Defense

Three layers. Big guys up front, linebackers behind them, defensive backs deep.

Defensive line (DL). Players with a hand in the dirt. Ends (DE) outside, tackles (DT) inside. A nose tackle (NT) is a tackle over the center.

Linebackers (LB). Stand behind the line. Inside / middle linebacker (ILB / MLB) is over the guards. Outside linebacker (OLB) is wider.

Defensive backs (DB). Corners (CB) on the wide receivers. Safeties (S) deeper. A nickel is an extra DB when they expect pass.

1. 01Count who is down before the snap. That is the front.
2. 02Your job is a gap or a man or a zone of grass. Know which one.
3. 03Do not chase the ball out of your job on the first step.

Count how many linemen have a hand in the dirt. That is the first thing this playbook teaches on the snap.

Four hands in the dirt is a 4-man front (4-3 or 4-4). Five or six down is a heavy front (5-2, 6-2). Three down is a 3-4. The number standing behind them are the linebackers.

1. 014-4: four down, four linebackers. Even. Two inside, two outside.
2. 026-2: six down, two linebackers. The tight ends are covering ends, not linebackers.
3. 03If an outside linebacker puts a hand down, the offense’s tight end changes men. That is why the playbook says check the dirt, not the name of the front.

Your gap is your job. Do not chase the ball out of it.

A-gap. Between center and guard. 1-hole left, 2-hole right in this book.

B-gap. Between guard and tackle. 3-hole and 4-hole.

C-gap. Between tackle and tight end. 5-hole and 6-hole.

D-gap. Outside the tight end. 7-hole and 8-hole.

Box. The players in the tackle box who are run fitters. Count them vs the blockers.

1. 01If the ball goes away, still protect your gap until you see the cutback, then pursue.
2. 02Wrong gap on the first step is a crease. That is how 24 becomes eight yards.

Man means you have a man. Zone means you have grass.

Cover 0. Man, no safety help. Everyone is spoken for. Blitz lives here.

Cover 1. Man with one deep safety.

Cover 2. Two deep safeties. Corners often play short. The deep is split in half.

Cover 3. Three deep (two corners and a safety). Four underneath.

Cover 4 / quarters. Four deep. Two corners, two safeties. Good vs four verts. Soft vs the run unless someone walks down.

1. 01If you have a man, he is yours until the ball is thrown somewhere else or your coach says otherwise.
2. 02If you have grass, keep the receiver in front of you and break on the throw.
3. 03Do not play man rules in a zone call. That is a hole in the middle.

Do not run upfield and give up the edge on every snap.

A rush lane is your path to the quarterback that still keeps him from scrambling outside you. Contain means the end player in the rush cannot let the QB out. A spy is a player who watches the QB instead of rushing. A blitz is an extra rusher. A stunt / twist is two linemen swapping gaps.

1. 01If you are the contain rusher, keep the quarterback inside you.
2. 02If you are not called to blitz, do not blitz.
3. 03Hands first. Running in a loop with no plan is not a rush.

Take an angle. Keep leverage. Wrap. The highlight hit is not the job.

1. 01Angle: run to where he is going, not to where he is. If he cuts back, your path should still work.
2. 02Leverage: inside or outside shade. You cannot be both. The force player is outside. The alley player is inside.
3. 03Near shoulder: your near shoulder to his near hip. Do not cross your feet to switch.
4. 04Break down: short choppy steps before contact so you can change direction.
5. 05Wrap: arms around the legs or hips, grab cloth, drive. Heads-up. Never helmet-first.