As a Texas fan with a fair amount of disdain for both the Aggies' traditional, pseudo-militaristic culture and Sumlin's hilariously opposite free for all culture.
However, I have great admiration for their offensive system and am curious to see how they'll do this upcoming season after bringing Chavis aboard to build a real defensive culture that can make something of their explosive offense.
In week one they face Todd Graham's Arizona State Sun Devils and I've previewed the game over at SB Nation.
Studying Graham's defense I finally understood why so many coaches love the TCU 4-2-5 defense for it's blitz package. The Sun Devils are one of the most aggressive teams I've ever watched and they make full use of the overlap between man and zone techniques that already exist in quarters coverage in order to bring a wide variety of pressures.
They can and will drop back and play "Cover 5" or two-man under, and they probably use mostly special coverage as a trips adjustment, but their base defense is really to bring pressure disguised by a quarters concept and to attack both the run and the pass.
I bet that against 80% of the teams on ASU's schedule, the opposing QB and OL aren't savvy and good enough to beat their pressure. The Aggies may prove to be an exception, and will have ways of responding to the pressure that may force the Sun Devils out of their usual approach. At the very least, they'll need to play a true nickel as I mention in the article.
Their "bandit" or boundary safety Jordan Simone is probably one of the more underrated DBs in the country. He's fantastic at helping direct the havoc, cleaning up runs and passes with open field tackling, blitzing, and picking up not-too-difficult coverage assignments.
I'd be curious to see a Big 12 team adopt a similarly aggressive approach, it'd probably require Dime-style personnel and excellent coaching/intelligent players to pull off. Perhaps we'll see it if Graham is successful in taking down the Aggies.
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Let's try this one more time: OU looks to get the most out of Eric Striker
Our preview of Big 12 defenses continues at SB Nation with an explanation of how OU will try to get the most out of Eric Striker in his final year.
My preseason All-Big 12 team
Who doesn't love a preseason ranking list? Granted they are often rubbish and the layouts make no sense in the context of the modern game.
Last year I had my first chance at submitting a preseason All Big-12 ballot at the Big 12 media days although I didn't get the same chance to provide input for the much more meaningful postseason All-Big 12 list. Anyways, this year I don't have a ballot so I'm going to offer one up here.
Since I'm not now constrained by their nonsensical offensive and defensive designations I'm going to offer my own positions in an attempt to provide comprehensive 11-man rosters that actually reflect the personnel that Big 12 teams will actually deploy in 2015.
Quarterback: Trevone Boykin, TCU
His combination of athleticism and arm strength is a deadly pairing in the Air Raid and he's the most well-established quarterback in the conference.
Running back: Aaron Green, TCU
Green took over at RB down the stretch last year and quickly piled up 922 yards on 7.1 yards per carry. His ability to jump step accelerate quickly through creases makes him particularly explosive in TCU's zone concepts.
Ancillary (TE/H-back/Fullback): Glenn Gronkowski, Kansas State
I had Gronk on my 1st team ballot last preseason, although I overestimated his usage on RPOs as a receiver as well as how big of a role the run game would have in the Wildcat offense. Given the likely increased role that the QB run game will have in 2015 you can expect Gronk to be a big factor.
Deep threat outside receiver: KD Cannon, Baylor
Cannon is probably the best deep threat receiver in the conference, he can absolutely fly down the field and also has flypaper hands.
Slot Receiver: Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech
This little waterbug added vertical routes in the middle of the field to his reportoire last year which already included serving as a deadly weapon in the Tech screen game.
Possession Receiver: Corey Coleman, Baylor
Baylor doesn't exactly have "possession receivers" but Coleman is a guy that they'll look to target with screens, intermediate routes, and comebacks in addition to deep shots. He was close to dominant in this role last season when healthy.
Left Tackle: Spencer Drango, Baylor
The best pass-protection tackle in the league and a capable run-defender as well.
Left Guard: Blake Muir, Baylor
Attacking the left side of Baylor's OL will undoubtedly prove to be a challenge in 2015, particularly after they prepare this fall against their own "Rocket-Groot" defense.
Center: Joey Hunt, TCU
Although not massive or especially powerful, Hunt is very adept within TCU's zone running game and excels at getting low to help the guards drive defensive tackles off the ball before finding linebackers on the 2nd level.
Right Guard: Kent Perkins, Texas
A rare bright spot in Texas' 2014 season was when Perkins faced overmatched opponents and absolutely mauled them. At 6'5" 330 he's an impossible load for most B12 DTs and is now ready to make a leap in his 2nd year as a starter.
Right Tackle: Hal Vaitai, TCU
TCU's run game requires that the tackles have the quickness to handle blocking ends in space and control them without assistance. Vaitai was very strong here in 2014.
True Defensive End: Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
The massive end for the Cowboys was borderline dominant in 2014, even against the powerful OTs for Oklahoma who could not handle him.
Nose Tackle: Hassan Ridgeway, Texas
In addition to being capable of taking on double teams, Ridgeway had six sacks last year as a RS Sophomore. He's the best DT talent in the conference.
Defensive Tackle: Davion Pierson, TCU
Pierson was very strong in 2014 playing opposite Chucky Hunter and will now be asked to anchor a depleted TCU front.
Rush-End/LB: Pete Robertson, Texas Tech
The Big 12's reigning sack leader from 2014 who was an absolute terror despite not playing with personnel that could protect him from the focus of protections, set him up to rush in obvious passing situations, or cover opponents long enough to give him time.
Cover-backer: Nick Kwiatkowski, West Virginia
I just coined this term for an inside linebacker who is asked to do more in coverage. Kwiatkowksi is a converted safety who excelled at pursuing the ball from the inside out in 2014. Think weakside linebackers here.
Plugger-backer: Ryan Simmons, Oklahoma State
I just coined this term as well for traditional, mike-type backers. Simmons is entering his 3rd year as a starter and is going to fly to the football in 2015 behind a solid DL with years of experience on knowing how to diagnose running plays.
Space-backer: KJ Dillon, West Virginia
I coined this term some time ago to describe nickel players that are basically linebackers with the athleticism to play in space. KJ Dillon is arguably more of a "big nickel" but either way he's the best in the conference with Sam Carter moving on to the NFL. He's physical, can blitz the edge, and can play man coverage on slot receivers.
Cornerback: Ranthony Texada, TCU
Best guess is that TCU plays a lot of "special" coverage against trips and just cancels out the field receiver with Texada. He should be brilliant in coverage this year, but he's too small to play boundary corner for Patterson.
Cover-safety: Steven Parker, Oklahoma
Granted that Parker is really a nickel, but this is how I condense a league that has at least 12 commonly appearing positions into an 11-man roster, by putting nickels that are going to be used more for their coverage than their linebacking on the edge in this spot. Parker flashed in 2014 and should excel in 2015, which will be of great help to the Sooner defense.
Support safety: Dante Barnett, Kansas State
This is my term for traditional safeties that will be asked to do things like filling the alley and playing in deep zone. Barnett is quick to support the run but very solid in deep coverage as well.
Cornerback: Kevin Peterson, Oklahoma State
My cornerbacks can be trusted to play outside without a lot of help but unfortunately neither of these guys are the most physical CBs in the conference.
Quarterback: Seth Russell, Baylor
I literally just erased my attempt to justify putting Pat Mahomes in this place, don't be shocked if the Tech QB dominates this year. But Russell's similar level of athleticism combined with the fact that he'll be playing on a loaded offense means that he's going to put up huge numbers.
Running back: Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
This was a tricky one, as the Sooners are moving away from their 21 personnel downhill approach from 2014 to go Air Raid in 2015. Still, Perine should dominate between the tackles behind what will still be a solid OL. Shock Linwood will contend here as well.
Ancillary (TE/H-back/Fullback): Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
The flex TE for OU is going to be a difficult match-up outside and could be a real threat either catching balls in the red zone or blocking on the edge for perimeter screens.
Deep threat outside receiver: Josh Doctson, TCU
At 6'4" with good hands, Doctson is just really hard to handle out on the sideline. A nod to the B12's fastest WR, Kolby Listenbee here. You can't really play both Doctson and Listenbee with a safety over the top, which is going to make them a load in 2015.
Slot Receiver: Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma
He was totally dominant at Blinn last year and has the kind of "all-spark" quickness in all directions that will make him murder in the slot for Lincoln Riley this year. Practice reviews from OU insiders describe Westbrook as better than Shephard...which is really saying something.
Possession Receiver: Sterling Shephard, Oklahoma
Yes, OU is loaded with skill talent and should be really hard to defend if they can find someone at QB that won't turn the ball over every third series.
Left Tackle: Cody Whitehair, Kansas State
A close victory over Texas Tech's Le'Raven Clark awarded for Whitehair's run game prowess.
Left Guard: Boston Stiverson, Kansas State
If KSU doesn't find some success running the ball in 2015 my list is probably going to look really stupid. Study that playbook, Jonathan Banks.
Center: Kyle Fuller, Baylor
Ty Darlington at OU is like a slightly lesser version of Joey Hunt while Fuller brings a little more power to the equation with his ability to cave in DTs on down blocks in Baylor's gap-oriented run game.
Right Guard: Nila Kasitati
Kasitati owned a time-share at guard last year for Oklahoma and will take over as the featured run-blocker on their 2015 line. Perine will be running behind him all year long.
Right Tackle: Marquis Lucas, West Virginia
Lucas had a kid this offseason and is looking to have a big 2015 to set him up for pro opportunities. That's a powerful motivator for a guy that was already really solid. I'm not betting on anyone else.
True Defensive End: Shawn Oakman, Baylor
The difference between Ogbah and Oakman is, somehow, about 5 inches/20 pounds and consistent effort and technique. Teams should be totally unable to run on Oakman this year but I'd like to see it first.
Nose Tackle: Andrew Billings, Baylor
The most powerful player in the Big 12 enters his 2nd year as a full-time starter and his junior year at Baylor. He'll have to be double teamed every play. Shout out to KSU's Will Geary here though, another very powerful plugger.
Defensive Tackle: Travis Britz, Kansas State
If Ridgeway ends up playing 3-tech instead of nose he'll command this spot. If he stays at nose there's a chance Texas' Poona Ford or Paul Boyette could grab this spot. In lieu knowing that information, Britz is a senior who's been very good now for two years.
Rush-End/LB: Eric Striker
Oklahoma has been forced to move him back to the line of scrimmage, although "extraordinary space-backer" was probably a better fit for his talents. I'd have him higher but I'm not sure how 5'10" 210 works against outside zone or power.
Cover-backer: Taylor Young, Baylor
"Rocket" could have well over 100 tackles this year playing behind Oakman and Billings and I'm betting he also adds around 5 sacks. Good chance he finishes above Kwiatkowski.
Plugger-backer: Elijah Lee, Kansas State
Head nod to Tech's Micah Awe and OU's Jordan Evans but KSU's pass-rush specialist is now going to be playing in the box as a linebacker where his length and explosiveness could lead to a big year. I'm guessing they let the other LB take on more of the coverage assignments but we'll see.
Space-backer: Denzel Johnson, TCU
Fantastic athlete who's been studying under Sam Carter for two years now and will finally take over here for the Frogs. He's a shoo-in to be an impact player.
Cornerback: Duke Thomas, Texas
Really the only hang-ups for Thomas are "can he avoid the mental errors that plagued him in 2014" and "what happens when he's 'the guy' charged with taking on opponent's best receivers?" He's a great athlete, a physical player, and he'll have a chance to make 1st team.
Cover-safety: Dravon Henry, West Virginia
Technically Henry is going to be playing a lot of deep centerfield but he'll also regularly be playing man coverage in DC Tony Gibson's aggressive blitz schemes. He was very solid last year as a true freshman, look for a jump in year two.
Support safety: Karl Joseph, West Virginia
This is his 4th year as a starter and Joseph has already safely established a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the league. He's also versatile with the ability to play deep zone or man coverage. The West Virginia secondary is just plain loaded.
Cornerback: Daryl Worley, West Virginia
Lockdown corner who needs to have a full season free of either incidents or injuries. He's a big guy at 6'1" that the Mountaineers will undoubtedly find very valuable for handling all the big receivers in the league this year.
That's all folks, thoughts?
Last year I had my first chance at submitting a preseason All Big-12 ballot at the Big 12 media days although I didn't get the same chance to provide input for the much more meaningful postseason All-Big 12 list. Anyways, this year I don't have a ballot so I'm going to offer one up here.
Since I'm not now constrained by their nonsensical offensive and defensive designations I'm going to offer my own positions in an attempt to provide comprehensive 11-man rosters that actually reflect the personnel that Big 12 teams will actually deploy in 2015.
1st Team Offense
Quarterback: Trevone Boykin, TCU
His combination of athleticism and arm strength is a deadly pairing in the Air Raid and he's the most well-established quarterback in the conference.
Running back: Aaron Green, TCU
Green took over at RB down the stretch last year and quickly piled up 922 yards on 7.1 yards per carry. His ability to jump step accelerate quickly through creases makes him particularly explosive in TCU's zone concepts.
Ancillary (TE/H-back/Fullback): Glenn Gronkowski, Kansas State
I had Gronk on my 1st team ballot last preseason, although I overestimated his usage on RPOs as a receiver as well as how big of a role the run game would have in the Wildcat offense. Given the likely increased role that the QB run game will have in 2015 you can expect Gronk to be a big factor.
Deep threat outside receiver: KD Cannon, Baylor
Cannon is probably the best deep threat receiver in the conference, he can absolutely fly down the field and also has flypaper hands.
Slot Receiver: Jakeem Grant, Texas Tech
This little waterbug added vertical routes in the middle of the field to his reportoire last year which already included serving as a deadly weapon in the Tech screen game.
Possession Receiver: Corey Coleman, Baylor
Baylor doesn't exactly have "possession receivers" but Coleman is a guy that they'll look to target with screens, intermediate routes, and comebacks in addition to deep shots. He was close to dominant in this role last season when healthy.
Left Tackle: Spencer Drango, Baylor
The best pass-protection tackle in the league and a capable run-defender as well.
Left Guard: Blake Muir, Baylor
Attacking the left side of Baylor's OL will undoubtedly prove to be a challenge in 2015, particularly after they prepare this fall against their own "Rocket-Groot" defense.
Center: Joey Hunt, TCU
Although not massive or especially powerful, Hunt is very adept within TCU's zone running game and excels at getting low to help the guards drive defensive tackles off the ball before finding linebackers on the 2nd level.
Right Guard: Kent Perkins, Texas
A rare bright spot in Texas' 2014 season was when Perkins faced overmatched opponents and absolutely mauled them. At 6'5" 330 he's an impossible load for most B12 DTs and is now ready to make a leap in his 2nd year as a starter.
Right Tackle: Hal Vaitai, TCU
TCU's run game requires that the tackles have the quickness to handle blocking ends in space and control them without assistance. Vaitai was very strong here in 2014.
1st Team Defense
True Defensive End: Emmanuel Ogbah, Oklahoma State
The massive end for the Cowboys was borderline dominant in 2014, even against the powerful OTs for Oklahoma who could not handle him.
Nose Tackle: Hassan Ridgeway, Texas
In addition to being capable of taking on double teams, Ridgeway had six sacks last year as a RS Sophomore. He's the best DT talent in the conference.
Defensive Tackle: Davion Pierson, TCU
Pierson was very strong in 2014 playing opposite Chucky Hunter and will now be asked to anchor a depleted TCU front.
Rush-End/LB: Pete Robertson, Texas Tech
The Big 12's reigning sack leader from 2014 who was an absolute terror despite not playing with personnel that could protect him from the focus of protections, set him up to rush in obvious passing situations, or cover opponents long enough to give him time.
Cover-backer: Nick Kwiatkowski, West Virginia
I just coined this term for an inside linebacker who is asked to do more in coverage. Kwiatkowksi is a converted safety who excelled at pursuing the ball from the inside out in 2014. Think weakside linebackers here.
Plugger-backer: Ryan Simmons, Oklahoma State
I just coined this term as well for traditional, mike-type backers. Simmons is entering his 3rd year as a starter and is going to fly to the football in 2015 behind a solid DL with years of experience on knowing how to diagnose running plays.
Space-backer: KJ Dillon, West Virginia
I coined this term some time ago to describe nickel players that are basically linebackers with the athleticism to play in space. KJ Dillon is arguably more of a "big nickel" but either way he's the best in the conference with Sam Carter moving on to the NFL. He's physical, can blitz the edge, and can play man coverage on slot receivers.
Cornerback: Ranthony Texada, TCU
Best guess is that TCU plays a lot of "special" coverage against trips and just cancels out the field receiver with Texada. He should be brilliant in coverage this year, but he's too small to play boundary corner for Patterson.
Cover-safety: Steven Parker, Oklahoma
Granted that Parker is really a nickel, but this is how I condense a league that has at least 12 commonly appearing positions into an 11-man roster, by putting nickels that are going to be used more for their coverage than their linebacking on the edge in this spot. Parker flashed in 2014 and should excel in 2015, which will be of great help to the Sooner defense.
Support safety: Dante Barnett, Kansas State
This is my term for traditional safeties that will be asked to do things like filling the alley and playing in deep zone. Barnett is quick to support the run but very solid in deep coverage as well.
Cornerback: Kevin Peterson, Oklahoma State
My cornerbacks can be trusted to play outside without a lot of help but unfortunately neither of these guys are the most physical CBs in the conference.
2nd Team Offense
Quarterback: Seth Russell, Baylor
I literally just erased my attempt to justify putting Pat Mahomes in this place, don't be shocked if the Tech QB dominates this year. But Russell's similar level of athleticism combined with the fact that he'll be playing on a loaded offense means that he's going to put up huge numbers.
Running back: Samaje Perine, Oklahoma
This was a tricky one, as the Sooners are moving away from their 21 personnel downhill approach from 2014 to go Air Raid in 2015. Still, Perine should dominate between the tackles behind what will still be a solid OL. Shock Linwood will contend here as well.
Ancillary (TE/H-back/Fullback): Mark Andrews, Oklahoma
The flex TE for OU is going to be a difficult match-up outside and could be a real threat either catching balls in the red zone or blocking on the edge for perimeter screens.
Deep threat outside receiver: Josh Doctson, TCU
At 6'4" with good hands, Doctson is just really hard to handle out on the sideline. A nod to the B12's fastest WR, Kolby Listenbee here. You can't really play both Doctson and Listenbee with a safety over the top, which is going to make them a load in 2015.
Slot Receiver: Dede Westbrook, Oklahoma
He was totally dominant at Blinn last year and has the kind of "all-spark" quickness in all directions that will make him murder in the slot for Lincoln Riley this year. Practice reviews from OU insiders describe Westbrook as better than Shephard...which is really saying something.
Possession Receiver: Sterling Shephard, Oklahoma
Yes, OU is loaded with skill talent and should be really hard to defend if they can find someone at QB that won't turn the ball over every third series.
Left Tackle: Cody Whitehair, Kansas State
A close victory over Texas Tech's Le'Raven Clark awarded for Whitehair's run game prowess.
Left Guard: Boston Stiverson, Kansas State
If KSU doesn't find some success running the ball in 2015 my list is probably going to look really stupid. Study that playbook, Jonathan Banks.
Center: Kyle Fuller, Baylor
Ty Darlington at OU is like a slightly lesser version of Joey Hunt while Fuller brings a little more power to the equation with his ability to cave in DTs on down blocks in Baylor's gap-oriented run game.
Right Guard: Nila Kasitati
Kasitati owned a time-share at guard last year for Oklahoma and will take over as the featured run-blocker on their 2015 line. Perine will be running behind him all year long.
Right Tackle: Marquis Lucas, West Virginia
Lucas had a kid this offseason and is looking to have a big 2015 to set him up for pro opportunities. That's a powerful motivator for a guy that was already really solid. I'm not betting on anyone else.
2nd Team Defense
True Defensive End: Shawn Oakman, Baylor
The difference between Ogbah and Oakman is, somehow, about 5 inches/20 pounds and consistent effort and technique. Teams should be totally unable to run on Oakman this year but I'd like to see it first.
Nose Tackle: Andrew Billings, Baylor
The most powerful player in the Big 12 enters his 2nd year as a full-time starter and his junior year at Baylor. He'll have to be double teamed every play. Shout out to KSU's Will Geary here though, another very powerful plugger.
Defensive Tackle: Travis Britz, Kansas State
If Ridgeway ends up playing 3-tech instead of nose he'll command this spot. If he stays at nose there's a chance Texas' Poona Ford or Paul Boyette could grab this spot. In lieu knowing that information, Britz is a senior who's been very good now for two years.
Rush-End/LB: Eric Striker
Oklahoma has been forced to move him back to the line of scrimmage, although "extraordinary space-backer" was probably a better fit for his talents. I'd have him higher but I'm not sure how 5'10" 210 works against outside zone or power.
Cover-backer: Taylor Young, Baylor
"Rocket" could have well over 100 tackles this year playing behind Oakman and Billings and I'm betting he also adds around 5 sacks. Good chance he finishes above Kwiatkowski.
Plugger-backer: Elijah Lee, Kansas State
Head nod to Tech's Micah Awe and OU's Jordan Evans but KSU's pass-rush specialist is now going to be playing in the box as a linebacker where his length and explosiveness could lead to a big year. I'm guessing they let the other LB take on more of the coverage assignments but we'll see.
Space-backer: Denzel Johnson, TCU
Fantastic athlete who's been studying under Sam Carter for two years now and will finally take over here for the Frogs. He's a shoo-in to be an impact player.
Cornerback: Duke Thomas, Texas
Really the only hang-ups for Thomas are "can he avoid the mental errors that plagued him in 2014" and "what happens when he's 'the guy' charged with taking on opponent's best receivers?" He's a great athlete, a physical player, and he'll have a chance to make 1st team.
Cover-safety: Dravon Henry, West Virginia
Technically Henry is going to be playing a lot of deep centerfield but he'll also regularly be playing man coverage in DC Tony Gibson's aggressive blitz schemes. He was very solid last year as a true freshman, look for a jump in year two.
Support safety: Karl Joseph, West Virginia
This is his 4th year as a starter and Joseph has already safely established a reputation as one of the biggest hitters in the league. He's also versatile with the ability to play deep zone or man coverage. The West Virginia secondary is just plain loaded.
Cornerback: Daryl Worley, West Virginia
Lockdown corner who needs to have a full season free of either incidents or injuries. He's a big guy at 6'1" that the Mountaineers will undoubtedly find very valuable for handling all the big receivers in the league this year.
That's all folks, thoughts?
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
The 5 best secondaries heading into 2015
It's up over at SB Nation, my guess on the five best secondaries in college football for the 2015 season.
Even though I studied hard in preparation for this column I'll freely admit that it's hard to make a list like this and not overlook some teams as I did with the 2002 Ohio State Buckeye secondary when ranking the 10 best secondaries of the 21st century.
Some groups I considered who didn't make the cut:
The Penn State Nittany Lions: They'll have good safety play, that much is safe to presume.
The Wisconsin Badgers: Ditto, plus they have two experienced corners returning for Dave Aranda who will undoubtedly make life tough for Big 10 QBs this year.
The Texas Longhorns: Losing Mykkele Thompson and Quandre Diggs hurts but John Bonney looked good in the nickel in the spring game, Duke Thomas is a strong corner, and the safeties have a lot of experience.
The Kansas State Wildcats: We talked about them yesterday.
Oklahoma State Cowboys: Tons of versatility in that secondary just not enough star power to get them on this list.
The Arizona State Wildcats: We'll be talking much more about them soon when I preview their season opener against the Texas A&M Aggies over at SB Nation. Lots of returning players in that secondary but I suspect they are better as pure blitzers than in coverage.
The Houston Cougars: Will Jackson is a highly regarded corner and their safeties play fast and physical...just couldn't include them given their schedule and the fact that their DC Gibbs just left and was replaced by someone who's likely to be much less aggressive in terms of ball-hawking.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: If they see a big leap in play from their safeties like they've been talking up this offseason then they'll be up there. I almost fell for it, then I watched some Max Redfield tape and they quickly fell out of the top 5.
The Georgia Bulldogs: I gave them a look mostly out of respect for Jeremy Pruitt, arguably the best DB coach in the country right now.
The Ohio State Buckeyes: If I could write the article again I'd pay more attention to the Buckeyes' trips checks and see if they were asking more of Eli Apple or Doran Grant in their schemes. Either way though...they weren't a lockdown unit last year, they just had three players in the middle with Tyvis Powell, Vonn Bell, and Darron Lee that were amazing at erasing big plays.
The Alabama Crimson Tide: Anyone else notice they've struggled since Pruitt left? Lots of talent though.
The Auburn Tigers: I trust Muschamp and they got some transfer help with Blake Countess along with a fantastic incoming recruiting class. I bet they'd make this list if I did it again to preview 2016.
Perhaps what I liked best about this article was talking about the main cogs in a dominant secondary. That a team be able to put three good coverage players on the field and ideally one lockdown player, lend a safety to the box to attack offenses, have someone on the back end that can erase mistakes, and generally provide good run support as a unit.
Even though I studied hard in preparation for this column I'll freely admit that it's hard to make a list like this and not overlook some teams as I did with the 2002 Ohio State Buckeye secondary when ranking the 10 best secondaries of the 21st century.
Some groups I considered who didn't make the cut:
The Penn State Nittany Lions: They'll have good safety play, that much is safe to presume.
The Wisconsin Badgers: Ditto, plus they have two experienced corners returning for Dave Aranda who will undoubtedly make life tough for Big 10 QBs this year.
The Texas Longhorns: Losing Mykkele Thompson and Quandre Diggs hurts but John Bonney looked good in the nickel in the spring game, Duke Thomas is a strong corner, and the safeties have a lot of experience.
The Kansas State Wildcats: We talked about them yesterday.
Oklahoma State Cowboys: Tons of versatility in that secondary just not enough star power to get them on this list.
The Arizona State Wildcats: We'll be talking much more about them soon when I preview their season opener against the Texas A&M Aggies over at SB Nation. Lots of returning players in that secondary but I suspect they are better as pure blitzers than in coverage.
The Houston Cougars: Will Jackson is a highly regarded corner and their safeties play fast and physical...just couldn't include them given their schedule and the fact that their DC Gibbs just left and was replaced by someone who's likely to be much less aggressive in terms of ball-hawking.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: If they see a big leap in play from their safeties like they've been talking up this offseason then they'll be up there. I almost fell for it, then I watched some Max Redfield tape and they quickly fell out of the top 5.
The Georgia Bulldogs: I gave them a look mostly out of respect for Jeremy Pruitt, arguably the best DB coach in the country right now.
The Ohio State Buckeyes: If I could write the article again I'd pay more attention to the Buckeyes' trips checks and see if they were asking more of Eli Apple or Doran Grant in their schemes. Either way though...they weren't a lockdown unit last year, they just had three players in the middle with Tyvis Powell, Vonn Bell, and Darron Lee that were amazing at erasing big plays.
The Alabama Crimson Tide: Anyone else notice they've struggled since Pruitt left? Lots of talent though.
The Auburn Tigers: I trust Muschamp and they got some transfer help with Blake Countess along with a fantastic incoming recruiting class. I bet they'd make this list if I did it again to preview 2016.
Perhaps what I liked best about this article was talking about the main cogs in a dominant secondary. That a team be able to put three good coverage players on the field and ideally one lockdown player, lend a safety to the box to attack offenses, have someone on the back end that can erase mistakes, and generally provide good run support as a unit.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
Can the 2015 Kansas State defense bend without breaking?
In an era of up-tempo offenses, more and more defenses are starting to make choices to design their approach to encourage quick possessions by the opposing offense that returns the ball back to their own offense via a turnover, punt, or kickoff.
At 6'1" and 205 pounds he's ideally suited for playing as a run-force cornerback. It would be unsurprising if KSU chose to play their corners as "field and boundary" in order to keep him there but they've instead opted for another wise tactic: to line them up in accordance with their match-ups against the opposing receivers. However, when they play cover 2 to the boundary with McDaniel over there opponents might as well give up on attacking them.
It's very difficult to run the ball on the Wildcats when they're in this set because they are very disciplined and effective in both forcing the run and getting their deep pass defenders to run the alley and provide secondary support.
However, if you line up in a trips set than the Wildcats become much easier to run the football on since their conservative nature pushes them to rely on this scheme:
This coverage adjustment to quarters is called "special" and it involves erasing the outside receiver with man coverage by the corner and then playing the same pattern read coverage you see in the diagrams above with the nickel serving as the de-facto corner while the #3 receiver (H in this instance) is matched on short routes by the middle linebacker and the strong safety on vertical routes.
On the opposite side of the field the boundary corner and free safety are still free to play whatever combination K-state wants against a given opponent. "Special" is arguably the most coverage sound of all quarters trips coverages and is the preferred option of Nick Saban.
There are a few things to note with the coverage though, one is that by making it a fundamental part of the defense you are requiring that your nickel be capable both as a run-force defender AND a coverage cornerback. It'd make sense to move Danzel McDaniel over to the position for that reason but this doesn't seem to be in the cards. Another adjustment that K-State used in the past back when Ty Zimmerman was the strong safety and a very young Randall Evans was the nickel was to have them switch places with the nickel moving to the deep strong safety spot while the strong safety (Zimmerman) played outside over the Y receiver.
Another important consideration with this coverage is that it requires a lot of range from the middle linebacker, even if you have the field end stunt inside to the B-gap to try and help spill runs outside, as the Wildcats did at times in 2014.
In 2014, KSU often had Jonathan Truman play the middle linebacker position against trips sets so they could have his speed out there rather than asking Will Davis or Dakorey Johnson to cover all that ground. In this role the player is really more of a box safety than a true linebacker. If the Wildcats had a big box safety on the roster it'd make sense to play dime against trips and use him at linebacker.
Truman had 124 tackles on the year while playing this position but only 4.5 tackles for loss and a single pass break-up. In other words, while he was getting to the ball carrier and making tackles, he wasn't making many drive-killing plays.
Finally, the Wildcats will mix in some cover 3 although it's clearly not at all their preferred strategy and serves mostly as a change-up that allows them to keep the middle linebacker in the box or as a base coverage when they bring +1 blitzes. This brings us to the 2015 personnel and the difference between a defense that bends and a defense that breaks.
As I've hinted in describing Truman's numbers from 2014, the K-State defense can't get by with just fielding solid role players at every spot who can do their job and little else. If your plan is to go the distance with Apollo Creed and either win a knockout late or win by decision then you can't just take punches the entire match.
The KSU defensive approach requires athletes that can make plays while adhering to the strict discipline of the scheme. Linebacker is a place where this has to be true as these players regularly have opportunities to diagnose plays and make tackles in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage.
Currently the Wildcats have a large number of players that could be expected to be reasonably good as role players who understand run fits and how to pattern-read from their base coverages. Returning part-time starter Will Davis is such a player and seems to be the favorite to take over for Truman while former sam linebacker/3rd down specialist Elijah Lee has been moved to weakside linebacker.
This new tandem may upgrade the run defense as they go 6'3" 218 pounds (Lee) and 6'0" 224 (Davis) whereas last year the KSU LB corps weighed in at 6'3" 205 (Johnson) and 5'10" 210 (Truman) and could be more physical and explosive in the box. The big question is whether either of them can handle running in space as Truman was regularly asked to do in 2014.
The Wildcats also depend on getting a pass-rush from the defensive ends. These guys are certainly helped by the fact that the Wildcats are very meticulous and skilled in pattern-reading in cover 4 or cover 2 and forcing the QB to either hold the ball, try to throw it outside the hash marks, or work his way down the progressions to the check downs.
The 2012 Big 12 champion K-State defense got 17.5 sacks combined from ends Adam Davis (7) and Meshak Williams (10.5). In 2014 they did reasonably well with 21.5 sacks from their top four pass-rushers with Ryan Mueller leading the way with 6.5, the Jordan Willis/Marquel Bryant timeshare across from him adding 10.5, and 3rd down specialist Elijah Lee adding 4.5 more.
The Wildcats usually end up seeing at least one DE emerge in a big way every season. With Willis and Bryant both returning, along with former Kansas HS star Tanner Wood who could be dominant at the position before he's finished his college career, you figure KSU will get the needed pass-rush.
They also have been getting a respectable push from 3-technique DT Travis Britz who should have a strong senior year playing next to returning nose tackle Will Geary.
Geary is one of the fun but typical storylines that comes out of Manhattan every year. He's a former walk-on that stands at about 6'0" flat, if even that, and weighs just a little under 300 pounds. He's a former state wrestling champ and clearly finds that the skills learned in that sport translate to battling double teams at nose tackle. As a redshirt sophomore, Geary is going to be around for years to come helping the Wildcat DL cover up their linebackers.
In 2015 the Wildcats may be stronger at bringing the weakside blitz with Lee.
That's about as simple as blitzes get but you get Elijah Lee, one of the DEs, and Travis Britz potentially attacking only two offensive lineman with very favorable angles.
Blocking this blitz would require either a really good zone protection scheme from the offense, a quick pass to the flat against KSU's good corners (if it's McDaniel over there I think the receivers would prefer that you didn't), or using the RB to pick up Lee on the blitz. None of those are particularly appealing solutions.
The only issue here for KSU is that they already have a pretty effective weakside blitz option by bringing McDaniel off the boundary edge. It's always nice to have multiple players that can be used to attack an offense but the Wildcats could really use a good blitzer on the strongside at middle linebacker, nickel, or strong safety. Again you wonder if the Wildcats should consider moving McDaniel to nickel and increasing the angles from which they can attack the offense.
However DC Tom Hayes chooses to attack opponents though, he should be able to do it more effectively with both cornerbacks returning, Barnett ball-hawking from the middle of the field, and Elijah Lee factoring into the equation as a blitzer.
1. Lock down the middle of the field with athletic linebackers and safeties playing a limited number of pattern-read coverages with the same personnel all the time and running to the football as a group.
2. Protect these athletes with a sturdy DL that can generate a pass-rush and eat space inside.
3. Kill drives by forcing the offense to throw inefficient passes outside against good corners or else inflicting negative plays through the pass-rush or extraordinary play from the inside core.
The Wildcats actually look stronger on points two and three than in many previous seasons with most of the questions concerning whether they can replace their losses at linebacker and safety and get the same kind reliable play from the up and coming athletes on the team that they got from players like Evans or Zimmerman.
If you're willing to give Snyder the benefit of the doubt there then you have to consider the possibility that this could be one of the Big 12's best defenses in 2015.
The Art Briles Baylor Bears are such a team, and while they rely only varieties of quarters coverage like Kansas State does, the approach is wildly different. The Bears are always looking to get extra players into the box to stop the run, pressure the pass, and force the issue. They want to scrap and keep the decision away from the scorecard.
Snyder-ball is the philosophical anti-thesis to the Briles-era Bears. His offense is going to take their time, work the jab, and slowly pummel you. Meanwhile their defense is entirely uninterested in turning games into shootouts that the offense lacks bullets to engage in. Snyder's defense is always looking to make sure they are in sound defensive position to stop the big play and force the offense to work their way down the field and then hammer the ball into the end zone.
Since execution is the name of the game, they are also very simple in scheme in comparison to the Bears, otherwise they risk the chance that an offense can actually successfully march down the field due to their own errors or imperfections in technique.
The K-State defensive scheme
This is the preferred response of the Wildcats against a 2x1, Spread-I type set such as you regularly find in today's game:
This is typically known as "cover 6" and it combines quarters coverage to the field where the corner and strong safety each play a deep 1/4 of the field. In reality, the Wildcats pattern match out of their schemes so the field corner and strong safety are responsible vertical routes by the Z and Y receivers while the middle linebacker takes the third receiver to release into the strongside. On the opposite end, the free safety and boundary corner play cover 2.
K-State can also play some cover 4 with the free safety playing run-force and the boundary corner focusing on deep routes against looks like this:
K-State can use a lot of discretion when determining which of these two options to go with on the weakside because one of their corners, Danzel McDaniel, is the best run-support cornerback in the league if not the nation.
At 6'1" and 205 pounds he's ideally suited for playing as a run-force cornerback. It would be unsurprising if KSU chose to play their corners as "field and boundary" in order to keep him there but they've instead opted for another wise tactic: to line them up in accordance with their match-ups against the opposing receivers. However, when they play cover 2 to the boundary with McDaniel over there opponents might as well give up on attacking them.
It's very difficult to run the ball on the Wildcats when they're in this set because they are very disciplined and effective in both forcing the run and getting their deep pass defenders to run the alley and provide secondary support.
However, if you line up in a trips set than the Wildcats become much easier to run the football on since their conservative nature pushes them to rely on this scheme:
On the opposite side of the field the boundary corner and free safety are still free to play whatever combination K-state wants against a given opponent. "Special" is arguably the most coverage sound of all quarters trips coverages and is the preferred option of Nick Saban.
There are a few things to note with the coverage though, one is that by making it a fundamental part of the defense you are requiring that your nickel be capable both as a run-force defender AND a coverage cornerback. It'd make sense to move Danzel McDaniel over to the position for that reason but this doesn't seem to be in the cards. Another adjustment that K-State used in the past back when Ty Zimmerman was the strong safety and a very young Randall Evans was the nickel was to have them switch places with the nickel moving to the deep strong safety spot while the strong safety (Zimmerman) played outside over the Y receiver.
Another important consideration with this coverage is that it requires a lot of range from the middle linebacker, even if you have the field end stunt inside to the B-gap to try and help spill runs outside, as the Wildcats did at times in 2014.
In 2014, KSU often had Jonathan Truman play the middle linebacker position against trips sets so they could have his speed out there rather than asking Will Davis or Dakorey Johnson to cover all that ground. In this role the player is really more of a box safety than a true linebacker. If the Wildcats had a big box safety on the roster it'd make sense to play dime against trips and use him at linebacker.
Truman had 124 tackles on the year while playing this position but only 4.5 tackles for loss and a single pass break-up. In other words, while he was getting to the ball carrier and making tackles, he wasn't making many drive-killing plays.
Finally, the Wildcats will mix in some cover 3 although it's clearly not at all their preferred strategy and serves mostly as a change-up that allows them to keep the middle linebacker in the box or as a base coverage when they bring +1 blitzes. This brings us to the 2015 personnel and the difference between a defense that bends and a defense that breaks.
How the K-State defense survives taking punches
K-State plays in a 4-2-5 alignment on the vast majority of their snaps, with only two major sub-packages that have seen much usage in the last few years. A true 4-3 package with a sam linebacker that replaces the nickel against offenses using bigger formations (fewer than three receivers seems to be the rule of thumb) and an alternative 4-2-5 third down package that substitutes the sam linebacker for the nose-tackle (and maybe the DT as well if he's not a great pass-rusher) and deploys him at DE while one of the ends moves inside.
The strength of their team comes from their ability to execute their base schemes in these simple packages that generally keep the same 11 players on the field together, and their ability to lock down the middle of the field with rangy players at safety and linebacker.
The caliber of play that Kansas State gets in the middle of the field from their three inside DB positions is crucial to their "bend don't break" strategy since they have to be in lockstep running to the football with leverage and denying easy throws to the middle. Last year's unit looked very promising early because of the fearsome threesome they had at these three inside DB positions with Dante Barnett (strong safety), Travis Green (free safety), and Randall Evans (nickel).
Green was eventually injured and replaced by the much more athletically limited Dylan Schellenberg and then transferred out of the program. True sophomore Kaleb Prewett figures to take over at that spot.
Dante Barnett is back and has apparently been working with a machine with the receivers to try and translate some of his many pass break-ups in 2014 into interceptions in 2015. He might be on my 1st team All-Big 12 team.
Randall Evans moves on after starting at nickel for three consecutive seasons. Converted corner Nate Jackson and longtime back-up Donnie Starks are the current favorites to win this job, smart money is on senior Nate Jackson. The potential problem here is that while Evans was small at about 6'0" 190, he was at least a very physical player who didn't shy away from contact and was plenty effective forcing the run.
His potential replacements are even smaller with Nate Jackson standing at 5'11" 185 while Starks is listed at 6'0" 180 and is probably closer to 5'10". It's hard to play the edge as well as Evans did at that size. Perhaps one of these guys has Tyrann Mathieu's quickness and physicality on the edge but it remains to be seen. If they do...obviously K-State will be in great shape here.
The KSU defensive approach requires athletes that can make plays while adhering to the strict discipline of the scheme. Linebacker is a place where this has to be true as these players regularly have opportunities to diagnose plays and make tackles in the backfield or near the line of scrimmage.
Currently the Wildcats have a large number of players that could be expected to be reasonably good as role players who understand run fits and how to pattern-read from their base coverages. Returning part-time starter Will Davis is such a player and seems to be the favorite to take over for Truman while former sam linebacker/3rd down specialist Elijah Lee has been moved to weakside linebacker.
This new tandem may upgrade the run defense as they go 6'3" 218 pounds (Lee) and 6'0" 224 (Davis) whereas last year the KSU LB corps weighed in at 6'3" 205 (Johnson) and 5'10" 210 (Truman) and could be more physical and explosive in the box. The big question is whether either of them can handle running in space as Truman was regularly asked to do in 2014.
The Wildcats also depend on getting a pass-rush from the defensive ends. These guys are certainly helped by the fact that the Wildcats are very meticulous and skilled in pattern-reading in cover 4 or cover 2 and forcing the QB to either hold the ball, try to throw it outside the hash marks, or work his way down the progressions to the check downs.
The 2012 Big 12 champion K-State defense got 17.5 sacks combined from ends Adam Davis (7) and Meshak Williams (10.5). In 2014 they did reasonably well with 21.5 sacks from their top four pass-rushers with Ryan Mueller leading the way with 6.5, the Jordan Willis/Marquel Bryant timeshare across from him adding 10.5, and 3rd down specialist Elijah Lee adding 4.5 more.
The Wildcats usually end up seeing at least one DE emerge in a big way every season. With Willis and Bryant both returning, along with former Kansas HS star Tanner Wood who could be dominant at the position before he's finished his college career, you figure KSU will get the needed pass-rush.
They also have been getting a respectable push from 3-technique DT Travis Britz who should have a strong senior year playing next to returning nose tackle Will Geary.
Geary is one of the fun but typical storylines that comes out of Manhattan every year. He's a former walk-on that stands at about 6'0" flat, if even that, and weighs just a little under 300 pounds. He's a former state wrestling champ and clearly finds that the skills learned in that sport translate to battling double teams at nose tackle. As a redshirt sophomore, Geary is going to be around for years to come helping the Wildcat DL cover up their linebackers.
The counter-punch
A fascinating aspect of the 2015 KSU defense is how often they use the blitz to attack opponents now that Elijah Lee is playing weakside linebacker. One of the Wildcats preferred ways to attack opponents in 2014 was to bring Randall Evans off the strongside while stunting Ryan Mueller inside into the B-gap, which the senior defensive end excelled at doing.In 2015 the Wildcats may be stronger at bringing the weakside blitz with Lee.
Blocking this blitz would require either a really good zone protection scheme from the offense, a quick pass to the flat against KSU's good corners (if it's McDaniel over there I think the receivers would prefer that you didn't), or using the RB to pick up Lee on the blitz. None of those are particularly appealing solutions.
The only issue here for KSU is that they already have a pretty effective weakside blitz option by bringing McDaniel off the boundary edge. It's always nice to have multiple players that can be used to attack an offense but the Wildcats could really use a good blitzer on the strongside at middle linebacker, nickel, or strong safety. Again you wonder if the Wildcats should consider moving McDaniel to nickel and increasing the angles from which they can attack the offense.
However DC Tom Hayes chooses to attack opponents though, he should be able to do it more effectively with both cornerbacks returning, Barnett ball-hawking from the middle of the field, and Elijah Lee factoring into the equation as a blitzer.
Prognosis
If we could sum up the KSU defensive strategy it would be:1. Lock down the middle of the field with athletic linebackers and safeties playing a limited number of pattern-read coverages with the same personnel all the time and running to the football as a group.
2. Protect these athletes with a sturdy DL that can generate a pass-rush and eat space inside.
3. Kill drives by forcing the offense to throw inefficient passes outside against good corners or else inflicting negative plays through the pass-rush or extraordinary play from the inside core.
The Wildcats actually look stronger on points two and three than in many previous seasons with most of the questions concerning whether they can replace their losses at linebacker and safety and get the same kind reliable play from the up and coming athletes on the team that they got from players like Evans or Zimmerman.
If you're willing to give Snyder the benefit of the doubt there then you have to consider the possibility that this could be one of the Big 12's best defenses in 2015.
Monday, July 6, 2015
How players compliment each other: Baylor defense edition
Over the next couple of weeks I'll have a bunch of articles drop explaining how different Big 12 teams' players compliment each other and work in tandem.
Including: How and why Oklahoma's usage of Eric Striker keeps changing and how the Baylor defense works.
Next we'll hit on how Elijah Lee needs to impact the Kansas State defense and eventually unveil an All-Big 12 preseason team.
Including: How and why Oklahoma's usage of Eric Striker keeps changing and how the Baylor defense works.
Next we'll hit on how Elijah Lee needs to impact the Kansas State defense and eventually unveil an All-Big 12 preseason team.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Are defensive positions outdated? A new spin on the 4-2-5
The 4-2-5 defense is all the rage in football these days and most teams are relying on a base nickel package to comprise their best 11 players and be effective at defending most everything they'll see from offenses on standard downs.
The golden standard of 4-2-5 defense is the Gary Patterson Horned Frog unit that is designed around principles of versatility, easy adjustment, and division of labor.
TCU is built around playing five DBs all the time but with a defense split into three different units.
-The front six, including two defensive ends, two defensive tackles, and two linebackers who account for the gaps up front in the run game and the RB in coverage.
-The strong safety, free safety, and the strongside corner who all align to the passing strength, usually to the field (wide side of the field).
-The weak safety and weakside corner who align opposite the passing strength, usually to the boundary (short side of the field).
Each unit has their own call with it's own assignments that they carry out and the calls can be made independently of each other by the players on the field. Consequently, TCU can show a lot of versatility despite only having a certain number of 2-deep coverage calls, even bringing a blitz while playing base zone coverage on one side of the field.
The only hang-up is that TCU's system requires a lot of versatility from several of the players to work properly. The boundary corner needs to be a stud who can play run-force on one snap and be in solo coverage on the next one with no safety help. The strong safety needs to be an effective edge player against a lot of different types of offenses, from 4-wide Air Raid passing attacks to Pro-I power run teams. The free safety needs to be a very rangy athlete who can pick up a slot on a vertical route one snap and then be an extra man against the run on the next one.
They all have different assignments they'll be asked to fill and they rely on disguise and versatility to prevent teams from picking on what they're weak at.
But what if a 4-2-5 secondary was defined by assignments rather than positions? What if players could always be put in positions where they were familiar and comfortable with their assignments, techniques, and how to respond when offenses attacked them?
For any high school defensive coaches or Kansas State staff out there reading, this might be an answer for you:
Cover 6 is a popular choice against the Spread-I formations that are gaining more and more popularity:
The challenge here is for the strong or field safety, who may have to cover the "Y" slot receiver in wide open space if run blocking by the OL draws in the nickel. That's a tough assignment, akin to play effective coverage with a 10 yard cushion, against a receiver that may run a quick route or run to open grass in the deep field. Both of those are difficult things to cover if the nickel isn't there to help underneath.
The positives include having overhang defenders who can quickly create an 8-man box against the run and help funnel the ball to the safeties who can fill the alley after ensuring that there aren't any deep passing threats on the play.
Cover 3 is the more common choice against four-wide spread passing attacks:
The challenge here is for the overhangs, who need to be good at reading keys and ensuring that the offense doesn't burn them with the H or Y receivers before then forcing the ball inside to the linebackers and free safety.
That deep safety better also be rangy and timely in run support.
This is a little weaker defense for stopping the run, particularly against RPOs (run/pass option plays) that will require the force players to hang back and mind the slot receivers and shallow zones in order to protect the safety before coming down to set the edge. However, it is useful for matching up against the passing game, protects the linebackers, and has great teaching overlap with the fire zone blitzes everyone likes to use.
You'll notice though that in one defense a corner is a force player, which is a challenging position, and in the other base coverage he's a deep pass defender which carries its own rules and techniques for success. The strong safety is similarly either playing as a force player or else a very difficult coverage position.
If you're a smaller high school, or even a college that plays a wide variety of opposing offenses, wouldn't you rather that every defender become a master of a specific skill set rather than vacillating between wildly different assignments?
Motion, specific game planning, and lack of disguise could potentially make your defense a sitting duck in this package since the offense will always know your coverage based on where your players are lined up. Or will they?
One simple response to this criticism is the simple fact that Michigan State and Kansas State routinely play pretty good defense without employing a great deal of disguise. If your players are just really good at what they do it doesn't always matter if the offense knows what they're doing they can still be very hard to sustain drives against.
Against motion, this defense is arguably less susceptible since it will always have good force players on either side of the formation and the better coverage players will always be aligned to defend receiver positions that are hard to handle.
The only difficult motions that would be difficult to counteract would be ones that put a top receiver in a #3 or #2 slot, but these are hard for any defense to handle, much less this take on the 4-2-5. It would just require simple adjustments by the linebackers to change their assignment to handle these types of strategies.
Another response is that it'd still be possible to include an aggressive blitzing package with this defense and keep the offense on its toes with pressures.
For instance: In Cover 3 you can give the LBs blitz checks without doing much to affect the overall structure of the plays. For instance with one check, you could have one LB blitz while the other takes the RB and either locks him down in man coverage or joins in the blitz if the RB stays behind to protect:
The middle linebacker could blitz based on tendency or weakness in the offense or else as a part of a stunt with the rest of the DL. Behind him, you've got force players still lined up over the slot receivers with a deep safety sitting in the middle and you have your best coverage players outside on the WRs.
If one of the LBs is a great pass-rusher and can threaten to bring this pressure regularly then the offense will have fewer options for attacking the defense.
Another check option that would be especially useful in Cover 6 would be to do the exact same thing with the force players, send them off the edge with wide contain responsibility and pick up the receiver in man coverage with the coverage player or safety behind them:
The nature of the defense would make simple Fire Zones and a whole myriad of man-blitzes very easy to dial up without exposing the defense to any great match-up problems.
So while the offensive coach or QB may have a good idea of which base defense he's looking at, he doesn't necessarily know if he's facing a blitz or not and no matter what he knows he'll still struggle to find a match-up to attack either with the run or the pass.
The game of football is changing and up-tempo strategies combined with RPOs and more precise passing attacks are changing the way defense is played. More and more the focus for defensive coaches has to be on consistently getting players in positions where they can succeed and teaching them how to organize and conduct themselves on the field so they can withstand up-tempo attacks and think for themselves on the fly.
By moving on beyond old positional designations and turning players into specialists who are technique masters and armed with pressures they can call to adjust on the field, perhaps defense can make a leap forward with modern offenses.
The golden standard of 4-2-5 defense is the Gary Patterson Horned Frog unit that is designed around principles of versatility, easy adjustment, and division of labor.
TCU is built around playing five DBs all the time but with a defense split into three different units.
-The front six, including two defensive ends, two defensive tackles, and two linebackers who account for the gaps up front in the run game and the RB in coverage.
-The strong safety, free safety, and the strongside corner who all align to the passing strength, usually to the field (wide side of the field).
-The weak safety and weakside corner who align opposite the passing strength, usually to the boundary (short side of the field).
Each unit has their own call with it's own assignments that they carry out and the calls can be made independently of each other by the players on the field. Consequently, TCU can show a lot of versatility despite only having a certain number of 2-deep coverage calls, even bringing a blitz while playing base zone coverage on one side of the field.
The only hang-up is that TCU's system requires a lot of versatility from several of the players to work properly. The boundary corner needs to be a stud who can play run-force on one snap and be in solo coverage on the next one with no safety help. The strong safety needs to be an effective edge player against a lot of different types of offenses, from 4-wide Air Raid passing attacks to Pro-I power run teams. The free safety needs to be a very rangy athlete who can pick up a slot on a vertical route one snap and then be an extra man against the run on the next one.
They all have different assignments they'll be asked to fill and they rely on disguise and versatility to prevent teams from picking on what they're weak at.
But what if a 4-2-5 secondary was defined by assignments rather than positions? What if players could always be put in positions where they were familiar and comfortable with their assignments, techniques, and how to respond when offenses attacked them?
For any high school defensive coaches or Kansas State staff out there reading, this might be an answer for you:
Challenges for the common 4-2-5 defenses
The two most popular coverage schemes in football right now are Cover 6 and Cover 3. Each of these coverages get two overhang players on the edge to force the ball inside while getting three deep pass defenders who are free from run-force responsibilities and thus less vulnerable to play-action.Cover 6 is a popular choice against the Spread-I formations that are gaining more and more popularity:
The positives include having overhang defenders who can quickly create an 8-man box against the run and help funnel the ball to the safeties who can fill the alley after ensuring that there aren't any deep passing threats on the play.
Cover 3 is the more common choice against four-wide spread passing attacks:
That deep safety better also be rangy and timely in run support.
This is a little weaker defense for stopping the run, particularly against RPOs (run/pass option plays) that will require the force players to hang back and mind the slot receivers and shallow zones in order to protect the safety before coming down to set the edge. However, it is useful for matching up against the passing game, protects the linebackers, and has great teaching overlap with the fire zone blitzes everyone likes to use.
You'll notice though that in one defense a corner is a force player, which is a challenging position, and in the other base coverage he's a deep pass defender which carries its own rules and techniques for success. The strong safety is similarly either playing as a force player or else a very difficult coverage position.
If you're a smaller high school, or even a college that plays a wide variety of opposing offenses, wouldn't you rather that every defender become a master of a specific skill set rather than vacillating between wildly different assignments?
New positions in the 4-2-5
Part of the problem is that defenses can become slaves to old positional definitions and will routinely base a player's position by where he lines up on the field rather than what he's asked to do.
What if a defense that wanted to base around playing Cover 6 and Cover 3 were to define their five secondary positions by the following assignments:
The force players: In either coverage, the defense will always have two players who are trained full-time to play run-force roles. In either Cover 6 or Cover 3, these players are going to assume the positions that have force responsibilities. In this package the nickel, boundary corner, and strong safety positions will always be manned by a force player when they have run-force responsibilities.
This would have been a relief to many college football teams that experienced horrendous force play from multiple positions in the 2014 season.
The coverage players: There are two positions that typically carry difficult man coverage assignments in the defenses above: either corner spot and the strong safety position. In this scheme, those two most demanding coverage slots will always be filled by the two coverage players.
The deep safety: The heady, range player who is great at making open field tackles or sitting on deep routes is always going to be put in position to do so as the sole true safety on the team. In Cover 6 he's playing as the boundary safety while in Cover 3 he's up top.
To illustrate this with our above diagrams: F stands for a force player, C stands for a coverage player, and S is the safety.
Cover 3 against a 2x2 set with 11 personnel
Cover 6 against a 2x1 Spread-I set with 20 personnel
Now the defense always has players in each position on standard downs who have been drilled heavily in their actual assignment. The DC doesn't have to worry about not being able to play a hard cover 2 because he can't find any good coverage corners who are physical enough to set the edge, and in fact he can now choose and develop corners more strictly on coverage ability.
Similarly, he doesn't have to sacrifice coverage ability or tackling at strong safety to do all the things he wants his safety to be able to do as he can now choose players based on their ability to perform as a deep support safety or a force player. Much like the Seahawks with their specialization on defense, this unit could choose players to fit more narrow skill sets.
The focus on training up players to be force players is probably the strongest sell to this system as that position is ever more becoming a focal point for offenses with all of the option, RPOs, and use of skilled slot receivers in the game these days.
With this packaging, the defense always has solid players zoning up underneath with a well-trained deep support player on top of these schemes. It's hard to do much better than that.
Withstanding adjustments and objections
Many will respond, "well now the offense can tee off because they know what you're running."Motion, specific game planning, and lack of disguise could potentially make your defense a sitting duck in this package since the offense will always know your coverage based on where your players are lined up. Or will they?
One simple response to this criticism is the simple fact that Michigan State and Kansas State routinely play pretty good defense without employing a great deal of disguise. If your players are just really good at what they do it doesn't always matter if the offense knows what they're doing they can still be very hard to sustain drives against.
Against motion, this defense is arguably less susceptible since it will always have good force players on either side of the formation and the better coverage players will always be aligned to defend receiver positions that are hard to handle.
The only difficult motions that would be difficult to counteract would be ones that put a top receiver in a #3 or #2 slot, but these are hard for any defense to handle, much less this take on the 4-2-5. It would just require simple adjustments by the linebackers to change their assignment to handle these types of strategies.
Another response is that it'd still be possible to include an aggressive blitzing package with this defense and keep the offense on its toes with pressures.
For instance: In Cover 3 you can give the LBs blitz checks without doing much to affect the overall structure of the plays. For instance with one check, you could have one LB blitz while the other takes the RB and either locks him down in man coverage or joins in the blitz if the RB stays behind to protect:
If one of the LBs is a great pass-rusher and can threaten to bring this pressure regularly then the offense will have fewer options for attacking the defense.
Another check option that would be especially useful in Cover 6 would be to do the exact same thing with the force players, send them off the edge with wide contain responsibility and pick up the receiver in man coverage with the coverage player or safety behind them:
The nature of the defense would make simple Fire Zones and a whole myriad of man-blitzes very easy to dial up without exposing the defense to any great match-up problems.
So while the offensive coach or QB may have a good idea of which base defense he's looking at, he doesn't necessarily know if he's facing a blitz or not and no matter what he knows he'll still struggle to find a match-up to attack either with the run or the pass.
The game of football is changing and up-tempo strategies combined with RPOs and more precise passing attacks are changing the way defense is played. More and more the focus for defensive coaches has to be on consistently getting players in positions where they can succeed and teaching them how to organize and conduct themselves on the field so they can withstand up-tempo attacks and think for themselves on the fly.
By moving on beyond old positional designations and turning players into specialists who are technique masters and armed with pressures they can call to adjust on the field, perhaps defense can make a leap forward with modern offenses.
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