The 4-2-5 is one of the more popular defenses over the last 10 years used by defensive coordinators to stop the spread offense. The 4-2-5 defense has 4 defensive linemen, 2 linebackers, and 5 defensive backs. This defensive scheme is designed to be balanced to stop both the run and pass. In this article, we’re …
The 3-4 defense is one of the most popular defensive sets in football. High school teams and NFL teams will use the 3-4 defense to stop high-powered spread offenses. But what exactly are the 3-4 defense, and how do coaches use it? The 3-4 defense in football has 3 defensive linemen and 4 linebackers. In …
The nickel, dime, and quarter defenses in football are types of packages that defenses run. These packages are in relation to how many defensive backs are on the field. The nickel package means there are 5 defensive backs on the field, dime means 6 defensive backs and quarter means 7 defensive backs. Coaches will use …
Similar to how the offense lines up in different varieties of formations, defenses have formations as well. As the offense will line up in the “I-formation” or the “Wing-T,” defensive formations contain numbers that typically identify the defensive lineman and the linebackers. Defensive formations are named by the defensive lineman and linebackers. For example, and …
To win football games, the defense needs to control the line of scrimmage. Understanding defensive fronts and how players align is a major part of controlling the line of scrimmage. The 3 main defensive fronts that football coaches use are the 3-4, 4-3, and 5-2. The first number relates to the defensive lineman, and the …
The 4-3 defense is a common defense among professional and even youth programs. It’s easy to install and allows for teams to use different personnel at different positions. The 4-3 defense requires 4 defensive linemen and 3 linebackers. The 3 linebackers are often called the Sam, Mike, and Will linebackers. In this article, we will …
Zone blitzes are a newer style of the blitz, which was created to confuse the quarterback. Teams are starting to use the zone blitz more often now that spread offenses are common. A zone blitz is when the team blitzes a linebacker, then drops a defensive lineman into pass coverage. Zone blitzes are run to …
As the passing game continues to advance, defenses need to match personnel and scheme. Defenses have used personnel groupings like nickel, dime, and quarter defenses to match the offense’s speed. What exactly are nickel, dime, and quarter defenses? The nickel defense means there are 5 defensive backs on the field. Nickel defenses are used on …
