doubles coverage

Usually in this space I like to talk about a thing that Michigan did differently to confound their opponent or add to the toolkit. This week, after a game when Harbaugh and his staff thoroughly outclassed Dantonio and his in all three phases, I'd like to discuss a thing Michigan has had in their kit for as long as Don Brown has been here, and how Michigan State came in with a gameplan to defeat it (and yes, how Michigan adjusted and went back to dominating).

That's because so many people were talking before, during, and after this game about Michigan's passing down coverage, what Gus Johnson, Joe Klatt and Urban Meyer were calling "Brackets Coverage" and which Brown, James Light, and this space shall call "Doubles."

Doubles Coverage

Unfortunately the guy who did the best job of explaining how Michigan prefers to defend passing downs was Urban Meyer, right before this game, so let's see what he had to say (I recommend the full video on Fox):

He's simplifying it, Urban's spread offensive mind thinking of it in terms of numbers: more defenders than offensive players over here, and over here, win: defense. But the basic gist of doubles coverage is understandable to every kid who's ever played playground football: play man and use the safeties to double-team two of the most likely receivers:

Even on this level, who gets doubled is the important part; the how they get doubled is getting into the weeds.

[Which we shall, after THE JUMP]