One of the Dolphins’ favorite coverages is a zone-man hybrid called Three-Match — a disguising defensive scheme they probably call more than any other.
The roots are in Cover-3, but in the words of interim coach Dan Campbell, it’s “the best of both worlds,” operating as both man-to-man and zone.
As for pure man coverage? Campbell guessed the Dolphins are in it only 25 percent of the time. That means three-quarters of the game is spent in some variation of zone.
“I just think that’s something that we hang our hat on,” Campbell said of Three-Match. “We’re not afraid to play man, but you don’t want to play a whole game in man-to-man. You’ll put your corners on an island. I think it’s good to have both. It’s good mix it up.
“Sometimes the zone that we run, it looks like man to a quarterback and it ends up not being, so it kind of helps.”
Yet based on conversations with Dolphins defensive backs this week, often times the zones the Dolphins use not only look like man coverage, but also are basically man coverage.
When asked how often Dolphins corners play man, rookie Bobby McCain — who will start Sunday against the Ravens — responded: “We play mostly, a lot of man. We throw in some zones in there from time to time.”
Quipped another Dolphins defensive back privately: “We’re on the field for 80 plays, playing one-on-ones all day. Spider-Man would get beat.”
So here we are, two months after defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was fired because, in no small part, his players couldn’t stand his system, and still the Dolphins’ coaching staff and players aren’t completely on the same page.
