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Texas' two-high defense  

By: Ian Boyd  (Inside Texas)

One detail the open practices revealed about the 2022 Texas Longhorns was how they intend to honor Steve Sarkisian’s mandate for playing tighter coverage. The Longhorns ran a lot more single-high safety man coverage in practice, either to bring some blitzes or to drop a safety down near the box, than they did for most of 2021. Yet, the base defense remains a two-high coverage which has a lot of variety and is being executed more aggressively and at a higher level than we saw a year ago.

A two-high, pattern-matching coverage is one of the more popular defensive systems in modern football. There are weaknesses to the scheme, but the more variety you can add to the system and the better your safeties are at recognizing offensive tendencies the more difficult you can make it for opponents to get the ball down the field.

This has major value for Texas since they take on several HUNH (hurry-up, no-huddle) spread teams this coming season, including their rivals across the Red River. The ability to position safeties in different leverages to squeeze the space these teams are trying to exploit could be a massive factor for Texas in competing for a Big 12 Championship this coming year.

Texas’ two-high coverages

The Longhorns played a few different two-high coverages in the open practice alone with an obvious preference for quarters concepts.

Pattern-matching quarters these days typically boils down to man coverage on the outside receivers by the cornerbacks, particularly on vertical routes, with the linebackers taking inside receivers on underneath routes and the safeties covering them if they go deep.

The scheme is most effective if the safeties have a good feel for recognizing where the offense is trying to go and the cornerbacks can hold up down the sideline without help over the top. Texas has two primary quarters coverages which both function in that fashion, they’ll probably play both at the same time.

One is a more aggressive brand often called MEG quarters. MEG stands for Man Everywhere he Goes. The cornerback is playing man coverage, perhaps press-man, on the receiver across from him and shadowing him around the field. He might have help deep and inside from the safety or he may not, depending on how occupied the safety is with the inside receiver. Texas will probably use this coverage in the boundary quite a bit in 2022.

Then there’s MES quarters, Man Except Shallow, which is the technique everyone knows and hates from 2021. The cornerback plays off on the receiver and will play him on vertical routes but stay loose and let him go if he runs a shallow route inside and close on the ball on a quick stop route. The Longhorns will likely play this version quite a bit to the wide side of the field where a quarterback’s throw is in the air long enough for a corner to hang back and react. In either coverage the safeties are able to read keys and potentially arrive wherever the ball does, depending on how well they know their jobs.

They also showed two brands of quarters for defending the dreaded 3×1 formations of the HUNH spread teams which put three receivers to one side of the field.

First option, a “poach” coverage with the boundary safety rolling toward the trips side.

Second option, the defense plays man on the outermost two receivers with the cornerback and Star.

The defense can cycle through either (or play single-high man with a safety dropping down to cover an inside receiver) based on whether they want to ask more of the boundary cornerback or of the Star (nickel) and field cornerback. The former example leaves the boundary corner on an island without much help, the latter example helps him while deferring stress to the coverage defenders furthest off the ball.

They’re both potentially useful depending on the matchups with opposing receivers and the quality of the quarterback. Need to lock down a lethal X receiver? You’ll probably play the second option and trust the Star and field corner to hold up outside. Worried about an offense’s speed to the wide side, you may roll coverage and trust the boundary corner. I’m guessing Texas will lean toward option two given their move of cornerbacks Jaylon Guilbeau and Jahdae Barron to Star.

If you can cycle through multiple varieties of coverage against a spread team’s favorite formations it creates hesitation in the quarterback and opposing play-caller.

How will this work in 2022?

Much like the single-high man coverages which are going to take a greater role in the defense in the coming year, this approach puts a lot on the safeties to control the middle of the field. The “Star” (nickel) ends up with a lot of tough coverage assignments. He can get involved in the run game but the presence of their pure man coverages and the quarters coverages which put him in man coverage on a slot without the guarantee of safety help are all reasons for using a converted cornerback like Barron or Guilbeau.

The quarters coverages involve the cornerbacks having to own the sideline on their own while the safeties play flat-footed reading the inside receivers. They can end up running the alleys and arriving pretty hard and fast in run support or robbing routes thrown over the middle. What matters most is they know what’s coming and can arrive where needed with violence and leverage. There will be obvious value in getting Bryan Allen and Kitan Crawford acclimated back there because of their physicality and athleticism but you can’t rush things. Veteran reliability in these defenses is worth more than a faster 40 time, they have a lot to diagnose. TCU routinely had some 4.7/4.8 40 time guys who’d make a lot of plays running quarters because they knew how to use the system to arrive at the right places.

Weak spots in quarters coverage for Texas to worry about include the following. First, two-high quarters coverages are helpful against the run IF the safeties are good at fitting downhill from the hash marks and IF the defense is properly setting edges in front of them. If not…

…and there are plenty more examples from 2021.

Secondly, quarters coverages are vulnerable deeper down the field. They can be hell on teams trying to throw anything quick or off a three-step drop, but if a team can protect the quarterback long enough to read a safety’s reaction to multiple deep routes, there are 1-on-1s galore to attack. Hudson Card connected on a few in the open practice for touchdowns.

Texas’ single-high man coverages are good at getting numbers around the box quickly while keeping someone over the top to prevent a touchdown on a post route, but they’re vulnerable on crossers and throws in the middle of the field. The quarters coverages lock down everything quick and intermediate but consequently are a little slower to arrive against the run and less reliable over the top.

What matters is playing great team defense with the linebackers helping disrupt routes and the pass-rush preventing quarterbacks from sitting back and dissecting the downfield coverage. Texas’ mastery over these base concepts is clearly improved and simply getting their athletes to play good, team defense is going to yield shocking results. It’s been about four years since Texas could even do that.

 

Thx for this @BurntOrange&White
 

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36 minutes ago, LTtxfan said:

What Would Be a Good Season? | What is Most Important on Defense?

August 28th

I listened to that. I have to say its the saddest commentary I have heard. You have someone saying “I want them to play hard”. He is dead right on that point, but what a kick to the nuts. 

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6 minutes ago, Codaxx said:

I listened to that. I have to say its the saddest commentary I have heard. You have someone saying “I want them to play hard”. He is dead right on that point, but what a kick to the nuts. 

Last year's locker room was a dumpster fire.  No position group on defense played worth a shit.  Just a lot of finger pointing and " it's not my fault " -- no true leaders and no accountability.  

Still not sure who the fuck (players) really leads this  2022 defensive group -- somebody needs to stand the fuck up and run that group.  When it got tough last year, our defensive group just caved.  I really hope we start bringing in more tough defensive players in the future.

Not sure any of our current defensive players worry our opponents except maybe Byron Murphy.  

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2 hours ago, LTtxfan said:

Last year's locker room was a dumpster fire.  No position group on defense played worth a shit.  Just a lot of finger pointing and " it's not my fault " -- no true leaders and no accountability.  

Still not sure who the fuck (players) really leads this  2022 defensive group -- somebody needs to stand the fuck up and run that group.  When it got tough last year, our defensive group just caved.  I really hope we start bringing in more tough defensive players in the future.

Not sure any of our current defensive players worry our opponents except maybe Byron Murphy.  

 At the very least, the young guys and the transfers will assert themselves more than the historically poor performing vets. The DL should also be attacking more, so that's something more to look forward to. Being more aggressive overall should mitigate some of the technical shortcomings.

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15 minutes ago, Atticus said:

 At the very least, the young guys and the transfers will assert themselves more than the historically poor performing vets. The DL should also be attacking more, so that's something more to look forward to. Being more aggressive overall should mitigate some of the technical shortcomings.

Yeah I'm hoping Watts and DTD can possibly help provide some leadership in the defensive huddle along with a few of the younger guys.

Really hoping DMO, Jahdae and Jaylon gain more confidence and step up their games.  

 

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Defense Looks Better Overall

-Front 7 looks noticeably better. 

-DLine looks more athletic. Sorrell should be a solid anchor for the unit. Looking to see how Burke does against better competition. 

-Linebackers are playing with more confidence. Still desire to have more talent on the unit, but we are no longer abysmally bad like when we were rolling out Juwan Mitchell and L. Brockermeyer back there. DMO is a weapon as a blitzer.

-DBs are still somewhat suspect. Jamison will be abused by Bama and the better WRs in the Big12. Wish we had more speed at the safety level. Guys like Cook, Watts, and Guilbeau will have to carrry the unit.

-Tackling and pursuit angles improved. 

-Our back 7 does need to get better at shedding blocks.

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we'll see where we really are next week but on the FG drive for ULM we had TWO guys outside ready for the boot and BOTH of them got sucked in for no reason.  would have been a TD if not for Overshown being shot out of a cannon.

still need to work on "do your job"

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47 minutes ago, Nivek said:

There is some room for optimism.  That doesn't mean everything is fixed. 

True. Overshown was making plays instead of just hype videos. We look to be trending in the right direction.

 

I think we will make some plays against the pro Gumps, but not enough to matter. 

 

I just think that ULM is not who we truly are as a defense and Alabama will not be who we truly are a defense(maybe next year). But going forward UTSA and the rest will tell the real story.

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1 hour ago, Brothahorn said:

True. Overshown was making plays instead of just hype videos. We look to be trending in the right direction.

 

I think we will make some plays against the pro Gumps, but not enough to matter. 

 

I just think that ULM is not who we truly are as a defense and Alabama will not be who we truly are a defense(maybe next year). But going forward UTSA and the rest will tell the real story.

I think you are right here.  My standards are much lower than yours.  I simply didn't want to see us look clueless out there.  I don't recall a single play where we looked like it was the first time our team had played football.   These are huge steps forward to me.   I think we have a team that will be bowl eligible. 

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It’s early, but it’s also telling that the two halves of the defense appear “coordinated” after the addition of a certain analyst in the offseason. 

 

Brockermeyer aint’ it, but it’s worth remembering that he tore his ACL less than a year ago. I’m sure he’s not 100% either physically or, if that’s right, mentally.

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25 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

It’s early, but it’s also telling that the two halves of the defense appear “coordinated” after the addition of a certain analyst in the offseason. 

 

Brockermeyer aint’ it, but it’s worth remembering that he tore his ACL less than a year ago. I’m sure he’s not 100% either physically or, if that’s right, mentally.

At least he is already back to his former level of production .

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Overshown looked better, Coburn looked better, Sorrell looked like a beast, and I don't recall anyone standing around looking completely lost.

There were a couple of times when their quarterback got loose on what would've been 15+ yarders last year and he got corralled after 3 or 4.

We looked much, much better.

That said, it's just ULM.  The next couple of games will tell us a lot more, obviously.  But I feel like we're already trending the right direction.

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27 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

It’s early, but it’s also telling that the two halves of the defense appear “coordinated” after the addition of a certain analyst in the offseason. 

 

Brockermeyer aint’ it, but it’s worth remembering that he tore his ACL less than a year ago. I’m sure he’s not 100% either physically or, if that’s right, mentally.

That's the issue with the addition of Patterson to the staff. If things get better, it's because of him. If they don't, it's because of the old guy.

The staff has had more time to work together and make changes to try and fix the issues they faced last year. Having GP certainly helps, but we have a defensive staff filled with guys who have had a ton of success at the P5 level. Maybe, just maybe, they figured out a way to make things work. Personnel is improved and defensive mindset has seemingly changed to a more aggressive one. 

That said, we probably saw a mild version of what this defense really is on Saturday. We aren't rotating in that many guys this coming Saturday. We are likely gonna be more aggressive in the secondary. We are going to stop the run, first and foremost. 

A guy like Brockermeyer gave up a TD on a run that shouldn't have gone more than 5 yards. That's some the shit we dealt with all year last year. No idea why he wasn't replaced sooner, but now he is.

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5 minutes ago, Atticus said:

That's the issue with the addition of Patterson to the staff. If things get better, it's because of him. If they don't, it's because of the old guy.

 

Not so much. Apparently someone (CDC, Sark...) thought they had a "Yes" when they offered Boom the DC job, and went out and hired a bunch of his guys as coaches... only to have Miz Boom play the undefeated card. After a scramble for DC, they settled on PK, who was unable to get the staff of assistants onto the same page. Patterson's work seems to have been fairly successful in cohering the D coaching staff, in addition to which it looks like he has gotten the players buying into the overall scheme. 

It's been said that GP has been spending much of his time for the last few weeks on the game plan for Bama. I, for one, am hoping he's got some surprises for the BigAl's on both sides of the ball, and that Sark & PK are 100% on board. 

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Brockermeyer was really bad. He was responsible for most of the yards on their TD drive. I.e. about a third of their yards on the day. Poor instincts and limited athleticism are a bad combo. Unfortunately, Ford isn't that much better. I'm not sure how he is ahead of Richardson, who looked pretty good. Hell, Jett Bush looked better than Ford. Ford was often in the right spot and just couldn't finish the tackle (as opposed to Brockermeyer being completely out of the play).

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1 hour ago, Atticus said:

The staff has had more time to work together and make changes to try and fix the issues they faced last year. Having GP certainly helps, but we have a defensive staff filled with guys who have had a ton of success at the P5 level. Maybe, just maybe, they figured out a way to make things work. Personnel is improved and defensive mindset has seemingly changed to a more aggressive one. 

Or maybe the DC who couldn’t coordinate the front and back end last year despite that job duty being in his title got some help from the guy who’s defense he copied in the first place. 
 

Lack of talent isn’t an excuse to not match up your defense. Your defenders may not get to where they need to be or make the play, but that doesn’t excuse starting them out of position or running coverages ill suited to what the front is trying to do on a given play.

So Sark invites Patterson on down, revamps our safety play and suggests that we institute tighter coverage.  

Im sympathetic to PK having a staff forced on him, but the inability to have Lake making things right for his secondary was telling.  
 

I don’t buy into the “maybe our coaches figured out on their own narrative” when a long time defensive legend shows up to help. I suppose maybe he’s just collecting a check and cutting records, but I doubt it.

 

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46 minutes ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Or maybe the DC who couldn’t coordinate the front and back end last year despite that job duty being in his title got some help from the guy who’s defense he copied in the first place. 
 

Lack of talent isn’t an excuse to not match up your defense. Your defenders may not get to where they need to be or make the play, but that doesn’t excuse starting them out of position or running coverages ill suited to what the front is trying to do on a given play.

So Sark invites Patterson on down, revamps our safety play and suggests that we institute tighter coverage.  

Im sympathetic to PK having a staff forced on him, but the inability to have Lake making things right for his secondary was telling.  
 

I don’t buy into the “maybe our coaches figured out on their own narrative” when a long time defensive legend shows up to help. I suppose maybe he’s just collecting a check and cutting records, but I doubt it.

 

   This right here. The looks we were in looked very Pattersonish, thus me dropping the photo upthread. We looked schematically sound, which we didn't last year. I will say this again, defense is about effort and want to. Kids know what is being called against what. Many a huddle across America has kids rolling their eyes at the call coming in. If you are calling bad plays consistently you will see the effort level drop. Now, should it be like that? No. Humans are gonna human though. Kids also know who coaches are, and like it or not respect them more based on their reputation. So it is no surprise to me that all the sudden guys who weren't putting forth great effort are suddenly doing so when the guy known for getting high school no-namers to the league is now on the 40.

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31 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I don't care if it's PK or GP, nor do I care that it was ULM -- the tackling angles and basic technique were better.  That doesn't mean we're gonna hold 'bama to 30, nor is it automatically the end of the world if we don't.

Bama’s a nice “where are we at game.”  I fully expect them to beat us by 21. Lees if they’re off and we get hot, and vice versa. 
 

ULM wasn’t going to challenge our players much, but our defense often looked like a superior defense should against an overmatched opponent. They were in position and stifling most of the time, and we didn’t exactly empty the playbook to do it. 
 

It passed the eyeball test, which is not something I’ve been able to say much in the last decade for that side of the ball. 

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Brockermeyer was really bad. He was responsible for most of the yards on their TD drive. I.e. about a third of their yards on the day. Poor instincts and limited athleticism are a bad combo. Unfortunately, Ford isn't that much better. I'm not sure how he is ahead of Richardson, who looked pretty good. Hell, Jett Bush looked better than Ford. Ford was often in the right spot and just couldn't finish the tackle (as opposed to Brockermeyer being completely out of the play).

You dudes just bring me back in.

On the TD run, the problem is first and foremost Richardson. He engages no one. He along with the safety are playing a WR screen that wasn’t even part of the offensive plan. There is only one of 3 guys that even participates yet he’s the one called out. Does Brock need to make the play? Sure.

On that play, we have two guys covering the same gap. Richardson doesn’t see the ball and in fact turns his damn back to it. If he reads the play, he’s got a solo tackle at or near the LOS. Or at worst case, he provides enough force so that Brock does get there. Tapp does a poor job too. The RB is running right at Turner-Gooden. So order of priority of failure is Richardson, LTG then Brock/Tapp.

Go back and watch it now.

Also on the pass play that is Brock’s fault who the hell knows. But a DB did miss a tackle that resulted in about 30 extra yards.


I’ve watched last years games a shit ton. And after that Ford is not a better player. He’s just fucking not. You assholes would rather see a guy not get near the play than see him get close but not make it. Ford is not consistently better at taking on blocks, at staying on his feet, at getting off blocks, at finishing tackles, at finding his drop zone, at play recognition or at helping his teammates make plays. Last week I watched the WVU game again. Brock’s last of the season and next to last of the season to see how Ford “improved.” Ford wasn’t better and the team results were not better when Brock wasn’t on the field.

Last year the Dline was probably #1 or #2 along with DBs tackling people for the defensive issues. 2 missed tackles last night out of the DBs. DMO had 13 tackles and 1.5 TFLs in game 1 last year against a vastly superior team. Sorrell, Coburn and Ojomo may have all played better last night than any Dline guy last year. They caused more havoc and kept LBers cleaner. It is and always has been about the guys upfront. If you want Overshown to keep making plays, don’t let him get beat to hell. Comparing game 1s year over year, the ILBs were more productive last year than this year. This isn’t particularly noticeable when the Dline is dominating.
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On 9/4/2022 at 1:54 PM, BrazilHorn said:

Seeing Brockermeyer come in at end of game and make his “take a bad angle then dive at disappearing feet of RB” move as ULM ran right up middle just makes me so happy he is 3rd string this year.  

I can’t wait til we get to the point that players like him are 2nd team scout team defense 

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32 minutes ago, Had Enough said:


You dudes just bring me back in.

On the TD run, the problem is first and foremost Richardson. He engages no one. He along with the safety are playing a WR screen that wasn’t even part of the offensive plan. There is only one of 3 guys that even participates yet he’s the one called out. Does Brock need to make the play? Sure.

On that play, we have two guys covering the same gap. Richardson doesn’t see the ball and in fact turns his damn back to it. If he reads the play, he’s got a solo tackle at or near the LOS. Or at worst case, he provides enough force so that Brock does get there. Tapp does a poor job too. The RB is running right at Turner-Gooden. So order of priority of failure is Richardson, LTG then Brock/Tapp.

Go back and watch it now.

Also on the pass play that is Brock’s fault who the hell knows. But a DB did miss a tackle that resulted in about 30 extra yards.


I’ve watched last years games a shit ton. And after that Ford is not a better player. He’s just fucking not. You assholes would rather see a guy not get near the play than see him get close but not make it. Ford is not consistently better at taking on blocks, at staying on his feet, at getting off blocks, at finishing tackles, at finding his drop zone, at play recognition or at helping his teammates make plays. Last week I watched the WVU game again. Brock’s last of the season and next to last of the season to see how Ford “improved.” Ford wasn’t better and the team results were not better when Brock wasn’t on the field.

Last year the Dline was probably #1 or #2 along with DBs tackling people for the defensive issues. 2 missed tackles last night out of the DBs. DMO had 13 tackles and 1.5 TFLs in game 1 last year against a vastly superior team. Sorrell, Coburn and Ojomo may have all played better last night than any Dline guy last year. They caused more havoc and kept LBers cleaner. It is and always has been about the guys upfront. If you want Overshown to keep making plays, don’t let him get beat to hell. Comparing game 1s year over year, the ILBs were more productive last year than this year. This isn’t particularly noticeable when the Dline is dominating.

Looks like Richardson and the Star are Blitzing and the line is slanting. Tapp doesn’t slant and leaving Richardson and Tapp  in the same gap. Luke is late to fill. ULM is running an RPO with screen action that moves Gooden and Richardson sees it and peels off. Luke needs to see the play, but I am guessing the main culprit is Tapp missing the call. That is my best guess, I hate trying to figure out shit defense 

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Looks like Richardson and the Star are Blitzing and the line is slanting. Tapp doesn’t slant and leaving Richardson and Tapp  in the same gap. Luke is late to fill. ULM is running an RPO with screen action that moves Gooden and Richardson sees it and peels off. Luke needs to see the play, but I am guessing the main culprit is Tapp missing the call. That is my best guess, I hate trying to figure out shit defense 

Yeah, it’s always hard to know responsibilities.

If Tapp was supposed to go inside, then it’s on him. Richardson and LTG have to see the ball though. Not sure what causes Richardson to react as he does. He can’t see the IWR action and the QB isn’t leading him that way either. In fact the QB opens up the other way so there really is no excuse for Richardson. Brock can’t just fly out of there cause the RB could go either way. His mistake was jacking with the blocker.

The ball went to the side with 3 defenders and only 2 blockers. As you said, two dudes, one gap. Some of those here may like that, but it ain’t preferable. That was the issue.
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It's not clear at all what Richardson is doing there.  If we are supposed to be doing a Rip stunt with Tapp slanting inside, it maybe makes sense.  My money is on Richardson being lost.

Tapp shouldn't be getting shoved 3 yds out of position either way.  Being in your gap is kind of useless without keeping the defensive structure intact.  If he's playing the edge, he needs to squeeze that B gap down to a phone booth.  The same could be said about the DT to a lesser degree.  He's upright, hardly engaging and would have been shoved to the ground if other bodies weren't there to keep him upright.  That's a huge hole they are leaving behind.

I'm not sure Brock did anything wrong besides not being athletic enough.

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  • blacklab changed the title to Hey PK -- Keep the Sacks and Turnovers Comin' !!!
  • immamac changed the title to Hey PK -- What would you say you do here?

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