Not bad. Miami had a few tweaks from this overview, but the lag NT getting upfield rather than two-gapping and the Nickel/Star being the key to the defense turned out to be accurate.
Miami can sell the heck out of this scheme to athletic and active NT's I would think.
The NT position:
Vs. Zone, Hetherman runs a defense with many of the same principles of what you’d see from Georgia up front. The big exception to what Georgia runs is in their Tite fronts they often ask the NT to “two-gap” which is occupying both sides of the C/G in the A-gaps. Often times, Georgia wants that NT to “drop anchor” and shed once a runner declares their gap direction. With Minnesota, they run a similar base Tite/Mint front as Georgia, but the nose is almost always a lag-one-gap player who crosses the center’s face and “pins” the zone track, not a true two-gap anchor. He can be asked to two-gap in short-yardage or Bear/Cinco calls, but that’s the exception, not the rule. The lag nose is a hallmark of modern odd-spacing defenses (Tite, Mint, Peso, Penny). Instead of two-gapping, the nose steps with the center, rips across, and tries to be the first man vertical into whichever A-gap the center vacates. That vertical penetration is what you’re seeing on film when the runner is “pinned” back inside to the run leverage.
Vs. Gap schemes (e.g., Counter), same 0-tech, but may work play-side A on a call like “Push”. Cross-face creates interior traffic for pullers and then the WILB folds behind.
Short-yardage / Bear the NT is a true two-gap. Absorb the double, keep both A-gaps clean for downhill backers.
Creeper / Sim-pressure checks the NT often lag to the opposite A so the blitzer can insert play-side. This replaces a fit when a Jack or DL drops.
The Nickel position:
In most calls the Nickel is treated as a box-plus overhang: run game first (set or fold the C-gap), then match the slot in Quarters / rotate to flat in Cloud, and he’s the “bonus” fourth rusher on creeper pressures.
Generally, this player is a 6’, 215lb. type who is able to fill gaps in the run game first but also survive as a man-match defender on slots until pressure can get home.
Match-up sub: versus 10-personnel spread teams Hetherman will sub in a CB-style nickel so they can play more MOD/MEG man and mirror quick screens.
“Peso” / Dime looks: 3rd-and-long the nickel may move into the box as a dime-backer and add a true corner at the slot, giving six DBs while keeping creeper rules intact.
Heavy sets: Rather than using a SAM LB, the big nickel stays on the field and slides to 9-tech because the 0-4i-4i front already compresses the interior gaps.
