Dustin Easton, Fort Wayne, Ind.: What is the biggest change that we will see with Gus Bradley’s defense versus Matt Eberflus?
JJ Stankevitz: The easy, surface-level answer is the Colts will switch from primarily playing versions of Cover-2 to primarily playing versions of Cover-3. Bradley’s Raiders led the NFL in Cover-3 snaps in 2021, per Pro Football Focus – but the Colts were 17th in Cover 3-snaps, so it’s not like Eberflus never played it. The Raiders played the second-fewest Cover-2 snaps last year, while the Colts under Eberflus played the 10th-most.
But there’s a lot more that’ll go on beneath the surface, and perhaps some wrinkles to what Bradley has become known for since his “Hawk 3” defense sparked the Legion of Boom era in Seattle.
“I think there’s probably a perception out there that, hey, we’re Cover-3, it’s the exact same thing that we did in Seattle, but it’s really evolved,” Bradley said. “What we did back then, compared to what we do now, you’re always trying to stay a year ahead or two years ahead of the opponent. It’s forced us to adjust and develop some new concepts in the back end.
“I’m really excited about that part of it. We’ve had great feedback from our players and our coaches putting it in. That part of it, I think maybe doesn’t look as familiar. We’re still aggressive on the perimeter, affecting the quarterback, taking the ball away, all of those principles are very similar to what we did in Seattle. Some of the scheme things, you’re going to see some different things.”
One change you’ll definitely notice is the Colts’ defensive ends playing an attacking “Wide 9” technique – meaning they’ll line up well outside the tackle’s outside shoulder, and if there’s a tight end on that side of the offensive formation, outside the tight end’s outside shoulder, too. The Colts’ defensive line in Bradley’s scheme is coached to penetrate and attack the quarterback, and the goal is to produce a pass rush that can consistently effect and sack opposing…
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