MQ Pressure Tape: Texas A&M vs Georgia (2019)

Sims & EYES pressures from the Bulldogs.

Georgia plays defense. I’m pretty sure everyone is on the same page with that statement. Since Head Coach Kirby Smart’s arrival in Athens, the Bulldog defense has been one of the top units in the country. Outside of Smart’s first year (2016), the Georgia defense has been in the top 10 in Defensive Efficiency every year. Within that four year span, Smart has led the Bulldogs to a 44-12 record, with five of those losses coming in ’16.

Georgia’s matchup with Texas A&M illustrates how the Bulldogs defend (and pressure) a Spread offense. A&M’s Head Coach, Jimbo Fisher, is one of the better offensive minds in the country and has produced numerous NFL QBs in his career. He is also part of the Saban tree and understands the Saban system. The battle of Smart and Fisher is a great look at two titans in the industry.

Georgia carries a plethora of pressures into every game, including Fire Zones (5-man), EYES or HOT blitzes (6-man), and of course Simulated Pressures (4-man). All of these combined give the offense a robust scheme to try and stop. Georgia’s scheme is built on manipulating the pass protection and layering the coverage in different ways to make the offense left-handed. MQ takes a look at the Bulldog’s package versus the Aggies.

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© 2020 MatchQuarters.com | Cody Alexander | All rights reserved.


Go deeper than just X’s and O’s. Have a philosophy.

MQ’s books are available on Amazon and Kindle:

Cautious Aggression: Defending Modern Football

Hybrids: The Making of a Modern Defense

Match Quarters: A Modern Guidebook to Split-Field Coverages

Breaking Down Your Offensive Opponent

As always, support the site by following me on Twitter (@The_Coach_A) and spreading the word to your coaching friends by liking and retweeting the articles you read (even sharing them via Facebook and LinkedIn).

Do not hesitate to contact me with questions through the site’s CONTACT page or through my DM on Twitter. I enjoy speaking with you guys (iron sharpens iron).

– Coach A. | #ArtofX

MQ Quick Hits Episode 20 – Creating Simulated Pressures

Come learn the #ArtofX

In the latest episode of Quick Hits from MatchQuarters.com, Coach Alexander discusses how to build simulated (Sim) pressures from the pressures that are already built into your system. Coach A. goes through 3 basic pressures you probably already have in your playbook and shows you how to make them into Sims. No need to reinvent the wheel. The blitz paths are already there.


 

 


Find more clinics like this on MQ’s YouTube channel.

 

Need more Sim resources? MQ has you covered.

 

© 2020 MatchQuarters.com | Cody Alexander | All rights reserved.


Go deeper than just X’s and O’s. Have a philosophy.

MQ’s books are available on Amazon and Kindle:

Cautious Aggression: Defending Modern Football

Hybrids: The Making of a Modern Defense

Match Quarters: A Modern Guidebook to Split-Field Coverages

As always, support the site by following me on Twitter (@The_Coach_A) and spreading the word to your coaching friends by liking and retweeting the articles you read (even sharing them via Facebook and LinkedIn).

Do not hesitate to contact me with questions through the site’s CONTACT page or through my DM on Twitter. I enjoy speaking with you guys (iron sharpens iron).

– Coach A. | #ArtofX

Attacking Empty – A Case Study (Indiana vs Tennessee 2020)

MQ takes a look at the Vols defense versus Indiana’s Empty sets from this years Gator Bowl.

Having a detailed plan of attack for Empty is something all defensive coordinators need to carry when going into a game versus a Spread team. An Empty formation stresses the defense in many ways by placing three WRs to one side and aligning two the other direction. This 3×2 set “zeros” the box, meaning it forces the defense to cover down to every wide WR. Regardless, if the defense leaves a linebacker(s) in the box, the offense has created an advantageous situation where the defense must run blitz or “max” coverage to overwhelm the offensive front.

Most defenses will carry three types of schemes versus Empty: Cold, Warm, and Hot pressures. In a “Cold” pressure the defense will use line stunts to create one-on-ones for the defensive line while dropping eight (or seven if a four-down) into coverage. This type of thought process maxes out the coverage ability and bets on the front to win with games. “Warm” pressures create man blocking upfront with five-man pressures. By sending five defenders the DC has guaranteed the offensive line must account for every defender.

The man-blocking creates one-on-ones for the defenders. Win one of those and the defense can get to the QB. Coverage wise, the defense can either run man to the pressure and zone away or run single-high coverages with no “Rat” or hole player in the middle (This is Cover 0 in Saban). Finally, “Hot” pressures sound exactly like their name, the defense is sending the maximum number of defenders, creating a man free somewhere along the line. Blitz coverage (or man) is ran behind it with the assumption that the ball is coming out HOT!

When defending a team the runs a good amount of Empty, a DC must understand what the offense is trying to do out of the formation conceptually, but more importantly, how are they protecting with the offensive line. Max pressure will almost always trigger slide protection. Offenses can slide either way, usually to the best pass rusher. This ensures that the one player is free off the edge (below). By knowing this, the secondary can tighten up and trigger on short routes. Any long developing route will lead to pressure. Pressing in this situation is probably not the best because the offense can hit a quick-strike Fade route with no help deep. Better play off-man or Bail (look like press then work deep).

Hot Pressure (Slide) Continue reading “Attacking Empty – A Case Study (Indiana vs Tennessee 2020)”

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