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Film Room : Defensive Gaps

Yesterday we learned all about gaps and holes. It wasn’t too bad, right? But sometimes an extra visual is nice, so we’re going to take a second look at gaps today, since gap protection is something you’re likely to hear in everyday football conversation.

Here’s a quick overview of what we learned:

Defenses identify spaces in the offensive line with letters.
Offenses identify spaces in the offensive line with numbers.
The A Gap is the gap between the center and the guards
The B Gap is the gap between the guards and the tackles
The C Gap is the gap between the tackle and the tight end
The D Gap is the gap between the tight end and the edge of the field
It’s crucial that every defensive player has an assignment. Otherwise, gaps go unchecked and open up big holes for running plays to go through. Each defensive player should know which gap he is assigned to cover at the snap of the ball.
The types of defenses mentioned – 3-3, 5-4, 5-3 – are different from the main two that we’ve discussed, the 4-3 and the 3-4 (which are the predominant NFL-style defenses). But that doesn’t mean we’re in the dark! As per the 4-3 and the 3-4, the first number refers to the number of players up front on the defensive line, and the second number refers to the number of linebackers, with the rest of the 11 players being defensive backs. So a 3-3 system is one in which there are 3 defensive linemen, 3 linebackers, and 5 defensive backs (3+3+5 = 11).
Let’s take a look at this screen shot, which shows a 4-4 defense. How could we tell it’s a 4-4 even if it wasn’t labeled? There are 4 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers (and 3 defensive backs in the secondary). Thus, it’s a 4-4. (Easy, right?)
Bonus points if you know what formation the offense is in!

For even more information on gaps, check out this video and this video from USA Football.

Fundamentals : Holes and Gaps

To prevent both offensive and defensive play calling from turning into “Hey, I’m going over there and you go over there!” football has a system of naming spaces in the offensive line.

But I would like to be in the huddle of a play that didn’t have a naming system, just for fun.

Since that’s not the case, here’s how the real system works:

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Offensive players identify spaces with numbers called holes.

Defensive players identify space with letters called gaps.

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Let’s start with the offensive numbering system.

HOLES

The number of the hole tells the running back where to go. Even numbers are always on the right, odd numbers are always on the left, and both increase as they move from inside to outside. Identifying the hole in the play call lets all of the other offensive players know where the play is going and therefore the area they are responsible for blocking.

So does the running back jump in the huddle and call dibs on 2?

Again, I’d really like to be in a huddle where the backs play Rock, Paper, Scissors for the hole they want, but unfortunately it doesn’t work like that.

Just as each hole has a number, so does each back (and it’s different than the number on the back of his jersey). Traditionally:

QB = 1
Tailback = 2
Fullback = 3

Where’s running back on that list? And where are the tailbacks and fullbacks in this picture, you ask? Good question! Tailbacks (usually the ball-carrier) and fullbacks (usually the blocker) are types of running backs. Pictured above is a 3-wide formation that features a tight end on the line and a running back in the I formation. Since there’s only one running back, he’s the main back, so he’d be number 2.

Running plays are called by naming the number of the back first, the number of the hole second, and the type of run third.

Let’s say the play is “23 Dive.” That would mean the running back (2) is going through the 3 hole and running a dive play (running straight ahead as fast as possible).

Make sense? As long as you know the numbers of the backs and the numbers of the holes in the offensive line, you should be just fine. If you want to challenge yourself and learn a few types of running plays, too (you do!), check out this article.

Moving on to defense.

GAPS

Whereas the offense uses numbers to identify holes from the backfield, the defense uses letters. The gap between the center and the guards is always the A gap, the gap between the guards and the tackles is always the B gap, the gap between the tackles and the outside edge (or the tight end, if present) is always the C gap, and the gap between the tight end (if present) and the outside edge is always the D gap – or just the edge.

We talked a little bit about gap responsibility in last week’s post about defensive techniques. In the photo above, the defensive tackle (who is also called the nose tackle since he’s the only DT in the 3-4 alignment) is playing 0-technique, so he’s responsible for blocking both A gaps. The ends are playing 5-technique, so they’re responsible for the B and C gaps (they’ll also likely get help from the linebackers depending on the play call).

As for defensive play calling, you’ll often hear that a certain defensive player is going to “shoot the gap.” Let’s say one of the middle linebackers is going to shoot the A gap. That means he’s going to charge through one of the A gaps, likely in an attempt to blitz the quarterback.

So: offensive spaces get numbers, defensive spaces get letters, and the football world continues to spin on it’s axis.

Until I talk someone into calling, “Whoever wins Rock, Paper, Scissors through that hole over there. GO!”

Pop Quiz!

What’s better than starting a Monday off with a Pop Quiz style bang?

A lot of things, probably.

BUT, not in the case of this pop quiz! There’s a great Fundamentals post coming your way tomorrow that was originally intended for today, but once I uploaded an illustration of basic offense and defense I realized I couldn’t not quiz you guys on all of it first. I mean, come on. What kind of blogger am I? But if you’ve been following along, you’re going to rock it. And then once you conquer a Football for Normal Girls quiz you’re going to be so ready to roll with the rest of this week feeling all accomplished and knowledgable, and really, isn’t that a great way to start a Monday?

I think so too.

Ready?

Take a look at the picture below and identify the following:

All of the players on the field (there are two potential tricks here)
The strong side and weak side of the field
What formation the offense is in
Where the quarterback will take the snap from
What personnel group is on the field
What formation the defense is in
What techniques the defensive line players are lined up in
The Sam linebacker
The Will linebacker
What type of coverage the corners are playing

GO!!!

Need a minute to think it over?

Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.

(For the record, it’s late on Sunday night and I worked all weekend. My humor meter is running dangerously close to the “everything’s funny!!!” line. My apologies in advance.)

Ok, time’s up! Here are your answers (not in the form of questions):

I’m going to inspire a little confidence in you all right here, right now. I KNOW you know what players are on the field, so I’m not even going to list them all. But in the event that you don’t know them or need a hand with a few, there’s no shame in that! Double check the glossary or read this post for extra help,. Now, the two that I thought might stump you are the illusions to the safeties way back in the defensive secondary. There wasn’t room to illustrate them correctly (my bad), so I just made them ghosts of letters without color-blocked squares hanging out behind the linemen. Poor safeties. A good clue that something was up was the fact that there were only 9 squares on the defensive side, and each side always fields 11 players.
The strong side is the side of the field where the tight end is lined up. The weak side, as you might imagine, is the side of the field without the tight end. In this example, the strong side is the left side and the weak side is the right side.
The offense is in the I-formation – nice and easy since we can clearly see the line that looks like an “I” in the backfield. We learned about that one, and a bunch of other formations, in this post about formations.
The quarterback is going to take the snap from under center. We know this because he is lined up directly behind the center. If he were 5-7 yards further back, he’d be taking the snap from the shotgun. Check out this post about snaps for more information.
We’re dusting the cobwebs off with this question! The personnel group lessons were eons ago so if you didn’t quite remember, don’t sweat it. You can reread those two posts here and here. But if you do remember (great job!), you’ll know that the 11 personnel group is on the field – 1 running back, 1 tight end.
I think we’ve probably hammered this lesson home hard enough that you answered without hesitation: this is a 3-4 defense. (But if you need a refresher, check out any of these posts.)
Thanks to last week’s Fundamentals post, we know that the DT is lined up directly over center and is therefore playing 0-technique, and the ends are lined up directly over the tackles so they are playing 5-technique.
The Sam linebacker is the strong side linebacker, or the linebacker on the tight end’s side. In this case, he’s the one on the left.
The Will linebacker is the weak side linebacker, or the linebacker on the opposite side from the tight end. In this case, he’s the one on the left (or RIGHT! – just checking to see if you are still paying attention).
The cornerbacks are lined up directly across from the wide receivers. Thanks to this post, we know that means they are probably playing man coverage. (Although the left corner might play zone with that wide receiver a few yards off the line.) (You’d think I would have a plan in place, since I drew up the play.) (That’s not the case.)

So…how’d you do? Amazing, right?! I’m sure you did. Go forth and conquer Monday; you’re more than ready for it. See you all back here tomorrow morning for a Fundamentals post that you are already well-prepared for!

News and Notes : 4.12.13

The only thing I have to say today is that this is the best thing I’ve seen in awhile:

Does anything inspire more hope that the regular season will eventually arrive than seeing the Manning brothers hard at work (and hard at play) in the offseason?

146 Days to go.

History Lesson : The Immaculate Reception

One reception. That’s all it took to turn the tide for the once-woeful Steelers.

Can you even believe that in 1972, after 40 years in business, the Steelers had only been to the playoffs once? And that first appearance had been way back in 1947 – a 21-0 beat down by the Eagles? And that since then, the Steelers now have more Super Bowl trophies than any other team in the NFL?

Crazy. Downtrodden teams: take heart. Things change.

Things changed for the Steelers in their second playoff game, a 1972 game against the Raiders. It had been a low scoring affair, only 7-6 with 22 seconds left in the 4th quarter. Then this happened:

So…valid touchdown? Or not a touchdown?

It depends on who you talk to.

The rule in that era was that a ball could not bounce from one offensive player to another without a defensive player touching it in between. The Steelers hold to the belief that the ball bounced off of Raiders defensive back Jack Tatum before Steelers running back Franco Harris caught the deflection. The Raiders, however, believe that the ball bounced off of Steelers running back Frenchy Fuqua without ever touching Tatum.

The ref sided with the Steelers and awarded them the game-winning touchdown. Thanks to another history lesson post, we know that the Steelers didn’t win that game and go all the way to a Super Bowl victory. They were beaten by the infamous ’72 Dolphins in the Conference Championship round. The Dolphins would win that Super Bowl and the next, but the Steelers would win the two after that…and a few more to follow.

Quite a turn around for a team with two playoff appearances in 40 years.

Film Room : Defensive Line

On Monday we gave the defensive line a little love and talked about defensive techniques. Today, we’re going to learn more about the players on the defensive line and what their jobs are…and…we’re going beyond the film to take a look at screen shots and figure out the techniques used on the field.

Oh, that’s right. We’re going for the gold today.

But let’s put the horse back in front of the cart to get us started. Here’s an essential lesson on defensive line play:

So, what did we learn?

Defensive Tackles play on the inside of the defensive line and are usually big guys who take up lots of space and block the gaps in the middle of the field.

Defensive Ends play on the outside of the defensive line and are often speed rushers, penetrating into the backfield to tackle the quarterback or running backs.

Got it? Let’s move on and see if we can determine techniques just by using our post from Monday and a few screen shots from this video.

We’re going to use the less complicated version of technique numbering (apologies, Coach Bryant) in these examples. Here’s another look at it:

image source

Spoiler Alert: don’t scroll down all the way. Give yourself a test and see if you can answer the following questions about each picture before scrolling down to the picture with the answers.

1. Which players are on the defensive line? (Positions, not actual player names.)

2. Using that information, what defensive formation is the team probably using?

3. Using approximate values based on the picture, how are the players aligned? Which defensive techniques are in place?

Disclaimer Alert: this is completely an eye test based on limited information, so we’re all taking our best guesses here – myself included! Go ahead and take a swing, even if it’s at a weird curve ball.

Here’s Example 1 of a defensive line in the video:

And here’s Example 2:

Ready for the big reveal?

Here’s Example 1 with the answers:

1. We see that this formation is using two defensive tackles and two defensive ends.

2. Therefore, we can infer that this is probably either a 4-3 defense of a 4-2-5 defense (which we haven’t talked about yet).

3. By looking at each player’s alignment, we can take an educated guess as to his technique. I did this – in my own backwoods fashion, not in any official football strategy – by starting with the offensive line and identifying center and the tight end – the two keys I usually use to see how the offensive line is lined up. From there, I worked from offensive left to right across the formation: the defensive end looks like he’s either right across from the left tackle (5-technique) or right outside of him (6-technique). The more I look at this picture, the more I think I was probably wrong the first time – he looks like he’s outside playing 6-technique. Both defensive tackles are aligned to the outside of the offensive guards, so they are likely playing 3-technique. And the end across from the tight end is lined up outside of him, so he’s playing 9-technique.

Not too bad, right?

Here’s our second example:

1. The defensive ends are outside of only one defensive tackle, so it’s a 3 man line and he’s the nose tackle.

2. We can then infer that the team is playing a 3-man front, likely a 3-4 formation.

3. This time around I started with the defensive tackle and worked my way out. The nose tackle almost always lines up directly across from the center, so he’s playing 0-technique. The defensive end on the offensive right looks like he’s aligned over the right tackle, so he’s probably playing 5-technique. The defensive end on the offensive left looks like he’s just outside of the left tackle, so I’d say he’s playing 6-technique, although it is definitely open for discussion.

It’s not in any way an exact science – at least not when you are looking at it from this point of view – but it’s still helpful to think critically and learn more in the process, even if it’s not 100% accurate.

How about you guys? How did you do? Any agreements or disagreements with my educated guess technique for techniques?