OLB/SS Franklin, Chinn and the BIG NICKEL

[MHS831]

I found this to be a bit of a curious choice---a 210 lb LB and SS.  From what I can gather, he runs in the 4.5-4.6 range.  I found this:

Draft Diamonds' Damond Talbot writes that Temple senior LB Sam Franklin "[h]as extreme burst on a blitz or attacking the run."

Talbot notes that the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Franklin "[p]lays hard, has a nonstop motor & plays with a little nasty." The linebacker began his career with the Owls as a defensive back before shifting over to his current position. That experience in coverage shows, with Talbot writing that Franklin's "coverage skills are something that stands out" on film. The senior finished the past season having registered 63 tackles (7.0 for loss), three sacks, an interception and a fumble forced. He should benefit from having had a full offseason of continued development at linebacker as he looks to blip onto the NFL radar.

Ok, if you want this to make a ton of sense, imagine having players who can play the run AND cover the slot WR.  These guys (Franklin, Chinn) can.  So exactly what is the big nickel and why (and when) is it used?

Basically, instead of having 3 CB’s and 2 Safeties, teams flip it and have 2 CB’s and 3 Safeties on the field.  What this says to an opposing offensive coordinator is “we are gonna play nickel defense against your 11 personnel group, but we will not hand you the running game on a platter”.

The 2 positives of playing big nickel are

1: getting the Sam LB out of the game.  He is typically the worst pass defender, so he’s a liability in the pass game, and he can’t carry the TE (Y) on deep over routes unless he’s an All-Pro-caliber Sam LB.

2: This is hedging the bet against the run game by putting a 3rd safety in the game. This is a guy who does not mind becoming a box player if he reads run.  He also is a better candidate to blitz than a CB would be.

Teams that play “Big Nickel” will typically play it on normal Down & Distance (where the threat of the run is greater) and on 3rd & Long will look to play “Regular Nickel” or just straight up “Dime” (6 DB’s) defense.

However, there is a bit of a downside to playing “Big Nickel”. Typical 3rd Safeties are not going to be able to cover a regular S (slot) receiver man to man. They can get eaten alive by guys like Cole Beasley on shallow crosses and all the quick game routes these types of receivers will run.

  (Chinn and Franklin, apparently, can cover the slot WR, play the box, and blitz.  Expect to see this defense a lot.)

I am learning this, so I thought I would share--this info made me understand the Franklin move, the Chinn move, etc.

[Panthera onca]

If those two really can cover the slot receivers effectively, that will be a huge advantage for our D. Interesting info, thanks for posting.

[MHS831]

3 minutes ago, Panthera onca said:

If those two really can cover the slot receivers effectively, that will be a huge advantage for our D. Interesting info, thanks for posting.

I hope so too. We shall see--until they prove it, I will hold my breath.

[TheSpecialJuan]

24 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

I found this to be a bit of a curious choice---a 210 lb LB and SS.  From what I can gather, he runs in the 4.5-4.6 range.  I found this:

Draft Diamonds' Damond Talbot writes that Temple senior LB Sam Franklin "[h]as extreme burst on a blitz or attacking the run."

Talbot notes that the 6-foot-3, 210-pound Franklin "[p]lays hard, has a nonstop motor & plays with a little nasty." The linebacker began his career with the Owls as a defensive back before shifting over to his current position. That experience in coverage shows, with Talbot writing that Franklin's "coverage skills are something that stands out" on film. The senior finished the past season having registered 63 tackles (7.0 for loss), three sacks, an interception and a fumble forced. He should benefit from having had a full offseason of continued development at linebacker as he looks to blip onto the NFL radar.

Ok, if you want this to make a ton of sense, imagine having players who can play the run AND cover the slot WR.  These guys (Franklin, Chinn) can.  So exactly what is the big nickel and why (and when) is it used?

Basically, instead of having 3 CB’s and 2 Safeties, teams flip it and have 2 CB’s and 3 Safeties on the field.  What this says to an opposing offensive coordinator is “we are gonna play nickel defense against your 11 personnel group, but we will not hand you the running game on a platter”.

The 2 positives of playing big nickel are

1: getting the Sam LB out of the game.  He is typically the worst pass defender, so he’s a liability in the pass game, and he can’t carry the TE (Y) on deep over routes unless he’s an All-Pro-caliber Sam LB.

2: This is hedging the bet against the run game by putting a 3rd safety in the game. This is a guy who does not mind becoming a box player if he reads run.  He also is a better candidate to blitz than a CB would be.

Teams that play “Big Nickel” will typically play it on normal Down & Distance (where the threat of the run is greater) and on 3rd & Long will look to play “Regular Nickel” or just straight up “Dime” (6 DB’s) defense.

However, there is a bit of a downside to playing “Big Nickel”. Typical 3rd Safeties are not going to be able to cover a regular S (slot) receiver man to man. They can get eaten alive by guys like Cole Beasley on shallow crosses and all the quick game routes these types of receivers will run.

  (Chinn and Franklin, apparently, can cover the slot WR, play the box, and blitz.  Expect to see this defense a lot.)

I am learning this, so I thought I would share--this info made me understand the Franklin move, the Chinn move, etc.

Excellent post, thanks for sharing. 

[Proudiddy]

Good post, but I sure hope they got it right this time.  The elusive big/Buffalo nickel has eluded this organization for quite awhile now lol.

[07579394]

Yeah,actually Snow had already ran this mode in Baylor,with some nameless players like Jordan Williams,and still did it well.

Now,we have two beasts of this type LB/DB...Forget about Isaiah Simmons

[Jeremy Igo]

Good stuff. Panthers may have found a real contributor as a UDFA. 

[rmoneyg35]

Great post. I don’t know how much of that you wrote and how much you copied but it was very informative post.

[therealmjl]

Here we go.

The “big nickel” hybrid player that literally never works as well as fans and analysts write it up on paper.

at the end of the day, positionless football doesn’t work in the NFL. Another thing our green coaching staff is going to learn the hard way.

[MHS831]

3 hours ago, Proudiddy said:

Good post, but I sure hope they got it right this time.  The elusive big/Buffalo nickel has eluded this organization for quite awhile now lol.

It has--but they have not really had the personnel--if memory serves me.  Wasn't that what Gaulden was supposed to be? 

[MHS831]

40 minutes ago, rmoneyg35 said:

Great post. I don’t know how much of that you wrote and how much you copied but it was very informative post.

The copied part was in italics.

[MHS831]

1 hour ago, Jeremy Igo said:

Good stuff. Panthers may have found a real contributor as a UDFA. 

When you draft a player totally off the radar like that, it makes you wonder. Thanks

[MHS831]

3 hours ago, 07579394 said:

Yeah,actually Snow had already ran this mode in Baylor,with some nameless players like Jordan Williams,and still did it well.

Now,we have two beasts of this type LB/DB...Forget about Isaiah Simmons

The Isaiah Simmons comment is something I nearly forgot, and I did not realize that Snow ran it a lot at Baylor---I figured he had experience with it.  To think we got Brown, Gross-Matos, and then Chinn---when (at this position) I am not sure who will be better--I think passing on Simmons was the best move.

[Proudiddy]

16 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

It has--but they have not really had the personnel--if memory serves me.  Wasn't that what Gaulden was supposed to be? 

I was gonna say, it has stretched across 2 GMs now...  The first mention of it I heard was from Gettleman when he picked Shaq.  The idea/talk of Shaq as the buffalo has all but disappeared, and what he's done on the field since is probably a big reason.

And then yeah, I remember Hurney talking about using Gaulden in the same role.

I have a feeling we finally cracked it this time though.