Transcription
Stopping the run is the foundation of football and at the heart of every great defense. How a team chooses to go about this schematically is known as the run fit. A subject that appears complicated but relies on fundamental philosophies anyone can understand. Having to be prepared for every eventuality the offense might dream up.
It can be an exhaustive subject, but we're here to simplify the schematics and showcase the solutions. In the age of the pass, many might ask, why is this subject even important? Well, without it, there's no way to stop an offense from continuously gaining first downs, leaving any plans to stop the pass as pointless. The quickest path to score is straight up the middle. If you can't stop this route one attack, it's going to be a long day for the defense.
But it goes deeper than that. By running the ball effectively, offenses can manipulate their opponent into changing their spacing and alignments, in turn affecting the coverages a defense can run. This is the fundamental game loop so many miss when analyzing football. You don't just run to set up play action. You run the ball to force alignment changes, creating angles and numbers advantages you can then exploit.
Before we break down exactly how to stop the run, we first got to get our definitions nailed down. If you're a football intermediate and know your terminology, you can skip to 301. An offense's personnel number tells us what type of skill position players they have on the field. The first number tells us the number of running backs, followed by the number of tight ends. From this, we can then deduce the number of wide receivers.
This video will mostly focus on the box. That's the area on the field 2 yards outside the widest linemen, including tight ends, extending 8 yards past the line of scrimmage. Any defensive player in this zone is considered in the box. To know which gaps we want players to defend, we first must label them with the innermost either side of the center labeled the A gap, counting outwards until you run out of players.
To know where to line up, defensive linemen are given techniques or texts, defining where they should line up and what shade they have on the offensive lineman ahead of them. Playing directly over the center is a zero tech. And then we count outwards again with a player playing very wide to the tight end, often referred to as a wide nine. These techniques and alignments remain the same for linebackers, but instead of using a single digit, we add a zero to indicate lining up off the ball. Between four and 8 yards, depending on the scheme and coach, how a defensive line aligns itself is known as the front. More on the use of fronts later in the video. The gaps left in the front are known as the bubbles. These are important as there's often conflict in how the defense will defend them.
Then there are the two categories of run. Gap schemes or zone schemes. Zone is easy. The line blocks in one direction and the back will read down the line cutting to the first available hole. Gap schemes are aiming at a specific gap using down blocks, leads, and pullers to create the angles to open a crease. To stop the run, the defense must have every gap an offense could create accounted for. So, if they do run, there's a player ready to make a tackle.
We're going to look at this puzzle against a 21 personnel look. That's two backs and one tight end, as this is the simplest place to start. If everybody in the box blocked for a QB run, the offense could create nine gaps. So, if we want to win this battle with straight numbers, we're going to need to commit nine players, otherwise known as nine-man spacing or max spacing. Spacing simply refers to the number of players who are focused on the run at the snap. Everyone on defense is going to have to be involved at some point, even corners. But this is how many people are watching for it on the snap.
Nine-man spacing has all seven traditional box players, plus both safeties being involved in the fit. With a numbers count equal to the gaps an offense can create, the defense is able to play ultra aggressive and charge their gaps, which is why this is often seen as a run blitz. However, with both safeties down focused on the run, it leaves you zero help over the top if a team does drop back to pass. And this is the second part of the puzzle. How you play the run inherently ties into how you play the pass. As you commit resources in one location, you have to take them away from another. You can't stay in zero coverage all day because you'll get toasted.
So, we'll remove a safety and put him to single high to protect the middle of the field. Moving us to eightman spacing. If the offense carries out a traditional handoff, this spacing has them gapped out, too, with eight defenders ready to control eight gaps. How a defense chooses to fit these eight gaps is known as the fit, which can vary wildly based on coach and play design that they're seeing.
Starting with gap schemes, we're going to draw up a basic counterplay where the line will down block to wash the defense away from the rushing lane. Then there will be two pullers. The first aims to kick out the edge, creating an alley for the second with the back following them to daylight. There are two basic theories on how to fit this. Boxing and spilling.
In a box fit, everyone plays the outside shoulder of their man, always trying to funnel the ball back middle. The edge defender is very important here and needs to send the run inside or the back will bounce away from everybody. The linebacker's jobs are very important here, too. The strong side backer must also get outside the second puller and box him in, turning the run back into the mic. If he doesn't, he'll become traffic for the mic, too, allowing the run to hit a clean alley. The mic cannot get picked by the down block as he's the one most likely to meet the ball carrier. Shedding or avoiding this down block is linebacker 101. Box is the most common form as it's often the easiest to teach.
But lots of teams like to spill too. Instead of sending everything back inside, they'll try to spill the blocks and force it to bounce using the linebacker speed to overlap and chase down the run. Instead of boxing versus the kickout, the edge will intentionally spill it, getting inside the block and trying to clog up the designed alley. A well spilled block will have one puller cascading into another, ruining the play. The first linebacker will then try to spill the second puller, attacking his inside shoulder, leaving the mic and will to overlap and chase down the run. If you can spill effectively, you'll force the back to slow and work laterally where fast flowing backers can hunt them down. However, if you can't keep the mic and wheel free to overlap and they get washed in the traffic due to poor spilling, this play is outside fast for a big game. You can also play lever spill lever, which is a mix of the two, but we'll save that for the 2011 class.
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Gap schemes are only part of the puzzle and zone presents its own unique challenges. Generally, most zone is going to be treated like a box fit. However, teams will often use indicators that's a tell from the offense to help shift the linebackers to the correct gap. This makes sure they aren't caught in the wash and are in advantageous positions to make a play.
However, zone presents another problem as it's very easy to get the QB's legs involved with the zone read. This essentially creates an extra gap, leaving the defense with just eight bodies to fill nine gaps. To get the numbers count back to equal without going to nine man spacing, we're going to have to steal a gap, having somebody guard two. The number of ways of doing this is an exhaustive list, so we'll just run through some basic ideas.
The first is legit two gapping. Having a Dlineman knock back and stand up the blocker, controlling both gaps either side of them. However, you're going to need a big and strong player for this because if he loses this block, he's going to leave a gaping hole. Another way to steal a gap is by having the edge player who the QB is reading play a squeeze and pop technique. They squeeze down to take away the C gap cut back lane for the running back, but are still ready to pop back and cut off the QB if he keeps it to the D gap. This is hard work on an edge player. And with the athletes we now see playing quarterback, a fairly impossible task for many ends. If you're going to use this, that boy better be a stud.
A better way to steal a gap and defend the read is with the scrape exchange. And this is by far the most common. When the edge sees the tackle work away from him, he'll work down the back side of the tackle, holding his C gap, but being ready to squeeze shut the B gap that is now vacated. The tackle is usually climbing to reach the linebacker. So, instead of having him fit this B gap, he'll work outside and take the D gap, ready for the QB keeper. Scrape exchange is an excellent way to steal numbers while using angles to the defense's advantage and can be used in all sorts of combinations and run fits to steal gaps back.
The security eight-man spacing gives you in the run game is reassuring, but it does leave you limited to what you can do on the back end. With just a single high safety, you're constrained in coverages you can play. Generally stuck in the cover one and cover three families. If you want to be able to be multiple in the secondary, you're going to need both safeties out the fit.
Moving to sevenman spacing allows this with only the traditional box players now focused directly on the run. That doesn't mean the safeties won't help, but they're defending the pass first. Against the base 21 personnel look, we now have one less player than gaps versus a traditional handoff and two versus a QB run. Meaning we're going to need to steal gaps to stay stout.
This topic is too diverse a subject to break down in a run fit overview video. But the same ideas used to steal gaps in eightman spacing can be used, just with added wrinkles to counter the two gaps missing. One of the most common ways we see sevenman spacing gap steals is with a G front. It's an overfront with a specific technique from the nose tackle. Reading the center's actions, if he steps to him, he'll invite the double with the guard, anchoring down and holding the gap. However, if he works away, he closes the A. C away, close the A. Angles dictate that the center working away will leave both A gaps open, and the nose needs to work into this space and to the opposite A, now controlling two gaps, stealing one back for his team. This should cause the back to cut back where the mic will gap exchange with his A gap now closed leading him into the path of the runner in a G front. The five tech to the no side is playing in the same technique we looked at earlier playing down the tackle's backside as he works away. The linebacker will then gap exchange to hold the edge ready for the cutback or keeper. This has the defense stealing back two gaps by exploiting the offense's angles, able to counter their numbers advantage, winning with sevenman spacing.
Hopefully, you're now starting to see why different fronts can be useful, especially as we evolve our look beyond 21 personnel. Matching your front to the personnel and formation helps win you the angles battle and control where the bubbles are, putting players in more advantageous positions to make a play. This allows you to dictate to the offense where they can run the ball and makes it easier for your players to steal gaps. The front also helps protect the coverage behind it. In the modern age, teams have to commit resources to the pass. And so often we'll have the last man in the fit into the box late, joining only when he's needed. By using different fronts, we can make the job on these players easier, making the distance they travel much less severe. Or we protect them from being part of the fit altogether. If the other team has a dangerous slot guy, you want the nickel sticking with them. And all this is why running the ball effectively is so important. If you can force a team to change their front and position, you can open up new routes and parts of the field. The true chess match of football.
The ideas of seven, 8, and nineman spacing translate across all personnels. Just with the reduction or increase in the number needed. With modern teams able to cycle in and out of personnel packages, it can be helpful to teach 9, eight, and sevenman spacing as max, neutral, and minus spacing. So, the numbers don't get too confusing when less players are in the box. If you're in a max fit, you can gap out even a QB run, but have nobody deep. If you're in a neutral fit, you can gap out a handoff, but need to steal versus a QB run. If you're in a minus fit, you're at least one gap short and definitely need to steal a gap. Using these terms will allow your players to quickly grasp the same ideas against different personnels without confusing them too much with the names 9, 8, and sevenman spacing. We've chosen to use these spacing terms, however, as that's the most common names used. And I want this video to be a jumping off point for coaches to understand run fits and be able to search for more resources.
With the pass dominating the modern game, being able to fit with sevenman or minus spacing is key. It gives you greater versatility in coverage, opening up the cover two, four, and six families as options while still allowing you to fit like eightman spacing by rotating your safety down and forming a single high look post snap. Coverages such as quarters and cover six have been instrumental in slowing down the modern passing game. So teams who can find ways to fit the box lightly and steal multiple gaps are at a significant advantage. Again, this is why running the ball is so important. Change the numbers, change the coverage.
Hopefully, we've simplified this to the point where the average fan can follow along and now start to see how their teams try to stop the run. There's real beauty and brains wrapped up in the chaos. However, it's one thing to follow along on a chalkboard or through a screen. It's another to react in real time, decipher through the misdirection, and make the correct play. Let this video be a reminder to you all that NFL players are elite visual processors.