Every time an offensive team starts to dominate in football, the defense must find a way to counterpunch and slow the opposing offense down. At the highest levels of the game, football is a chess match between the offensive gurus and the defensive masters. Any time a defensive coordinator comes up with a new set, it is designed to keep the strength of the offense from making big plays on a consistent basis.
Blitzing Defense
A defensive team that relies on the blitz is a high-risk, high-reward type of defense. When you send linebackers and defensive backs into the backfield to rush the quarterback, you are usually doing this because you don't have confidence that your defensive backs can stop opposing receivers. When you blitz, you are trying to create a numerical advantage in the number of pass rushers against the number of blockers.
When this is successful, you can record sacks and create turnovers. When you don't get to the quarterback, you will likely give up a lot of big plays. This is a good strategy to employ when your team is trailing by two scores or more and you are trying to change the rhythm and tone of the game.
4-4 Defense
If a defensive coordinator is intent on stopping the opponent from running the ball, the 4-4 defense often comes into play. With this alignment, you use four defensive linemen and four linebackers. Most standard fronts are 4-3 or 3-4. Not only are you taking a defensive back out of the secondary, you are also changing the mindset of the players. You are asking the defensive ends to stay in their lanes and not rush the passer with reckless abandon. You want to take the run away from your opponent and you are willing to let them try to beat you through the air. This defense works best at the high school or college level because professional quarterbacks can exploit this type of setup.
Cover-2 Defense
This setup is designed to keep the opponent from making long pass plays. In the cover-2, two defensive backs will divide the deep secondary and try to prevent a big play through the air. The deep defensive backs -- usually safeties -- will double-cover any receiver who runs long because these receivers will be covered by cornerbacks.
Zone Blitz
Many pro football teams have been running some version of the zone blitz since the late 1990s. The zone blitz is designed to confuse veteran teams -- and specifically quarterbacks -- who think they know what each defensive player on the field will do. In a zone blitz, a pass-rushing defensive end may fake a move to indicate that he will rush the passer but then drop back to a linebacker's coverage position. At the same time, the linebacker will leave his spot and come after the quarterback. If this leads to one or two moments of confusion on the part of the quarterback, the defense can get a sack or force a turnover.
References
- "Play Football the NFL Way"; Tom Bass; 1991
- "Inside the Helmet"; Peter King; 1993
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