Defensive alignment

[B]

What's your favorite defensive alignment??  You have to change with your athletes but what would you run if you could??

What are its strengths and weaknesses?? 

Maybe you like to mix it up, why??  positives/negatives???

[GRIDIRON GURU]

I think this is an excellent topic, for 9-man. In 9- man, we see two basic fronts a 4-man or a 3-man, and what a specific team runs on defense is player dependant.

I think in order to run a successful 3 man front you need to have a pretty salty nose guard, two discipline ends and some quality linebackers.

With a 4- man front I think we can do more with less talent such as gap responsability, stunts, and keeping the o-line off the inside backers allowing them to flow and blitz more freely. I like stand up ends in a 4-man front better than the down ends in a 3 - man.

I see 9-man football changing in N.D. though, with more shotgun spread, some with a single wing twist, and some with a spread option twist.

To defend both requires assignment football and depending upon what kind of personnel you have I can see the 3-man fronts being a better option for some teams in some situations.

I am more of an offensive minded person and I look at how to attack a defense and find it's weaknesses. Some coaches are more defensive minded and look how to attack an offense and exploit it's weaknesses.

As an offensive coach what I like to see is a team line up in the same defense the whole game. It does not matter what defense it is. What I hate is multiple fronts, stunts and different looks, it makes an offensive line have to think instead of destroy.

With all that said I still like the 4-2 for 9-man football. Gap responsibility, for the tackles ends box and contain with some crash calls and stunts, two middle backers cross keying the backs, two corners man pass defense with outside receivers, and a free safety or monster.

[AR]

Great reply Gridiron!!!

Good argument for the 4-2.  I like a variation of the 3-3, it should actually be called a 3-2.  It's a shaded defense for the D-line, 2 LBs and the "strong saftey".

In a base look the weak side end has contain, the nose is shaded weak, the DT is inside shade on the strong side tight end (B gap) and the "SS" has contain.  You can walk the SS up vs a wing or a really good TE (changed into your 4-2;)) or play him a little deeper and maybe 2 yds outside the TE to the wideout side.  (discourages the quick slants)

Vs the run you have all of the gaps covered with 3 levels of defenders which makes it tough to block them.  The hogs have to go get them!! 

Vs pass the lends itself well to cover 3,  The SS has flats, the corners & FS have 1/3's and the tough one is the weakside LB.  The DE must not allow a free release to the weak side TE.  -The DT should do the same on the strong side-On play action the flats would be really open.  You do still have the weakside corner for help. (3 levels:D)

It's easy to adjust to multiple formations as knowbodies job really changes, you probably just take the SS and move him out.

The SS has to be a smart player.  If he gets sucked in on play action you're in trouble quick.  (Contain and flats isn't easy.)

You can shade everyone weak instead of strong and with walking up the SS you are giving the offense the same problem you talked about with multiple fronts.  The offense has to start thinking.

Not gonna lie, I "stole" this from Imdieke at one of his presentations a few years back.

It helps if you have athletes that do well on their feet and can cover some space.  Probaby only two defenders wth their hands in the ground.  (NG & DT)

 

[rep]

not sure about the best defense, but i know the worst:

during a scrimmage, the opposing team had they had their nose (i was playing center) stand over me instead of getting down in a stance. it never made much sense why you would just eliminate your leverage before the ball is snapped in an attempt to try and get a quickness advantage with a lineman.

as a center it was way to easy to just snap the ball and get a hand into them and slow/stop any progression before you got out of your stance.

we didn't play the team that season, but did the next and they didn't do that in the game, so maybe they were just testing some stuff out that day...all in all it made no sense to me.

[ND_Coach]

I like the Odd Stack in 9-man (Its a 3-3 Front), vs an I formation, flanker to defensive left and two ends.  The Nose is in a zero technique and the Two defensive ends are in Four techniques.  the Middle backer is stacked on the nose with his heels at 5 yards, the left and right backers are stacked over the ends with heels at four and a half yards.  they are back so far so they can play downhill

Left corner is 2 yards inside 7 yards deep of the flanker.  right corner is 2 outside 7 deep off the right end.  Safety has heels at 12 shaded over the strong side guard. 

The D-Line will be slanting on every play, the backers work in partners with the DL they are stacked over so every gap is covered.  There will also be at least one backer coming on every play.  Play cover 3 if one back is coming, Cover 0 if two or more are coming.  The safety can also come up into the box and play a 2 Robber coverage

All Backers and DB's key the uncovered linemen for run/pass read.

Strengths: LBers are playing downhill, Slanting DL creates a lot of confusion for OL, easy run/pass keys, you can stem and prowl backers to creat more confusion, offense can never be sure where the blitz is coming from.

Weaknesses:  vs Power I or Wishbone the offense can out man you at the point of attack.  It is also weak vs a veer type option. 

Vs. a spread (Center and 2 Guards for a line) if you can do it, I like a one man front, but you need a stud as that one DL.  Then 4 backers (2 over the guards at 5 yards, 2 that are 2 outside 3 deep off the guards.  Backs turned to the outside to stop the crack back blocks)  4 Dbs playing cover 2, changing between the coners and safeties dropping as the 2 deep men

 


 

[GRIDIRON GURU]

not sure about the best defense, but i know the worst:

during a scrimmage, the opposing team had they had their nose (i was playing center) stand over me instead of getting down in a stance. it never made much sense why you would just eliminate your leverage before the ball is snapped in an attempt to try and get a quickness advantage with a lineman.

as a center it was way to easy to just snap the ball and get a hand into them and slow/stop any progression before you got out of your stance.

we didn't play the team that season, but did the next and they didn't do that in the game, so maybe they were just testing some stuff out that day...all in all it made no sense to me.

That sounds like the old Radar defense I think Fargo North ran something like that back in the mid 80's.  I also remember Finley-Sharon tried running a radar defense with a stand up defensive line I don't think it worked out too well.

[Norm70]

Defense depends alot on adjustments. As a supporter of both the wing and read option offenses, I love to see the team spread out there d. this just gives your qb an easier read on where to go off his read.

[Brady Langan]

i dont realy havee a favorite it all depnds on personall and situations

[nordstde]

Could some of you please learn how to spell and use decent grammar? But I do agree with you Brady.

[Gtowngamers]

All these defenses are set with 3 or 4 db's... i think that is very hurt ful unless your front 4 or 5 are all tough. In nine man you dont run into a lot of teams that have much of a passing game besides a deep play action or screeens. I say bring 7 or 8 in the box and make the offense beat you.

My personal favorite is a 4-3 with studs at the defensive ends. Have them crash hard on the ends' outside shoulder every play hopefully slowing the passing game and giving your tackles only the A gaps as their primary responsibility and also shrinking the field making it harder for the runningback to get to the second level. you almost have to run a man coverage with 7 guys in the box so weakside linebacker has back coming out of the backfield and your corners/safetys have the outside guy on each side. and then your strong side backer has probably a tightend and your middle is free to make plays. if you play a cover two out of this any sort of tightend seem is going to kill you.

[ND_Coach]

All these defenses are set with 3 or 4 db's... i think that is very hurt ful unless your front 4 or 5 are all tough. In nine man you dont run into a lot of teams that have much of a passing game besides a deep play action or screeens. I say bring 7 or 8 in the box and make the offense beat you.

My personal favorite is a 4-3 with studs at the defensive ends. Have them crash hard on the ends' outside shoulder every play hopefully slowing the passing game and giving your tackles only the A gaps as their primary responsibility and also shrinking the field making it harder for the runningback to get to the second level. you almost have to run a man coverage with 7 guys in the box so weakside linebacker has back coming out of the backfield and your corners/safetys have the outside guy on each side. and then your strong side backer has probably a tightend and your middle is free to make plays. if you play a cover two out of this any sort of tightend seem is going to kill you.

I'll assume you are talking about defending an I formation.  If you are covering the backs with your will backer how do you stop a flood pass run to the strong side?  Your corner is locked on the flanker sam backer has strong side end and know the will has to sprint across the field to take the back out of the back field, he is in a bad position.

You are also vulnerable to a toss weakside, especially if you are crashing your defensive ends into the offensive ends, going hard at their outside shoulder makes for an easy hook.  that leaves the full back to take the will backer and your safety who is covering backside end 1 on 1 with the tailback in space.  If I is being run then its a good bet that the tailback is probally the best athlete on the team and I doubt the best defender is at safety which means there will probally be a big athletic mismatch in space and in 9 man football that ain't good.

How would you adjust to a spread offense, like this?

X                    G C G                      Z                                                                         

        H               Q             Y

                         F            

 

The QB would be under center.  If he did go to shotgun the Back (F) would be offset and slightly behind, either left or right.

[Gtowngamers]

If they spread it out like that... you could try to keep the four lineman hopefully making them make decisions very quickly. If they are getting a lot of quick hitters then your probably in for a long game and you probably need to drop back and keep them away from big plays. with maybe a cover four or a deep 2 with four across and two in the flats with a three man front