Fronts

the system we use to call fronts and gap control is very similar to how most of you probably call them in other defenses; a 2 digit number and a word.

The 2 digit number signifies the technique played by our Ends (first number goes to the strong side end, second number goes to the weak) - now when i say technique, i do not mean alignment techniques - but which gap they take from a head up position:

• 3 - Ends play the inside shoulder of the tackle
• 5 - Ends play the outside shoulder of the tackle

This is a very very simple system that allows us maximum flexibility. Next we use a word, this word tells us what the linebacker alignment is. we have two different alignments for our linebackers that we will talk about.

Stack

Stack is our base alignment, if we could, we would live in this front every down of every game, I have no problem hanging my hat on this front.

The benefits of the Stack front are that the linebackers are concealed and protected from base blocks, and each linebacker and linemen have a "2 way go" making it hard for offensive linemen to guess where we will go.

But, there are times, as shown in the example, that we are outflanked by formation (for example by a 1 TE set), and we need an answer for that. this is where our "Pull" front comes in.

Pull puts us in a head up 4-4 look, the great thing about pull is that the reads and reactions don't change, save one person, the down linebacker who is now a 6 tech player, but we have simplified his responsibility to: "blow up the Tight End, then read and react to flow as you normally would".

The down linebacker is always C Gap responsible no matter what the call was.