Cody Alexander

Arizona runs the second-most 3 TE sets (13p) in the league. The Broncos defend 13p runs much better than they defend passes. Vance Joseph owns the second-best EPA/run and Success% against 13p runs. Still, the plan versus the Cardinals was simple: - Max fit the box - Layer the secondary ...

This is becoming a popular way to attack run-downs by max-fitting the box with two B-gap inserts. New England blitzes both the Ni and Will LB while the Mike tracks the RB, and the rest of the secondary reacts to the four receivers. Inside, the DL pinches while the Edges set contain. ...

To bracket elite WRs without sacrificing the box, Jonathan Gannon attacks offenses in reverse with a unique blend of closed-to-open coverage rotations. Instead of spinning into a non-traditional Tampa 2s (NTTs), Green Bay pairs pressure with post-snap shifts into Quarters and Cover 6 (QQH). ...

... And do it on standard downs, too. The post-snap rotation muddies the QB's read, letting the pass rush get home while the secondary layers the intermediate routes and brackets the vertical threats. ...

Attacking the B-gap against gun-runs is a best practice. The fulcrum of the modern "spread" offense runs through this pivotal gap. Here, the Patriots insert their ILB to the RB's side. The Bears run an insert Duo concept, and the RB can't get vertical because the other ILB is in the gap. ...

Chicago's RB can't bounce outside either because the Edge is crashing inside the TE. The B-gap "stab" combined with the Edge countering the insert by working inside the TE funnels the RB into a phone booth. ...

The Bears ran double-mug alignments 12 times versus the Patriots, leading the league in Week 7. Currently, the Bears rank third in usage and EPA/play in this presentation. Dennis Allen made a concerted effort to use double-mugs against the Patriots (second in usage). ...

But it wasn't just max blitzes; he mixed the pressures up and the coverages behind them. In the clip, Chicago runs a Safety five-man pressure. ...

Dennis Allen always has a new "designer" pressure each week, built on foundational schemes. The picture may be different, but the pressure path is typically a best practice. Against the Patriots, the Bears used a two-off-the-edge concept that sent the Nickel and Strong Safety (Shake). ...

The all-up alignment forces max protection, and the pressure puts two defenders on the TE. Even if all but four defenders drop out, the defense still has a +1 advantage on the block. Chicago ran this pressure twice. ...

Al Golden has evolved Cincinnati’s defense by pairing heavy Cover 1 usage with a unique pivot to rotational split-field shells (C6/8). In Base, Golden calls Cover 6 (QQH) with a boundary "Fist" check (2-Man) to wall the run, layer the intermediate, and bracket early-down play-action shots. ...

In Nickel, he flips to Cover 8 (HQQ) to roll Cover 2 over the Nickel (D. Hill), capping the Slot while the backside Safety plays "poach." The Bengals were dead last in Slot DVOA in '25. Structure protects the DBs; rotation kills the early down play-action. ...

The Bears had a 61% Pressure Rate (3rd-best this week), 2 sacks, and 8 unblocked pressures. Dennis Allen's full menu of all-up pressures was on full display against the Patriots. In the clip, Chicago runs man coverage, dropping the boundary Safety into the Post. ...

The double-mug forces the RB into the interior, where the TE defender drops to the TE, leaving him with no one to block. That leaves no one for the Nickel to the field off the edge. The DE to the bottom and the Ni meet at the QB. ...

The Green Bay defense does something no other NFL defense does on film. Instead of rotating from two-high shells into Cover 3, Jonathan Gannon flips his disguises, moving from closed to open post coverages. ...

Against the Cowboys, the Packers paired "Nail" and "Sand" B-gap pressures with shifts into Quarters and Cover 6 (QQH) to disrupt slide protection and confuse Dak Prescott. Pressure speeds up the clock; disguise creates doubt. ...

The Green Bay defense does something no other NFL defense does on film. Instead of rotating from two-high shells into Cover 3, Jonathan Gannon flips his disguises, moving from closed to open post coverages. ...

When the Bengals are in their Base defense, the preferred split-field coverage is Cover 6 (QQH), but that "flips" when Cincinnati switches to its Nickel package. In Nickel, Al Golden calls Cover 8 (HQQ), rolling Cover 2 over Dax Hill (Ni) while the backside Safety plays a "poach" technique. ...

The Half Safety capps routes to the field, while the Quarters Safety backstops anything working across the field and brackets the Slot. Cap the route from depth; let structure protect the slot defender and intermediate. ...

Todd Monken called Cleveland’s late-game "Mesh Dagger" to counter Baltimore’s Tampa 2 coverage. To pass off the clearout, the backside Safety had to trigger a "Shove" call to relieve Kyle Hamilton as the "middle run-through" (MRT). ...

Without that call, two defenders capped the vertical while Jerry Jeudy broke wide open on the Dig to set up the Browns' win. Static drops fail when communication breaks down on grass and routes are not matched. ...

Anthony Campanile helped drive Jacksonville’s defensive turnaround by integrating Brian Flores’ all-up pressure into his base defense. Keeping the DB's eyes anchored on the QB removes quick-game underneath, while an aggressive, gapped-out front eliminates room for run concepts. ...

Open-to-Open rotations are rare in the NFL. One of the coaches who does it more than anyone, though, is the Ravens Jesse Minter. In the clip, Baltimore is showing an all-up Cover 0 pre-snap look. The DBs are 4-for-4 across the back end. ...

Post-snap, the boundary Safety will cut to the middle of the field as the "middle run-through" (MRT). Cleveland attacks the look with a Divide concept. Initially, Watson looks to the isolation on the boundary; that turns into a "triangle" of coverage over Boston. ...

Heavy 21- and 13-personnel play-action manipulates second-level eye discipline and creates deep intermediate windows behind aggressive run fits. To eliminate early-down exposure without sacrificing box numbers and help his young LBs, Al Golden uses Cover 6 behind Cincinnati's five-man front. ...

With the boundary Edge collapsing the pocket and every downfield window bracketed, the QB is forced into an immediate throwaway or scramble. Build a wall against the run; let structure layer the intermediate. ...

Heavy 21- and 13-personnel play-action manipulates second-level eye discipline and creates deep intermediate windows behind aggressive run fits. To eliminate early-down exposure without sacrificing box numbers and help his young LBs, Al Golden uses Cover 6 behind Cincinnati's five-man front. ...

Half-slide protections naturally create a gap between the slide and the locked OT, leaving the B-gap vulnerable to overload paths. To exploit this void against Combo protection, Steve Spagnuolo loves to send two blitzers through the same B-gap. ...

Behind the five-man rush, Kansas City pairs the pressure with Fire Zone coverage vs. 3x1 and split-field "Tango" (Cover 2) coverage vs. 2x2 sets to cap verticals. Overload the gap to isolate the back; rotate the shell to kill the pass concept. ...

Half-slide protections naturally create a gap between the slide and the locked OT, leaving the B-gap vulnerable to overload paths. To exploit this void against Combo protection, Steve Spagnuolo loves to send two blitzers through the same B-gap. ...

It's a copycat league... Last year, the Seahawks' Nail (field) and Sand (boundary) pressures were central to their blitzing game plan. Now, you see the pattern everywhere. Here are two examples from the Cardinals vs. the Rams. The scheme creates a 2-on-1 against most protections. ...

Cleveland’s game-winner wasn’t a scheme flaw; it was a breakdown in Baltimore’s Tampa 2 execution. With no backside threat, the Safety compressed the field but failed to trigger a "Shove" call to relieve Kyle Hamilton as the "middle run-through" (MRT). ...

That miscommunication put two defenders on a single clearout while Jerry Jeudy’s Dig raced through the intermediate void. Spot drops look clean on paper; route-matching wins on grass. ...