Bears Blitz

Published by Bob Warja on December 7, 2011
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears

Though all defenses employ Cover 2 defenses, the Bears are one of the few teams left in the NFL who use this as their base defense.

However, even the pressure defenses (Jets, Packers, Saints, Steelers, etc.) will use the 2-deep look on Sundays in certain situations.

The conventional Cover 2 defense has both safeties back, with each covering one half of the field. The safeties cover deep, while the two cornerbacks cover the short routes on their side of the field.

It also requires a hard hitting secondary to cause turnovers.

The reason that turnovers are so essential to a base Cove r2 defense is that all positions in this defense place a premium on speed, and often the result is that they are all undersized by league standards.

The defensive linemen in this scheme have to be quick and agile enough to create pressure on the quarterback without the aid of a blitz from either the linebackers or the secondary, with the defensive tackle in the nose position having above-average tackling skills to help stop runs.

Since these players are under-sized, and the defense allows a lot of yardage to be racked up, the Cover 2 defense had better force a turnover, or the opposing offense will score lots of points.

Basically, it’s a “bend but not break” defense. And the turnover is the “not break” part of the equation.

The conventional Cover 2 defense has both safeties back, with each covering one half of the field. The safeties cover deep, while the two cornerbacks cover the short routes on their side of the field

Quarterbacks are figuring out how to beat it, especially if the four defensive linemen can’t consistently pressure the pocket.

But for a team like the Bears, who take the ball away as well as any team in the NFL since head coach Lovie Smith joined the team, the Cover 2 takes away the deep ball and forces offenses to work down the field.

The defense requires a solid middle linebacker who can drop back in coverage, and fortunately for the Bears, they have had one of the best in Brian Urlacher.

Another reason that turnovers are key to success when running a Cover 2 defense is that a perfectly timed seam route to the tight end is a big hole. Slant routes out of three-step drops are another problem. Plus, the continued escalation of slot receivers and pass-catching tight ends are tough challenges.

So, if you allow all that to happen, and not take the ball away, you are asking for trouble.

Former Bears safety Mike Brown may have said it best.

“If you play Cover 2, the offensive team will get yardage,” Brown said. “They can go up the field from 20 to 20. But once you get inside that red zone, Cover 2 is a really solid defense. You’re basically telling the offense, ‘Hey, we’re in this defense. We’re going to get a turnover before you score points. And when you get into the red zone, we’re going make you kick a field goal.’

“Now, it’s not an aggressive defense. People want to see fireworks with blitzing and stuff, and Cover 2 is pretty boring. But schematic-wise, it’s a great defense.”

Naturally, if your defense is not going to get after the QB, then turnovers play a more important role in the defense. Otherwise, QBs with time to throw will march down the field and score.

In the Cover 2, the offense will march down the field, but eventually the turnover will be forced.

But in Chicago, the blitz has always been popular, especially since the Super Bowl winning 1985 Bears would strike fear into an opponent on a regular basis.

To a team like that, a Cover 2 would be considered an unmanly defense.

But teams with talent like that are few and far between, so a more “safe” defense is probably going to be more effective in the long run.

Look, it just makes sense that a defense that is “bending but not breaking” simply has more opportunities to create a turnover. The more offensive plays run, in theory, the better chance an offense has of turning the ball over.

It’s better for a defense to get a turnover than a sack, as a turnover is more game-changing of a play.  

The Cover 2 defense excels at creating these turnovers due to the their speed and the fact that ball strips are emphasized. 

The 4-3 defense also reduces the running lanes. Last year, four of the top five teams in forced fumbles were 4-3 defenses.

The unfortunate part of Cover 2 is that strips are seen as luck, while sacks are viewed as skill. But if played correctly, the Cover 2 defense is just as effective.

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