Seahawks' New 'CLEO' Coverage, Part 4: CLEO in 2022 and Beyond
The 2021 Seattle Seahawks ran a new pass coverage for their defense. Coach Pete Carroll is often thought of as a conservative figure, yet the defensive guru and his staff devised a contemporary solution to slow quarterbacks and offenses through the air: “CLEO” defense.
This was a middle field open, zone-matching, nickel pass coverage that suited Seattle’s personnel and compensated for how offenses looked to move the ball versus the Seahawks. With multiple reports of Carroll desiring a more aggressive and attack-minded 2022 defense, "CLEO" should be here to stay in Seattle's defensive system under new defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt. This four part series will cover CLEO's overview, 2021 application and future.
Part 1: Overview and CLEO Past
Part 2: 2021’s Successful CLEO Application
Part 3: 2021 CLEO Beaters, Perceived and Actual
Part 4: CLEO in 2022 and Beyond
So, CLEO was hugely successful in stopping established Seahawks defense beaters while it also stood up to a lot of new stuff which offenses tried to throw at it. The aesthetically pleasing aspect of Seattle’s coverage essentially forming a triangle shape to two receivers or a box shape to three receivers was sexy too.
Ken Norton Jr. fired or not, expect CLEO to continue. Asides from it’s 2021 success, the offseason narratives suggest it is here to stay. In the aftermath of Pete Carroll’s difficult decision to part with his longtime colleague, multiple reports emerged suggesting Carroll desired a more aggressive, attack-minded defense. While that may see less zone coverage run, “CLEO” feels more suited to this mission statement as it allows both corners to collision receivers in press coverage and it matches routes with tighter principles.
CLEO may just be in the 2022 Seahawks defense under a different name. New Seahawks defensive coordinator Clint Hurtt’s experience in the Vic Fangio tree is highly noteworthy when it comes to the coverage concept. Fangio has a very similar, sub-package pass defense called “Cover 8.”
It’s essentially the same half-quarter-quarter, zone-matching coverage with some slightly different technique appearances on tape. While Norton had encountered similar coverage during his time in Oakland - albeit often with dissatisfying execution - it's easy to wonder how much influence Hurtt had on the Seahawks' 2021 switch to CLEO given his own experience.
Of course, the Fangio links don’t stop at Hurtt, with new associated head coach and defensive assistant Sean Desai another Fangio disciple. This only emphasizes that the Seahawks will build on their CLEO/Cover 8 usage. Perhaps they lean on “pack/stuff” language. Expect them also to run quarter-quarter-half variants called Cover 6 in base and possibly “pack/stuff” in sub-package deals.
Ultimately, this will give Seattle more versatility in where they can get their double on a receiver or gain better leverage on routes. It will allow them to mix up their usage of star safety duo Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams more. There may even be instances where the Seahawks call the Cover 2 or Cover 4 side in directionally (left or right) using a call like “laser," “lion," “rock," or “ram."
“We’ve made a couple of little adaptations within our defense because we’ve tried to match it to our personnel,” Carroll told his defense in a June 6 minicamp meeting.
“What we have done in the biggest way is we have found our ways to make our stuff fit the guys that we have in our secondary. And the coverage stuff that we’re doing, that’s smart and aggressive and physical and on attack. It features the guys that know how to play the way we want to play. You guys know it, I know you can feel it. I know you understand, this needs to come to life. They’re not going to know what we’re playing or when we’re playing it. And we’re gonna put them, in every chance that we get, so that we can be as aggressive as we’ve ever been. And I’m fired up to let you guys and cut you guys loose in that thought.”
“There is some carryover for certain things in it, but there is a lot of learning as well,” Hurtt described of the new defense to Mike Salk of 710 ESPN Seattle on May 18.
The addition of defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Karl Scott is a fascinating one through the CLEO lens, too. Scott will have brought extra coverage and front tools for certain offensive problems, with his time at Alabama most interesting. He adds to Seattle's potential multiplicity.
The notorious Nick Saban Cover 7 pass defense shares some similarities with 2021 CLEO in that it is a middle field open, split safety, matching defense. While Cover 7 is a man-match, largely quarters deal, it has an awesome ability to adjust to pretty much whatever a gun offense is trying to do - to the point that installing Cover 7 to its full extent in the NFL’s limited practice time is very difficult.
One key Cover 7 similarity to CLEO is "cut," with the Saban variant asking the corner to be a force player in a core alignment. That side of the defense then fits the run and covers like CLEO.
That Seattle has already been doing some of the Fangio-looking stuff, building there from the 2020-onwards high bear, 3-4-esque front usage, then deploying CLEO, is evidence of Carroll’s desire to get to this schematic point. His rumored interest in other Fangio-involved coaches this offseason like Ed Donatell is only more proof that this has been Carroll's goal.
The Seahawks have now assembled a youthful brain trust to build upon CLEO’s impressive 2021 foundations. Aggressive, matching, leveraging defensive modernity is the impression Seattle's 2022 unit will leave.
