New England Patriots strategy The New England Patriots employ a variety of strategies during play . Since the arrival of head coach Bill Belichick in 2000 , the Patriots have utilized an " Erhardt - Perkins " offense and a " Fairbanks - Bullough " 3 - 4 defense , referred to commonly as a 2 - gap 3 - 4 defensive system . Erhardt - Perkins offensive system . The Patriots run a modified " Ron Erhardt - Ray Perkins " offensive system installed by Charlie Weis under Bill Belichick . Both Ron Erhardt and Ray Perkins served as offensive assistant coaches under the defensive minded Chuck Fairbanks while he was head coach of the Patriots in the 1970s . This system is noted for its multiple formation and personnel grouping variations on a core number of base plays . Under this system , each formation and each play are separately numbered . Additional word descriptions further modify each play ( see below for examples ) . Running game . The Erhardt - Perkins system has at times had a reputation ( whether or not earned ) of being a traditional smash mouth offense that maximizes a team ' s time of possession and does not as frequently call upon its running backs to serve as receivers . Erhardt was famous for his adage , " throw to score , run to win . " This may have been especially true during the years Bill Parcells ran this system as the head coach of the New York Giants . This system is thought to be particularly well suited for teams playing in harsh outdoor weather conditions of the northeast of the United States . An example of a running play under this system is " Zero , Ride Thirty - six " . Zero sets the formation . Thirty indicates who will be the ball carrier running with the ball . Six indicates which hole between the offensive linemen the ball carrier will attempt to run through ( see Offensive Nomenclature ) . Passing game . This offense often uses " the run to set up the pass " via play - action passing , faking the run in order to throw deep downfield when the defense is least expecting it . Despite its reputation , this system is not always a run first offense . Erhardt commonly ran the system in his later years spread wide open with multiple receivers ( earning the moniker " Air Erhardt " ) , as NFL rules evolved to benefit the passing game . As a result of this influence , the Patriots will frequently run this offense with five potential receivers and an empty backfield should a favorable matchup present itself or as a function of available personnel . With the addition of Randy Moss and Wes Welker to the Patriots offense in 2007 , the Patriots placed an emphasis on a wide open passing attack ( with record setting results ) . As rules of the NFL have loosened to favor the offense , the Patriots have increasingly adopted a wide open approach , to the point that they are often now thought of as a short pass first team . The Patriots have also made good extensive use of the non huddle offense to tire out defensive personnel and to disallow substitutions . Weis states in his autobiography " No Excuses " that the first play that he called in Super Bowl XXXVI was : " Zero Flood Slot Hat , Seventy - eight Shout Tosser " . Zero is the base formation . Flood Slot Hat further modifies this formation to a set with one back in motion , two tight ends and two wide receivers ( which is to say five potential receivers in total ) . Seventy - eight is the base play number , a three step drop play . Shout tells the three potential receivers on one side of the quarterback what routes they should run , while Tosser tells the other two potential receivers their patterns . During the actual game , Tom Brady threw the ball to Troy Brown for a twenty - one yard gain , seventeen of it after the catch . Option Anxiety : http : / / sports . yahoo . com / blogs / nfl - shutdown - corner / option - anxiety - chad - ochocinco - real - problem - england - 031511493 - - nfl . html Other teams running similar offensive systems . Parcells ran the Erhardt - Perkins offensive system during his pro coaching years , which is where Weis originally learned it . Many teams coached by members of the Parcells - Belichick coaching tree currently use this system , such as Notre Dame during Weis ' tenure . The Pittsburgh Steelers also continued to run this system during the Bill Cowher years , from when Ron Erhardt was their offensive coordinator . The Carolina Panthers run this system as well , under Jeff Davidson , a former Belichick assistant . The Kansas City Chiefs adopted this system with the 2007 hiring of Chan Gailey as offensive coordinator . The Denver Broncos adopted this system with the 2009 hiring of Josh McDaniels , who served as offensive coordinator under Belichick from 2006 through 2008 . Streak and Read Principle Offense The New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars with Coughlin and Gilbride from 1995 – present known as a Streak and Read Principle Offense . Which was coined by Jim Miller ( New York Giants back up Quarterback in 2005 ) in Ralph Vacchiano ' s book http : / / www . amazon . com / Eli - Manning - The - Making - Quarterback / dp / 1602393176 . " It ' s different than it was at Michigan , " Manningham said . " At Michigan , it was man or zone . That ' s all you needed to know . Now you need to know what the backside corners are doing , what the water boy is doing and everybody else . " That ' s because the Giants have an offense that employs a " streak - read principle " for its receivers . The routes don ' t just depend on the play that ' s called in the huddle . They have to make sight adjustments when they get to their spot in the formation based on where the cornerbacks and safeties are aligned . " You ' ve got to look at DBs and ( middle ) linebackers . You ' ve got to look at the whole defense , " Manningham said . " The routes depend on what the coverage is . You come out and you know what you ' ve got to do , but it may change the whole thing after you get done looking at the coverage . " Articles : http : / / www . nydailynews . com / sports / football / giants / kevin - gilbride - option - offense - passing - game - fuels - ny - giants - article - 1 . 1013448 http : / / articles . nydailynews . com / 2008 - 08 - 05 / sports / 17903158 _ 1 _ quad - michigan - amani - toomer http : / / www . grantland . com / story / _ / id / 7481235 / chris - brown - victor - cruz - new - york - giants Video : " I can ' t cover option routes all day ! " Carlos Rogers 2012 NFC Championship game vs . Victor Cruz . http : / / www . youtube . com / watch ? v = zf3TWlN409E " West Coast Offense Much Simpler " Manningham on Niners West Coast Offense . http : / / www . youtube . com / watch ? v = hGLMamR6dkQ " Read what you see in front of you " 1 : 55 - 2 : 58 Cruz game winning TD Redskins 10 / 21 / 12 . http : / / www . giants . com / media - vault / videos / Postgame - WR - Victor - Cruz / 47badd3a - 4f62 - 4c53 - 8ead - eb6447555559 " All the Option Routes " Marshall Faulk 3 : 49 : http : / / www . nfl . com / videos / cincinnati - bengals / 0ap2000000092497 / Giants - struggles - here - to - stay Kevin Gilbride on 2011 Giants WR & TE ( O . C . 2006 - present ) : " I ’ d rather let you answer that than me , ” Gilbride says . “ Let me just say that I ’ m very proud of the guys that I work with . We started with five new guys and then we had all of the injuries and the youth and the guys who haven ’ t played and some of the things that we ask them to do . You don ’ t just , in our offense , go out and run a 12 - yard curl or a 10 - yard in - cut . We ask them to read a lot of things . We put a lot of pressure on receivers to see things as a quarterback would . It ’ s very difficult as a coach to get those things coordinated . " " Explained very simply , Manning has the ability to change the play to almost anything in that week ’ s game plan , based on what he sees in the defensive alignment . And when he calls a pass play , the receivers have several options to change their routes on each play , depending on what the defense does . It ’ s complicated and hard to learn , and it can be very tricky for the quarterback and receiver to make sure they ’ re seeing exactly the same thing out of each defender . " Play Clock Ticks Down : 12 seconds http : / / www . nj . com / giants / index . ssf / 2011 / 12 / giants _ eli _ manning _ a _ master _ of . html When center Kevin Boothe approaches the line of scrimmage , he ’ s never caught off - guard by the opposing personnel facing him . Offensive linemen are on the field for every play , so Boothe uses the time the Giants change players to turn around and see how the defense reacts . “ Is it three down ( linemen ) or four down ? ” said Boothe , the Giants ’ center since the injured David Baas has been out . “ Just to get a head start on what we ’ ll be facing . ” Manning now takes a look . This is when he can be heard yelling a few checks : • “ Four down , set ! ” ( Four down linemen . This determines how a play is blocked . ) • “ Fifty - nine ’ s the Mike ! ” ( No . 59 is identified by Manning as the middle linebacker . This also determines how a running play or blitz pickup is blocked and which receivers must run “ hot ” routes . ) • “ Opposite ! ” ( Run the play the other way than what was called . ) • “ Easy , easy . ” Like a military order , that last one means everybody relax , the snap count is stopping so Manning can call an audible . The original play isn ’ t going to work . So it ’ s on to the next one . 08 secs This is where Manning is at his best . Gilbride says all the time that Manning gets the Giants into the right plays based on what he sees from the defense . Case in point : the successful 2 - point conversions in each of the past two games that were changed from passes to runs . The Packers left the middle of the line uncovered , while the Cowboys had five defensive backs on three receivers , leaving only six players in the box . Tom Coughlin and Kevin Gilbride Connection : Mike Sullivan Offensive Coordinator of Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2012 who served as an assisant to Tom Coughlin . Article : Learning an Offense : http : / / www . tampabay . com / sports / football / bucs / learning - an - offense - takes - time - for - tampa - bay - buccaneers / 1247467 " Surely , there ' s a lot of stuff in this offense that is on - the - fly and conversion - type of stuff , " Bucs backup quarterback Dan Orlov¬sky said . Receivers and quarterbacks have to be on the same page in any offense . But at times for the Bucs this season , it might look as though they ' re not working from the same playbook . " In this system , they probably put a lot on the receivers to read the routes on the fly , " Brad Johnson said . " Is it a curl ? Does it adjust to a corner route ? Is it a hitch ? Or does it convert to a fade ? Is it a square - in ? Does it convert to a square - in and go ? " Here ' s why progress takes time in the Bucs ' new offense http : / / www . tampabay . com / blogs / bucs / content / heres - why - progress - takes - time - bucs - new - offense " What ’ s also obvious is that there have been some head - scratching throws from Freeman in recent weeks , ones where it seems he ’ s throwing to an opponent or no one at all . At times , it ’ s a matter of inaccuracy . But in some instances , it ’ s a product of the quarterback and receiver making slightly different reads . " Vincent Jackson ( Sirius ) compares Coryell / West Coast vs . Streak and Read : from a scheme standpoint its torture right now . Whether that does seem to be a little more flexibility in this offense of course every offense has rules and you - - think you got to stick with him . Those are pretty common but , we have more options in this offense you know with different receivers of positions and you know quarterback seeing what the receivers are seeing just being definitive of making good decisions a quarterback it ' s gonna read that . And through that make him make the choice though before he goes with the ball . Instead of you know more in a West Coast offense where you know where you will be , everything has this depth that you break here , it ' s nice in this offense to have a little more off flexibility within the system . Sirius Transcript Dallas Clark compares Indy Offense to Bucs New Offense ( mike sullivan ) : " It ' s different , but it ' s fun , Clark said after Tuesday ' s practice . " There ' s absolutely no carryover from what I dealt with in Indy – and I didn ' t think that was possible . It ' s all fresh and it ' s all new , which makes this camp pretty important for me . " Article Chris Palmer Offensive Coordinator of the Tennessee Titans 2011 - present who served as an assistant to Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin . New York Giants ' offense takes note of Tennessee Titans . http : / / www . knoxnews . com / news / 2012 / feb / 05 / new - york - giants - offense - takes - note - tennessee - titan / http : / / espn . go . com / blog / nflnation / post / _ / id / 63611 / how - the - titans - option - routes - work Comparison to " West Coast " and " Air Coryell " offenses . In the view of some experts , there are only approximately five or six major offensive systems run in the NFL today . The nomenclature of the Erhardt - Perkins system is very different from the Bill Walsh west coast offense . Formations under the West Coast Offense are commonly named after colors ( i . e . , Green Right ) . The west coast offense commonly utilizes high percentage , short slanting passes and running backs as receivers . It prefers to have mobile quarterbacks ( since its running backs may not be available to block ) and large receivers who are able to gain additional yards after the catch . The nomenclature of the Erhardt - Perkins system is also very different from the Ernie Zampese - Don Coryell timed system . Route patterns of the receivers are numbered instead of named in the Air Coryell system ( thereby making memorization easier ) . For example , an Air Coryell play such as " 924 F stop swing " indicates that the primary wide receiver ( X ) should run a 9 pattern ( a go ) , the tight end ( Y ) should run a 2 pattern ( a slant ) , the secondary wide receiver ( Z ) should run a 4 pattern ( a deep in ) and the F - back should go out for a swing pass ( see Offensive nomenclature ) . Timing and precision are extremely important under the Air Coryell system , as the routes are intended to run like successive clockwork in order to be successful . The Air Coryell offense was used successfully by several coaches . Its history includes Jimmy Johnson ' s tenure as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys . Johnson ' s offensive coordinator , Norv Turner implemented the system when he became head coach of the San Diego Chargers in 2007 . The St . Louis Rams ran the Coryell system successfully under coordinator and then head coach Mike Martz ; earlier still , Joe Gibbs won several Super Bowls running his version of the Coryell offense . At present ( 2013 ) , Cam Cameron , the former offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens , ran the Coryell system . Fairbanks - Bullough 3 - 4 defensive system . The New England Patriots run a modified base 3 - 4 Chuck Fairbanks - Hank Bullough system installed by Bill Belichick . The term 3 - 4 means that their base formation consists of 3 defensive linemen ( defensive end , nose tackle , and defensive end ) , 4 linebackers ( outside " Will " weak side linebacker , middle " Jack " weak side linebacker , middle " Mike " strong side linebacker , and outside " Sam " strong side linebacker ) , and 4 defensive backs ( cornerback , free safety , strong safety , and cornerback ) . It is believed that this 3 - 4 structure gives the defense the greatest amount of flexibility because the linebackers are among the most versatile players on the defense , capable of rushing the quarterback , tackling runners or dropping into coverage . By mixing the roles of their linebackers from play to play , the Patriots defense seeks to cause confusion on the part of opposing offenses . At times the Patriots will also shade their defensive linemen different ways , creating " over " or " under " defenses . " Over " and " under " defenses simply refer to the shift of the defensive linemen to the strong or weak side of the offense , respectively , and the rotation of the linebackers in the opposite direction . The " Fairbanks - Bullough " 3 - 4 system is known as a two gap system , because each of the defensive linemen are required to cover the gaps to both sides of the offensive lineman that try to block them . Defensive linemen in this system tend to be stouter , as they need to be able to hold their place without being overwhelmed in order to allow the linebackers behind them to make plays . This is the reason that defensive linemen such as Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork do not always rack up sack and tackle statistics despite their critical importance to the team . The system is at times more conservative than certain other defenses currently in vogue in the league , despite the constant threat of its potent linebacker blitz . The Patriots defensive system generally places an emphasis on physicality and discipline over mobility and risk taking and is sometimes characterized as a " bend but do not break defense " . The Patriots are also known for putting a great deal of emphasis on the front seven ( defensive line and linebackers ) but less so on the secondary . History . The 3 - 4 defense was originally devised by Bud Wilkinson at the University of Oklahoma in the late 1940s . Former Patriots and Oklahoma coach Chuck Fairbanks is credited with being a major figure in first bringing the 3 - 4 defense to the NFL in 1974 . It is unclear if the Patriots under Fairbanks or the Houston Oilers under Bum Phillips were the first team to bring the 3 - 4 defense to the NFL . Patriots defensive coordinator Hank Bullough made significant further innovations to the system . Parcells was linebackers coach under Ron Erhardt as head coach of the Patriots in 1980 ( after Fairbanks left for Colorado in 1978 and Bullough lost out on the head coaching position ) . When Parcells returned to the Giants as defensive coordinator under Ray Perkins in 1981 , he brought the 3 - 4 defense with him . Bill Belichick was initially exposed to the 3 - 4 defense while working as an assistant under Red Miller , head coach of the Denver Broncos and a former Patriots offensive coordinator under Fairbanks . Joe Collier was the defensive coordinator under Red Miller at the time , and his orange crush defense was very successful at stifling opposing offenses . The Broncos had decided to adopt the 3 - 4 in 1977 . Bill Belichick subsequently refined his understanding of the 3 - 4 as a linebackers coach and defensive coordinator under Parcells with the Giants . Belichick returned the 3 - 4 defense back to New England when he become coach of the team in 2000 . Romeo Crennel subsequently became defensive coordinator for the team . In a 2007 press conference Belichick said the following of Fairbanks : " I think Chuck has had a tremendous influence on the league as well as this organization in terms of nomenclature and terminology and those kinds of things . I ' m sure Chuck could walk in and look at our playbook and probably 80 percent of the plays are the same terminology that he used - whether it be formations or coverages or pass protections . We were sitting there talking yesterday and he was saying , ' How much 60 protection are you guys using ? How much 80 are you using ? ' All of the stuff that was really the fundamentals of his system are still in place here even , again , to the way we call formations and plays and coverages and some of our individual calls within a call , a certain adjustment or things that Red ( Miller ) and Hank ( Bullough ) and Ron ( Erhardt ) and those guys used when they were here " . Other teams running similar defensive systems . Bill Parcells ran the Fairbanks - Bullough 3 - 4 defensive system during his coaching years . Many teams coached by members of the Parcells - Belichick coaching tree currently run similar defensive systems , such as the University of Alabama under Nick Saban and the Cleveland Browns under Eric Mangini . Comparison to other 3 - 4 systems . The " Phillips 3 - 4 " , a one - gap version of the 3 - 4 , was also brought into the league by Bum Phillips , head coach of the Houston Oilers in the 1970s . The Phillips 3 - 4 defense is currently run by the San Diego Chargers as well as the Dallas Cowboys formerly coached by Wade Phillips , the son of Bum Phillips . Wade Phillips replaced Joe Collier as defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos in 1989 . The modern Phillips 3 - 4 is largely a one gap 3 - 4 system , meaning that the defensive linemen are often only responsible for one gap between the offensive linemen . The linemen can afford to be more aggressive because they receive more support from the linebackers in performing their roles . This system generally prefers relatively lighter , more agile lineman better able to perform aggressive slants , loops and gap charges in order to directly attempt to sack the quarterback and make tackles . The 3 - 4 zone blitz defense was developed by Dick LeBeau as defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals . Prior to becoming defensive coordinator of the Bengals , LeBeau was tutored by Bengals defensive coordinator Hank Bullough . LeBeau ' s system commonly calls upon linemen to be mobile enough to drop back into zone coverage in place of blitzing linebackers . Elements of the 3 - 4 zone blitz defense have been incorporated over time into the modern Phillips 3 - 4 . Philosophy . The New England Patriots are noted for the following characteristics : For example , in Super Bowl XXXVI , the Patriots defense used an aggressive bump and run nickel and dime package instead of their base 3 - 4 to disrupt the timing of the highly touted Air Coryell system employed by the Rams under Mike Martz ( also known as " The Greatest Show on Turf " ) . This modifiable aspect of the Patriots system is in stark contrast to simpler systems like the Tampa 2 defense , in which the same scheme is often run repeatedly with the emphasis being on execution rather than on flexibility . In his book " How Football Explains America " , Sal Paolantonio noted the many parallels between the Patriots philosophy and military training taught at West Point . This is likely the result of Bill Parcells ' having coached at Army for four years and Bill Belichick ' s close ties with the Naval Academy .