An explanation of Jonathan Gannon's scheme

[KingCorcoran]

And the other half will think he’s running Eberflus’ Tampa defense when it’s absolutely not.

Most of the Zone gets 90% of its knowledge from subject lines of threads and twitter blurbs. I wish we could all do better, me included.

Give me Parker or Leonhard just so we don’t have to hear people misunderstand our defense for an entire season because Bobby Belt and the Fan can’t stop talking about Gannon being on Everflus staff in 2019.

Well, give me Parker or Leonhard because I like them, but since the Zone has been “imprinted” that they are “good” and Gannon is “bad”, it would also simply be less frustrating all the way around, at least when it comes to talking here.

Understood. I can’t say I know what kind of DC Parker, Leonhard, or Gannon is going to be. Obviously Gannon was one and capable enough to get a head coach opportunity. Few Cardinals head coaches have had success in recent years. How much of the issues there are organizational vs. coaching is anyone’s guess. Gannon will end up employed somewhere in football. Putting him behind Parker and Leonhard may or may not be prudent. Fans will be fans.

 

[GORICO]

And if I had a choice between eating crap or mucus… I’d rather starve.

mr TCowboy--- i was watching a wild animal documentary and the wild life agents were trying to figure out why this certain group of Gorillas ate their own poop when they had all they wanted to eat around them?....my dog told me after he vomited and ate his own vomit that he was just waiting for a "warm meal"???....but i personally might go with mucus>>>to each his own i guess

 

[eromeopolk]

https://www.matchquarters.com/p/arizona-cardinals-unique-defense-scheme-2025

The scheme for the Cardinals is unique to them. Jonathan Gannon transitioned to a Fangio-adjacent system when he took over as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator in 2021. One of his key departures from Fango himself was the use of Quarters instead of the Cover 6 (Stuff)/8 system preferred by Fangio.
Gannon worked for Mike Zimmer in Minnesota and then Matt Eberflus (Cowboys DC) in Indianapolis before moving to Philadelphia. Neither one of those coaches is seen as a split-field coach.
Zimmer is multiple, but static, and is known more for his double A-gap pressure package. Eberflus is a traditional 4-3 Cover 3/Tampa coach, again, nothing even close to resembling what the Cardinals are doing now.
The past two years have been defined by the high use of Quarters while utilizing a five-man front. In 2023, the Cardinals led the league in Quarters usage at just over 30%. The defense used the extreme talents of All-Pro Safety Budda Baker, moving him around and placing him in their three-high structure as the Middle Safety. Nickel Garrett Williams' hybrid ability allowed him to morph into a box overhang or deep Safety, depending on the call.
Schematically, the Cardinals were still using their unique three-safety alignment, but were adding more pressure and more disguises. 2024 saw the Cardinals jump to seventh in Blitz Rate (31.8%) and fourth in coverage disguise.

See Mike Zimmer's coaching tree.