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Patriots defensive philosophy from Dean Pees

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Came across this on a messageboard, it appears to be notes taken by a coach after hearing Dean Pees talk about the things the Patriots preach on defense. It’s in bullett point form, wish it was a little more descriptive, but I felt it was worth sharing regardless:

Dean Pees Defensive Coordinator New England

The Patriots Defense

Defensive Laws:
Leverage
Attack
Wall
Square

Patriots ran 37 coverages and 17 fronts in 2007

Coach’s Fundamentals

Drill work- Does your drill work emphasize the player fundamentals that you want because practice must mimic game.

Evaluation-Does it works? Can your players do it? Does it fit your scheme?

3-4:

Defense must fit together to build a wall to force indecision in the running backs mind.

Separation in the defense creates a seam.

Must stay square if a guy turns sideways it creates seams.

From end zone, should be able to stand behind and see the back numbers of defenders, if you cannot then that player got turned.

Practice what kids are going to see.

Not as much penetration in base.

LBs must attack and come across square.

Press the offensive player and stay square.

Do not use a sled or bags because its not who you play against.

Goal is 3 yards a carry because two gapping penetration causes positive gains.

Never wrong arm anything. Face to face, never give self up. 

Make a play by staying square (two gap him). Do not cut offensive player because it causes seams.

Everybody pushes east and west, not north and south.

Safety reads the shoulders of backs-stay square.

Everything is read and react.

#1 coverage is quarters
#2 cover 3

PS: One of my former players (All-Pro ILB James Farrior) is the defensive Captain, & signal caller for the World Champion Steelers. Their 3-4 Defense operates on a different PHILOSOPHY. They try to spill (& wreck) EVERYTHING to the outside – to secondary run support, in their ¼, ¼, ½ coverage (S/S to quarter side, & W/C to half side). That is one reason Polomoleau makes so many tackles – he is a “heat seeking missle”!

MHR: The Modern 3-4 Defense

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MHR: The Modern 3-4 Defense

Keeping with the defensive scheme theme this week and we have another great article about the 3-4 defense.

The LBs can zone, man, or blitz.  That’s three things that each of four LBs can do.  Do the math to try to predict the number of variations.  Then, before patting yourself on the back, consider that each of those actions have further variations.  Man – which man?  Zone – zone where?  Blitz – through which lane?

Despite the fact that the Bullough can be confusing, the system relies on a lot of "bend; don’t break" thinking.  The system will often give up short yards in the run, and blitzes are not common.  The idea is that the longer the offense is on the clock, the longer it takes them to score, and the more plays the offense risks an interception, fumble, or a fourth down.

Not all 3-4 Defenses are created equal

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Not all 3-4 Defenses are created equal

Good stuff here as we do a little more offseason X and O updating. A lot of casual fans are unaware of the intricacies between the different 3-4 defenses but this is a nice little primer showing how the Patriots (or Fairbanks-Bullough) is different that those that came from the Lebeau or Phillips trees.

When people think of the 3-4, they associate it with Pittsburgh’s Zone Blitzing scheme. Pittsburgh’s Zone Blitz 3-4 is just one of three versions of this defense. The other two versions of this defense that are used much more than the Zone Blitz are the Phillips 3-4 and the Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4. Not all 3-4 defenses are created equal, nor are the players that play in these systems.

Chuck’s version of the 3-4 is the Fairbanks-Bullough, which is commonly referred to as a 2-gap 3-4 system. Most coaches who are from the Parcells/Belichick coaching tree run this system. The Fairbanks-Bullough 3-4 gives teams the greatest amount of flexibility compared to other 3-4s. The linebackers in this system are extremely versatile and are capable of doing any and everything on the field. (I.e.; Mike Vrabel) When you mix the roles of the four linebackers from play to play, you can cause mass confusion for an offense. The reason this system is a 2-gap system, is because the defensive lineman are required to cover the gaps on both sides of an offensive lineman. The defensive linemen in this 3-4 are very stout so that they can occupy the offensive lineman, and allow the linebackers can make plays. It’s a more conservative version of the 3-4 compared to the other two versions. It’s typically known as a “bend but don’t break” kind of defense.

X-and-O Flashback: How Welker makes Patriots offense go (2009)

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X-and-O Flashback: How Welker makes Patriots offense go (2009)

This is an article from a couple years back but if you love x’s and o’s like me it’s well worth the read.

One thing you’ll notice from the video is how adroitly Welker adjusts the nature of his route to the coverage he faces. Against tight man coverage, he might jab-step and juke a defender and make a flat cut to get open, while against loose man coverage or a softer zone he might “speed cut” the route — i.e. roll the cut in a way that is not quite as precise but where he doesn’t lose speed as he changes direction.

The Patriots 3-4 Defense in a nutshell

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This week will be all about the Patriots 3-4 defensive system in an effort to help educate those readers out there who might like to go a little deeper on the x and o front. All week we’ll be posting educational links to illustrate more and more about the 3-4. Hope you all enjoy, this is the perfect post to start off with, the Patriots 3-4 in a nutshell.

From NationMaster.com… (dead link so I cut and pasted)…

Fairbanks – Bullough 3-4 defensive system

The New England Patriots run a modified base 3-4 Chuck Fairbanks – Hank Bullough system installed by Bill Belichick. The term 3-4 means that their base formation consists of 3 defensive linemen (defensive end, nose tackle, and defensive end), 4 linebackers (outside “Jack” weak side linebacker, middle “Will” weak side linebacker, middle “Mike” strong side linebacker, and outside “Sam” strong side linebacker), and 4 defensive backs (cornerback, free safety, strong safety, and cornerback). In the Patriots system the inside linebackers are the “Will” and “Mike” linebackers. It is believed that this 3-4 structure gives the defense the greatest amount of flexibility because the linebackers are among the most versatile players on the defense, capable of doing any of the following: rushing the quarterback, tackling runners or dropping into coverage. By mixing the roles of their linebackers from play to play, the Patriots defense seeks to cause confusion on the part of opposing offenses. At times the Patriots will also shade their defensive linemen different ways, creating “over” or “under” defenses. “Over” and “under” defenses simply refer to the shift of the defensive linemen to the strong or weak side of the offense, respectively, and the rotation of the linebackers in the opposite direction.

The “Fairbanks – Bullough” 3-4 system is known as a two gap system, because each of the defensive linemen are required to cover the gaps to both sides of the offensive lineman that try to block them. Defensive linemen in this system tend to be stouter, as they need to be able to hold their place without being overwhelmed in order to allow the linebackers behind them to make plays. This is the reason that defensive linemen such as Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork do not always rack up gaudy sack and tackle statistics despite their critical importance to the team.

The system is at times more conservative than certain other defenses currently in vogue in the league, despite the constant threat of its potent linebacker blitz. The Patriots defensive system generally places an emphasis on physicality and discipline over mobility and risk taking and is sometimes characterized as a “bend but do not break defense”.

History

The 3-4 defense was originally devised by Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1940s. Former Patriots and Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks is credited with being a major figure in first bringing the 3-4 defense to the NFL in 1974. Patriots defensive coordinator Hank Bullough made significant further innovations to the system. Parcells was linebackers coach under Ron Erhardt as head coach of the Patriots in 1980 (after Fairbanks left for Colorado in 1978 and Bullough lost out on the head coaching position). When Parcells returned to the Giants as defensive coordinator under Ray Perkins in 1981, he brought the 3-4 defense with him.

Bill Belichick was initially exposed to the 3-4 defense while working as an assistant under Red Miller, head coach of the Denver Broncos and a former Patriots offensive coordinator under Fairbanks. Joe Collier was the defensive coordinator under Red Miller at the time, and his orange crush defense was very successful at stifling opposing offenses. The Broncos had decided to adopt the 3-4 in 1977. Bill Belichick subsequently refined his understanding of the 3-4 as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator under Parcells with the Giants. Belichick returned the 3-4 defense back to New England when he become coach of the team in 2000. Romeo Crennel subsequently became defensive coordinator for the team.

Other teams running similar defensive systems

Bill Parcells ran the Fairbanks – Bullough 3-4 defensive system during his coaching years. Many teams coached by members of the Parcells – Belichick coaching tree currently run similar defensive systems, such as the University of Alabama under Nick Saban, the New York Jets under Eric Mangini and the Cleveland Browns under Romeo Crennel.

Comparison to other 3-4 systems

The “Phillips 3-4”, a one-gap version of the 3-4, was also brought into the league by Bum Phillips, head coach of the Houston Oilers in the 1970s. The Phillips 3-4 defense is currently run by the San Diego Chargers as well as the Dallas Cowboys now being coached by Wade Phillips, the son of Bum Phillips. Wade Phillips replaced Joe Collier as defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos in 1989. The modern Phillips 3-4 is largely a one gap 3-4 system, meaning that the defensive linemen are often only responsible for one gap between the offensive linemen. The linemen can afford to be more aggressive because they receive more support from the linebackers in performing their roles. This system generally prefers relatively lighter, more agile lineman better able to perform aggressive slants, loops and gap charges in order to directly attempt to sack the quarterback and make tackles.

The 3-4 zone blitz defense was developed by Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It commonly calls upon linemen to be mobile enough to drop back into zone coverage in place of blitzing linebackers. Elements of the 3-4 zone blitz defense have been incorporated over time into the modern Phillips 3-4.

An Xs and Os View of the Jets

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If you’ve had a chance to check out the Patscast podcast one of the regular guests is Jay Shields. Jay is a Patriots-centric Mike Mayock on the show, and shares his insights on the Patriots schemes from an educated football background. In my unending quest to become a more knowledgeable football fan I’ve found Jay’s commentary to be fascinating. Below is a post that Jay made on the popular PatsFans.com messageboard, providing a little more insight into what the Jets do on defense and how you beat it. Enjoy (and I suggest you grab a pen and paper to illustrate Jay’s description.:

Let’s start with the two most basic concepts behind Ryan’s fundamental attack. His scheme relies upon attacking the blocking scheme of the offense and forcing a quick ball release. This is achieved through disguising the Mike backer, overloading a gap, and pressing receivers off of the line. In order to understand how this attacks blocking schemes, it is necessary to first understand the fundamentals of a pass blocking scheme.

Typically, the first call made after the offense breaks the huddle is the identification of the Mike linebacker. This is sometimes made by both the QB and center, othertimes just by the center. Think of the Mike backer as the strength of the defensive formation. Just as you would hear defenses call out “strong left”, offenses will call out “52 is Mike”. Almost everything in defensive football boiled down it it’s most basic, fundamental level flows through the Mike linebacker. This is in large part because of the premium on the middle of the field. Look at how defenses are built. Nose, Mike and Will, SS. Everything from flow to the football to coverage to blitzing runs through the Mike. From 2-gap 34 to Ryan 34 to Johnson 43 to Tampa-2, it all places a premium on the alignment and responsibility of the mike. If he’s not there to blitz or eat a blocker he is there to compensate for a weakened area. In the context of the passing game, he is your best key in the anticipation of a blitz or coverage. Take this read away and the offense is already in an anticipation disadvantage.

The next part of what makes Ryan’s scheme effective is the overload blitz. This is again an attack on the pass protection concept. As a very general rule, most protections rely upon the blocker to defend a zone of closeness. Take the man closest to your face, and put a premium on defending the most direct line to the football. This is in response to stunts and loops that are designed to confuse man blocking scheme. For example; the offense is set in a singleback set with the TE aligned to the right of the formation. The defense is in a basic 43 call. In a very basic call the tackle is responsible for the weakside end, and the guard is responsible for the 3-technique. When the ball is snapped the 3-tech drives across the face of the guard, drawing him inwards. The defensive end accelerates towards the outside shoulder of the tackle, pulling him outwards in his drop steps. There is now a large rushing lane opened in the B-gap. The Will backer attacks the B-gap and the back steps up to block the Will. Tackle has outside responsibility, guard has inside responsibility, back has blitzer. Same thing would have happened if the 3-tech shot the B-Gap, and the Mike came through the A gap. Now, let’s add a walked up free safety coming through the B-Gap off of the azz of the Will. No matter what the o-line does, someone is going to come free. This example isn’t perfect nor absolute but it does a good job of illustrating my point.

You can read the rest of Jay’s post here…