FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS | Film Room: Make or Break

Great stuff here, echoing what I’ve been preaching for a while now…

In today’s pass-happy NFL, the nickel and dime sub-packages have become more important than the starting lineups that make up a base defense. Defenses league-wide last season spent 47.5 percent of their snaps in base personnel (4-3 or 3-4) and 49.6 percent in some variation of nickel or dime. Sub-packages will only become more frequent as spread offenses continue to evolve. That’s not just a passing game issue, either; football’s increasing emphasis on speed and finesse will eventually lead to rushing attacks operating out of three-and four-receiver formations more often, which will demand that defenses line up in sub-packages. Even if sub-packages somehow don’t become more prevalent, they deserve greater scrutiny because that’s what defenses use in make-or-break moments like third-and-long or the hurry-up. Make-or-break moments decide the outcome of most games. Thus, teams are built around winning these moments. That’s why, defensively, this is where teams often show their true identity.

And this too..

So this month, instead of fixating on competitions for your team’s starting strongside linebacker job or left defensive end position, spend your energy focusing on your team’s sub-packages. What kind of depth does your team have at safety? How versatile are your corners; can they all play man-to-man and zone? Does your team have someone reliable to cover the slot?

Instead of concentrating on which three linebackers will emerge as starters, worry about whether your team even has two linebackers that are fluid enough to redirect in space. If it doesn’t, your team will suffer in pass defense. Especially on third down.