Understanding the Dolphins Cover 0

[AdamD13]

Posted this in the 347 last year and didn't get much traction. Thought some people on the main might find it interesting. It is the best article I have come across in understanding the Cover 0 as Miami uses read blitzes and key blitzes to determine who drops back and who rushes.

The Dolphins used read blitzes and key blitzes to confound the Ravens

A read blitz refers to the overall pressure scheme, while a key blitz refers to a single player's assignment. Miami used both vs. Baltimore.

theathletic.com

For most of the season, Lamar Jackson has looked unstoppable. He’s taken another step as a passer and the Ravens passing game has been one of the most explosive in the NFL. If defenses loaded the box to play the run, Jackson would beat them with his arm. If they sat back in coverage, he had the ability to beat them with the option or on scrambles. Defensive coordinators had to pick their poison.

On Thursday Night Football, the Dolphins had a stunning defensive performance against the high-flying Ravens. The Dolphins played their signature aggressive blitzing style but turned up the heat higher than usual. According to CBS’ Josh Cohen, the Dolphins showed Cover 0 blitz looks on 40 snaps. This made life hard on the Ravens because it was difficult to run the ball with all those players near the line of scrimmage and they couldn’t block up the Dolphins’ pressures long enough to get downfield consistently.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer isn’t just blitzing as many players as he could and hoping that the rush gets home before the coverage breaks down. The Dolphins use read blitzes and key blitzes to properly allocate their resources.

 

[AdamD13]

A read blitz is a pressure scheme in which a defender or multiple defenders read a key — commonly which way the center turns — to decide to blitz or drop into coverage. The idea is to blitz away from the side the center turns to and drop toward the side that the center turns to. A key blitz is when a defender has to key an offensive player. If that player releases on a route, the defender would cover him. If that player stays in to block, the defender blitzes. A read blitz refers to the overall pressure scheme, while a key blitz refers to a single player’s assignment.

10:24 remaining in the first quarter, third-and-10

On this play, the linebacker and defensive tackle to the left or the linebacker and defensive tackle to the right were reading the center to decide which side would rush or drop.

After the snap, the center turned to the left, so the defensive tackle and linebacker to that side dropped to take away potential hot routes, while the defensive tackle and linebacker to the right rushed.

 

[AdamD13]

The Dolphins also had a key blitz called on the same play.

Safety Eric Rowe had fullback Patrick Ricard in man coverage.

Because Ricard stayed in to block, Rowe blitzed. Ricard blocked him but this left no one to block the blitzer outside of Ricard and he had a free path to Jackson.
On the other side, the Dolphins created a linebacker on running back mismatch in the A-gap because of the read blitz. The Ravens had a max protection called with seven blockers. The Dolphins only rushed six but had a free runner and pressure right in Jackson’s lap because the defense properly executed the scheme.
The weakness of the defense is that defensive backs are left without deep coverage, but they make it hard to get behind them by playing off-coverage. Another answer is to throw the ball short and hope to break a tackle, but the Dolphins secondary did an excellent job of tackling all night.
Blitzing and playing Cover 0 isn’t exactly a blueprint to beating the Ravens. Very few defensive coordinators have the confidence to call it as many times as Boyer did Thursday but it’s a copycat league and the Ravens will likely see more of it in high-leverage situations. They’ll have to punish teams with explosive plays if they want teams to stop calling these types of pressures.

 

[Mach2]

Very nice @AdamD13 .

 

[Hoot]

Posted this in the 347 last year and didn't get much traction. Thought some people on the main might find it interesting. It is the best article I have come across in understanding the Cover 0 as Miami uses read blitzes and key blitzes to determine who drops back and who rushes.

The Dolphins used read blitzes and key blitzes to confound the Ravens

A read blitz refers to the overall pressure scheme, while a key blitz refers to a single player's assignment. Miami used both vs. Baltimore.

theathletic.com

For most of the season, Lamar Jackson has looked unstoppable. He’s taken another step as a passer and the Ravens passing game has been one of the most explosive in the NFL. If defenses loaded the box to play the run, Jackson would beat them with his arm. If they sat back in coverage, he had the ability to beat them with the option or on scrambles. Defensive coordinators had to pick their poison.

On Thursday Night Football, the Dolphins had a stunning defensive performance against the high-flying Ravens. The Dolphins played their signature aggressive blitzing style but turned up the heat higher than usual. According to CBS’ Josh Cohen, the Dolphins showed Cover 0 blitz looks on 40 snaps. This made life hard on the Ravens because it was difficult to run the ball with all those players near the line of scrimmage and they couldn’t block up the Dolphins’ pressures long enough to get downfield consistently.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer isn’t just blitzing as many players as he could and hoping that the rush gets home before the coverage breaks down. The Dolphins use read blitzes and key blitzes to properly allocate their resources.

Quality info. Thanks.

 

[fishfanmiami]

Good stuff guy. Thanks for posting

 

[BennySwella]

I really think our defense and team success are dependent on how we continue to use the cover-0 without Flores. Was he the mastermind behind it's effectiveness? We are going to find out this year.

 

[GreenDolphinSt]

I love it - both the OP and using it as our scheme. Hope we continue it a lot. That said, I think the key is Phillips, Ogbah, Gink, Ingram, Tindall, etc. regularly beating blockers 1 on 1, when we don't scheme and cover 0.

 

[dolfan91]

The key this year, will be making adjustments to the way offenses try to defeat the cover zero. Teams have now had 2 seasons to study and make their own adjustments. Hopefully Miami, is prepared.

 

[andyahs]

Posted this in the 347 last year and didn't get much traction. Thought some people on the main might find it interesting. It is the best article I have come across in understanding the Cover 0 as Miami uses read blitzes and key blitzes to determine who drops back and who rushes.

The Dolphins used read blitzes and key blitzes to confound the Ravens

A read blitz refers to the overall pressure scheme, while a key blitz refers to a single player's assignment. Miami used both vs. Baltimore.

theathletic.com

For most of the season, Lamar Jackson has looked unstoppable. He’s taken another step as a passer and the Ravens passing game has been one of the most explosive in the NFL. If defenses loaded the box to play the run, Jackson would beat them with his arm. If they sat back in coverage, he had the ability to beat them with the option or on scrambles. Defensive coordinators had to pick their poison.

On Thursday Night Football, the Dolphins had a stunning defensive performance against the high-flying Ravens. The Dolphins played their signature aggressive blitzing style but turned up the heat higher than usual. According to CBS’ Josh Cohen, the Dolphins showed Cover 0 blitz looks on 40 snaps. This made life hard on the Ravens because it was difficult to run the ball with all those players near the line of scrimmage and they couldn’t block up the Dolphins’ pressures long enough to get downfield consistently.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer isn’t just blitzing as many players as he could and hoping that the rush gets home before the coverage breaks down. The Dolphins use read blitzes and key blitzes to properly allocate their resources.

Great read @AdamD13

Thank you