One of the biggest individual revelations from the Buffalo Bills’ win over the Ravens in Week 8 was the stellar play of Te’Cory Couch, the nickel corner signed from the practice squad before this contest who thrived in slot throughout.
He was a component of a much more connected, in-sync back seven that communicated significantly better than the vast majority of Buffalo’s first six contests, particularly in zone and when the Ravens attempted to confuse man-to-man assignments with motions and stacked
formations.
While I’m on the topic of pre-snap movement and bunch formations, check this first play from Couch that exemplified his discipline and the improved passing off in zone from Buffalo’s linebackers and defensive backs.
At the snap, you’ll notice Rashod Bateman in motion. With that motion, Baltimore wanted to widen the path of his vertical route in case Davison Igbinosun jumped the intermediate out-breaker run by Mark Andrews.
The route concept also featured Zay Flowers working across the middle underneath, and it would’ve been easy for Couch — aligned in the slot near the bottom of the screen — to jump that slant.
He didn’t.
Watch as he passed off Flowers to Terrel Bernard before sinking to occupy the area of Andrews’ out-breaker:
Absolutely textbook. Couple that with Igbinosun staying home in his deep outside fourth of the field, and there was simply nowhere to throw the football.
Now, sure — that play was a simple example of everyone staying true to their zones, but oftentimes offenses bank on one back seven player getting greedy or taking one false step … and that’s when a pass-catching option comes open.
Fine dedication to his zone from Couch there, especially for someone with very little experience.
Couch manned up well too, even against Flowers on a few occasions.
Here, the Bills were in straight-up man across the board, and notice how Couch raised his arm before the snap. I can’t say for sure what that indicated, but I love that he took charge on the communication front, even if it was in visual form.
The Ravens snapped the ball with motion, and attempted to cause natural picks at the bottom of the screen with Andrews, Bateman, and Flowers.
Couch got physical with Flowers during the allowed five yards beyond the of scrimmage before releasing his hands and running with him as the lightning-quick separator ran a deep over across the field:
This next play from Couch was low-key outstanding, and it served as a fine demonstration of how abruptly defenders must adjust pre and post snap.
A split second before the snap, the Ravens sent Andrews in motion toward the sideline, which widened Couch as the ball reached the quarterback in the shotgun.
Because his assignment was the short zone underneath on his side of the field, Couch got a shove on Bateman to disrupt his route timing before turning his attention into the backfield. Notice how quickly he recognized screen, avoided a block from an offensive lineman, and got a hand on Justice Hill to trip him before the veteran back could flip on the afterburners:
With Deone Walker bowled over by two Ravens blockers, the 5’10”, 185-pounder was the only Bills defender still standing within 10-15 yards of Hill when he caught the football.
Outstanding play from the 27-year-old defensive back.
Here, in the low red zone, Couch, Damar Hamlin, and Igbinosun avoided collisions at the top of the screen and Couch didn’t vacate keeping inside leverage on the inside receiver as Flowers and Bateman approached the goal line:
He then quickly and effortlessly flipped his hips to follow Flowers across the back of the end zone:
Very calm rep there from Couch again, when a lot of inexperienced defensive backs would’ve panicked or, more simply, not had enough juice to stay with the speedy Flowers across the field.
This would not be a proper film session on an scrappy, upstart defensive back if it did not feature an open-field tackle.
Nothing schematically intricate here… just Couch (near the bottom of the screen) planting and driving from his short zone to stick Andrews before he could turn up field to move the chains:
Yes, of course… the Ravens were massively short-handed at the game’s most vital position against the Bills. But there’s no doubting Buffalo’s secondary played much more like a cohesive unit against Baltimore than at any stage of the past month, if not the entire season to date.
And Couch played one heck of a game.
