Seems like we haven't been able to play press coverage against Indy since the days of Ty Law, and that
if we can't do that on Sunday, we may lose again. Please cheer me up. If we can't play press coverage
and throw off their timing, why else will we win on Sunday?
Actually the success BBs defenses have had against Manning was predicated on zone defense.
While we may jam receivers at the line, its not press coverage, but a zone that often has corners, nickels, dimes, playing underneath zones, and safeties playing over the top.
The difference being in press coverage you are jamming the receiver then playing man, where BB s most effective schemes have been zone coverage that can include a jam, then dorpoff into zone.
Most of the coverages that 'confused' Manning and created picks were where a DB in an underneth zone (that Manning wasn't expecting) undercut the route.
Its very different to expose a corner to a jam then man coverage than to ask him to jam before dropping off into an underneath zone.
Technically it's an offshoot of a cover2. In a cover 2 you have 2 deep safeties, with the MLB covering the deep 1/3rd, while the LBs and corner cover the underneath quarters (or 3rds if you send 4 rushers) but in this scheme (in this example from a nickel base) you have 3 deep safeties and one corner with LBs and a corner and nickel playing underneath. The underneath DBs are playing the outside 1/4 or 1/5th of the field, and when the read there is no short outlet, they get depth to disrupt and undercut the deeper throw, or in some cases are pretty much doubling in the deep 1/3rd.
Manning sees 3 deep coverage, expect the rest of the defenders to drop to the 8-10 yard curl zone, and attachs it like a cover 2,where the softest spot is 12-18 yards downfield at the sideline, but what really happens is you end up with over/under coverage on that route in that area by 2 DBs.
We won't and I dont remember us ever playing very much bump and run, or press coverage against the Colts.