(10-08-2019, 03:24 PM)scottyg Wrote:

(10-08-2019, 02:57 PM)NYC4jags Wrote: The alternatives (within 4-3) are mostly just different ways to assign the various gap responsibilities to various personnel.

Over, Under, Base, Nickel and so forth. They all still have gap responsibility.

So when I hear one of our players saying something like, "Well, we play a gap defense, so blah blah blah..."  An appropriate thought is "No [BLEEP], Sherlock.  Everybody does." Yes?

Every defender has a run responsibility for a pre-determined gap in the defense. There are A, B, and C gaps. A is between OC and OG, B is between OG and OT, and C is the edge. On a running play each defender "crashes" their gap. 

The alternative is a 2-gap scheme, traditionally a 34 defense, where the NT is responsible for both A gaps and each DE is responsible for the B and C gaps to his side. Their job is to tie up the blockers, diagnose which gap is being run to, and fill it.

---