The Athletic Football Show: The Trends That NFL Coaches See Emerging Around the League

Date: August 19, 2025
Host: Robert Mays
Guest: Derrik Klassen
(Dave Helman and Dane Brugler not present in this episode)

Episode Overview

In this edition of The Athletic Football Show, Robert Mays and Derrik Klassen provide a fascinating look at the 2025 NFL landscape by unpacking trends and subtle shifts identified directly from conversations with over 50 league coaches across 23 teams during Robert’s intensive summer training camp tour. The episode is a unique, insider-driven roundtable, spanning both defensive and offensive trends, emphasizing schemes and strategies that might become more prevalent in the year ahead. While the episode notes there’s less groundbreaking innovation this year, listeners are given an Xs-and-Os-rich cheat sheet on what to watch for as the season gets underway.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The State of Trend-Spotting in 2025

• Fewer clear new trends: Compared to past years, fewer coaches pointed to radical shifts—expect incremental adjustments, not overhauls.
  • “There weren't a lot of clear answers for people, period, this year... I think we're going to see teams lean more into the things that they've been leaning into. We're just going to see that volume turned up a little bit." (Robert Mays, 06:45)
• Offensive bias: More trends skew toward offense, both due to the proportion of offensive play-calling coaches in the league and Mays' conversations.

Defensive Trends to Watch

Dictating Offenses with Pressure Looks (Vikings-Style Aggression)

• Teams are seeking ways to become “the dictator” rather than reactive, using creative pressure looks to limit what offenses can do.
• The Vikings' aggressive and complex early-down pressure looks are influencing others despite being difficult to fully replicate.
• Quote:
  “A lot of the stuff that the Vikings do puts them on the front foot in a way that defenses aren't often and it leaves you a little bit exposed and there are weaknesses to it obviously. But...it is one of the only avenues for defenses to really dictate how the game is going to go.” (Robert Mays, 08:41)
• Chiefs & Quarters Pressures:
  Only Minnesota and Kansas City had at least a quarter of their pressures from Cover 4 looks last year, a tactic to limit deep shots and confuse protections.
  “They will now bring quarters with their pressure...there's four deep defenders...it's kind of hard to go over the top.” (Derrik Klassen, 10:05)
• Who benefits: Teams whose protections are less adaptable, like the 49ers, can be especially vulnerable.

Notable Example

• Vikings vs. 49ers (2024, early season): “Flores just beat the shit out of them with these calls and I was like, this is going to be different.” (Derrik Klassen, 11:35)

Disruption via Run Pressures & Front Movements

• The Vikings (and others) are flipping the script by sending pressure on run downs, aiming to create negative plays and disrupt blocking schemes.
• There's growing use of pre-snap movement: stemming, slanting, and shifting fronts—making lined-up run defense rarer even among traditionally static four-down teams.
• Quotes:
  “I felt every run we had last year stunts pirate pressures. They're not designed to hit the quarterback, but they're designed to totally disrupt the front. There was just so much movement.” (Offensive coach via Robert Mays, 15:52)

The Rise—or Not—of Three-Safety Looks

• Cardinals’ Three High: Teams intrigued by the Cardinals’ three safety packages, which create disguises and post-snap ambiguity.
• Personnel-driven: Only teams with unusual safety depth/versatility (Buddha Baker, Derwin James, Kyle Hamilton) can really exploit this strategy.
• Quotes: “When it's three safeties...it's not even just what coverage you're playing, it's which responsibilities within that coverage those individual safeties are going to be playing.” (Robert Mays, 17:14)
  “In camp, this sounds great when we're drawing it up and then you get to camp and you're like, I don't know if we have a good third safety.” (Derrik Klassen, 19:03)
• Many see this as more a "camp curiosity" than universal trend.

Lighter Boxes & More Man Coverage: Reaction to the Eagles

• A Super Bowl win by the Eagles could push defenses back toward lighter boxes & zone schemes, but data shows a minor recent reversion toward heavier boxes and man coverage.
• Third safety and man-coverage uptick possibly fueled by offenses’ increasing comfort running and attacking soft zones.
• Quote:
  “Man coverage rates went from 23% to 25%...Small bump back to, we're going to put a few more guys in the box and we're going to play a little bit more man coverage.” (Robert Mays, 19:51)

Offensive Trends and Tactics

Off-Meter Motion: Still Ascending

• Percentage of plays involving pre-snap motion continues to rise (from 50% in 2019 to over 61% in 2024).
• More motion at the snap and more nuanced—subtle “exit” motions to manipulate defensive numbers and matchups, not just classic jet sweeps.
• Key: Star players (e.g., Jamar Chase, Tyreek Hill) are being used as “motion men,” not just role players—this can force schematic mismatches.
• “We're really going to start testing some of the limits of this.” (Robert Mays, 21:56)
• Teams that previously eschewed motion (e.g., Bengals) are now embracing it to maximize talent deployment.
  • “Jags had motion at the snap at 15.3% of their snaps last year, which was dead last in the NFL... but I think they're going to be doing it this year.” (Robert Mays, 27:22)
• Anticipate more condensed formations as a corollary.

More QB Run Game…Where It Makes Sense

• Baltimore and Washington led league in EPA per designed quarterback carry—expect more creative run game deployment for dual-threat passers.
• Still risk-adverse: injury risk and value of franchise QBs limits usage, but expectation is the floor for “design run participation” is rising.
• Quote:
  “It's almost getting to the point now where if you don't have one of these guys (mobile QBs) who can at least give you something in the quarterback run game, you are at like a definitive disadvantage.” (Derrik Klassen, 34:21)
• Arizona (Kyler Murray) and Colts (Daniel Jones/Anthony Richardson) cited as teams that may crank up QB runs.

More Under-Center Straight Dropbacks

• After years of shotgun/play-action dominance, a subtle shift back toward “old-school” under-center dropbacks is underway.
• Massive imbalance: In 2024, only 412 under-center straight dropbacks league-wide compared to 7,313 runs and 2,350 play actions from under center.
• Benefits: Surprises defenders, marries better timing for some concepts, increases unpredictability.
• Quote:
  “Think about the pie chart of what offenses will do when under center. It's almost exclusively runs and play action. So by expanding this part of your offense, you're putting one more thing on the table for defenses.” (Robert Mays, 39:11)
• Niners, Lions, Vikings, Rams are teams experimenting more with it.

Backfield Action and Run Game Misleading

Packers’ Backfield Innovation

• Packers multiplying “pseudo-two-back” runs from 11 personnel, using slot receiver Jaden Reed as an H-back/fullback.
• Key benefit: Getting favorable numbers versus nickel—essentially “hiding” a two-back run so you don’t face base defense.
• “They're kind of creating these two back runs out of 11 personnel against nickel looks... they're able to create two back runs against nickel looks.” (Robert Mays, 45:52)
• Heavy use of misdirection, hover motion, and “find-the-ball” sleight of hand.
• Dolphins praised for similar ball-handling wizardry from the gun.

Bills' Back as a Diagnostic Tool

• The Bills often use late backfield motion pre-snap on passing downs, helping Josh Allen diagnose coverage and pressure.
  • “Ty Johnson is moving on almost every single one of their third downs and that is to give information to the quarterback.” (Robert Mays, 51:25)
• This approach leverages elite QB mental processing and puts the onus on defenses to disguise longer.

Play Action Evolution: “Escort” Checkdowns

• Niners-inspired design: After chipping, the tight end releases into space as a lead blocker for a checked-down back—turning otherwise wasted protection into a potential explosive.
• “You're protected...and there's real upside to be realized by leaning into this stuff.” (Robert Mays, 57:53)
• Broncos have followed suit; now a growing staple across NFL playbooks.

Situational Play Calling: Third Down is Not What It Used to Be

• Aggressive fourth down decisions (e.g., Lions, Eagles) are changing play-calling calculus for third down:
  • Teams more likely to run on “passing” downs, knowing they’ll go for it on fourth and short.
  • Effects: Forces DCs to diversify third-down defenses, blurs once-sharp situational lines.
• “If more teams are going to start running the ball on third medium because they're willing to go for it on fourth down...” (Robert Mays, 60:50)
• Field position and aggregate points potential become the rubrics for deciding when to exercise these aggressive calls.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• “At some point and when it comes to efficiency, we are kind of realizing diminishing returns. Like we're getting to a place where motion doesn't necessarily equal good. But when it comes to what the limits are...I still don't think we've seen the limits.“ (Robert Mays, 24:09)
• “The quarterback run thing...15 years ago it was like, oh, it's really cool if you can do this as like a little side piece to your offense. And it's almost getting to the point now where...you are at a definitive disadvantage [if you can’t].” (Derrik Klassen, 34:21)
• “The Niners always have these, like, one or two little subtle wrinkles...teams really start to pick up on it.” (Robert Mays, 42:56)

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:46] – Introduction & Robert on his coach conversations, show premise
• [06:21 – 08:41] – Theme of the year: Subtle shifts, not revolutions. Launch into defensive trends.
• [08:41] – Discussion of Vikings-style pressure and the push for defenses to dictate terms
• [13:36] – Pressure and movement on run downs; disruption vs. the run game
• [15:45] – Three-safety/three-high defensive looks, personnel considerations (Cardinals, Ravens, Vikings)
• [19:34] – Return of lighter boxes/man coverage, Eagles impact
• [21:56] – Offensive motion: Uptick, changing use, and evolving purposes (Bengals, Dolphins, Rams)
• [33:13] – Designed quarterback runs gaining currency
• [39:09] – Under-center straight dropbacks: Old becoming new again
• [45:52] – Packers' backfield chaos, two-back runs from 11 personnel
• [51:25] – Bills' backs as tells and QB empowerment in protection calls
• [53:31] – Shot play evolution: tight end “escort” lead on checkdowns
• [57:53] – Third/fourth-down aggressiveness transforming situational play calling
• [61:07] – Impacts on defensive philosophy and the expansion of offensive "menu" on money downs

Final Thoughts and Tone

The episode is an in-depth, granular look at the evolving chess match between NFL offenses and defenses. Both Mays and Klassen maintain a knowledgeable, playful tone—appreciative of both big conceptual shifts and the tiny tactical edges coaches try to create. There’s little hype here: instead, fans are equipped with insights to make them more discerning viewers as NFL 2025 unfolds.

For full context, seek out the original episode’s play-by-play, and begin division preview coverage with The Athletic Football Show all week.