By Mark Theophel
Defensive Coordinator
Hartwick College (NY)

Introduction:

During the pandemic of 2020, with no football season being played at Hartwick College, we decided to seize the opportunity to evaluate different ways of doing things. On defense, there were two particular topics we focused on that have recently risen in popularity: 3-high safety defense and 2-deep simulated pressures. The 3-high package was of particular interest because adding an extra safety who could adjust to formations would allow us to be more flexible with our base coverages, while also being able to run more coverage variations behind our pressure package. While studying this topic, we found that there are a number of different advantages created by running our pressure patterns with 3-high spacing.

1. Using a 3-high shell makes it easier to disguise coverage, particularly vs. Trips formations.
2. Using 3-High safeties makes it easier to adjust to formations and create better match ups.
3. Replacing a LB with a safety to defend the seam in 2-deep coverage makes simulated pressures more effective.
4. Having an extra safety allows for more zone coverage variations behind safety blitzes.

In 2021, we were in a 3-high safety defense 34% of the time, which increased to 49% of the time during the 2022 season. Of our 15 interceptions in 2022, 8 of them occurred in our 3-high safety package, and 7 of those 8 occurred running some form of deep half coverage. In particular, 2-deep coverage and simulated pressures became much more versatile with 3 safeties on the field. Running 2-Deep coverage on passing downs has been an effective way for us to firm up the flat and rely less on soft corner coverages like quarters and 3-deep. We also found that our Corners really enjoy getting a break and being more aggressive.

Deep Half Coverage:

Deep Half Coverage for us is a zone concept that can be played on both sides of the defense as a true 2-deep zone, or on one side of the defense as a combo coverage, such as quarter-quarter-half. Normally, our safety will defend the Deep ½ of the field, with our Corner being responsible for the flat. We clarify this with a run support call of “Cloud,” signifying that the Corner is the force defender on the play. The Corner’s primary zone of responsibility is the flat, but he is also charged with funneling the #1 WR inside to the safety. This will make it easier for the deep ½ safety to cover multiple vertical threats in his zone, while making the coverage less vulnerable in the “hole” along the sidelines.

Corner flat technique (“Cloud”):

• Funnel #1 inside to safety, eyes inside on #2
  • Get chest to outside shoulder pad of #1
    • Punch with outside arm, force inside release
    • Sink and defend the hole with body positioning
  • Defend the 1^st inside WR to the flat, deep-to-short
    • Read QB for throw
    • Drive downhill on any throws to flat

Safety Deep ½ technique (“Cloud”):

• Pedal in zone and read QB
  • Top all vertical routes of #2
    • If #2 and #1 are both vertical, midpoint the zone
    • Midpoint of the zone is 4 yards outside the hash
  • If #2 is horizontal, see release of #1
    • If #1 is outside, get off hash and play over the top
    • If #1 is inside, stay in window and defend the post
    • Never let #1 beat you inside

It is important to note that unlike single-high coverages like Cover 3 or Cover 1, the middle of the field is open in 2-deep zones, so that needs to be accounted for in our teaching. When we first install deep half coverage, we will always have the same components: a deep half defender, a flat defender, and a curl defender who is also responsible for #2 on any deep inside vertical. Our term for this coverage responsibility is Vertical-Curl.

Vertical-Curl technique:

• Read #2 to #1, inside-out
  • Wall and carry any inside vertical of #2 WR
    • Emphasis on post or “seam” route
  • If #2 is out, expand to the curl inside the #1 WR
    • If #1 clears out, look inside for work
  • If #2 is under/across, read the QB and scan the field for threats
    • QB inside = Look for re-cross with #3
    • QB outside = Look for slant/curl/dig of #1

Those first two coaching points are the most important things that Vertical-Curl defenders must understand. If #2 is vertical, we must run with him up the seam and protect the goalpost. If #2 releases to the outside, we know the corner or safety will be there in the flat, so we should expect an inside-breaking route by #1 and find the curl window. In any instance where #2 is out and #1 clears out (ie. Does not threaten inside), we should look inside for work. This applies to vertical routes that break outside as well, like a flag/corner route by #2.

In any 2-High coverage, including quarters, we will always have a defender responsible for the hook inside the #3 WR as well.  Unless there is a Trips adjustment built into the scheme, this defender will also be responsible for #3 vertical.  In 2-Deep coverage, we must account for #3 vertical for the same reason that we must account for #2 on inside verticals, because the middle of the field is open. Our hook defender is termed the Middle-Read defender.

Middle-Read technique:

• Read #3 to #2 to #1, inside-out
  • Wall and carry any vertical route by #3
    • Drop to near hip of #3, react to his release
  • If #3 is out, expand and read #2 to #1
    • Defend the hook inside the new #3 WR after all exchanges
  • If #3 is under/across, find new #3
    • Look for re-cross, stay inside new #3

By Mike Kuchar with Jack Cooper
Defensive Coordinator
University of Rhode Island
Twitter: @CoachJCooper

When the defensive staff at Rhode Island returned from its visit with Baylor last off-season a couple things were clear: Ron Roberts knows his football and the Tampa simulated pressures that Roberts used last season meshed perfectly with the Rams personnel and structure. It tied into their cover three and man free package with one added benefit: there is not real threat of those bender routes because of the presence of the middle safety.

So, defensive coordinator Jack Cooper took the info he amassed and started devising his version of these Tampa sims. He realized he didn’t have the personnel that Baylor had (they were more advanced at the outside linebacker position), so he simplified it by only using three core pressures: a boundary pressure with the Will linebacker and a middle pressure with the Mike linebacker. The rules were simple: The Sam (or field outside linebacker) will never be in the rush pattern. It either be the Will, the Bandit (boundary outside linebacker) or the Mike. And he implemented them out of his base four down package as well. Both cases were four man rushes with a pure three deep zone behind it.

Personnel:

Just for context, the Rams use the following skill personnel in its three-down (or sub) grouping:

• Buck– boundary outside linebacker and hybrid defensive end. In four down fronts he is in the front.
• Sam– He will align to field or passing strength. He’s known as the “big Nickel” in Coach Cooper’s operation.
• Mike– strong side inside linebacker
• Will– weak side inside linebacker
• Nickel– third corner (this presents a problem with these pressures because this defender is not accustomed to playing a deep half technique). Coach Cooper admitted these concepts work better with safeties.
• Strong Safety- This will be the middle safety
• Free Safety- This will be the boundary safety
• Field Corner
• Boundary Corner

There are packages where the Sam will stay in the game and a defensive lineman will come off the field (2-4 spacing) and there are other times where he’ll use a 5-1 package by keeping both outside linebackers (Sam and Buck) in the game and take the Will out.

Disguise Element:

Regardless of the personnel, the prerequisite of running these sims is to keep an element of disguise. So, in order to do that he’ll cover down early to give the illusion of rip/Liz match or cover three. This is all predicated based on 2×2 open or 3×1 open.

In the image below against 2×2 open, both the Free safety and Nickel cover down over the number two receivers.

In the image below against 3×1 open, the Strong Safety (middle runner) covers down number three early to give the illusion of man free. He will start at eight yards off line of scrimmage.

All defenders will pedal out on cadence. It’s essentially Tampa coverage coming from a cover down disguise. According to Coach Cooper, all other defenses in the Rams system are “roof defenses” where they will hold the divider and then work off cadence. Against any running back motion or Empty, defenders will immediately get out of their shell and going to their responsibility. “We won’t let our disguise override our job,” he said.

Directional vs. Delivery Key:

Before getting into technique specifics with this coverage, it’s important to understand how he teaches the eyes of zone defenders. Essentially Tampa is the same principles as cover three, where defenders are taught to melt in the zone. Once they get their zone eyes set, Coach Cooper and his staff teach a “directional” vs. “delivery” key:

• If the directional key is away from me, we shuffle.
• If the directional key is to me, we sink with depth. That means there may be some high/low concept coming to me

Safety as Middle Runner:

The benefit of using these Tampa sim pressures from 3-High structure is that the middle runner plays from depth, which is contrary to having an interior backer (with a run gap responsibility) play from low to high. It takes the Mike out of run/pass conflict and according to Coach Cooper having the Nickel be the third safety makes it more symmetrical and cleaner teaching. It ties into the cover three creeper package because of the roof shell. “The disparity of the safety playing the middle run through vs. the linebacker doing it was like three to one,” coach Cooper told me. He did say he recommends that Nickel be a true safety (rather than a third corner) because he understands how to play a hash technique.

By Mike Kuchar with Ron Roberts
Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers
Baylor University (TX)
Twitter: @CoachRonRoberts

Last time we worked with Ron Roberts he was telling us about his “Tampa” creeper package that he devised during the COVID lockdown in 2020. Before reading this report any further, it may make sense to reference the prior one below:

Quite simply it’s a four-man rush simulated pressure system with three high (Tampa) coverage behind it. While this coverage concept yielded some terrific efficiency- see Oklahoma State and Sugar Bowl against Ole Miss last season- he adjusted his three-high sims to alleviate a second level player from dropping into the middle of the field. As a result, he transitioned to using the same concept from his three-high sub personnel grouping. And if you’re utilizing a three-high structure it’s an easy build-in to your system. By moving to having an extra defensive back be the middle runner, it prevented a 5-technique outside linebacker from having to be a seam dropper. A second level linebacker is able to handle that responsibility because he’s not asked to run the middle of the field. “If you’re dropping those outside linebacker then you need to teach them multiple drops such as a field drop, hash drop and boundary hash drop,” said Coach Roberts. “We don’t want to do that anymore. We had to simplify it so that they just need to know that if they are dropping they are either dropping to the field side hash or the boundary side hash. They are not looking for anything else.”

The creepers from the three-high package is complemented with other two high structures or bracket coverage looks and is used primarily on third downs. “Our middle field open look is where we play our three-deep creepers,” he said. “It all starts there. We roll strong or weak. It doesn’t start in one high structure.”

There are several pressure packages tied to these creepers, but for the most part they are field and middle activations. Coach Roberts likes them best against open sets such as 2×2 and 3×1 open. “It’s good if you get more skill, open sets and your Mike can’t run with anything down the field,” said Coach Roberts. “It’s easier to play number three on an over route from depth with a defensive back. Best to work from top down alignment than vice versa.”

In its simplest form, there are four main pressure patterns in this package, although I’ll tell you Coach Roberts has been continually tweaking them to find alternative middle runners. Essentially, he classifies the coverage defenders as the following (more on the technique later in the report):

• Cloud Defenders (2): responsible for flat
• Seam Defenders (2): responsible for #2 in the seam
• Middle Defender (1): post defender
• Hash Defenders (2)

These packages are presented differently based on 2×2 open or 3×1 open formations, and they are taught differently based on each.

2×2 Open Sets:

According to Coach Roberts, In 2×2 open sets, it’s important to show post-safety help. Regardless of the pressure pattern, the middle safety is able to close out inside the hashes because he’s already in a position to do so.

3×1 Open Sets:

Against 3×1 open sets, the Middle runner can cover down on number three to show man coverage and still work his way back to the middle of the field. This is why you want the middle runner to be a safety. He can align 8 yards over number three and still play the middle. You can’t do that with a linebacker.

RPO Theory: “Aggressors vs. Protectors”

According to Coach Roberts, this not necessarily a good call against RPO offenses unless it’s 2×2 open sets where the middle safety can cheat to the side of the back. The way in which he’s able to get this taught is by terming the words “aggressor” and “protector” based on back location.

“Aggressor”: refers to any defender who is away from the back. This gives them freedom to trigger in the run action of the play.

“Protector”: refers to the defender to the side of the back, and consequently, the RPO. These defenders need to be a little more patient before triggering. Their job is to protect the RPO first.

Coverage Structure:

So, out of three-high structure, the Field safety (who is the middle safety in Coach Roberts system) is traditionally the middle runner. The Nickel is the field safety and the boundary safety is the Star. The only time the boundary safety (Star) is the middle runner is when there is formation into boundary structures.

“Our creepers are designed off 2×2 and 3×1 because I want to drop the 5-technique so he doesn’t have anybody to cover,” said Coach Roberts. “He’s dropping off air.”

“If it’s 2×2 I’d rather drop the field side 5-technique because he’s dropping off a ghost three or someone in the backfield so his job becomes easy.”

“If it’s 3×1 I prefer to drop the boundary 5-technique because he’s not dropping on anyone. He’s not good at it. That’s how you get away with dropping those guys out. The best way to do that is so that they are not covering anyone.”