Acme Packing Company
Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley continually finds new ways to scheme up pressure in the last two seasons, primarily relying on different ways to rotate to two-deep coverage shell from a single high presentation.
He’s run the tampa-2 invert simulated pressure concept so often that one might think there isn’t any other way he could possibly find a new wrinkle in there. Well, there is. But it comes in the form of a 5-man pressure rather than a simulated pressure.
And Hafley isn’t using Micah Parsons on these play calls to rush the passer. Instead, he’s using Parsons to draw the offensive slide protection away from the free rushers in an attempt to get pressure where the offensive line has less blockers.
We covered hot quarters coverage briefly after the Giants game in week 12, but we covered more of what the coverage was without focusing much on the offensive line slide.
Briefly, “hot quarters” is a four deep/two under coverage and in the recent play calls, the coverage still remains a traditional split safety/2-deep coverage shell but this time has four defenders underneath and two safeties deep.
In the two deep fire zone coverage family, the corners will play “CLEO” or “corner force” to handle perimeter runs as the force player and play the flats with quick passes due to pressure on the quarterback.
Another technique associated with this is “trap” coverage where the corner technique entices the quarterback to throw quick to the flat where the corner will peel and jump the route though it doesn’t appear that’s the Packers corners play here.
The other underneath defenders, usually linebackers, will play hot zones looking for the #2 and #3 receivers underneath (hot to 2 or hot to 3). If the pressure gets home, the linebackers are there to take away the quick passes or get quick tackles.
The defensive front forces the pass protection to declare itself. Defenses know where the offensive line will slide most of the time and have adapted their rush assignments to account for this.
Hafley certainly knows where the offensive line is going to slide the vast majority of the time: to the side where Parsons is parked.
This allows Hafley to get free rushers at the quarterback while Parsons drops underneath to play zone coverage. And the play is only called on third down.
In recent weeks, Hafley has called it on third and long situations, forcing incomplete passes by Jared Goff and Caleb Williams and preventing drives from continuing. In the Bears game, the Bears settled for a field goal.
