Well, this was a project.
In twenty minutes of film study from a quick highlight package of three Army games, I saw the following personnel alignments on defense: Base 3-4, 3-3-5, 2-3-6, 2-4-5, 4-1-6, 4-2-5, 5-2-4, 5-1-5...you get the idea.
Jay Bateman deploys a basic package based on the opposition’s offensive personnel, then everything changes. This is a bear to even attempt to break down, much less articulate in words.
Part I: What, Exactly, Does He Run?
In the most basic interpretation, Bateman’s scheme is dictated by the opposing offense. At its core, you would probably call it a 3-4 — but you could just as easily characterize it as a 3-3-5 or 4-2-5 Nickel package depending on how you define the rush linebacker and hybrid safety.