Roster Breakdown: Nickel

Me and Pete are breaking down each position group, post-Portal, on the CanesInSight Daily Podcast. On this episode, @Lance Roffers joined us to talk Nickel. A transcript of our discussion is below:

Keionte Scott​

DMoney: Let’s zone in on the nickel position, Lance, I’m not even sure I’m using the right terminology. I may not be. Overhang, apex, nickel, old school strongside linebacker. This position has had so many different iterations. And then you look at the traditional nickel, which we think of as the 5’9 feisty, quicker-than-fast corner that can tackle. And then I look at the Super Bowl and I see #3 (Nick Emmanwori) and the guy’s 6’3, running 4.3, 220-something pounds and doing all that other stuff. Of course, Keionte Scott, great year for us. Just talk about this position, the evolution of it and how it fits into what Coach Hetherman's trying to do.

Lance Roffers: I think you nailed it. The position has continued to evolve just like defensive football has continued to evolve. What you saw 10 years ago, 15 years ago with some of the spread offenses, some of the pace… Saban coming out and saying, "Hey, I’ve got to change, I’ve got to do some of these things differently…" That was the offense kind of moving ahead of what defenses were doing in the past, where things were a little more static.

It used to be the nickel would line up to the passing strength. So what would happen is you have to wait for the offense to line up to identify what’s going to be the passing strength of their formation.

DMoney: Explain that. Passing strength vs. strong side/weak side

Lance Roffers: Old school football is going to use the hashes to determine what’s strong side and what’s weak side or backside. Nowadays, offenses are dictating based on how they want to force the defense to adjust to them. They can align their passing strength into the boundary. In the past, the short side of the field is the boundary, where you’re going to have maybe your X receiver ISO. Then your run strength is to the other side.

DMoney: Where there’s more room to run.

Lance Roffers: Yep, the field side. We talked about Ole Miss running into the boundary because it breaks so many of your rules.

What Miami does with their nickel, they are essentially just aligning it to the boundary side or the field side, whichever one they decide. That means that individual can have responsibilities depending on what the offense is doing.

Now that individual comes in all shapes and sizes and they need to have multiple abilities. You mentioned Nick Emmanwori. That’s the prototype you’re going to see in the NFL, where a guy is basically the size of a linebacker, plays safety, and can cover like a big nickel.

What Miami did with Keonte Scott, and why I was really excited about him even though he was something like the 1,000th-rated portal player, was his specific skill set and what it was able to do for this defense. You could see it on film. He’s feisty, he’s tough, because Hetherman will actually use his nickel in the run fits.

A lot of times in older football, your nickel would be a force player. Stay outside, force it back inside. In Hetherman's defense, he actually inserts the nickel into the fit. Now that individual is responsible for the C gap, outside the tackle. So your nickel has to take on blocks, understand bounce, and tackle.

Another thing Keionte Scott was very good at is blitzing. Hetherman sends them backside or opposite the running back multiple times a game. That individual has to be able to get the quarterback down. Kee was excellent about getting the guy down or at least flushing him a way where he wasn’t able to make a play.

Then he also had ball skills to jump a pass against Ohio State and take it to the house. So all of that in one package is very rare and is what made Scott special for this defense.

DMoney: Keionte Scott was a corner that settled in and fit best at nickel. He had a year where he played outside and struggled. Why would a player who is a corner by trade succeed in the nickel versus the outside?

Lance Roffers: Everything’s happening faster inside. Typically they’re going to lack a little bit of length outside. Offenses have gotten adept at the back-shoulder throws. If an individual doesn’t have the length to interrupt those, they can get eaten up that way. Another is the jump balls. The other main difference is at nickel your eyes are forward more often. Outside, you have to turn and run so much more. It’s finding the ball with your back to it. Those are the main differences.

DMoney: It seemed like his coverage responsibilities leaned more into blitzing and the run as the year went on. Is that something with this position that maybe the pure coverage responsibilities have reduced?

Lance Roffers: You’re relying on your creepers, you’re relying on insert and replace. When you blitz the nickel, you’ve got to replace him. Typically you roll, you bring a linebacker or roll a safety down and over. Keionte Scott had a knack for coming when the quarterback wasn’t able to identify him. And you’re right, his pure coverage responsibilities decreased throughout the year. He was more run fit, blitzer, overhang, responsible for attacking screens, more than just lining up on the slot and following him.

Omar Thornton​

DMoney: Let’s use that to transition to someone who might be Miami’s nickel this coming year, Omar Thornton, the transfer from Boston College. Keionte Scott, a corner that fit best at nickel. With Thornton, a lot of people thought safety for him and he ended up playing all over at Boston College. I think he’s more of the safety type of athlete playing nickel than Keionte Scott. How does that profile fit in Hetherman's defense?

Lance Roffers: He’s more of a big nickel. You can utilize him as an overhang close to the line of scrimmage, like a press-type nickel where you’ve got a safety over the top for seam verticals. Then you use his physicality and insert him in the fit more than you did Keionte Scott.

You’re going to lose a little in the coverage movement skills. You’re going to gain a little in being an enforcer, a banger at that position. His ability to blitz is right on par with Keionte Scott.

Dylan Day​

DMoney: Pete sent me a text yesterday about someone we’ve been slotting in at safety getting a look at nickel: Dylan Day. Played corner, nickel, safety, receiver in high school, mostly safety here, still has some corner skill and he’s physical.

Peter Ariz: I’m hearing Day is going to get an extended look at nickel during the spring. He’s been a special teams monster. Some of the blitzing stuff… we projected him as a future nickel. Lance, what do you think about his skill set fitting there?

Lance Roffers: Players improve each year. When Dylan Day first got here, he was a predator type, a see it, hit it player. He’s got the physicality part.

The projection is the responsibilities. At nickel you’ve got to identify when you have the C gap, when you’re overhang, when you’re apex, when you’re force, when you’re blitzing, when to blitz, how to blitz. Then you’ve got to finish plays. And you need ball skills.

I need to see growth in instincts, identifying responsibilities, and ball skills. But he absolutely has the skill set. I agree with Pete, I think his best position is nickel. I don’t see him as a typical free safety because safety is instinct and awareness. That’s what made Ed Reed special. Bryce Fitzgerald is a ball-finds-him type. I don’t see that from Dylan Day all the time.

DMoney: One thing with Day, he’s 6’2. How does length help you at nickel?

Lance Roffers: Love length at nickel because of the RPO game. Length closes windows. Like the Texas A&M play Bryce Fitzgerald made, Chase Smith’s length influenced the quarterback’s vision and passing window. Same deal at nickel. An extra inch can be the difference between completion, a fingertip, or an interception.

Damari Brown​

DMoney: Let’s talk nickelcandidates. Start with Damari Brown. 200-plus pounds, looks like he should be in WWE. Physical. Stopping power. The challenge is he wants to prove he’s an outside corner. If he’s willing to play inside, how does he fit?

Lance Roffers: That’s my guy. I think Damari Brown is a prototype nickel in this defense with his size, physicality, length, ability to press. He can match up with tight ends. He’s got quicks to close.

The issue is the perception. Keionte Scott is not a guaranteed first-round pick because he’s not a boundary corner. Nickel has been viewed as a guy who can’t play outside.

Peter Ariz: That grade carries with you. You get second, third, fourth opportunities even if you weren’t very good if you were a former first-round pick.

DMoney: If he does both, shows he can play outside and inside, that versatility improves value. If I could mold a guy on the roster into the nickel, it’s Damari Brown if he’s got the mindset.

Lance Roffers: Yeah, and I’m talking football character, not off-field. If he buys in, that’s the best fit to me.

Chris Ewald​

DMoney: Chris Ewald is a guy we need to mention. If he doesn’t get hurt last year, he would have played on defense. Smart, well-coached Broward kid, covered guys like Jeremiah Smith in high school. He’s got decent height and long arms. I think weight and sturdiness are the big things because nickel is closer to the action.

Ryan Mack​

DMoney: Ryan Mack, son of Rod Mack, ascended at the Under Armour game, covered some of the best receivers, stock jumped. Been banged up pretty much the entire time, but he has talent. Fits that corner-type nickel profile more than the dominant run defender, blitzer type.

Lance Roffers: Mack was the number one corner with OJ Frederique on his team. People forget. He’s got a lot of talent.

Ja'Boree Antoine​

Peter Ariz: Ja'Boree Antoine is going to play somewhere. They’ve got big hopes. With Damari Brown back it’s interesting because I’ve seen Ja'Boree outside.

DMoney: Seeing Ja'Boree in one of those live action scrimmages, he was making tackles all over the place. He’s a tackler. He could probably play safety. He’s big. If you put him at nickel, he could flourish because he’s coachable, smart, wants to play, can tackle, can cover.

Bryce Fitzgerald​

DMoney: Last three games you didn’t have Keionte Scott. Bryce Fitzgerald played a lot of nickel to end the year. Coverage-wise he’s elite, turning and running, speed, could play corner if he needed. Blitzing-wise he was effective too. Maybe we should be talking about Bryce at nickel.

Peter Ariz: I prefer him at safety. He did it in a pinch and has the skill set, but you’re asking a lot of physicality out of nickel in this defense. He’s so special as a free safety, I’d rather him back there. Certain matchups he may be asked to play there.

Lance Roffers: If you’re doing that, you’ve got a nine at safety and turning him into a seven or eight at nickel. If you’ve got a nine at safety, you keep him at safety. Let the other guys compete at nickel. You throw four or five guys out there in spring and fall camp and let them win it.



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