From Cover 3 to Controlled Chaos: Lou Anarumo's Defensive Overhaul in Indy

A film-room breakdown of the "Tango," "Hot," and "Creeper" pressures Lou Anarumo used to dismantle the Dolphins and signal a new era for the Colts' defense.

One of the more interesting hires this offseason was the Colts’ pick up of Lou Anarumo. In Cincinnati, the Bengals’ defense had finally fallen off a cliff. Through attrition and lack of talent, outside of Trey Hendrickson, the defense had no firepower. Anarumo attempted multiple ways to “fix” the unit, but ultimately, the organization decided to move on.

In Cincinnati, Anarumo was not pressure-heavy and played mostly zone coverage with a mix of Cover 3 and Cover 2. One trend Anarumo was trying to get to was the use of five-man pressures with Quarters (Palms) behind them. Starting in 2023, the Bengals began using Tango pressures. Last season, the Bengals finished fourth in Quarters usage behind pressure at just under 25% of their Quarters calls.

In 2024, the Bengals finished 27th in FTN’s DVOA rating, an advanced efficiency metric. Still, Anarumo’s evolutionary plan was clear to see. The Bengals finished third in Two-High coverage percentage when blitzing (36.1%) and eighth in EPA/DB (DB = Drop Back). Though not blitzing at a high rate (14th overall at 26.5%), Anarumo was trying to shift his pressure philosophy; he just didn’t have the roster.

Click to enlarge. Via Field Vision Pro.

Once Anarumo got hired in Indianapolis, the Colts quickly picked up Cam Bynum from the Vikings. Outside of the Steve Spagnuolo, the Vikings run the most Quarters-based pressures in the league. Spags is the coach credited with making them popular, as the rise of the two-high shell defense became in vogue starting in 2020.

Last year, Flores surpassed Spags in Quarters pressure usage. With Bynum now on the Colts, Anarumo could tap into his knowledge and reverse-engineer the Vikings' defense, incorporating that insight into the methods he had been developing over the past few seasons. That would also mean increasing Anarumo’s Blitz Rate (BR).

Though Week 1 should be taken with a grain of salt, the Colts clearly had a plan of attack against the Dolphins. After Week 1, the Colts ranked second in total Blitz Rate at 41.1%, just behind the Miami Dolphins. Furthermore, to emulate the Vikings, Indianapolis was third in Early Down (1st/2nd) Blitz Rate at 41.7%. To compare, the Bengals’ total BR in ‘24 was 26.5%, and on Early Downs, it was 26.3% (FTN). That is a big jump in each category!

Ward’s 2023 season shown.

Anarumo clearly had a shift in philosophy and is jumping on a league-wide trend. Bynum is only a small part of the solution, but the signing should have been a signal for a shift in attitude. Another significant free agent pick-up was the 49ers’ Charvarius Ward, who is an excellent zone cornerback when healthy.

The Colts’ first opponent of the season would be the Dolphins, a perfect team to illustrate the new schemes Anarumo had brought to Indy. Most defenses play the Dolphins from a two-high shell because of the speed at receiver and Mike McDaniel’s passing schemes that target the middle of the field. The run game in Miami is also unique, as it attacks the perimeter.

Via Next Gen Stats (NFL)

Tua was limited in his ability to throw all day. Against the blitz, the Dolphins’ quarterback was 4-7 for 24 yards and one touchdown. His overall Catch Percentage Over Expected (CPOE) was -7.4% and rose about -10% against the blitz. Tua finished the weekend with the lowest EPA/DB at -.571 and was only surpassed by rookie Cam Ward, who had to play the Broncos, against the blitz (-1.093).

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The Colts were also able to garner two total sacks, one coming in front of a Quarters pressure and three total pressures on the day. The coverage pressure on Tua’s passing attempts was enough to garner the second-best Turnover Worthy percentage (TW%) of the weekend behind the Seahawks. Overall, Tua was uncomfortable passing and limited to short intermediate throws into tight windows. He finished the day 1-4 with one interception on throws over 20 yards.

Needless to say, the pressure and coverage schemes Anarumo carried into the game against Miami worked. One central area of focus for the Colts was blitzing the edge of the box. Let’s dive into the tape!