Keeping it simple vs a running QB
MQ takes a look at a '21 Week 6 matchup between the Buccaneers and the Eagles.
The modern QB can run and pass; an athlete. As EDGE rushers become faster and more skilled at rushing the passer, the need for a starting QB to be mobile has increased. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning are probably the last of a dying breed of elite QBs in the NFL.
Standing on a platform and quickly flicking the ball out to WRs is becoming increasingly challenging as defenses move towards two-high shells and post-snap secondary movement. Bill Belichick famously would use mugged ‘backers and static looks to “trick” Manning into thinking one thing pre-snap, only to find out the pieces moved post-snap. Brady, over time, has become an outlier in his winning prowess and playing style. Statues in the pocket don’t exist in today’s game, or they are at least dying out.
The new generation of QBs is primed to take over what is becoming a “space” sport. Even top-tier QBs like Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford, and Joe Burrow have mobility or, at the least, escape ability. Then you have the likes of Josh Allen (897 rush yards), Patrick Mahomes (498), Kyler Murray (429), Lamar Jackson (767), and Jalen Hurts (823), all eclipsing the 400-yard mark in rushing (Justin Herbert had 302 on the ground). So a QB that can run is quickly becoming the norm.
Certain QBs like Allen, Jackson, and Hurts change the math for their offenses by utilizing their legs on designed runs. In a sport already leaning towards offensive dominance, maximizing the ability to move the ball forces defenses to get creative or open themselves up in other areas. In addition, adding RPOs has accelerated the movement on defense to hybrid players and enhanced spatial awareness.
I coined the term Spatial Darwinsim because we are in an era of football that requires both sides to understand space and how their players are utilized. For offenses, the requirement is to create space using motions and formations. On the other hand, defenses are required to constrain the space by eliminating “gifts” and explosive plays. Similar to its counterparts in soccer and the NBA, football is moving into a more “open” game requiring skill players to be hybrids or generalists in the way they play.
Related Content: Hybrids - The Making of a Modern Defense
Being able to defend the run is still a premium in the NFL. Though this sounds illogical because of the high priority given to passing, a defense must still establish a presence on the line of scrimmage (LOS). Coverage determines the front, but how a defense wants to defend the gaps presented by the offenses is crucial to the success of the overall defensive scheme. The addition of the QB run game makes fitting the box even more critical. Everyone has to be in tune with each other, or the legs of the QB can be rocket fuel for an offense.
At the surface level, there seems to be a dichotomy between fitting the run and defending the pass. Like oil and water, the two separate themselves from each other. In reality, defenses are not divorced; instead, they need to be in harmony for a defense to thrive. An overreliance on one exposes the defense to the other.
Analytics has shown that passing is more efficient than running the ball, and there has been an explosion in the passing game over the past decade, but the NFL is not yet playing 7-on-7. So running the ball and subsequently stopping it still matters. Think of defense as a sliding scale. Defensive coaches are trying to find the right mix of run defense and pass defense—that sweet spot for success.
Defense is reactionary. Though a defense can “bring it” to the offenses, it still has to rely on teamwork to stop the said offense. Defensive coaches at the NFL level study protection schemes more than anything else, attempting to find a weakness and exploit it. In reality, a defense can only fit the run in so many ways.
The fundamental divergence is how teams break up their coverage schemes and front structures. Odd and even spacing are the philosophies. In odd spacing, the goal of the defense is to close the B-gaps and “spill” everything out to the edges. The five-man fronts the Rams use are an illustration of this philosophy. In even spacing, the defense uses a gap control style of play where the D-line aligns in a gap and holds that position as the second and third levels play off of them. As a result, the B-gap is usually open.
Each philosophy has merit and depends on the personnel at the disposal of the defensive coaches. One spacing is not better than the other, and coverage isn’t predicated on philosophy. Alignment and open gaps up front are how defenses tie in the coverage rotations.
Throughout football’s history, defenses have set the front first to counter run schemes, only to use coverage as an afterthought, “We have to stop the run!” In today’s game, the pass has become the overwhelmingly important aspect of offenses, though schemes like the Shanahan and McVay systems build their passing games off the run. Even as we hurdle into the future with passing being a premium, the run game is still tied to the success of an offense and defense.
Pass coverage has shifted to the front of a defensive staff’s collective minds because of the overall efficiency in the play. The Safety position has skyrocketed in value, with many teams using them to set the defense (no longer using the Mike). The Steelers Minka Fitzpatrick signed a deal this offseason making the going rate for a top Safety well over the $15 million mark. On the other hand, box LBs have become the RBs of defense, with only the transcendent players making over $12 million. EDGE has always been a premium position, but more teams are attempting to stockpile the position to keep their legs fresh all game. DBs are also being collected similarly.
Defenders at every level are being asked to do more, and specialization is receding in value. Box Safeties are being replaced by coverage Safeties (or CBs) that can live near the box. ILBs need to be able to cover TEs and the RBs, not just stuff a gap. EDGES are now required to stagnant the advance of wide zone runs, no more just rushing the passer. Safeties, in general, are going through a revolution in how they are utilized. More teams are opting to play with two Safeties that can play near the box, cover the post, or cover a man—no more one-trick ponies.
The aggressiveness of some of these positions is lessening as passing becomes more efficient. It isn’t unfamiliar to hear a QB has a high-efficiency rate against the blitz. When a defense blitzes, they are naturally voiding a zone. That void becomes a gaping window for even the average NFL QB. 2021 saw a shift to two-high structures and wide EDGE play to leverage the pass and build natural walls against the explosion in Wide Zone Play-Action offenses.
There is constant evolution in football and every other space sport—the constant push and pull of schematics and player development change how the game is played. With the dissemination of information at an all-time high, we see complete changes in systems even year-to-year. For example, one concept that is becoming more prevalent in defensive schemes is the concept of passive pressure. You can find an example of this in simulated and replacement pressures.
Applying pressure while holding coverage integrity is very important in today’s game. Defenses can use pressure on early downs to attack a run game or protection while eliminating areas of the field or players targeted by the offense. The ability to match coverage schemes with front manipulation is crucial.
Not every defense needs to blitz to stagnant the run or manipulate the pass protection. The use of four-down fronts is being increased at the college level, a movement away from the Tite/Mint dominance of just a couple of years ago. At the NFL level, teams are dividing themselves along the lines of a four-down Nickel or a 5-1 Penny alignment highlighted by the Staley/Rams tree. Both serve a purpose and can get the job done. Most teams carry both front structures.
Against the Eagles in Week 6, the Buccaneers illustrated how they use a four-down front to defend against the Eagles’ offenses. Philly’s QB, Hurts, can run the ball, and the Eagles’ offense uses the QB in various ways that challenge a defense to sound. Read Zones, RPOs, and play-action Boots are all sprinkled in. According to Football Outsiders, the Philly offense had the number three rushing DVOA in the league.
Against a QB that can run, blitzing isn’t always the best. Instead, manipulation of the run fits up front by using simple D-line stunts allowed the Bucs to stay ahead of the chance and keep coverage integrity against the pass. Tampa Bay needed to keep Hurts contained while challenging the run game at the LOS. Coverage-wise, the Bucs needed to establish themselves in certain areas. The offense liked to attack with RPOs and play-action. Instead of blitzing to force the issue, Tampa used line stunts up front to stop the run and eliminate easy throws for the QB.