Friday, January 27, 2023

Demeco Ryans- Coaching Football Defense 49ers Early Down Safety Blitzes

The 49ers are primarily a 4-3 defense but will be in a 4-2 nickel at times awe ll. they have an excellent defensive package, playing cover 3, cover 2 and man free concepts.

Let's look at their pressure package in which they will often play cover 3. They ran these packages on early downs often with their safety Hufanga who is an excellent blitzer. They had great success with the package and were a top 5 defense again in 2022. As a result, Demeco Ryans got a head job in Houston.

Pressure Package

 On first down you will often see the 49ers bring their safety blitz or pressure in general. It is effective vs teams that like to go play action and throw the ball on 1st down.  They did it several times during the season and in the playoffs vs the Cowboys. It is a staple that they like, especially on early downs. I often see them Bring Hufanga who likes to prowl on the line of scrimmage. 

They play press bail (man turn which I find interesting, but play curl, hook, curl underneath. Basic cover 3 underneath.

In the picture below, Broncos throw the fade although they had the stick route to the bottom of the screen. The good coverage forced the incomplete pass as Wilson tried to throw into pressure


Nice pressure with 3 under 3 deep coverages.

Nice design pressure forces quick throw to the 1 wr side.


13 personnel
In example #2, the Broncos go 13 personnel. The 49ers bring the safety to the weak side and keep the cb over the top in cover 3. Nicely designed pressure as the Broncos are trying to run tight zone out of 13 with 4 double teams. 



De slices and between the 2 te and no one takes the safety off the edge.


Heres how they aingn the 13 personnel. with the wing the DE aligns in the gap between both TE.

Denver tries to get 4 double teams but noon blocks the safety.

Safety squeezes and gets home untouched and makes the tackle.






12 personnel
vs the Broncos
Again they bring the safety to the TE wing side.


In the next picture they get 12 personnel and bring the safety again.
They do a great job of cover 3 and always do a nice job with the mike carrying #2 or 3 vertically. 

THE RCB is waiting for the crossing route as #1 his side blocks.



Heres one more clip of Hufanga coming off the edge vs the Broncos. Great timing and just an excellent blitzer.

They also ran a few of the similar pressures on 1st down vs  the Seahawks when the Seahawks were driving. The Seahawks run right into it and they defense shuts it down. 

Nice job with the pressure.

Good coverage downfield

Every gp is filled front side.
No place to run as the DT do the job and 57 is unblocked should it get to him.




So they ran the same stunt a few times vs the Cowboys in the playoffs. Surprised how easily they ran it because it was such a staple in their defense this year.

THey caught them early and late when the Cowboys went to their jumbo package.

Both  times he came clean on the play

Example #1  

29 times it up great and gets great pressure .


Example #2 

Cowboys go 13 heavy and have Gallup on the outside 1x1. The 49ers sell out on the run and you kind of get the feeling Hufanga is coming. I think Dak has to check out here as this is a pivotal play late in the game with the score 16-12. The 1st and 10 set them back 6 yards.

Vs the Saints week 10

22 personnel 

Hufanga comes off the edge. The blitz side DE and DT go inside, DE b gap, DT offside A gap


Hufanga comes clean.

Nice scheme Hufanga disrupts everything.






vs the Panthers 11 personnel
1st and 10 





These are just some of the pressures you will see from Coach Ryans and company. More analysis of the 49ers defense to follow.




Tuesday, January 24, 2023

Kentucky Using the WR as a lead blocker and wrapper in their run Game

Kentucky in 2021 was a very good offensive football team. They did an outstanding job and scored 32 points per game under Coach Liam Coen, Some of is it was because of some of the schemes he took from the 49ers and Rams before ironically joining them in 2022 in the NFL. 

One play he runs is duo. Kentucky does a great job running duo with the front side wr executing a find block on the perimeter. On the play its Duo blocking with the opposite wr wrapping around to the other side to block #4 in the defensive scheme. It is traditional duo blocking with the RB reading the playside lb on whether to keep it inside or bounce it on the perimeter. 

They do an excellent job with this scheme and ran it in a few games. Great play and execution by Kentucky.







Example #2 vs LSU.
They run a similar scheme.




Example #3 
They run it vs Loulsville out of condensed. Y has the #4 and the wr play side blocks the play side safety on the find block. Nice job with the duo combinations up front for an 8 yard gain.





Example #3 

WR leading on the safety
Here's a variation with the wr leading on the safety. They block power with the H back kicking out.
You can see #84 at the x starting to come across and will lead on the safety
Outside TE block the cb
H back kick out the DE
PST on LB
OG block the Nose
Center combo to the backside LB






As always more clips to come!

Sunday, January 22, 2023

Teaching Spill Overlap Technique in the 4-2-5 and 3-3 stack

 Spill  overlap Technique

Spilling is a term teams will use when they get a kickout block by either a guard or h back. The Defensive lineman will take it on and try to attack the offensive lineman's inside shoulder.  It could be a fb or other lineman as well kicking out but most times it will be a guard in the counter game or h back in the zone slice game.

There are two trains of thoughts when teaching how to take on this block:

1. Wrong arm it and take it on with the inside shoulder. The disadvantage to doing this is you don't have the ability to come off the block and make a play. Your defensive lineman gives himself up.

2. Having your de play it with his hands. This allows him to dent it and punch through the inside number. The 2nd way allows you to get off the block and make a play. 

Both will hopefully have the desired effect which is to bounce the ball outside. Your LB will overlap and your Sam and Safety will hopefully fill as they expect the ball to be spilled to them.


In the 4-2-5, again we teach to get it spilled and have the safety(press quarters) filling outside in and the inside LB overlapping to anticipate the spill. We practice this often. LB plays C gap and the FS plays the D gap. Mike will play cutback. 



Here's an example from a 4-3 look.

You can see how you gap exhange it by spilling it to the OLB




3-3 Stack

The 3-3 stack will run it with the De spilling. 
Mike overlapping with the safety flying off the rb. C Gap
The sam will spill at force it back inside. Box it
Playside LB boxes it back inside D gap

Let's take a look at some teams.

We will start with the 4-2-5

Michigan plays spill technique. 
Rules: 
Playside DE stays flat, tries to play off the heels of the tackle and get inside of any puller or slice block to get it to bounce.

Playside LB will scrape off the DE and also spill any Guard, puller or block by the fullback.

Viper/Sam Lb is the D gap player. Secondary will play alley and any perimeter type runs.

Their technique is excellent though as they don't do it with shoulders but actually play the technique with their hands. They use no shoulders which allows LB's and De's to make plays rather than just force the ball kicked when they spill it. 

Here is an example vs Wisconson. Watch the DE spill it, then the playside LB spill it, and the overlap LB make the tackle. They do a great job executing their technique. 




You see the DE spill with the OLB there to play it

Overlap is in perfect position as the LB and DE both take it on with the inside arm, getting it bounced to #12
Nice Tackle

Here is the film with the pics above:

Michigan vs Wisconsin 2018 
The LDE plays great technique, squeezes off the tackles heels, blows up the slice block and makes the tackle. The LB scraping over the top is there to clean it up. The safety plays it outside in.

THE DE CAN MAKE THE PLAY BECAUSE HE'S NOT GIVING HIMSELF UP WRONG ARMING!


Again, you see the example of how they take it on with hands. Hands allows you to come back out and make a play. Either way, the de attacks and gets really tight down the los.
The ball is spilled, but look at the hands by the DE, it allows you to come back outside.
The DE actually makes the play with the safety and LB both working there to make the play.


Watch the DE on this play stay square and on the line of scrimmage after denting the OT. 
Iowa in their 4-2 front.
Again watch the DE dent it with hands and actually take out the lead blocker on the play. He dents hard and causes the 2nd blocker to stumble to the ground.
Here you see the technique by Iowa.
Ball bounced to #44 and the safety. 
They are disciplined and the ball gets sent to him and they have the +1 with the safety.
Good job by the defense.


Teams in the 3-3 stack can also spill and overlap. The spill defender is the de 5 technique or 4i.
3-3 stack
DE Spill
Mike Fills C gap and overlaps.
Sam boxes it and keeps it inside. 
FS fills off the RB

Mike Flyies to c gap
OLB stacked will box it. 
Free safety flies and fills off the RB.

RUN FITS 
Let's look at a few examples of how well they fit the run on all three levels. UNC comes out in 11 personnel and they align in their odd front cover 3. They move the De inside and watch the spill overlap technique. DE spill everything, LB box it to the safety. Mike often will play the c gap with all the pinching up front. Safety just fills off the rb. Just mirrors him and is often a free hitter.
They spill it to the safety in the run fit.
DE spills it and LB and OLB are there to make the play. 
They have their LB's right where they need to be
Safety is unblocked as the De got the ball spilled to him.
The Safety usually just plays off the rb in the scheme. 

2nd example of how they play it on all three levels.
They will often move with the de, he's hard inside so they get the spill, with the overlap LB. Safety usually fills off the back unless they change that with a call.
Mike is a C Gap player, Nose usually off A, OLB will play the cutback.
Here comes the safety again as the DE gets the ball bounced outside. 
Nice tackle.
Good job defensively. 

These are the the ways teams spill. I hope you enjoyed this article on spill technique out of the 4-2-5 and 3-3 stack






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