Improve Your Pass Defense by Stealing the QB's Time - Defensive backs can adjust their coverage with pre-snap quarterback reads.

The no-huddle spread offense as it is played today has certainly revolutionized the game. Creating mismatches, getting the ball into the hands of your playmakers, spreading the field and forcing the defense to play in space are three of the primary goals associated with this offensive scheme. Proper execution coupled with accurate quarterback reads is one way for a spread offense to gain a schematic twelfth man advantage in the passing game. Taking the snap from the shotgun position has been instrumental in creating better downfield vision for the quarterback. This has operated to improve not only the quarterback’s ability to make better reads, but it has also given quarterbacks more time to make these critical  decisions.

The key to eliminating this schematic 12th man advantage from a pass defense standpoint centers on what is perhaps the most important commodity in the game. Very early in my coaching career I once had a coach tell me that you should never let the quarterback steal your time. He made it very clear that effective pass defense was predicated on the defense’s ability to steal the quarterback’s time.

One thing that hasn’t changed over the years is the fact that success in the passing game is predicated on giving the quarterback enough time to take a snap from under center or from the shotgun position and set himself to make the throw. While the quarterback is executing this fundamental skill he must also identify the coverage, make his reads and then throw to the correct receiver. Of all the challenges that a quarterback has, throwing the ball to the correct receiver is the most important one of all.

A basic starting point in the quarterback’s pass execution progression is identifying the coverage. This pre-snap read usually begins with safety identification. A single high safety look identifies some type of cover 1 or cover 3 coverage and a twin safety look identifies some type of cover 2 or cover 4 coverage. Once the coverage is identified, the offense will execute route combinations that are most effective against the coverage. The offense, of course, has the option of selecting plays from either their quick passing game package or plays that will require longer pass protection schemes in order to give the quarterback sufficient time to identify the correct receiver. Complicating the quarterback’s pre-snap reads by utilizing some pre-snap movement in the secondary is important but it is equally important for the defense to complicate his post-snap reads as well.

Complicating the quarterback’s post-snap reads with player specific technique adjustments provides the defense with an excellent opportunity to steal the quarterback’s time. A defense is able to steal the quarterback’s time by causing him to hold the ball longer than the time allotted by the protection scheme employed. Conversely when a quarterback is able to stand in the pocket longer than the allotted protection scheme permits without being pressured or sacked, he is effectively stealing the defense’s time.

Technique variation in defensive backfield play does not appear to be keeping up with the evolution of the passing game in the spread offense. It is not uncommon to see a team employing the same techniques down after down in both zone and man coverage. This of course will simplify post-snap reads for both the quarterback and the receivers and, in turn, will result in quicker route adjustments once the offense identifies the coverage that is being employed.

Diagram 1 shows a base double-double set with a gap-control reduction front on the defensive side. A look at the coverage options indicates that there are a number of defensive calls that can be employed out of this pre-snap look. Which calls are best will be determined by down and distance considerations, clock management, the weak side tackle’s ability to pass block the weakside linebacker (WB) on force calls and, most importantly, the quarterback’s ability to run the ball.

Diagram 1: ¼ ¼ PRE-SNAP LOOK WITH A REDUCTION FRONT

COVERAGE OPTIONS:
•  Man zero (pressure call) with WB force
•  Man free with SB in coverage and WB force
•  Quarters across with WB in drop/FL contain
•  Quarter-quarter half with WB force and banjo call to the WB side
•  Cover 2 zone with WB in curl/FL contain
•  Cover 3 with safety invert to the WB side

Diagram 2 shows a double-double set with a nickel look. The FLIP linebacker is out of the box and takes the WB completely out of coverage. The presence of the nickel FL permits the secondary to play a base cover 2 across the board, if so desired. This was one of our more successful calls in clock management situations where the offense had to pass the ball. We did however use it on a down to down basis in situations where the opponent was unable to run the ball notwithstanding the fact that the offense outnumbered us in the box. In these situations, we could play the strong side defensive end in a 5 or 7 technique depending on what type of pressure we wanted to use off the edge.

Diagram 2: ¼ ¼ Pre-Snap Nickel Look with a Reduced Front  

TECHNIQUE VARIATIONS IN THE SECONDARY

A popular read package employed by spread offenses in this situation will be to run four verticals against a cover 3 look. Both Diagram 1 and Diagram 2 show a quarterback’s typical read progression with accompanying route adjustments by the receivers. The wide receivers will pull their route up in front of a retreating corner, but if the corner plays with a shallow cushion, squats or plays man, the receiver will attempt to run by him and look for the ball. The slot receivers will key the safety in cover-3 and will squeeze the hash and go deep in an attempt to place a horizontal stretch against the high safety.

If the slot reads cover 2, he will go over the top of the strong inside linebacker and search the hole. It is important to remind the safety that in cover 3 the quarterback will attempt to look him off and then throw to the other slot. Against this horizontal stretch the safety must not make the receiver selection decision for the quarterback. He should split the difference between the two receivers and steal the quarterback’s time. Should the underneath defenders succeed in walling off the slots the quarterback will then throw the ball outside to one of the perimeter comeback routes. 

Diversification in man and zone techniques will require the offense to make additional reads and decisions beyond the basic preliminary ones discussed already. If a defensive back only plays one basic man technique, then this technique becomes easily identifiable to both the quarterback and the receivers. The same can be said about playing only one basic zone technique.  Providing the secondary some options in this regard will further complicate the quarterback’s read progressions as well as the receiver’s route adjustments.

MAN TECHNIQUES:

Pressed Coverage: This is one of the most common techniques taught to defensive backs and has some variations based on an individual coach’s preference. I would teach the corners to take a very quick jab step in place with the inside foot. Defensive backs in pressed coverage too often want to react to the receiver’s first move and this will, at times, cause them to open their hips too soon thereby creating escape angles for the receiver. I would tell the corners to take the jab step in place and keep the receiver in a “frame” in front of him. The corner would be instructed to not open the hips until the receiver stepped outside the frame. Once this happens the defensive back will get into stride while at the same time maintaining adequate hip position as the receiver executes his route.

Power Jam:  This technique starts off by appearing to be basic press coverage but unlike basic press this is a physical technique that will allow the defensive back to stand up the receiver and hopefully impede any immediate upfield release. This technique will require the defensive back to take a power step toward the receiver instead of a quick jab step in place. The power step should be firm but not so long that it leaves the defensive back off balance. As the defensive back executes his power step he will shoot both arms in gunfighter style (both hands should scrape the hips as they move forward) with the goal of making contact with the receiver’s lower pads. This will give the defensive back the dexterity needed to control the receiver and preclude an easy release.

Fake Power Jam: A slight variation of the power jam was what we called a fake power jam. It is basically executed in the same manner but instead of taking a power step toward the receiver the defensive back will execute a short backwards slide step with both feet moving away from the receiver.  The deception comes from the fact that the defensive back will still shoot the arms forward in gunfighter style. This gives the receiver the impression that the defender is trying to get his hands on him when in reality the defender’s torso is moving away from him. This variation in technique will give the receiver one more thing to factor in as he plans his release off the line of scrimmage against the pressed defender and hopefully will also allow the defense to steal some of the quarterback’s time.

Bailout Man: This is a cushion man technique that can be disguised as pressed man during the pre-snap period. Prior to the snap, the defensive back will start coming out of his pressed stance and slowly begin getting depth with his shoulders and vision rotated to the quarterback. Some coaches prefer some type of shuffle steps but we instructed the corner to simply walk out. We did this because at times we would disguise our coverage by having the corners commence a bailout drop but quickly return to the pressed position.

This was all part of the cat and mouse game we resorted to in an effort to steal the quarterback’s time. I preferred to have the corners start the bailout with slight outside leverage but once the receiver came off the line, the corner would bail while at the same time drifting back to an inside leverage position. This allowed the corner to get a jump on any inside breaking route. Although the receiver can observe this slight change in leverage, the quarterback is unable to see this adjustment from the pocket.

Cushion Man: This is a traditional backpedal man technique with a pre-snap cushion that we played at seven yards off the ball. We played this technique with slight inside leverage whenever possible so that we would not tip our cover 2 coverage. We always played with an inside leveraged cover 2 zone corner and did not play a funnel technique as is the case with most cover 2 zone defenses.

Once again it helped us steal the quarterback’s time. The other reason we played this technique is that it complemented our bailout man. Whenever our corners were playing bailout man, and the receivers were not diminishing the corner’s cushion, we instructed the corners to level off to a traditional backpedal so that they would be better able to react to inside or outside breaking patterns.

ZONE TECHNIQUES:

Press Zone in Cover 2: The press zone complemented our press man very well as both techniques start out with the exact same alignment. As such, neither the receiver nor the quarterback could tell by reading the corner’s alignment whether we were going to play zero coverage, man free, press man cover 2, press zone cover 2 or perhaps execute a power jam on the receiver. In press zone our corners were instructed to attempt to lockout the receiver by shooting the arms in gunfighter style as they did when they were executing a power jam. 

After the jam, the corners would direct their vision to the quarterback to read run or pass. If a run play developed, they were in an excellent position to disengage the receiver and tend to their run support responsibility.

On a pass read the pressed corner would execute a zone turn and get depth in the flat. It is important to note here that any wide upfield release where the receiver was obviously trying to avoid the corner would trigger an immediate zone turn. The corner in this type of coverage knows that he has a 2-deep safety playing over the top and he need not worry about any deep throw.

Bailout Zone in Cover 2: This cover 2 corner technique was never used on a down to down basis. We preferred to use it on a limited basis because when we used it we wanted catch the receivers off guard. Basically the corner will begin to execute his bailout man technique and give the receiver the impression that he is playing man. As the receiver begins to stem his route, the corner will suddenly square his hips and jam the receiver. We want this contact to occur within three to five yards of the line of scrimmage. Most of the time the receivers would run right into the corner and it was not uncommon to see the receiver land on his rear end. Once again, even if the corner failed to make contact, he always knew that the cover 2 safety would be playing behind him.

Squat Corner: The rolled corners in our cover 2 zone call were the cornerstone of our 2-deep coverage. We played unorthodox inside leveraged corners and never played the more traditional funnel technique. In this coverage, the corners are aligned at seven yards just as they are in base cover 3 single high safety calls and will direct their vision to the tackle box for quick passing game keys. The main difference is that on the snap of the ball they will play on a horizontal plane and work to collision all vertical releases. After the collision, the corner will execute a zone turn, get depth in the flat and read the patterns that are unfolding beneath him.

One basic rule is that the corner should always squeeze the intermediate route first when a vertical stretch has been placed on him. The goal is always to steal the quarterback’s time. The corner must once again not make the receiver selection decision for the quarterback. Because we want to better defend the quick fade and the quick slant the corners are taught to steal both of these routes. Whenever the tackle box keys and the immediate release of the receiver indicates that either route is developing, the corner will transition to a match-up zone technique and jump the route. The cover 2 safety behind the corner allows the defense to play this aggressive corner technique.

ELEVEN PLUS ONE EQUALS 12
BUT ELEVEN TIMES ONE EQUALS 11

Clearly the evolution of the no-huddle, spread offense has brought additional challenges to coaches on the defensive side of the ball. The lack of enforcement of penalties for having offensive linemen too far upfield on passing downs further serves to complicate matters for the defense in play-action scenarios.

This, however, is an administrative matter that cannot be controlled by defensive coaches. What coaches on the defensive side of the ball can do is find ways to slow these offenses down and one way to do this is by stealing the quarterback’s time. Offensive coaches often remind me that spread offenses have a one man advantage and there is no denying that eleven plus one equals twelve. Defensive coaches however must stop using addition to come to this conclusion. I would suggest that they multiply because eleven times one still equals eleven. Try using multiple technique variations in the secondary and steal the quarterback’s time.