A simple approach to defensive multiplicity. (Football).

LET'S FACE IT, GONE ARE the Friday nights when you went to a high school football stadium and witnessed a 48-minute war between a 5-2 monster and a two-tight wishbone.

We remember those nights well and enjoyed them. But, eventually, our opponents forced us to redesign our defenseaecreate a simple, but multiple defense that would enable us to adapt to the different offenses we saw from week to week.

Predicated on a base 4-3, our defense permits our players to shift into different positions and create multiple fronts that disrupt blocking schemes and pre-snap reads. As you can see in the accompanying diagrams, the most important positions in the defense are the Will linebacker (W) and the Rover (R).

Will has to be an athlete with the ability to play back or as a down lineman, meaning that he must be physical enough to play counter in our 4-3 and fast enough to beat a tackle off the ball in a 5-2 or 46 "Bear."

The Rover is our best all-around defender, smart enough to line up correctly, strong enough to cover a TR from the LOS, and tough enough to mix it up inside.

We highlight the Will and the Rover because they are responsible for most of our shifts and for creating our different looks up front.

The organizational process works as follows:

4-3 TO 5-2 (DIAG. 1):

We create a 5-2 front by sliding our linemen to the strong call. The End (E) shifts outside into a two-point stance, the Tackle (T) slides out to a 41 (inside eye of the OT), the Nose (N) slides down to a 0 (head up on the center), and the Anchor (A) slides down to a 41. We then walk the Will up to create the 5-2.

In order to remain balanced, we slide our Sam (S) and our Mike (M) weak, line them up in 30 techniques on the guards (outside eye of the OG), five yards back, and play Cover-2 over the top.

4-3 TO 4-6 "BEAR" (DIAG. 2):

To create a "Bear" look up front, we slide our linemen in the same fashion, but now we angle the End in a 9 technique, walk the Rover up on the TE, and lock up man-to-man across the formation. The Free Safety slides to the middle. Rover takes the man-to-man, while Sam and Mike have the first back out to the side.

4-3 TO 5-3 (DIAG. 3):

For a 5-3 look, we slide weak. The Anchor stays at home, the Nose shifts to a 41, the Tackle to a 0, and the End to a 41. The Rover walks up to the outside shoulder of the last man on the LOS and into a three-point stance while the Free Safety slides to the middle. The Rover must not allow the Tight End to get a free release.

Out of this front, we like to run zone blitzes since the Rover can be dropped out into coverage.

4-3 TO 4-4 (DIAG. 4):

To show a 4-4, we use a rotation system with our linebackers and safeties. Will slides weak to a point 4 yards x 3 yards outside the last man on the LOS, Mike and Sam slide weak to 30 techniques on the guards, while Rover walks up to a point 4 yards x 3 yards outside the last man on the LOS. If there are two receivers to his side, he will split the difference. The Free Safety slides to the middle of the formation, creating the 4-4 with a three-deep zone.

4-3 TO 6-1 (DIAG. 5):

We can create a 6-1 by having the End, Tackle, Nose, and Anchor shift inside one gap while Sam and Will walk up to the last man on the LOS and get into three-point stances. This is a great front to stem into during a two-minute situation or to zone blitz out of on third and long.

IMPLEMENTATION

Once the defense becomes comfortable with aligning quickly, we can begin stemming in and out of different fronts, depending on the situation.

The stemming will create offensive confusion and mismatches in our favor.

Let's say the opponents' tackle is a sophomore with little experience. If he is isolated on the weak side of the formation on third and long, our Anchor will make a "Monster" call and the defense will automatically go from a 4-3 to a 5-2, creating a 2-on-1 situation vs the young tackle.

This scheme is also great in short-yardage situations. On third and one, for example, we will expect a power blast, and line up in a 5-3. If, however, the offense comes out with four wide receivers and a single back, our Rover will call "Split" and the defense will jump from the 5-3 to a 4-4. This will create a balanced front, giving us a more appropriate coverage scheme on third and one.

CONCLUSION:

The incorporation of a multiplicity in the defensive scheme provides three major benefits:

First, since it requires a lot of repetition and discipline, it helps make your athletes more intelligent football players.

Second, it teaches your players how to spot weaknesses in your opponents' offenses as well as weaknesses in your own game. Most coaches are too proud to listen to their athletes, but coaches must know that when they have the athletes working on the same page with them, it will be like having 11 unpaid assistants on the field, working together with them to win.

Third, the multiplicity of this scheme allows you to adjust to almost any type of offensive situation. Any time the opponents understand that you can and will create mismatches, you will be forcing them into a more conservative game plan. That will give you a greater opportunity to make big plays on defense and get more "three and outs."

We stress the importance of big plays and stops every week. The teams that make the most big plays in a game will win nine times out of 10.

This scheme has allowed us to keep defensive practice fresh and exciting while preparing us for Friday nights. We believe that it can do the same for your program.