Cowboys DC Mike Nolan & Multiple Front Defense

xwalker · Jul 19, 2020

Before I get to the Mike Nolan specifics, I want to ask a question:

What would you call this defense?

What would you call the defensive scheme if they ran this formation as their base run downs defense?

Kaiser · Jul 19, 2020

The 4-4? The hybrid nickel/dime that comes to 7.5 cents?

What's the answer?

Techsass · Jul 19, 2020

???
Kind of a weird Offensive formation. Looks like 2 TEs and 2 RBs and the WR is right up close to everybody else. I'm not sure what the D is trying to prevent most.

LACowboysFan1 · Jul 19, 2020

It's a 3-4. Regardless of how the other players line up, if you have 3 linemen with their hand on the ground, it's a 3-4. Where the linebackers line up, or the dbs line up, is just a variation of the theme. Probable blitz package with one linebacker and one db showing blitz. May not come of course, but that's just what the quarterback has to decide...

DuncanIso · Jul 19, 2020

xwalker said:
Before I get to the Mike Nolan specifics, I want to ask a question:

What would you call this defense?

What would you call the defensive scheme if they ran this formation as their base run downs defense?

looks like 3-4 cover 1 man

Ranching · Jul 19, 2020

xwalker said:
Before I get to the Mike Nolan specifics, I want to ask a question:

What would you call this defense?

What would you call the defensive scheme if they ran this formation as their base run downs defense?

I used to call that 0-3 Hard Stud, back in 2004 and 2005. 0 shade, 5 and 9 on the strong side and 3, 5 and 9 on the back side. It was an adjustment out of our 31 front.

Techsass · Jul 19, 2020

Ranching said:
I used to call that 0-3 Hard Stud, back in 2004 and 2005. 0 shade, 5 and 9 on the strong side and 3, 5 and 9 on the back side. It was an adjustment out of our 31 front.

And what was it best at preventing? Would you use it on obvious passing downs?

Ranching · Jul 19, 2020

Techsass said:
And what was it best at preventing? Would you use it on obvious passing downs?

We saw a lot of slot T and I sets back them most spread teams were trying to run the ball back then. We had top 5 ranked defenses in the State those two years, 5 all state players. We could have run any front! Lol

Techsass · Jul 19, 2020

Ranching said:
We saw a lot of slot T and I sets back them most spread teams were trying to run the ball back then. We had top 5 ranked defenses in the State those two years, 5 all state players. We could have run any front! Lol

Obviously the coaching mattered, but I bet it was fun for you to have that kind of talent to play with.

Ranching · Jul 19, 2020

Techsass said:
Obviously the coaching mattered, but I bet it was fun for you to have that kind of talent to play with.

I had a RB that averaged over 10 yards a carry. Those were great years. Ranked in the top 10 in the state with our 06 and 07 teams. Now I'm getting nostalgic!

Ranching · Jul 19, 2020

Techsass said:
Obviously the coaching mattered, but I bet it was fun for you to have that kind of talent to play with.

I had a group of parents come to my office once and said that I should start the back ups and then put the starters in after halftime to make the games interesting! Lol! That was wild!

Techsass · Jul 19, 2020

Ranching said:
I had a group of parents come to my office once and said that I should start the back ups and then put the starters in after halftime to make the games interesting! Lol! That was wild!

You'd be fired for sitting ANY starters for even a couple of series around here. Winning seems more important to some of the parents than to the teams. (EDIT: I have never talked to any kid that acted indifferent as to whether they won or lost)

Whyjerry · Jul 19, 2020

xwalker said:
Before I get to the Mike Nolan specifics, I want to ask a question:

What would you call this defense?

What would you call the defensive scheme if they ran this formation as their base run downs defense?

This looks like a 3-3-5 begging to get run over by a good back defense. It also looks like a defense that will get shredded by a back that doesn’t go down on first contact and a secondary that will be banged up in the second half.

The strength of this defense is the front 7 so all this talk of hybrid this and mumbo jumbo that it better feature that front 7 talent.

Mike Nolan is 60. He had been around a long time. His family reputation and experience gets him jobs but this guy is no revolutionary Defensive genius. His last DC stop in ATL was a disaster. Dallas knows this. Thank God they got George Edwards here to bring that Mike Zimmer magic.

Zimmer is not a hybrid mumbo jumbo guy. His defenses are base 4-3s that play aggressive, physical, they tackle, and make few mistakes. All world discipline wherever he coaches up a defense. Let’s all hope that’s the defense and not hybrid this and that.

AsthmaField · Jul 19, 2020

It looks like a 34 with the two OLBs up on the line of scrimmage at first glance but in a base 34 you have a 0 tech DT (NT) and two 5 tech DE’s. Here the two DT’s are lined up more like a 43 defense at the 1 and 3 tech spots. The DE (in a 3 point stance) is lined up more like a 43 would than a 34, really.

You could say that looks like a 43 defense with only one of the DEs with his hand in the dirt, the other DE in a two point stance and a LB on the LOS opposite the two point stance DE.

so I’d call it a variation of a 43 base defense.

Cowboyny · Jul 20, 2020

It's a 3-4 formation, with corners playing press man coverage. One safety on his half of the field is reading run, the other safety is playing over the top coverage.

Portnoy1 · Jul 20, 2020

Ranching said:
I used to call that 0-3 Hard Stud, back in 2004 and 2005. 0 shade, 5 and 9 on the strong side and 3, 5 and 9 on the back side. It was an adjustment out of our 31 front.

Wait, what? Am I seeing a defensive play call. That's awesome!!!!! Everyone only cares about the offense. That's why I loved the XFL, you get to hear the defensive coordinators and get an idea of what things mean.

gimmesix · Jul 20, 2020

Whyjerry said:
This looks like a 3-3-5 begging to get run over by a good back defense. It also looks like a defense that will get shredded by a back that doesn’t go down on first contact and a secondary that will be banged up in the second half.

The strength of this defense is the front 7 so all this talk of hybrid this and mumbo jumbo that it better feature that front 7 talent.

Mike Nolan is 60. He had been around a long time. His family reputation and experience gets him jobs but this guy is no revolutionary Defensive genius. His last DC stop in ATL was a disaster. Dallas knows this. Thank God they got George Edwards here to bring that Mike Zimmer magic.

Zimmer is not a hybrid mumbo jumbo guy. His defenses are base 4-3s that play aggressive, physical, they tackle, and make few mistakes. All world discipline wherever he coaches up a defense. Let’s all hope that’s the defense and not hybrid this and that.

I don't think it is. It appears to be a 3-4 alignment. You've got three linemen with their hands on the ground, a standup LB/DE at right end, a linebacker up at the line of scrimmage on the left side over the tight end and two other linebackers in the middle. There are only four DBs.

Portnoy1 · Jul 20, 2020

Ranching said:
I used to call that 0-3 Hard Stud, back in 2004 and 2005. 0 shade, 5 and 9 on the strong side and 3, 5 and 9 on the back side. It was an adjustment out of our 31 front.

Okay, so let me see if I can decipher this (I probably should have messaged you instead of looking like an idiot of I get this wrong). 0-3 hard stud. The 0 and 3 represent the 3 lineman 0 tech and 2 3 techs, the hard stud is the pressure, and it's man across the board?

Ranching · Jul 20, 2020

Portnoy1 said:
Okay, so let me see if I can decipher this (I probably should have messaged you instead of looking like an idiot of I get this wrong). 0-3 hard stud. The 0 and 3 represent the 3 lineman 0 tech and 2 3 techs, the hard stud is the pressure, and it's man across the board?

I had my own terminology. Yes, 0-3 was where my DTs lined up, 0 shade and 3 tech. The Hard was my SLB at a 9 and Stud was my Sniper at a weak side 9. I had three different snipers with over 22 sacks in a season and all three were all state players.

shabazz · Jul 20, 2020

I'm gonna go with, Porous.

Cowboys DC Mike Nolan & Multiple Front Defense

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Fat, drunk and stupid is no way to go through life

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