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Spags Zone Blitz Concepts
Posted on 7/18/12 at 8:29 am
Posted on 7/18/12 at 8:29 am
HERE is one of the most concise pieces I have read about the evolution of zone blitzes. This will be the major change you will see this season. Take the time to read the whole thing.
Over time, the initial zone blitz model has evolved and expanded. It has become particularly prevalent in nickel and dime sub-packages, which feature quicker and more versatile athletes on the field. It is much more difficult for an offensive lineman weighing more than 300 pounds to react to a blitzing safety or slot corner, especially when his initial focus is on the defensive linemen directly in front of him. Defensive coaches have seen the value of having more players stand up and move around before the snap. That increases the mental — and, by extension, physical — burden on both individual blockers and protection schemes. In addition, the coverage component has become more varied. I see man-to-man, I see hybrid coverages that incorporate both man and zone and I even see some elements of “cover zero” when the defensive coordinator feels confident that he can get a free rusher to the quarterback.
Over time, the initial zone blitz model has evolved and expanded. It has become particularly prevalent in nickel and dime sub-packages, which feature quicker and more versatile athletes on the field. It is much more difficult for an offensive lineman weighing more than 300 pounds to react to a blitzing safety or slot corner, especially when his initial focus is on the defensive linemen directly in front of him. Defensive coaches have seen the value of having more players stand up and move around before the snap. That increases the mental — and, by extension, physical — burden on both individual blockers and protection schemes. In addition, the coverage component has become more varied. I see man-to-man, I see hybrid coverages that incorporate both man and zone and I even see some elements of “cover zero” when the defensive coordinator feels confident that he can get a free rusher to the quarterback.
3
Posted on 7/18/12 at 9:26 am to blueslover
Posted on 7/18/12 at 10:06 am to Shane4689
Great article, thanks
Posted on 7/18/12 at 10:08 am to Shane4689
Do us a favor:
Posted on 7/18/12 at 10:22 am to blueslover
quote:
LeBeau addressed the need to bring pressure by attacking specific areas of the pass protection. He overloaded one side of the protection with more rushers than could be accounted for, often while rushing no one from the other side. He did not increase the number of pass rushers; in fact, he reduced them. He deployed fewer rushers, never more than five (even, at times, four), in a more strategic manner. It was a safer way to blitz that left units exposed to less risk on the back end.
Posted on 7/18/12 at 12:36 pm to blueslover
Don Coryell was a genius.
Posted on 7/18/12 at 1:47 pm to Jcorye1
quote:
Don Coryell was a genius.
almost too ahead of his time he was so creative
Never thought Hank Stram got enough props for his offensive innovations also. Didn't get enough time in NOLA either.
Posted on 7/18/12 at 3:40 pm to Patrick O Rly
This made me chuckle for more than a few minutes...well done...
Posted on 7/20/12 at 4:33 pm to Numbers
found this related to the Rams, thought it was good insight into what differences we will see-
Steve Spagnuolo's defensive scheme was the least of the Rams' worries, in my view. "A lot of defenses are unsound in how they do things," Hasselbeck said when I caught up to him following his Tennessee Titans preseason debut, in St. Louis. "These guys (the Rams) are really sound. They might not lead the league in sacks up front, but they do a nice job getting pressure. They play together as a defense. They don't give up big plays. Even when you get them, it's for 20 yards instead of for a touchdown."
The Saints gave up a league-high 14 pass plays covering at least 40 yards during the regular season. The Rams gave up 12, but they also lost all their top cornerbacks to injury.
--------------------
Malcolm Jenkins in May:
What are some of the biggest adjustments going to be in this new defense?
“Last year we played a lot of man-to-man and a lot of matchup. This year we’ll still be playing some matchups, but there will be a lot of zone schemes with zone pressures and things like that. Being able to transition to those kinds of things and knowing where your teammates are going to be at (is new.) It’s going to be an adjustment. It seems to be going pretty well. I think guys really like the adjustment. Like I said, there’s a lot less stress on the back end and it allows us to keep our eyes on the quarterback. Hopefully, that will result on making some more plays on the ball.”
Coach Spagnuolo said he wants his safeties to be making tackles as close to the line as possible. Are we going to be seeing you play closer to the line than you did last year?
“Yes, I think so. In the last couple of years, we preached to have our safeties back deep. I think we started off at 20 yards just so we could play downhill. A lot of times, if the ball got to me it was a bad thing. This year, we’re playing a lot closer to the line of scrimmage. Like I said, Roman (Harper) and I are basically playing the same position. We could play left or right, so we could both be down within linebacker depth. If they continue to go left-right, you’ll continue to see me closer to the line of scrimmage. Even when I am deep, it’s not going to be the 20 yards that we’ve been playing. It will be closer to 15 or 12 yards from the ball.”
Do you think playing closer to the line will give you more opportunities to be a playmaker?
“Yes, definitely. I think instead of it being a clean-up role like it’s been in the last couple of years, I’ll be closer to the ball and that’ll give me some more opportunities to make some more plays. It’s a lot less stressful making a tackle at nine yards as opposed to 19.”
Steve Spagnuolo's defensive scheme was the least of the Rams' worries, in my view. "A lot of defenses are unsound in how they do things," Hasselbeck said when I caught up to him following his Tennessee Titans preseason debut, in St. Louis. "These guys (the Rams) are really sound. They might not lead the league in sacks up front, but they do a nice job getting pressure. They play together as a defense. They don't give up big plays. Even when you get them, it's for 20 yards instead of for a touchdown."
The Saints gave up a league-high 14 pass plays covering at least 40 yards during the regular season. The Rams gave up 12, but they also lost all their top cornerbacks to injury.
--------------------
Malcolm Jenkins in May:
What are some of the biggest adjustments going to be in this new defense?
“Last year we played a lot of man-to-man and a lot of matchup. This year we’ll still be playing some matchups, but there will be a lot of zone schemes with zone pressures and things like that. Being able to transition to those kinds of things and knowing where your teammates are going to be at (is new.) It’s going to be an adjustment. It seems to be going pretty well. I think guys really like the adjustment. Like I said, there’s a lot less stress on the back end and it allows us to keep our eyes on the quarterback. Hopefully, that will result on making some more plays on the ball.”
Coach Spagnuolo said he wants his safeties to be making tackles as close to the line as possible. Are we going to be seeing you play closer to the line than you did last year?
“Yes, I think so. In the last couple of years, we preached to have our safeties back deep. I think we started off at 20 yards just so we could play downhill. A lot of times, if the ball got to me it was a bad thing. This year, we’re playing a lot closer to the line of scrimmage. Like I said, Roman (Harper) and I are basically playing the same position. We could play left or right, so we could both be down within linebacker depth. If they continue to go left-right, you’ll continue to see me closer to the line of scrimmage. Even when I am deep, it’s not going to be the 20 yards that we’ve been playing. It will be closer to 15 or 12 yards from the ball.”
Do you think playing closer to the line will give you more opportunities to be a playmaker?
“Yes, definitely. I think instead of it being a clean-up role like it’s been in the last couple of years, I’ll be closer to the ball and that’ll give me some more opportunities to make some more plays. It’s a lot less stressful making a tackle at nine yards as opposed to 19.”
This post was edited on 7/20/12 at 4:41 pm
Posted on 7/20/12 at 4:38 pm to blueslover
quote:
Never thought Hank Stram got enough props for his offensive innovations also. Didn't get enough time in NOLA either.
65 Toss Power Trap!
He is way before my time but from what the NFL Films people say about him, I really wish it would have been better for him here.
This post was edited on 7/20/12 at 4:42 pm
Posted on 7/20/12 at 4:39 pm to Numbers
quote:
This made me chuckle for more than a few minutes...well done...
Same here.
Posted on 7/20/12 at 4:47 pm to MikeTIGER83
"Keep matriculating the ball down the field baby" -Stram
still reading more on GW/Spags comparison, decent writeup from a Panthers fan-
Coverage wise, Spags' Defense employs Zone Coverage to maximize the area covered by the defense. Linebackers will drop into coverage, while CB's will see a lot of help from Safeties over top and LB's undercutting routes. One caveat, Spagnuolo typically places his safeties inside the box, depending on their read-reaction skills to diagnose a play and react correctly. By aligning his safeties closer to the LOS, Spagnuolo places two more defenders in the box to obstruct the opposing run game. At the same time it leaves the safeties in a better position to recognize play action, and alert the rest of the defense. However, this places a lot of responsibility on the safeties: If they read a play inaccurately, it could result in a big play for the offense, yet if they read the play correctly, it could produce a turnover.
still reading more on GW/Spags comparison, decent writeup from a Panthers fan-
Coverage wise, Spags' Defense employs Zone Coverage to maximize the area covered by the defense. Linebackers will drop into coverage, while CB's will see a lot of help from Safeties over top and LB's undercutting routes. One caveat, Spagnuolo typically places his safeties inside the box, depending on their read-reaction skills to diagnose a play and react correctly. By aligning his safeties closer to the LOS, Spagnuolo places two more defenders in the box to obstruct the opposing run game. At the same time it leaves the safeties in a better position to recognize play action, and alert the rest of the defense. However, this places a lot of responsibility on the safeties: If they read a play inaccurately, it could result in a big play for the offense, yet if they read the play correctly, it could produce a turnover.
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