Nickel defense

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In American football, a nickel defense (also known as a 4–2–5 or 3–3–5) is any defensive alignment that uses five defensive backs, of whom the fifth is known as a nickelback. The original and most common form of the nickel defense features four down linemen and two linebackers. Because the traditional 4–2 form preserves the defense's ability to stop an opponent's running game, it has remained more popular than its variants, to the extent that even when another formation technically falls within the "nickel" definition, coaches and analysts will refer to it by a more specific designation (e.g., "3–3–5" for a lineup of three down linemen and three linebackers) that conveys more information with equal or greater concision. The nickel defense originated as an innovation of Philadelphia Eagles defensive coach Jerry Williams in 1960 and used successfully in the Eagles' Championship victory over Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers that year. He later employed it effectively as a measure to defend against star tight end Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears, holding Ditka to a single reception in the Eagles' 1961 victory over the Bears. The nickel defense was later used by then Chicago Bears assistant George Allen, who came up with the name "nickel" and later marketed the idea as his own. The nickel defense was popularized by head coach Don Shula and defensive coordinator Bill Arnsparger of the Miami Dolphins in the 1970s and is now commonly employed in obvious passing situations or against a team that frequently uses three+ wide receiver sets on offense. In the 2010s and 2020s, Sean McDermott has primarily used a base nickel defense for his teams due to opponents largely focusing their offenses on the pass. As defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, McDermott had hybrid linebacker/safety Shaq Thompson play as his "big...