Nickel defense

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 conciseness.

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.

[3] In college football, TCU is known to use a nickel defense as its base set, typically playing three safeties and two linebackers.

As it turned out, the nickel proved to be a very good set against the spread offenses proliferating throughout college football in the early 21st century.

[4] A common defensive front adjustment for 3–4 teams to accommodate the nickel backfield involves putting the two outside linebackers into a three-point stance shading the offensive tackles (i.e., a 5 technique).