Der Jaeger
Generational EBUG
Bowles plays a mentally complex system designed to make quarterbacks take a bit longer in the post snap reads. Early down lighter front sevens designed to take away the pass on early downs. Players are in positions to confuse the QB as opposed to show the QB what's coming.Hmmm...anyone with more knowledge of defensive systems want to chime in on what philosophies may being changing?
Bowles had a 3-4 with Tampa but basically played 2-4 most of the time. Not much of a difference from a formation stand point. But he did his edges dropping and the nickel and safeties blitzing.... but mostly still just rushing 4. He used to blitz around 35% of the time but has since went to more 4 man rushes with a LB/DB blitzer and a edge dropping, so it's not really a blitz in a classic way.
Bowles also used 3 safeties instead of a classic nickel. Winfield was his nickel. He moved Winfield from a single high cover 1 FS to nickel.
As far as safeties go, Bowles likes to show 2 high safeties but ran cover 1 or cover 3 about 2/3 of the time. His safeties have to be able to play cover 2, cover 1 as the single high, or down in one of the middle / flat zones.
So, basically a lot of pre-snap false reads which end up mostly with a single high safety, and cover 2 about a third of the time. But he evolves so we'll see.
Last edited: