With Kevin Steele’s preference to take out the SAM backer against spread formations we felt it would be useful to spend some time going over 4-2-5 and Nickel defenses. Additionally, since some have asked us how one defends the spread and why Clemson had such a difficult time with running QBs and the rush defense against Wildcat and spread teams last year we'll show the problems we have had with the Nickel against the run game.

Kevin Steele’s defense is very similar to Saban’s schemes as I’ve said. Saban, since returning from the NFL, has veered more into the 30 (3-man) front, but in reality Saban still runs 40 fronts about 40-50% of the time, so pigeonholing Alabama into a "3-4" team isn’t really accurate. Steele does use the fronts that he learned from Saban, Dom Capers, and Charlie McBride that are 30 and 40-based, but he has more of an NFL philosophy to defend pro-style sets. This calls for more 40 fronts and Steele has a clear preference for traditional 4-3 sets. That means he wants two big tackles to plug gaps, defensive ends that can work as spill players and rush the passer, and the traditional NFL linebacker.

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Run support by your defensive backfield is an important part of being a successful defense. Here we will discuss some basic concepts on defending the run from a defensive back’s perspective.  We will discuss both the corner's and safety's role in defending the run and elaborate on getting off of blocks to make a play on the football.

Depending on the coverage called, either the CB or the S will have an assignment in run support. That means the coaches have told him that if a rushing play is towards him or away from him, he has a specific job to do. In most coverages it is usually first denoted by "Sky" or "Cloud" calls. In terms of Cover 3, we explained this before:

A "Sky" call refers to what the Safety is doing. When this is called, usually upon seeing the strength of the formation by the FS, it is the FS and two CBs who have deep responsibilities. The SS would have primary run support (force) if this is called, and would key the RB in addition to whomever he is assigned based on the formation. The Sky call is strong against the run but weak against the quick out pass to #2 receiver on that side. This flip of the safeties (it can also be done between a S and a CB) called an inversion, and in some DC's playbooks the "force" is played by the FS instead of the SS.

A "Cloud" call refers to one of the Corners. When this is called by the FS, it is the two safeties and one of the CBs who have deep responsibilities. A OLB would shift into the underneath zone vacated by this deep CB, for example. Blitz MIKE from that shifted-OLBs usual spot, and you have a difficult read. The other CB has primary run support (force) and keys the RB in addition to his assignment. Usually the coverage rolls to the CB who has the run key and isn't playing deep, and a S lines up behind him, with the other Safety taking the middle. The Cloud call is strong against the quick out pass to #2 but weak against the run except on wide runs. Anytime the #1 receiver does not align wider than the safety is off the line of scrimmage, the Safety will check to a Cloud call which keeps the defense from being outflanked. Anytime the #1 receiver does align wider than the safety is off the line of scrimmage, the Safety will make the Sky or Cloud call according to the coverage called by the coach. So you see, it all depends on how they line up.

Cornerback:

In general, a "hard" corner’s responsibility (most often seen in Cover 2) is to cover the flats and become the force on any outside runs. He'll usually be jamming the #1 receiver at the LOS. You will often see this defender line up 5 yards off the ball or on the LOS and he will normally utilize a variation of the slide technique, if he drops at all. This means that the defender can keep his eyes on the backfield while looking at the flats with peripheral vision…perfect for run support.  In terms of what we said above, hard corners are playing "Cloud" support, essentially.

Softer coverage (corner playing around 7 yards off the LOS) can also allow the corner to look in to the backfield, especially if the DB is utilizing a slide step or the defense is in zone. The defender who is comfortable enough peering into the backfield WHILE playing proper defense will obviously be more reactive to the play type.

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This is the last group of examples we'll showcase for Cover 2 pattern reads, and over the summer we plan to touch on pattern reading a little more and for specific plays and examples. I think in the next series of articles we'll go into substituted pass coverage (nickel or dime packages) when applied to the spread offense, and some discussion on defensive fronts. In the example diagrams I've created here, I've assumed a standard Cover 2 zone scheme where the FS and SS (or a nickel back) play the 2 deep halves of the field. I've also diagrammed most of it as a usual 4-3, but that doesn't matter. Note that Cover 2 is not Tampa 2, a Tampa 2 scheme is closer to Cover 3 zone.

Whether an underneath player is a LB or a Safety doesnt matter from an X's and O's standpoint. The only thing that matters is the technique the player uses. Most coaches will change up the specific assignment depending on the skills of a player in particular, but this really only amounts to changing his assignment in pass coverage. There are of course many adjustments in the coverage with specific calls or checks but we won't go into that here.

Cover 2 Zones

Flat - Usually a Cornerback has the assignment, and he's aligned on the outside shoulder of the #1 receiver, with the usual goal of jamming him and trying to force him towards the inside (funnel technique) and away from one of the holes in Cover 2: the boundary deep. He may be told to play soft or press/jam, or mix up the two based on his own instincts and the man he's playing against. As a general rule, if #1 releases to the outside and he can't funnel him, he must run with him.

Hook/Curl - Similar to C3, he'll be aligned on the inside of the #2, and must never let someone go up the seam undefended.

Hook - Principal job will be the #2/3 usually, and his main job is to protect the middle of the field from crossers. Most C2 teams don't function well without a LB who can cover this zone, though I wouldnt say the MLB is as important as the WILL linebacker. He'll open up to the strong side, which is why he is moving in that direction in the above diagram.

Deep Zones - the FS will have one and will be aligned about 12 yards deep up the field off the Weakside OT. He'll be alert for a "Sky" or "Cloud" call as to his run assignment. The SS or other deep defender will be aligned off the TE, to the outside shoulder, at between 7-10 yards depth. After the snap he's to drop to about 3 yards off the inside of the numbers, 17-20 yards deep.

Those deep coverage rules usually apply to Cover 2 Man as well.

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Charlie Harbison instructs them to NEVER let them go up the seam unchallenged.

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Now we start into a series of pattern recognition examples, to show you how the coverages are supposed to work.  In the example diagrams I've created below, I'm assuming the coverage is a basic Cover 3, no strong or weakside rotation in the coverages. The assignments for a particular player in the coverage can change but I've picked the usual CB-FS-CB for the 3 deep zones all separated into 1/3s. Cover 3 is better against any odd receiver sets (2x1, 3x1, 3x2) and the balanced alignment gives good interior run support. It gives your defense the benefits of Cover 1 , run strength inside, without the hazard of individual matchups in man-coverage.

I've made the assignment of a standard 4-3 defense, and that the SS and WLB take the flats, while the MLB and SLB take the intermediate hook/curl zones, but this really does not make a difference. It is the player's own technique and assignment that matters. It also doesn't matter if its Nickel or Dime coverage, the position taken by a LB/SS would be the same as the extra defensive back. As such, his technique only depends on the assignment given for the coverage called on the sideline.

Coverage Zones

Flat - Stays inside the alignment of #1 receiver to that side but stays outside everyone else, so any receiver that comes toward the sideline must not get wider than the flat defender is playing. As we defined before, it means he can't let anyone cross his face without breaking on the route. His aiming point in his drop is 10 yards deep in the seam and anyone that comes nearby should be rerouted by force. The man playing the flat or curl/flat area is generally the guy with the toughest assignment because of the amount of yards he must cover.

Hook/Curl - Original drop inside the #2/3 receiver, and must never let someone go up the seam undefended. Based on the release of the #2 receiver, he stays on the inside edge of the numbers. If he's on a TE, he must get his hand on him. Exactly what he does to him depends on whether the TE starts outside or inside from the LOS. If he goes outside, the defender drops 10 yards and immediately looks for a Smash pattern.

Deep Coverage - Corners take anyone man/man who goes deeper than 12 yards from the LOS, while the middle coverage defender (FS/SS) watches the seams to either side.

Our article on pass concepts shows the several concepts we've defined so far, that are used in the diagrams here, and the article on terminology and communication is necessary to understand some of the terms I'm using.

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Now that we've gone over some of the basics on leverage and the terminology, we'll go into the pass concepts that an offense uses to attack a defense. In the following diagrams that I've constructed, whats important is the idea of how the offense attacks, not so much the actual route combination (pattern) they decide to run to accomplish it (though in some cases that is important, like the Smash). So if you just understand the concept, learning the routes and reacting to them is the next step. As a casual fan you don't need to know the routes they use (though we will go through some of this later), just try to understand how the offense draws up plays to go about it.

You'll see below that it really doesnt matter what formation the offense throws at you, all thats necessary to know is the way they'll attack. Once you understand that, you'll see that their formation only dictates how you align, not how its defended. What we'll show is the concept and a brief explanation of what they are trying to do.

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We plan to continue to develop defensive topics during the offseason and go into pattern-reading, a technique by which the secondary can tighten up the zone coverage so that it appears to be man/man. However, before we go into this type of secondary coverage Clemson runs we need to continue to develop some terminology and basic techniques used in pass coverage so that you can understand the information presented.

We've covered the types of zone coverage that teams run before, but to reiterate this we'll give them again

• Spot Drop Zone - Defenders have an assigned area to cover, and after the snap take their designated drop into that area and wait. They only react when receivers come into their zone.  The key point of the zone, in general, is that the DB is watching the QB and breaks on the ball at the right time to break the pass up.
• Matchup Zone - A technique where the defensive back has an aiming spot to drop towards, but picks up the first receiver in his "zone" and plays him man/man as long as he's in that zone, analogous to basketball's matchup zone. Matchup zone is always used in tandem with pattern reading, which in the simplest terms teaches the defender the collection of routes used by the offense (patterns).The zones themselves are the same no matter what however.

Clemson plays a matchup zone under Steele, as do most of the better pass defenses in the nation. We played a spot drop zone under Vic Koenning in the past. Teams like Boston College and N.C. State, for example, also play this type of zone coverage.

We'll begin by giving some terminology for future posts, and as always if you have questions about clarification or something in particular you want to see covered, let us know in the comments.

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Now that we know some of the basics of the 4-3 defense, we can address other aspects of defensive game play including defensive play calls, coverage calls, and various in-game adjustments. The first two questions that many of you are probably asking is what is a base defense and why would you choose the 4-3 as your base defense? A base defense is a defense that is utilized in "normal" conditions and the standard platform (i.e., identifies positions, quantities of such positions, and core alignment strategies) by which the defense will operate. All of these items are important when creating strategies as well as evaluating need areas to be filled in the recruiting process. Normal conditions can be thought of as 1^st and 10, 2^nd and 6, 3^rd and 4 scenarios that are common during a football game.

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We discussed basic fundamentals for defensive back play earlier, and now want to get into some base formations and base coverage schemes. Here we will discuss a base 4-3 look and some wrinkles and adjustments that a defense will show based on various offensive looks. Pay attention to the secondary strategies because we will refer to these looks as we progress. This is meant to be a foundation topic, and we will expand these basic strategies in future articles as we discuss wrinkles and combinations utilized in basic in-game strategies.

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