No defense in the NFL sends more pressure at the QB than the Minnesota Vikings under Brian Flores. In contrast, no one runs more zone coverage than the Vikings. That distinct dichotomy is what makes the Flores scheme so unique in a copycat league. ...

Not all 3rd Down pressures have to be exotic. A well-leveraged stunt can do just as much damage as a pressure that might sacrifice coverage or expose a zone to the QB. The Jaguars align in a Boss (Load) Front with a mugged LB to create a 5-O front. ...

The Open-to-Closed disguised ecosystem depends heavily on the scheme. Outside of the Bengals, the top-13 are from three families: Fangio-adjacent, Ravens 2.0, or Saleh. But the leader in the clubhouse is the one who ushered in the NFL's two-high revolution back in 2020. ...

Jaguars' DC Anthony Campanile worked under Vikings' Brian Flores for two years in Miami. His influence shows up in Jacksonville's all-up menu. Watch Minnesota over the past few years, and you likely saw the Weak Safety sling from the line of scrimmage into a deep position. ...

The NFC West is an arms race between Shanahan-McVay offensive evolutions and Mike Macdonald’s defensive acumen. The Rams go all-in with Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. Is there a personnel shift in San Francisco? Have the Seahawks improved, or are they doomed for a Super Bowl slump? ...

Most defenses sacrifice coverage to fix the run. Under Marcus Freeman, Cincinnati changed the script by using an ultra-fluid 505 "Flex" front to confuse O-line reads while keeping a strict Cover 1 secondary. ...

One of the main issues in Cover 3 and Fire Zone coverage is the depth of the vertical hook dropper. In standard Cover 3, it's the Weak Hook. Depth allows him to cut off the Deep Cross that plagues single-high coverages. In Fire Zones, it is the Middle Hook. ...

Fangio’s Cover 9: The Eagles’ Weak-Rotation Cover 3 Philadelphia leads the NFL in two-high disguise at 87%. Here is how Cover 9 and the "Site" tag protect your box and cap vertical explosives. Learn coverage systems with MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/fangio-cov... --

What if you could combine the top concepts into one cohesive scheme...? The Jaguars' Anthony Campanile's defense was a combination of Fangio, Flores, and Saleh, making it one of the more unique schemes in the league. All the greatest hits were there. ...

no·men·cla·ture: the devising or choosing of names for things One of these pressures doesn't belong... In a staff room, the most time wasted is probably on what to name specific calls. The best way to start designing a nomenclature is to write down all of your calls in families. ...

Jacksonville with a great example of 7-man spacing (MOFO) fluid front mechanics. The Read-Pop away from the RB is highlighted, but to the RB side, there is a Snap-Exchange to close the B-gap. - Read-Pop - "G" Nose - Heavy 5 ...

Ron Roberts’ Bracket Coverage Adjustments How defenses can use dual-bracket mechanics to neutralize Spread alignments, adjust to pre-snap motion, and lock down Empty and boundary formations. Learn coverages with MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/ron-robert... --

Great example of how the blitz can be the coverage. Last season, the Broncos' Bo Nix would target Sutton on deep balls anytime he was isolated. The Jaguars used a weak-side Fire Zone path with a Cover 6 behind it. The call placed a zone-double on Sutton & put the pressure in Nix's face. ...

Fangio’s Cover 9 Vic Fangio ran two-high shells on 87% of snaps in Philly. Of those, 41% were open-to-closed disguises to freeze QBs post-snap. The foundation? Cover 9, or weak-rotation Cover 3. ...

Georgia's Four-Down Front Study By playing dual 2 techs that "lag" off Guard movement, the defense controls the line of scrimmage & changes the math against zone schemes. This scheme keeps the LBs clean so they can stay deep, read keys, and trigger downhill without sacrificing pass coverage. ...

Bracket coverage mechanics vs. a Double-Dig When the Slot breaks inside, the Nickel shuffles & eyes the QB as the primary wall, letting the Safety "cap" the route. If he pivots back out, the Nickel snaps back to the hip, and the Safety replaces over the middle as a vision player. ...

Isolating the Running Back In Pressure Design How the Lions weaponize a BOSS (Load) Double-Mug alignment to force protection disadvantages against the Vikings. - "Guard Read" scheme - Man-Simulator - Attack the back! ...

The Lions are an exception in a period dominated by Nickel personnel and split-safety disguises. Kelvin Sheppard ran Base on over 70% of early-down snaps, using LB Derrick Barnes & Down Safety Brian Branch as box adjusters to create 5-man surfaces while anchoring a heavy closed-post system. ...

Jim Knowles and the search for the ultimate hybrid defense... continues. Though his tenure soured, Jim Knowles transformed Ohio State's defense into a modern hybrid scheme by making it a four-down 3-High system. ...

Eagles in Base running "Quads" vs. a Dagger play-action concept by the Bears. Since halfway through the '24 season, Philly has increasingly become a Quarters team. The natural pairing between their base Cover 9 (weak-3) and Quarters allows the defense to hold its coverage contour longer. ...

Ron Roberts’ Bracket Coverage Adjustments Florida squeezes the field into 1/3s. Defense takes away every primary read and flushes the QB into the boundary. By leveraging bumper structures & forcing throws into tight windows, the D eliminates option routes before the play can even develop. ...

Eagles running their "50" or Walk scheme vs. the Lions. Fangio has used Baun as a hybrid Edge since '24 when he came to Philly. This gives the Eagles package flexibility in Nickel; they don't need to be in Penny (5-1) to get into their "Whiskey" call. ...

Mike Macdonald’s Seattle defense led the NFL in Nickel usage while holding one of the lowest blitz rates in the league. Even with a majority four-man rush, the Seahawks sit in the top five in sacks and led the league in completion percentage allowed when sending a blitz. ...

Vic Fangio is famous for his 2-high shells, weak rotation Cover 3, and complementary Cover 8 (HQQ). But in the last two seasons, the Eagles have increasingly used Quads, or Fangio's Quarters scheme. Below, the "Trix" or poach mechanics are illustrated vs. a Double Dig concept by the Broncos. ...

Targeting the RB in protection is a best practice. Isolating an active, mobile pass rusher against a static blocker creates a high-percentage win and manufactures a natural QB spy underneath when the other LB pops out. ...

The Tex or T-E stunt is one of the most consistently used passing-down stunts in the NFL. When combined with a Tex stunt opposite, it makes it difficult for the offense to protect the QB. The Eagles illustrate how the scheme attacks Combo or Half-Slide protection. ...

Ron Roberts’ Bracket Coverage Adjustments Bracket coverage isn't just a field-side call against 4-Open. Arkansas's new DC also uses bracket mechanics into the boundary. I break down how he also handles motion without changing Nickel leverage, and defends Empty within the coverage. ...

Building a Creeper Toolbox I take a look at four of the best Aranda Creepers & detail how to use them & illustrate how to run them from a four-down front (Peso). - Favre - Brady - Bradshaw - Manning (Sim) Learn pressure design with MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/building-a... --

Site mechanics are an important feature within the Fangio weak rotation system. Offenses use routes from the RB to buy space in the intermediate. Understanding how a RB releases is important for creating backstops. The clip is a great example of how the Site concept works. ...

Most will focus on the QB situation in Atlanta, and they should, but there are also problems with their receiving corps. Outside of London & Pitts (who isn't going to block), the offense is limited. Add that to the constraints put on it by the QBs & Falcons offense doesn't look... great. ...