3rd down defense: Odd 3-2 mug front , dime pressures and coverages
3rd down fronts and pressures- 3-2 odd dime mug and base pressures!
This is part of my 3rd down series which looks at the 5 most common fronts utilized on 3rd down.
This article looks at 3-2 looks and pressures and how teams utilize odd looks on 3rd down. Often you will see these on 3rd down with dime personnel or at times 3 defensive lineman and 3 lb's. The nice thing about it is you can bring various combination of rushers and at times, it is tough to sort out and identify. It can force teams to stay in 6 and 7 man max protections.
As part of game planning defenses will try to dictate protection and then run a blitz scheme off it to either force matchups or certain protections.
3-2 cover 2 hole
3-2 cover 3 match
Vs Ohio State
Clemson brings 2 off the edge and plays cover 3 vs Ohio State. Mike matches 3 vertically.
They bring pressure off the edge and play 3 match
Mike walls #3 Safety carries #2 and the Free drops middle 1/3
cover 3 with mike matching #3 vertically.
Nice scheme but Fields athleticism allows him to escape.
Saints Defense
3-2 mug Saints go mug and man free.
Get a good pass rush from the LB and great job by the rat defender underneath. He disrupts the shallow crossing route leading to the interception.
Nice job by the defense with a 4 man pressure.
As you can see they are showing.
The CB plays off and see how it settles route wise in man
good pressure on the QB. Mike is the rat defender playing help underneath.
You can see the man free below
Mike playing the curl hook help under
They go man free.
Here it is from the end zone
Mike helps underneath
disrupts the route and forces the bad throw.
DB makes the play.
Patriots vs the Rams
Super Bowl. Patriots run a ton of 3-2 dime on 3rd down and have had great success with it.
Pressure: 5 man with game
Coverage man free double (bracket on Robert Woods)
You can see the double on woods
they get the nice combo on Woods who was the Rams best option with Kupp out.
They run an inside game with the man free concept.
Patriots do that as good as anyone.
Here' s a few more clips of the Patriots running the stunt in 2018 vs the Chiefs.
Cincinnati vs Austin Peay
Pressure: 5 man
coverage: man free
Cincy brings a nice 5 man pressure and plays man free vs full slide protection by Austin Peay. They get a nice loop by the LB that puts pressure on the RB in slide protection. They get a 2 for 1 and force a bad throw that should be picked off.
Nice design by Cincy and their defense.
Nice long stunt and blitz off the edge.
looper comes free as they Guard and tackle don't pass it off.
LB free rusher.
The Patriots are one of the best at their 3-2 design and package.
Here they run it with a sam pressure off the edge vs the Jets. They confuse Wilson by bringing the safety down one side then rotating him the other way on the snap. The Ot comes down inside and the RB doesn't double read it as there is confusion. Nice design by the Patriots.
The Patriots show one way and rotate the other.
Nice disguise.
Slot pressure gets home and no place to go with the football.
Slot disguises it real well.
The RB never sees him as the Patriots foce the protection call the other way.
Excellent job of getting the Sam clean.
3rd and 6 Saints Defense vs Titans.
Show pressure and drop 8
coverage: Cover 2
Saints run a nice 3-2 front showing pressure and just drop 8 and play cover 2 with 6 DB and LB under in the short flat, curl, hook zones. The Titans run short slants and a shallow and their is no place to go with the ball.
They take away all the windows underneath by dropping out.
Only end up sending 3
Nice design and they still get hom with the pressure.
The Rams in 2020 ran many different 3-2 fronts with their dime personnel. Here they are in a 3-2 dime look with 2 inside LB showing pressure. They actually bring 2 off the edge and play a cover 4 concept. A very nice design by Coach Staley.
The 2video clips to go with the 2 simulated pressures are below:
3rd down situations- I'm really impressed with the pressures Staley ran with the Rams in 2020
Jets vs. Saints
The Jets run a 3-2 look vs the Saints and run their cover 1 match concept. The safety and the lb are comboing the #2 and 3 wr. The DE peels for the rb. The jets overload rush with a game on their right side and get 2 rushers home free.
Nice Design
Here you see it from the tight look.
Image #6
Jets are able to get 2 free rushers.
De takes the RB and they get good pressure with the overload blitz
The Dolphins are excellent with their multiple looks on third down. Here they go to a 3-2 mug look. The last thing the Dolphins did was play single high man free vs Empty out of nickel.
They brought 5 man pressures and mixed it up with the pressure. Here is a 3rd and long and they get pressure on an inside 3 man game with the nose and 2 ILB.
This was the coverage they ran on both empties. 2nd time they run a game out of 3-2 dime.
THE LG TAKES THE LB, THEY DON'T PASS IT OFF AND FREES UP THE LOOPER
Nice design and the looper gets home.
Below the Ravens are in their 3-2 package. They show pressure with three LB's to one side and force a 4 man slide. By doing this they free their running back up and he comes clean for the sack.
Ravens vs Texans 2020
The Left guard tries to work back but is too late as #36 beats him.
They force the protection and the pressure gets home.
Coverage: It looks like pre snap man or cover o but it becomes a cover 3 coverage with the CB bailing.
Here's some old Rex Ryan Dime packages
You can see Rex's defense Here
On a key 3rd and 5
The Eagles decide to go 5 man protection, free releasing the back and the Bills bring 6 and go cover O. This causes an issue in protection as the ILB comes free as the guard takes the safety. Also, the Eagles are free releasing the back so are one man less short. Luckily Bradford sees it and throws the slant vs it. They complete it for 5 yards.
The defense is dime with 2 lb and 3 def lineman in the game. They overload the left side but bring the pressure on the right side
Protection wise, you want the tackle on 94 so you have to decide what you want to do inside. Do you slide? 1/2 man slide it. Well they free release it. The Left guard takes the lb.
Here's some old Rex Ryan clips from his coordinator days.
On 3rd and 10. Colts are in 11 personnel. The Bills run an overload pressure. They force the Colts to keep 7 in again and run a 3 man pattern.
Defense front pressure coverage
dime 3-2 2 off the edge combo(man on the outside) It looks like it's man on the outside.
The Rams in 2020 ran many different 3-2 fronts with their dime personnel. Here they are in a 3-2 dime look with 2 inside LB showing pressure. They actually bring 2 off the edge and play a cover 4 concept. A very nice design by Coach Staley.
The 2 video clips to go with the 2 simulated pressures are below:
Clemson runs a 3-2 overload look and causes confusion vs NC State, they bring 5 and drop the defensive end in their man free scheme. Nice design by Venables.
Clemson's 3rd down defense
Clemson's pressure package on 3rd down is where it is at. They know how to force protection issues.
Vs NC Sta
Here's the pressure out of the 3 hands look. LB over the center is the looper. The play side LB will blitz engage the RB freeing up the
3 man rush
Last but not least,
you can rush 3 play man free with 2 rat defenders.
Cincinatti does it her
Hankwitz Northwestern vs Auburn
go 3-2 mug with the LB adding in and covering the rb.
Nice 3-2 inside game See the film below
Hope you enjoyed this 3-2 post. More to come!