49ers film study: 2017 roster fits in Robert Saleh’s nickel defense

Nickel 2-Man vs. 11 Personnel

The 49ers may be a single-high safety team in 2017, but they won’t exclusively utilize single-high looks. The 2016 Jaguars didn’t run a lot of Cover 2, but they did play with two high safeties, on top of man coverage underneath, in some obvious passing situations.

Even though they sometimes end up with two high safeties, they almost always show a single-high look pre-snap, like in our third example against the Detroit Lions:

The Jaguars’ down linemen are in their standard techniques, and the two inside linebackers are threatening a blitz up the middle. The Jaguars have both LEOs on the field, along with a DE and DT, who have flipped positions from the previous two examples:

Even though the Jaguars have 10 men on the line of scrimmage and only two corners in apparent man coverage, they are playing 2-Man; a version of man defense with two safeties over the top.

The distance the nickel CB and inside linebackers are from their respective receivers requires significant defender speed in order to make up ground after the snap:

However, the defenders are assisted by the Man-2 coverage scheme that requires them to play “trail-man” coverage, which positions them inside and slightly behind the receivers who run vertical routes.

The two high safeties hope quarterback Matt Stafford is baited into throwing over the top of a streaking receiver, allowing the safeties to break on the ball for a potential interception:

The 49ers line up with Ward single-high before the snap, and Reid quickly rushing back to the second deep-safety position. On the front, the Niners line up with Armstead and Lynch on the outside, and Thomas and Buckner inside.