Last season, Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph found ways to use his personnel to frustrate and confuse opposing offenses in passing situations. He turned to a few different sub packages, sometimes rolling out a personnel group with zero defensive linemen, six linebackers, and five defensive backs, to pressure passers and clamp down on throwing lanes.
With the playoffs approaching, and the Cardinals starting to enjoy some success on the defensive side of the football again, it is a good time to revisit these packages. In 2021, the Cardinals have relied more on a 1-5-5 package in these situations, using one defensive lineman, five linebackers and five defensive backs. These groupings allow him to try and confuse the offense both pre- and post-snap, while finding ways to pressure the passer, use favorable numbers in coverage, or both.
