Creating a Defensive Identity
Think of a great defense from the past. You can look last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a few years ago with the Baltimore Ravens, or a few decades ago with the Chicago Bears. Every great defense in NFL history has some kind of identity. Sometimes it's scheme (the Steelers zone blitz, the Bears "46" defense), sometimes it's swagger (The Purple People Eaters, The Steel Curtain), sometimes it's ability (the Giants led by Lawrence Taylor, the Ravens and Ray Lewis), but almost every noteworthy defense to play in the NFL has something they're known for.
And if you want to have a noteworthy defense, you're going to need an identity too! And that identity needs to consist of more than what Madden tells you, and you'll need more than one play.
Why do we need all these defensive plays?
It's important to remember that as a defense, you can't cover everything. In fact, those who try to cover everything generally end up having the LEAST success, because they don't understand the holes they're creating by trying to take certain things away.
Understand that each defensive play you call is giving the offense a chance to make a play in some way. But at the same time, if you can understand that each play is giving YOU a chance to make a play, and you understand what your particular play is doing to stop the offense, you can then use the plays to come up with a scheme to stop the offense.
Take a play like "2 Man Under" for example. What is that play trying to accomplish? You have 2 deep safeties, and man coverage underneath those safeties. The play is designed to sacrifice a free lane in the running game and the underneath crossing routes, in order to give you an advantage on deep passes. Using a play like this on 3rd and short is probably a bad idea, because the offense is probably going to run the ball, and your play is not designed to stop the run.
Now take a play like "Engage Eight". Clearly, the play is trying to get instant heat on the quarterback in a passing situation, or stuff the running back in the backfield. However, to get those advantages, you are sacrificing pass coverage and second-level run support. Should the quarterback have time to throw or should the running back break through the first wave, the offense may win that play.
Obviously, these are just two examples of the hundreds of plays in each defensive playbook in the game. Every play is specifically designed to give something up, but take something away. This is where your identity comes in. When you start learning what each play is supposed to do, you can then use plays that fit what you're trying to do, instead of calling "2 Man Under" all game when you're trying to be a run stopping defense.
How am I supposed to know when to call these plays?
There are many factors that go into defensive playcalling. The down, distance to the first down line, the offenses formation, time left on the clock, what yard line the opponent is on, what hash the opponent is on, and your opponent's tendencies all need to be taken into account. I know, that's a lot of stuff to think about! But all of these factors play a critical role in defensive playcalling in some way.
Say it's 3rd and 9 from your own 16 yard line on the left hash. The first thing you should think about is, "if I were on offense, what kind of play would I call in this situation?" Normally, you can pretty much rule out every running play to the left side of the field (because you're on the left hash, so they probably won't run to the short side on 3rd and long.. and chances are, they won't run at all). It's 9 yards for a first down, but only 16 for a touchdown.. and the offense might be greedy. This is a good opportunity for them to throw over your head on a deep corner route or a seam route and score a touchdown while you're protecting the sticks.
You have a few options here:
>> You can bring the house and try to get to the QB before his receivers can get down the field. You know the receivers have to go at least 9 yards to get a first down, so you'll have some extra time to get in the quarterback's face. You might make the sack, or you could hit him as he throws and force an interception. On the downside, if you don't get there, the offense will have receivers open down the field and could potentially score.
This is a high risk, high reward option. This is what an aggressive defense would probably decide.
>> You could protect the first down line. You may use a play like "Buzz Weak" or "Cover 2 Sink" because you're giving up the short pass in order to protect the intermediate route. You won't have additional pressure, so if your defensive line cannot generate a pass rush, the quarterback might have all day to find a receiver. Additionally, should the offense decide to gamble and go for the touchdown, you will probably leave a seam route open and they could hit you for a score.
>> You could protect the endzone. A play like "Drop Zone", "Cover 4" or "2 Man Under" works well here because it is very difficult for the offense to hit a deep seam route against this defense. At the same time, they may complete an underneath route and pick up the first down, and similar to the plays above, you may not have a good pass rush if your defensive line cannot do the job themselves.
This is the chess match of football. You have to make a decision. Some plays (if you dig deep enough in the playbook) can actually cover more than one aspect, but they have a lot more holes as well. A play like "9 Velcro", for example, has 9 defenders in coverage. The problem your pass rush will suffer tremendously since you only have 2 rushers. You may have the initial play covered, but since the quarterback will have so much time, he may find a receiver much later in the play.
That is the give and take. You are giving the offense something in order to take something else away.
Should I always match up personnel defensively?
That's completely up to you!
For those that aren't aware, matching up personnel means you have the same amount of cornerbacks on the field as the offense has receivers. If they come out with 3 receivers, you come out in a nickel defense. They have 4 receivers, you use dime.
A lot of people like this technique, and you will often see this against experienced players. The same way a certain play gives and takes, certain personnel groupings do the same. Just when you thought you had this defense thing figured out, there's another piece to learn!
Think about it. The offense uses a 4 WR set, and you're in a 4-3 defense. Now obviously, you have a tremendous advantage if the offense decides to run the ball. You have big, physical players in the game and the offense is trying to block those players with smaller, weaker receivers. At the same time, you have a tremendous disadvantage in the passing game. You're trying to cover those same speedy receivers with guys that are not athletic enough to do so.
Look at it the other way. The offense is using I Formation, and you're in a Dime defense. The offense now has a big tight end and a bulldozing fullback in the game, and you have very few physical guys in the game to give them snot bubbles. They're gonna run on you all day. But if they wanted to pass, good luck.. you have your quickest players on the field covering their slower, stronger players. It's unlikely you get beat often in this situation through the air.
This is where the time left in the game is important. The offense might come out with 2 wide receivers, but if there's two minutes left to play and they're down by 4, they're probably going to pass. It would be wise in this situation to use a dime defense and let the offense have the running advantage, because you're giving yourself the passing advantage.
Also, keep in mind another thing. Say the offense is using 4 WRs, so you match up personnel and use a Dime defense. But what you did was leave your 4 linemen and one linebacker against their 5 offensive linemen. That's called "a hat on a hat" on offense, meaning, they have enough blockers for your defenders. They can run the ball effectively in this situation, because they can block everybody (in theory). This isn't a deal-breaker by any means, but it's something you should be aware of. A smart offensive guy might use 4 wide sets and run the ball if they notice you like to match up personnel.
Is there anything else I should know?
The most important thing of this entire post is to remind you that as a defense, you simply cannot cover everything in one play. Each play and formation has its pros and cons. If you know what your opponent likes to run, and you call defensive plays to take away what they like, you can take him out of his element and and dictate the game defensively.
If you're able to mix in your playcalling well, and do exactly what you set out to do on defense, you've created an identity. Now go get the offense off the field.
lol, just busting your balls man, good shit!
