In my previous post about the 34 Defense I talked about the 1 Gap 34 defense briefly. This defense is a hybrid of the 34 and 43 defenses, implementing certain concepts from both. I decided I would look at another hybrid defense, the 43 Under. While there isn't really a full 2 Gap 43 the way that there is a full 1 Gap 34, the 43 Under has some 2 Gap elements mixed with 1 Gap elements.
Their are two main types of 43 Under Defenses, the Tampa 2 Variant and The Elephant/Leo Variant(referred to from here on as the Leo Variant).
The Tampa 2 version was originally a pure 1 Gap 43 Defense, but some teams have mixed in some 2 Gap elements, mainly at the Nose Guard position.
NOSE GUARD
Like a 34 Defense the 43 Under has a Nose Guard, however how much like a 34 Nose Guard this player is depends on the scheme. In the original Tampa 2 the Nose Guard was a "Tilted" Nose Guard. This position, who's invention is often credited to "Mean" Joe Green, has the Nose Guard line up as a 1 Tech between the Center and weak side Guard, and then turn on a slight angle towards the Center. This gives the Nose better leverage and a easier path to attack and shoot through the A Gap. Some Tampa 2 teams have put in plays or even ran their base defense with a 2 Gap Nose Guard who plays much like a 34 Nose would.
3 TECH
In Both the Tampa 2 and the Leo variants the second Defensive Tackle is a more traditional 43 defensive player. Known as either the Under Tackle or the 3 Tech, this Defensive Tackle plays in the 3 Technique between the weak side Guard and Tackle. The 3 Tech in a Tampa 2 is usually a smaller more athletic Defensive Tackle who excels at penetrating through the B Gap and wreaking havoc in the backfield.
5 TECH
In the Tampa 2 the strong side Defensive End will line up in a 5 Tech, on the outside shoulder of the Strong Tackle and shoot through that gap. This player will be a traditional 43 style Defensive end who's main goal is to sack the Quarterback. Nonetheless he will play the run on the way to the Quarterback, and tackle anything that comes through the strong side C Gap.
WEAK END
On the Weak side both the Tampa 2 and Leo defense have their best outside speed rushing Defensive End lined up outside of the Offensive Tackle. The Tampa 2 Weak Defensive End is usually a standard 43 pass rusher. Very athletic and quick, but strong enough to Bull Rush an Offensive Tackle. These guys will occasionally be asked to drop into the flat on Zone Blitzes or max coverage situations, so they must have the athletic ability and mental awareness to drop into coverage from time to time.
LINEBACKERS
One thing that both defenses have in common is the type of Linebackers who play in these defenses. The Tampa 2 defense employ much faster Linebackers who are asked to read and react quickly and swarm the football. These Tampa 2 Linebackers are asked to read the pass first, but as soon as they read run must swarm to the ball carrier. This is absolutely necessary, as the Tampa 2's Defensive Linemen are usually much to far into the backfield to be of use on plays such as delayed handoffs or on runs where the ball carrier can get to the second level.
COVERAGE/SECONDARY
The Tampa 2 runs a Cover 2/Cover 3 hybrid, where instead of two deep corners and a safety they use two deep safeties and the Mike Linebacker. The Free and Strong Safeties will each cover the deep outside of the field, with the Corners often pressing and getting physical at the LOS and being in position to shut down screens and outside runs. The two outside backers will then split the short field while the Mike Linebacker drops into the deep middle, playing like a traditional single high safety. The Mike Linebacker has to be an extreme athlete here as he must cover 10-15 yards of space in this coverage. He must also have good judgment too as he cannot get sucked in by a Play Action pass or the deep middle will be wide open. Similarly he cannot be victimized by a draw play or he could be 15 yards off the ball when the handoff occurs, leaving the defense short in the middle. The saving grace here is that the two Corners play close enough up that they may be able to make up for an absent Mike backer.
Stay tuned for part two where I look into and compare the Tampa 2 to Seattle's Leo defense.
No comments:
Post a Comment