Playing it Safe in The Red Zone

by: Travis Niekamp
Linebackers Coach Eastern Washington University
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Keep it simple. The Cardinal Rule, no only for life in general, but also for football. It is a philosophy you may want to adopt to play better defense in the Red Zone. There is no question that the Red Zone is the most important zone on the field. Good Red Zone defense wins games! Typically on defense it is the most aggressive section of your game play; it quickly can become a high risk / high reward zone. However, I want to explain why you should keep it low risk and improve by playing it safe.

    As offensives approach goal lines, defensive coaches feel they must roll the dice and take more chances to get a stop or make a play. As a result you tend to see big plays by the opposite side of the ball for touchdowns. With a short field the advantage goes to the defense; there is less real estate to cover. Why give the offense what they want: match ups. Generally your best defense is your base defense. It’s what you practice the most so your athletes understand it, feel comfortable and usually believe in it. Playing it safe with base defense will put all the pressure back on the offense. It will force them to make plays and beat you. Offenses will have a much more difficult time getting anything cheap. In effect, you will make any offense earn every point they get, especially touchdowns.

Why Play It Safe

• Not as much field to cover. Defenses can be stretched vertically. Offenses must flood the underneath zones.

• Let your players play. Thinking slows them down. Let them get comfortable, line up and play fast.

• Offensives love trick plays and double moves in the Red Zone.

• It is extremely difficult to get to the quarterback. An offense will max protect, use quick drops and get the football out very quick. They are getting coached to avoid negative plays.

• Eliminates a one-on-one mismatch.

• Put pressure on the kicker. Not many can consistently put the ball through the uprights to beat you.

    At Eastern Washington University we have studied several NFL and collegiate programs to help us improve in the Red Zone. We paid close attention to schemes especially as opponents approached the ten-yard line. It was obvious from our research that the most successful teams in the Red Zone kept it very simple and rarely blitzed. Several teams were very aggressive prior to the Red Zone until around the 25-yard line. A very popular defense deep inside the Red Zone is a seven across coverage that has been nickname the “picket fence.” When the defenders align inside the ten, they are essentially making a fence in front of the goal line (See Diagram 1). Teams love to play this coverage the moment offensives get close to the ten yard line and stick with it regardless of down and distance. It is an easy adjustment and really marries well with two or four deep coverage. Rules for alignments are very simple and are related to covering the field horizontally along with relationships to formations. By giving players rules you can easily align versus any two-back or one-back formations (See Diagrams 2, 3, and 4).

Diagram 1. Picket Fence

Diagram 2. Against the I Formation


Diagram 3. Against the Spread Formation


Diagram 4. Against Trips Formation

Alignments / Assignments

• All pass droppers will align approximately five to six yards off the line of scrimmage on neutral downs. Everyone must still read his keys for run or pass plays. Against the run they will fit accordingly. Against the pass they will slowly drop an additional two to three yards or to the goal line based on distance. On third or fourth down, they all align on the goal line. They will never align in the end zone.

Corners – Align: Outside shoulder of the #1 receiver
Vs. Run – Lane of QB – Contain or crack replace
Vs. Pass – Lane of QB – Outside seventh of the field

Safeties – Align: Between #2 and #1 receivers
Vs. Run – Lane of QB – “force” player, knock the ball back inside to the Linebackers

Vs. Pass – Lane of QB – to 2nd seventh of the field between numbers and outside the hash – dance with QB’s eyes

Outside Linebackers – Align: Between #2 and #3 receivers
Vs. Run – Lane of QB – flow to you – fill and spill to the safety

Lane of QB – flow away – cutback

Vs. Pass – Lane of QB – stay between your #2 and #3 – dance with QB’s eyes

Middle Linebacker – Align: over the football
Vs. Run – Lane QB – Fast flow spill player

Vs. Pass – Lane of QB – Responsible for any throw in the back of the end zone in front of the goal post

    This defense is great since you get the best of both worlds. It is tough against the run and great versus the pass. Based on the depth of the safeties you are essentially playing a nine-man front. When offenses run the ball you will gain your safeties at the point of attack very fast.         Versus the pass you have already flooded the underneath zones with your droppers and really take away all “window” throws. The coverage will force the offense to throw the football in front or over the top of the defenders. Either one will give your players a chance to break, close, and make a play on the ball.

    You tend to get what you emphasize and we stress the Red Zone with different situations every day in practice. We believe that less is more, especially down there. By keeping it simple we are allowing our players to be very comfortable and most importantly, confident. They know on Saturday where and how teams will attack us in the Red Zone and that their opponent will have to earn everything they get!

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About the Author
Travis Niekamp

Now in his third season on the Eastern Washington staff, Travis Niekamp is the Eagles’ linebackers coach. Niekamp spent the four previous years at Army where he coached tight ends. Before joining Army, Niekamp spent two seasons at his alma mater – llinois State. An All-Gateway Conference selection in 1996 and 1997, Niekamp played as a defensive lineman for the Redbirds.


Questions?
If you have any questions you
can email the author at: 
TravisNiekamp@AmericanFootballMonthly.com

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