Safety Jordan Craney, a returning starter, is one of the cogs that makes MSU's nickel package work
Photo by: R. Dean Hendrickson
Nickel Package Helps Diversify Bobcat Defense
4/14/2010 3:49:11 PM | Football
A deep, talented group of safeties and a thinning linebacker corps help move MSU toward use of fifth DB
Ask Rob Ash for his thoughts on Montana State's nickel defense, and you'll get more than a nickel's worth.
MSU's fourth-year coach trained his sites on that package early in the spring for a variety of reasons, and likes what he saw during the first half of Bobcat spring drills. “I like the progress we're making,” MSU's fourth-year head coach said. “We've played a lot of nickel, and we'll continue to work on that package a lot. It's a matter of working on something we use a lot (during the season), and also taking advantage of our personnel.”
Defenses utilize nickel packages – an extra, or fifth, defensive back – to fortify in situations where offenses typically pass. Traditional nickel packages include a third cornerback, but the Bobcat use a different twist. “(Safety) Michael Rider is our nickel back,” Bobcat secondary coach Noah Joseph said, citing a confluence of factors that led MSU to that point.
“(Defensive coordinator Jamie) Marshall's philosophy is to get our best 11 players on the field,” Joseph said. “To me, what you want (in a nickel back) is your most explosive player so he can cover in man-to-man and can also blitz. Michael can play in man situations and is also one of our better blitzers. He's a very smart player, a more physical guy, who understands our run fits and is able to make plays in the box.”
The construction of a nickel package involves more than the secondary. MSU is particularly thin at linebacker this spring, which has pushed the Bobcat defensive staff to use nickel coverage more and more in base defense situations, Ash said, which also allows the team to take advantage of its depth at safety.
“The nickel back subs in for the Sam linebacker (in MSU's scheme),” Ash said. “That role suits Michael, and it allows us to keep (linebacker) Jody Owens in the box. He's our most experienced (healthy) linebacker, and he plays the Will position, which, along with the Mike (middle) linebacker makes a lot of plays in our system.”
Rolling the nickel package into more and more base situations gives the Bobcat defense an added element of versatility. “It allows us to play (the nickel package) in more normal down-and-distance situations,” Joseph said. “We're a little beat up at linebacker, so this gives us the chance to get our other (safeties) more reps.”
That leads Joseph into one of his unit's – and the Bobcat team's – strengths. With Rider playing at an all-conference level at one safety as a junior in 2009 and classmate Jordan Craney developing into an outstanding complement at the other safety. The two returning starters combined for 128 tackles, five interceptions and four pass breakups, giving MSU experience and talent at safety entering 2010.
Add to those adjectives, deep. Senior Anthony Cosme-Peko established himself as an effective safety last fall, similar in style and makeup to Rider, while Joseph says sophomore Joel Fuller has the opportunity to become “a really, really good player.” Joseph said the presence of four safeties with the ability to play full-time at a high level allows for Rider, the most experienced of the group, to move around and help the defense where he can.
“It's a good situation for us,” he said.
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