Boxes. They’re great things. They hold Christmas gifts, pizza, engagement rings. Defensive coordinators have boxes too. And they’re a great way to beat bunch concepts.
The rules are simple. I learned them from the great Matt Bowen when he still wrote for National Football Post. Four defenders versus three receivers.
Here’s my look, intentionally making the defense look like a box pre-snap, just to give you a clear initial understanding.
As you can tell, the rules are easy to follow. Each defender is responsible for a certain defender based on how their route tree unfolds.