Earlier in the offseason, I came across a fascinating article on Bill Belichick’s expanded use of dime defenses last year. I struggled a bit with the appropriate time to try to weave it into a relevant story for Washington Football Team fans, but given the nature of last week’s loss against the Chargers, I think it may finally be applicable, or at least a conversation starter.
A “dime” defensive formation, for those who may not know, involves playing 6 defensive backs at a time. It’s often contrasted with a “nickel” formation, which involves the deployment of 5 defensive backs, which teams have historically used in situations where they’re anticipating the offense will be passing.