Harrison Smith Will Show Out in New Scheme
Vikings fans will witness the first major shift in the defensive scheme since the hiring of Mike Zimmer. Ed Donatell’s defense will change the look and feel of the defense. There is one player who is going to show out, Harrison Smith.
Donatell’s scheme creates complex coverages for quarterbacks to read. It does so through an “illusion of complexity.” All the illusion means is that there will be minor movements in the fronts and coverages at the snap. These movements create a situation where the quarterback believed the defense was running one coverage but then changes moments before or after the snap.
Harrison Smith is one of the best at disguising these movements. He routinely runs up to the line of scrimmage then runs back to the deep part of the field. Or he appears to be playing deep before he comes screeching up to the line of scrimmage to blitz the quarterback. However, it’s not just that he does that. It’s about how he can do it without tipping the quarterback off.
How Donatell Creates Complexity
Donatell’s defense stems from the Vic Fangio tree. This defensive scheme utilizes a lot of 3-4 fronts and relies on the cornerbacks to play in single coverage frequently. However, in the NFL, you cannot simply line up in base coverage and expect to win. NFL offenses are too good at taking advantage of simple coverages. How do defenses counteract this?
The defense requires creating an illusion of complexity in coverage by rotating defenders. For example, the defense before the snap might be showing a 2-High shell. Then, moments before the snap or at the snap, one of the deep safeties will move down to the box. The safety movement requires the quarterback to read this movement in fractions of a second and then throw the ball to the appropriate player.
However, for the offense, it’s not that easy. The play called might be intended to beat a 2-high shell. Suddenly, the defense is in Cover-1 robber, and the play the offense called is designed to be thrown over the middle. The rotating safety is now the “robber” and in position to make a play on the ball.
This is just one example of how a safety rotation can drastically alter where the quarterback will throw the ball. There are other variations, such as showing Cover-1 with a safety in the box and then rotating into Cover-6 or 4, etc. However, none of that matters if you cannot disguise the rotation. That’s where Harrison Smith comes into play.
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What is Harrison Smith’s Role?
Harrison Smith is one of the best safeties in the game, regardless of his age. Although he has lost some speed as he has aged, one thing he has not lost is his ability to disguise his coverage. Opposing quarterbacks and coaches, like Aaron Rodgers and Bill Belichick, praise (hate) his ability to disguise the play. This attribute is the reason why he is so good.
Ed Donatell is excited to work with Harrison. That shouldn’t surprise anyone because of the way Donatell wants to run his coverages. While both safeties will be required to rotate and disguise, Harrison Smith will play the role of rotating safety more often than not. The new coverage scheme will allow Harrison to do what he is best at – confuse opposing quarterbacks and make plays on the ball.
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