Cody Alexander

4 Aug 2025

Tired of surface-level analysis? Go beyond the broadcast & understand the game deeper. For coaches wanting to win & fans seeking the why, MatchQuarters is your defensive think tank. MQ provides detailed breakdowns that turn complex football ideas into clear, actionable insights. Link below. --

The Bears ran double-mug alignments 12 times versus the Patriots, leading the league in Week 7. Currently, the Bears rank third in usage and EPA/play in this presentation. Dennis Allen made a concerted effort to use double-mugs against the Patriots (second in usage). ...

But it wasn't just max blitzes; he mixed the pressures up and the coverages behind them. In the clip, Chicago runs a Safety five-man pressure. ...

matchquarters.comThe Bears' Cross-Dog "Eyes" BlitzThis breakdown explores the anatomy of the Bears' creative Cross-Dog blitz and its unique "Eyes" coverage component.

Learn more about Dennis Allen's defensive scheme and blitz creativity, only on MatchQuarters. www.matchquarters.com/p/chicago-be... —

Dennis Allen always has a new "designer" pressure each week, built on foundational schemes. The picture may be different, but the pressure path is typically a best practice. Against the Patriots, the Bears used a two-off-the-edge concept that sent the Nickel and Strong Safety (Shake). ...

The all-up alignment forces max protection, and the pressure puts two defenders on the TE. Even if all but four defenders drop out, the defense still has a +1 advantage on the block. Chicago ran this pressure twice. ...

matchquarters.comThe Defensive Pivot That Saved the Bears SeasonHow Dennis Allen used "Chucky" & "Star Cat" blitzes to ambush Green Bay. A film study on the calculated aggression that attacked Jordan Love.

Learn more about Allen's pressure schemes, only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/bears-pack... —

Al Golden has evolved Cincinnati’s defense by pairing heavy Cover 1 usage with a unique pivot to rotational split-field shells (C6/8). In Base, Golden calls Cover 6 (QQH) with a boundary "Fist" check (2-Man) to wall the run, layer the intermediate, and bracket early-down play-action shots. ...

In Nickel, he flips to Cover 8 (HQQ) to roll Cover 2 over the Nickel (D. Hill), capping the Slot while the backside Safety plays "poach." The Bengals were dead last in Slot DVOA in '25. Structure protects the DBs; rotation kills the early down play-action. ...

matchquarters.comAl Golden’s Cover 6 PivotHow the Bengals built an elite two-high ceiling over an aggressive Cover 1 floor

My breakdown on Al Golden’s evolution is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/al-golden-... --

The Bears had a 61% Pressure Rate (3rd-best this week), 2 sacks, and 8 unblocked pressures. Dennis Allen's full menu of all-up pressures was on full display against the Patriots. In the clip, Chicago runs man coverage, dropping the boundary Safety into the Post. ...

The double-mug forces the RB into the interior, where the TE defender drops to the TE, leaving him with no one to block. That leaves no one for the Nickel to the field off the edge. The DE to the bottom and the Ni meet at the QB. ...

matchquarters.comBears “All-Up” Pressures vs. Jalen HurtsHow TJ Edwards Stole Passing Lanes With Interior Vision Drops

Chicago is currently 7th in PFF's Pass Rush Production (PRP) when blitzing (10th on all downs). Learn more about Dennis Allen's all-up schemes, only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/bears-all-... —

The Green Bay defense does something no other NFL defense does on film. Instead of rotating from two-high shells into Cover 3, Jonathan Gannon flips his disguises, moving from closed to open post coverages. ...

Against the Cowboys, the Packers paired "Nail" and "Sand" B-gap pressures with shifts into Quarters and Cover 6 (QQH) to disrupt slide protection and confuse Dak Prescott. Pressure speeds up the clock; disguise creates doubt. ...

matchquarters.comPackers Pair B-Gap Pressure With Inverted DisguisesInside the B-gap pressures and closed-to-open rotations that forced two Dak Prescott interceptions and cratered his passer rating to 20.6.

My film clinic on Jonathan Gannon’s disorienting defensive approach is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/gannon-b-g... --

By moving single-high looks into split-field shells, Evan Williams could poach Digs from near the line of scrimmage, cratering Dak Prescott to a 20.6 rating and leading to critical interceptions. ...

When the Bengals are in their Base defense, the preferred split-field coverage is Cover 6 (QQH), but that "flips" when Cincinnati switches to its Nickel package. In Nickel, Al Golden calls Cover 8 (HQQ), rolling Cover 2 over Dax Hill (Ni) while the backside Safety plays a "poach" technique. ...

The Half Safety capps routes to the field, while the Quarters Safety backstops anything working across the field and brackets the Slot. Cap the route from depth; let structure protect the slot defender and intermediate. ...

matchquarters.comAl Golden’s Cover 6 PivotHow the Bengals built an elite two-high ceiling over an aggressive Cover 1 floor

Last year the Bengals had the worst Slot WR DVOA. In '26, Golden has made a concerted effort to change that. My clinic on Al Golden’s Cover 8 (& Base Cover 6) is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/al-golden-... --

Todd Monken called Cleveland’s late-game "Mesh Dagger" to counter Baltimore’s Tampa 2 coverage. To pass off the clearout, the backside Safety had to trigger a "Shove" call to relieve Kyle Hamilton as the "middle run-through" (MRT). ...

Without that call, two defenders capped the vertical while Jerry Jeudy broke wide open on the Dig to set up the Browns' win. Static drops fail when communication breaks down on grass and routes are not matched. ...

matchquarters.comWhy Tampa 2 Needs Shove Mechanics vs DaggerHow Cleveland’s 3x1 Mesh-Dagger Concept Manipulated Baltimore’s Middle Pole Runner to Win Week 6

My full clinic on Mesh Dagger vs. Tampa 2 is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/why-tampa-... --

Anthony Campanile helped drive Jacksonville’s defensive turnaround by integrating Brian Flores’ all-up pressure into his base defense. Keeping the DB's eyes anchored on the QB removes quick-game underneath, while an aggressive, gapped-out front eliminates room for run concepts. ...

Pre-snap alignment creates the "panic"; post-snap vision forces the stop. My full breakdown of the Jaguars' defensive schemes and game plan against the Eagles is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/campanile-... --

Open-to-Open rotations are rare in the NFL. One of the coaches who does it more than anyone, though, is the Ravens Jesse Minter. In the clip, Baltimore is showing an all-up Cover 0 pre-snap look. The DBs are 4-for-4 across the back end. ...

Post-snap, the boundary Safety will cut to the middle of the field as the "middle run-through" (MRT). Cleveland attacks the look with a Divide concept. Initially, Watson looks to the isolation on the boundary; that turns into a "triangle" of coverage over Boston. ...

Once he turns the front side, both his outlets are covered, with the MRT taking the deep intermediate. With no options, Watson has to bail and scramble. Learn more about Minter and his DC Anthony Weaver's defenses, only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/minter-spl... --

Heavy 21- and 13-personnel play-action manipulates second-level eye discipline and creates deep intermediate windows behind aggressive run fits. To eliminate early-down exposure without sacrificing box numbers and help his young LBs, Al Golden uses Cover 6 behind Cincinnati's five-man front. ...

With the boundary Edge collapsing the pocket and every downfield window bracketed, the QB is forced into an immediate throwaway or scramble. Build a wall against the run; let structure layer the intermediate. ...

matchquarters.comAl Golden’s Cover 6 PivotHow the Bengals built an elite two-high ceiling over an aggressive Cover 1 floor

My full film breakdown on Al Golden’s Cover 6 evolution is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/al-golden-... --

The five-man rush doesn't compromise the back end's integrity either. The boundary CB runs a 2-Man check to lock down the single receiver, freeing the Cover 2 Safety to climb and bracket the post route with the Quarter Safety while the field Edge plays action-to-coverage to add in on any run. ...

Half-slide protections naturally create a gap between the slide and the locked OT, leaving the B-gap vulnerable to overload paths. To exploit this void against Combo protection, Steve Spagnuolo loves to send two blitzers through the same B-gap. ...

Behind the five-man rush, Kansas City pairs the pressure with Fire Zone coverage vs. 3x1 and split-field "Tango" (Cover 2) coverage vs. 2x2 sets to cap verticals. Overload the gap to isolate the back; rotate the shell to kill the pass concept. ...

matchquarters.comAttacking the B-gaps in Protection with the Kansas City Chiefs.The Chiefs have one of the best pressure packages in the NFL, and their coverages behind them amplify it. One area where they consistently attack is the B-gaps, a critical zone in protection schemes.

My full breakdown of Steve Spagnuolo’s pressure system is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/attacking-... Head to the Resources section for all things Spags. —

With the interior DT working to "face" the Guard and pin the A-gap, the RB must quickly decide who to block, freeing the second rusher to the QB. Here, the Chargers slide to the pressure, but the Guard and RB aren't on the same page, leaving the Safety free to Herbert. ...

It's a copycat league... Last year, the Seahawks' Nail (field) and Sand (boundary) pressures were central to their blitzing game plan. Now, you see the pattern everywhere. Here are two examples from the Cardinals vs. the Rams. The scheme creates a 2-on-1 against most protections. ...

The "Deuce," or modified split-field coverage, caps verticals and layers the intermediate. With no RB in the pass concept, the middle dropper is less necessary. Learn more about these patterns, only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/seahawks-c... --

Cleveland’s game-winner wasn’t a scheme flaw; it was a breakdown in Baltimore’s Tampa 2 execution. With no backside threat, the Safety compressed the field but failed to trigger a "Shove" call to relieve Kyle Hamilton as the "middle run-through" (MRT). ...

That miscommunication put two defenders on a single clearout while Jerry Jeudy’s Dig raced through the intermediate void. Spot drops look clean on paper; route-matching wins on grass. ...

matchquarters.comWhy Tampa 2 Needs Shove Mechanics vs DaggerHow Cleveland’s 3x1 Mesh-Dagger Concept Manipulated Baltimore’s Middle Pole Runner to Win Week 6

My full clinic on the Browns' Mesh Dagger vs. the Ravens' Tampa 2 is only on MatchQuarters: www.matchquarters.com/p/why-tampa-... —

Facing 3rd Down in the Red Zone, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys' offense hunted CeeDee Lamb against perceived man coverage To bait Dak, Jonathan Gannon showed an "all-up" mug presentation before dropping into Quarters behind a four-man rush. ...

With the Safety aligned over Lamb, Prescott assumed single-high coverage, never anticipating Evan Williams working low-to-high from the line of scrimmage as the weak-side "poach" defender. ...

Williams read Dak's eyes straight from the box and snapped into the throwing lane to undercut the Dig for a critical Red Zone interception. Disguise dictates the read; vision creates the turnover. I'll have more on the Packers' game plan on Monday, only on MatchQuarters.com. --

Rather than chasing the league meta of two-high shells that rotate into Cover 3 and Quarters, Al Golden built Cincinnati’s defense around a unique blend of heavy Cover 1 & rotational Cover 6. To protect his secondary and his LBs, Golden calls Cover 6 (QQH) in Base & Cover 8 (HQQ) in Nickel. ...

The front forms an aggressive five-man wall against the run, while the layered backend compresses passing windows, allowing zero split-field touchdowns. Disguise protects the secondary; structure kills the shot. ...