How to double a top WR

Part of game planning is how do you neutralize or take away a teams best wr or top 2 wr in a game. Sometimes a team will have a great wr and also a tight end that is deadly like the Chiefs for example.

Some questions to ask going into a game is

1. Who is that guy and how good is their supporting cast.

2. What is the plan for when that wr lines up in the slot and they use motions to move him. Tough to press a guy off the line.

3. What is the plan when that #1 wr is a tight end .

4. Do you want to go more zone concepts or man concepts in the game plan.

5.Can you match up your best against him and shut that wr down?

Zone Principles

In Zone you want to try to get an extra man and roll to the best side of the best wr.

This allows you to press him off the line, while helping over the top. Easy to do when the #1 wr is to the boundary or single side.

In 2019 Michael Pittman was a stud at USC. Washington coach Jimmy Lake had an excellent game plan to defend him by sprinkling in some zone concepts while pressing Pittman off the line and not allowing him to get off the ball and disrupting route concepts. They play 1/4. 1/4 half with the lb walked out pressing him.

Pittman is the # 1 wr. They do a great job in the press and get hands on which disrupts Pittman . The qb tries to hit the dover and it is well covered with 2 players under it and the safety over the top leading to the interception.

Press flat with deep help.

You can see the double concepts vs USC top wr.

Very tight window to throw the ball.

Here is the video of the play and interception.

Heres another variation in the same game as they disrupt Pittman off the line and they go cover 3 to it. Washington went cover 3 utilizing the same walk principle with the olb.

Man on the best WR and play zone with other players.

49ers vs the Packers NFC 2021 playoffs

49ers put a cb on Adams when he is 3x1 weak.

They play Tampa 2 to the trips side and double Adams who is on the 1 wr side

Solo on one guys is a popular concept with zone with everyone else.

Good defense and windows are being taken away in the zone.

Doubling Adams with safety over the top.

They trail him with the cb because he has help over the top

On 3rd and 8

They double him again.

The coverage is great and no other receiver gets separation.

again a nice double concept knowing where your help is.

Taking Adams away with the coverage concept.

Forces the check down.

Excellent concept

Later in the game on 2nd and 8 and 3rd and 8 they play cover 1 match, send 6 and double Adams with the safety, daring Rodgers to throw the ball to someone else. He actually had the tight end open but missed the read. 2 clips are below

2nd and 8

Again, helping on Adams over the top is key.

Good coverage as the go route. isn't open with the safety there causing a very tight window.

3rd and 8 and the next play, they run the same concept and get home. Forcing the punt which was blocked for the lead. Great defense!!

49ers bring pressure run their match concept but have help over the top with Adams even with bringing 6.

Adams was not going to beat them.

Good scheme defensively causes the pocket to collapse.

Great scheme and taking Rodgers out forces the sack, even though he had the check down wide open.

Rams vs Seahawks

Strategy:
The Rams put their best cb on DK Metcalf, Jalen Ramsey but played zone with everyone else.

They did this several ways vs the Seahawks in the 3 games they played them in 2020.

Then a few plays later weasel and the lb forgets about the player in the flat for another 20 yard gain.

Ramsey is on metcalf man to man. He doesn't have the flat (PFF, grading him a 55)

weasel coverage is one of my favorites

They played cover 2 with the best cb in the game guarding Metcalf.

Good strategy.

Best wr as #2

Bracket coverage

3rd and 4 Eagles vs Giants

NEW: The Giants do a great job bracketing the Eagles #1 wr and playing man on everyone else. To the other side they have a deep safety helping over the top.

They also rush 3 with a spy on a very mobile QB Hurts. The scheme is productive as the spy rushes late and gets the pressure which forces the interception

Nice design as they bracket the Eagles best wr(before Brown joined the party)

Good scheme and design.

BRACKET CONCEPT

Another way to handle a wr that is inside is to bracket him. In the Seahawks Rams game, the Hawks lined metcalf at #2. The adjustment by the Rams was to play the tight end man for man with the lb and have the safety and cb bracket and double metcalf inside aand outside

nice bracket

Here the Dolphins bracket Jamison Crowder of the Jets on a key 3rd and 4. The Jets go 2 tight ends and 3 WR vs the Dolphins. Crowder gets bracketed and has a tough time getting open. He actually tries to run a deep crossing route rather than make an adjustment and run a quick out. (not sure if he had that option)

taking away the jets best wr.

good scheme and design .

The Patriots bracket Robert Woods in the Super Bowl in 2018.

They end up winning the game 13-3 but doubled woods on several occasions.

They play man on everybody else.

Excellent bracket technique as without kupp he was the guy.

nice job and execution.

all eyes on woods as they took him out and made someone else beat them.

See the concept again as they take woods out of the picture.

Man with help

Play that WR in man with safety help over the top

Packers best wr Devonte Adams

Todd Bowles vs Devonte Adams.

Defense : Play 2 man with a specific double team on Adams.

Other things Bowles did is he doubled Adams at times .

Below you see the Defensive back playing trail technique because he knows he has safety help over the top on 3rd and 10 .

Rodgers scrambles and dumps it off but the downfield coverage was excellent.

safety over the top on Adams

The double team down the field takes away the ability to hit Adams as he has someone trailing him with deep help over the top.

cover 2 weasel

Jimmy Lake Washington Defense

2nd and 5 vs Hawaii
Hawaii best wr Cedric Byrd is aligned as #2 in the slot

They bring a 3 man pressure play man on #2 and cover 2 with everyone else. Confuse Hawaii, no place to go with the ball and force qb to scramble and throw an incomplete.

nice design and some cover 2 weasel.

good design and take the best guy out of the equation.

man coverage with safety help

On 3rd and 6

The Texans split watson to the single wr side.

The patriots go a version of man underneath but use the safety to help specifically on Hopkins.

They force the sack as the safety takes away the slant.

Nice design and double coverage on the best wr in 2019.

Michigan vs Northwestern

Here's a 2 man double vs Northwestern. The #3 WR in the trips is Northwestern's best player. They bracket and double him with the safety and the Mike LB. Great design by Coach Brown.