Terms That Confuse People: Defensive Line Alignments
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by Jdcane98
Ok. Here’s something that most fans don’t know but you’ll hear some TV announcers drop in passing as if everyone should know this. I’m talking about the defensive line alignments. A lot of people know the Defensive End from the Defensive Tackle, don’t get me wrong, but what about a 4 technique from a 1 technique? And what do those numbers mean anyway?
The Gaps: Defense is a game of gaps. You’ll hear “Gap Responsibility” and “Gap Assignment” and “Gap Exchange” out of coaches time and time again. Guys need to “fill” gaps, and you never want “two butts in one gap.” So what are these gaps? The image below is of the common naming of gaps, with the square being the Center, and the 2 most outside circles being where Tight Ends would line up.
Shading: A term heard often is ‘shade’ or ‘shading.’ Many coaches will say, “I want you to shade the Guard’s outside shoulder.” That would be a 3 technique, as seen on the diagram below. Shading is important for getting your DL through the OL without the OL getting their hands on them. Shading helps avoid double teams (combo blocks) as well. From what I can assume, gap responsibilities turned into shades, which turned into alignments.
The Alignments:
Alignments are confusing to the casual fan. It’s something I’ve had to explain to many people through coaching, and I think anyone can figure it out. As you can see, the middle of the center is a 0. In most 52 or 53 defenses, the Nose Tackle plays “head up” meaning head-over-head with the Center, which makes him a 0-technique. The #’s basically represent the different shoulders or heads of the offensive lineman. What they are for a defense is much more. Alignments are used as points of contact, places to aim for when trying to get across the offensive line. If my DT is lined up in a 4i, but I want him to attack the inside of the gap, how would I tell him what to do without alignment numbers?
Common Defensive Line Alignments are:
Strong End: 7
Defensive Tackle: 3
Nose Tackle: 1
Weak End: 5
Many teams will also put the DT and NT in 1-techniques, and the SDE in a 6i.
Conclusion: Hopefully this will explain the common use of gaps and alignments. These diagrams are from my personal defensive playbook, so feel free to ask for more diagrams and ask any questions you want.
