Here’s a list of the five simplest defenses in the NFL. Many of the entries will come as no surprise.

Colts: 42

The Colts rush four defenders 76 percent of the time and rush six just 3 percent of the time. Jim Caldwell is less conservative than Tony Dungy (who almost never blitzed), but the Colts let their linebackers and defensive backs concentrate on zone coverage and tell the linemen to pin their ears back.

Lions: 41

Jim Schwartz gets as much pass rush as possible from his four down linemen, rushing four defenders 76 percent of the time and zone blitzing just 2.2 percent of the time. Those tactics will not change now that Nick Fairley joins Ndamukong Suh, Kyle Vanden Bosch, and Cliff Avril on what should be the league’s best defensive line. The Raiders would rank third, but they have a new defensive coordinator.

Bears: 38

Lovie Smith is another offshoot of the Tony Dungy family tree, and while he blitzes more often than Caldwell (six-man rushes on 10 percent of pass plays), he almost never switches to a three-man front. Smith also has Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs at linebacker, two veterans who know the system as well as he does. The Titans would rank next, but they have a new defensive coordinator.

Chargers: 37

Not all of the teams on this list are Cover-2 teams that don’t blitz. The Chargers rush five defenders from their 3-4 set on 26 percent of pass plays, but they rarely zone blitz or send six-to-seven man jailbreaks. The Chargers do use a lot of multiple fronts and shifting, so they may be straining the limits of what we can pull from the percentages. Still, it’s instructive to know that not all “simple” defenses are built the same in our analysis. The Texans would rank next; Wade Phillips’ Cowboys finished near the middle of the pack, complexity-wise, so the Texans may do the same this year.

Giants: 35

Another team that likes to blitz, the Giants send five defenders 22 percent of the time and six or more a whopping 13 percent of the time on pass plays. But zone blitzes are relatively rare, as are three-man fronts. Like the Lions, the Giants rely on the talent of their front four to cause havoc, keeping the trickery to a minimum.

Here are the most complicated defenses, ones that may be scaled back this year:

Jets: 16

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In addition to the percentages listed earlier, the Jets zone blitz 10.7 percent of the time. Opponents never know what to expect, but it’s hard to imagine Rex Ryan installing everything he wants to add with no minicamps and a short summer to work with. The Browns would rank second – twins think alike – but they have a new defensive coordinator.

Ravens: 17

Yes, the Ravens have a new coordinator, but Chuck Pagano was hired from within, so the scheme will not change much. This is another 3-4 defense with the Ryan Brothers stamp on it. A trend is emerging.

Falcons: 20

The Falcons zone-blitz a lot: 12.5 percent on passes last year. They also switched to a three-man front 14 percent of the time. The Falcons may not be as daring as the Jets or Ravens, but their system has a lot of subtlety. The Broncos would rank next; John Fox’s Panthers finished near the complexity leaders last year, but he may have been trying new things out of desperation. He’s a very conservative strategist.

Eagles: 23

This is another “hire from within” coaching change. The Eagles zone blitz on 12.2 percent of passes and send six or more defenders 14 percent of the time. As long as Andy Reid is hiring the coordinators, the Eagles defense will bear some imprints of the late Jim Johnson, who never met a blitz he didn’t want to call six times per game.

Saints: 24

Gregg Williams sent six or more defenders on an amazing 26 percent of passes, by far the highest figure in the league. When you rush six defenders, you leave five in coverage, and a lot of Saints practice time must be spent making sure those five defenders know their roles and techniques. The Saints would rank higher in complexity if they zone blitzed more than 2.1 percent of the time; Williams calls so many jailbreaks that he doesn’t have time for the more exotic stuff.