of scrimmage. The “A” gap is between the center and guards. The “B” gap is between the guards and tackles and the “C” gap is outside of the tackles and potentially between a tight end.) In a classic stunt, that left defensive end will rush towards the center of the line, in the “B” gap, while the defensive tackle next to him will rush on the outside of the line towards the “C” gap. As mentioned, this can create confusion, hesitation and mismatches. An offensive tackle may have the footwork to cutoff the speed of a defensive end, but his line mates towards the middle of the field – the guards and the center – may not. Additionally, even a split second hesitation thinking “Who am I supposed to block?” is often enough to give the defensive player a clear path to the quarterback.

Quarterback Spy

The quarterback used to be an easy position to cover-you didn’t. Quarterbacks all used to fit the same mold: tall and immobile with a great arm (think Dan Marino or currently, Peyton Manning). However, in recent times, the quarterback position has been evolving to include more pure athletes. Steve Young, John Elway and Randall Cunningham (and Fran Tarkenton before them) were some of the first to start this transition. Suddenly, quarterbacks were threats to run the ball as well as pass the ball. These quarterback-running back-athletes were swarming the league and winning games in the process. Quarterbacks like Donovan McNabb, Daunte Culpepper, Michael Vick (before his unfortunate recent downfall) and Vince Young now take the snaps for many NFL teams. In order to limit their effectiveness, defensive teams began using what is known as a “quarterback spy”. The quarterback spy has one job: to follow the quarterback around the field. Typically an athletic and strong linebacker, the spy shadows the quarterback’s movements and therefore prevents him from taking off and running downfield.

No coach and no coach’s playbook will ever be exactly the same-but these defensive calls and strategies can and will be used by every team in the league at some point or another. Learn these plays and recognize them in use and you’re one step closer to completing the transformation from part-time or first-time fan to full-fledged devotee. Now you can actually be telling the truth when you say, “I know more than the guy announcing the game”… or at least the loud, drunk guy next to you at the bar, stadium or even the couch at the family reunion. Still want to know more? Suggest a topic for the “Understanding NFL Football” series and be sure to read the previous installments.