40 Nickel vs. Trips

I've played both how you describe and the Q,Q, Half techniques. Both are effective. The latter is better if you have younger or less-talented corners, but both work well. I never brought my ILB outside the box, however. Probably would play my OLB on #3, my SS over #2 @ 10 yds, and C on #1, obviously. I don't believe in leaving less than 6 in the box unless there is no RB's in the backfield.

we have a trips coverage we call mix-it. We play it out of out 4-2 look or out of a 5-1 double eagle.
---------F-------------------------$------------
------------------M---------N-----------B------
-----C---------L-----T---T-----R-------------C
----X-----------O--O--X--O--O-------------Y
-------------------------------------H--Z----
--------------------F---Q--------------------

$= 7-10 yds deep head on #3. Read #3. He goes inside, play as 1/2 the field safety. He goes flat cover #2 man to man. He goes vertical cover #3 man to man.
B= 6-8 yds deep outside leverage on #2. Read #3. If he does anything but go to the flat you have #2 man to man. If #3 goes flat jump him and cover him man to man.
F= 1/2 the field safety can help on #3 strong on vertical route. can double #1 weak or can play as robber type free safety.
M= Curl to Flat. Basically cover the back man to man if he stays in and blocks you can rush him or have him take one of the underneath zones whatever you want to take away.
N= Hook to Curl strong. Wall off any crossers.
C= press man on #1.

The least thrown to man in trips is #1 on the trips side. I don't know why but thats the way it work out for us.

from the double eagle the secondary stays the same. But we can do a couple a different things with our underneath coverage. some examples are drop the R and L to hook to curl and rush mike. Have R and L rush to cover on the back and have Mike play hook to curl. My favorites is to bring the corner off the edge slant the nose to the strong A, slant the tackle to the strong A, slant L to the strong B. Have mike go to weak Hook to curl. and Have F cover the single reciever man to man. Basically what ever you can think of. The trips side secondary never changes.


---------F-------------------------$------------
------------------------M----------------B------
-----C---------L---T---N---T----R-------------C
----X-----------O--O--X--O--O-------------Y
-------------------------------------H--Z----
--------------------F---Q--------------------